Stiff hinge

It would be much better to loosen the hinge -- which in turn is a warranty repair if the system is under warranty.

It is 15 months old so Dell could say out of warranty, however European 'Sale of Goods Act' expects a manufactured product to function 5 years, not 15 months!

If I was a little more heavy handed this could be another hinge/case failure, I think Dell have a design fault.

How easy is it to 'ease' the hinge?

See here

https://www.dell.com/community/Laptops-General/Dell-s-hinge-policy-regarding-Inspiron-15-7000-series/td-p/5144121

All I can find is Dell NOT acknowledging there is a build problem, very disappointing. 

In 15 months this laptop has developed a stiff hinge, a weak charging port and a intermittent key in the number pad, not a good record. I bought Dell as I had previously had a good experience with them when I bought over 100 desktops for my Company, it seems that build quality has gone down since then. 

I can just about get by with the port and key problem but not if the screen/case destroys itself, I will be asking Dell to replace it with a correctly built unit, or refund me.

No comment from Dell reviews then?

There's not much to comment on.  I'd seriously consider a repair NOW, before the system becomes unusable.  Dell's policy, like it or not is that hinges are wear items and not covered by warranty.  If you wait until the system is damaged, you'll end up with a much bigger bill (or a long fight on your hands, as my understanding of European implicit-warranty laws is that they're not easy to use when you need them).

I will approach Dell for their comments.

I can understand any laptop manufacturer wanting to limit hinge claims, it is a very vulnerable part, but normal use is not wear and any reasonably designed hinge would wear loose not stiff !!

I will post Dell's response when I get chance.

Well well well, who'd have thought it !

I contacted Dell to tell them of the problem and went down the out of warranty telephone route to talk to a pleasant Dell representative. I assured her that the laptop was not damaged but would be if I forgot to open the lid verrry sloowly. I also said that I was getting no charge on some occasions and suspected the charging port. She arranged for the laptop to be collected for repair on the basis that if they found it damaged I would pay for repairs.

It was back in 10 days, it having been to Germany and back, and all working fine. Best of all no Invoice, FOC !

I have to say that is first class service, thanks Dell. I just hope the noisy fan when it first started up does not warrant another phone call. It hasn't happened again so, so far, so good.

Spoke too soon the dreaded charging fault has reappeared. Seems like another call to Dell support is needed.

Thank you for your message. I will be glad to assist you on this.

For my reference, please click on the message tab next to your avatar– click “New Message” & search for my Dell username (Dell-Sreejith R) & send a private message with the service tag, registered name & email address.

What is a Dell Service Tag and how do I locate it?