Desperate for advice from users (More Dead Pixels)

Question

Bought a Dell 5100 Inspiron laptop computer and discovered it had dead pixels in the screen.

Prior to my freely giving my credit card number to Dell Sales I asked what their policy was concerning dead pixels and was told that I could freely exchange it for a new one within 30 days if I find even one dead pixel.

So, now I call Customer Care to request a new exchange laptop. After a hour long battle they agreed to do the exchange. However, they would have preferred me to accept a $100 credit rather than getting the exchange.

The new laptop arrives and I discover that it has about twice as may dead pixels (5). So, I again called Customer Care and they tell that I basically got more than my fair share of customer service. And they really do seem to feel that I got a lot from them. My call with Customer care basically ended with the following conditions:

No to the $100 credit since I went for the system exchange.
No to another system exchange since I already got one.
No to refund since my 30 days had just ended.

Since this time I have called Dell Sales to see if they would give me the same story regarding dead pixels. And yes they were still telling me that dead pixels were not acceptable. I also again contacted both Customer Care and Technical Support to generally inquire about how common dead pixels were. Both departments told me that it was quite rare to get dead pixels but does happen on occasion.

Everyone at Dell has now completely shut me down on this subject. Can anyone think of what I might be able to do or is this really over?

Thanks for your time!

Michael

P.S.
Since this problem started I have obsessively inspected every laptop I see both at work and in retail stores (Staples, Costco, Office Depot…) and still cannot find any dead pixels, yet Dell has managed to easily send me two laptops with dead pixels.

ashenfang · Answer

Wow sorry to hear about this. It sounds like the "exchange" they sent you was a refurb. The last I heard was that you could exchange your system with in the first 30 days for what ever reason. Yes you did this, but the one they sent you was even worse, and I would think since the exchange occured with in your orignal 30 days, they are still obligated to honor a replacemet equivilent to what you paid for in a new system. If they don't, then they are still obligated to honor warranty repairs on an LCD with 5 or more dead pixles, or dead pixles in the middle of the screen. I would strongly suggest contacting them back and making the aware of their own policies. Of course, there are other alternatives that can be approached if this doesn't get resolved, but I would reccommend speaking with an attorney about these options.

Good luck!

ronirish · Answer

Sorry to hear about your problem...

Less than a month ago I received my Inspiron 5100 and discovered one bad pixel on my LCD. I was a bit upset seeing a bad pixel on a new notebook, in fact my first laptop. I looked up the policy on bad pixels with all computer manufacturers including Dell. It really shocked me to see what the policy was with the various manufacturers. Dell was the most forgiving with 5 bad pixels with existing warranty after 30 days of purchase. They will replace the display within the warranty period.

I called Dell customer service within the first week of the bad pixel discovery. I explained the pixel problem to Matt and he told me as long as I was within the 30 days of purchase an exchange was possible.

He set up the exchange and within a few days I received my new Inspiron 5100 with a shipping label to return the defective one.....and I'm happy to say my LCD was clean..no bad pixels. Maybe I'm lucky..but I've been a Dell customer for a bit and have had no problem with their purchase agreements.

Dell customer service had held to all the promises they make to their customers with me personally...not sure what happend in your situation but am truely sorry! Hope you get it resolved.

debian75 · Answer

do yo have complete care ? if so go get a coffee now and by accident pour it over the notebook...they do everything to f... you so you should f.... them too

RandyB · Answer

Another, SORRY! I think you should have returned the lappy and re-ordered, rather than merely exchanging it; of course it's too late now. My best advice is to wait a couple of weeks, then call S&S and tell them that your LCD has splotches and ripples or something to that effect and that you would like the screen replaced. I hope you have on-site service - then they don't get to examine the screen first. Of course; you could always upgrade your warranty.

TechnoSavey · Answer

Hey... I'd be cautious about threatening to intentionally damage the notebook. Read what Dell has done to this guy.

http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_general&message.id=141212

-=~ TechnoSavey ~=-

Dell Inspiron 5150
Intel Mobile Pentium 4 3.06 GHz / 256 MB
15" SXGA+ TFT
BIOS Version A29
Windows Home Edition SP1
64MB NVIDIA GeForce 5200 Go
40GB Ultra ATA HD
Dell TrueMobile 1300 WLAN
4X DVD+RW / CD-RW Combo

Deadpixel99 · Answer

Follow up:

I again called Customer Care and this time requested to speak to a Manager regarding my problem. Customer Care said that this was not possible and that if it was I would just be given the same message:

No to exchange
No to $100 credit
No to return

After three more requests to have my request passed to a Manager the Customer Care rep finally agreed to accept two call back numbers from me, but basically restated that this would be a waste of time.

About 24 hours later I received a call from a new Dell rep who says that he has the ability to do more and would like to gladly extend one of the following options to me:

Brand new system with rush delivery
Or $100 Visa credit

I really wanted to go for the new system, but the thought of possibly having to call Customer Care again if there were any problems just Scared The Life Out Me, so I picked the money.

I am grateful for finally getting some help from Dell, however my Dell purchasing experience has really left me shaken and thankful that it is over!

So, would I buy a Dell again? Well I think life is too short, so I would have to answer “No”.

RP-L2 · Answer

First of all, the standard is up to 5 dead pixels meaning if you have 5 dead pixels, your LCD is still considered OK. This is not a practice of Dell only but the entire industry. I must say that sales was wrong in informing you that you can get a replacement if you get a single dead pixel but you just cant get a replacement all the time once you get a dead pixel. You may have received a replacement that has more dead pixels than what you first received but it is still within the industry's standard.

Deadpixel99 · Answer

Since my troubles began I did do some research and I do believe you are correct about the 5 dead pixels. In various communications with Dell I managed to receive the following information regarding dead pixels:

Customer Care says that 9 dead pixels within a single area the size of a quarter is the industry standard. So, if you get 10 dead pixels within a quarter size area your screen is deffective, else it is considered acceptable.

Technical Support says anything number greater then 5 dead pixels anywhere in your screen and it is considered deffective.

Dell Sales still maintains that any dead pixels discovered within the first 30 days of purchase and the unit is considered deffective.

I thinks that somebody in this forum once posted a link to a official Dell page stating the policy on dead pixels, however nobody at Dell was ever able to direct me to this page.

About a week ago I was in Costco and I asked the sales people about dead pixels and returns. They told me that they have a full money back, no questions asked return policy on all computer systems which lasts for the first 6 months! And that I could first open the box and inspect the laptop before buying if I wanted, wow!

I just wish that Dell could be completely clear about there quality policies and restrictions before you buy, considering you are buying something you cannot see. I guess all those Dell ads really had an effect on me.

spiked_martini · Answer

Randy is right - if you had just returned and re-ordered, your 30-day period would have re-started. That would have been your best bet.

"Dell Sales still maintains that any dead pixels discovered within the first 30 days of purchase and the unit is considered deffective. [sic]" - I don't think this is true, it's just that you can return your laptop for any reason at all during your first 30 days, so during that period, it's easier to get a system exchange, since you can just as easily send it back completely. "Accepted specs" doesn't really apply in your first 30 days. Just because they'll take it back, doesn't mean that it's considered defective in the first place.

I actually think that Dell was pretty reasonable in offering you a system exchange for something that isn't covered under your warranty (i.e. dead pixels within accepted specs), outside the initial 30-day period.

I hope you enjoy your new notebook!

Deadpixel99 · Answer

There were some details I did not state or probably did not make completely clear:

After getting the first system I just wanted to go for a complete refund since I never thought I could get a replacement from Dell before Christmas since this was to be a famly gift. Dell said that it was no problem to return the laptop but that I would have use their shipping service and that I would have to pay the cost, which was estimated to be $75-90. So, that ended the return option for me and that's when the whole replacement thing started.

The replacement system was ordered on about day 25, but did get to me until about day 36 due to the Christmas season. After seeing how bad the replacement was I call Dell and they told me my 30 days were over and that I had to keep the replacement even if it had more dead pixels then the first laptop. In the end they said I could keep the first laptop since it was in better shape.

I had talked with Dell people on the phone about 8 times and each time got very different instructions on what my options were, I was on really sharp learing curve with these guys. If a Dell person says this the way it works what do you do?

The bottom line for me is that I thought a company like Dell could have made this whole process a lot easier, and the last Dell person I talked with completely greed.

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Desperate for advice from users (More Dead Pixels)

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