I will Never Buy a Dell computer again

Question

...or anything with a Dell name on it.   I bought an Inspiron 5150 one year ago. It miserably failed after one year and 5 days. It is not usable anymore. Dell 'customer care' does not want to apply any warranty or to assist me in any way. The repair is going to be very expensive. I think here is a problem with the motherboard I  will file a complaint to the consumer protection and/or better bussiness beaurau. Don't buy the inspiron 5160 or 5150 it will let you down soon, better a Sony or a Toshiba much better quality and customer assistance.

Ruune0531 · Answer

wow... perhaps if you had purchased a 2-year (or 3-year) warranty things might have been different? Dont blame Dell for your lack of foresight. Are you going to put 50k miles on a new car and expect the manufacturer to fix something under warranty?   Sorry... no sympathy here. You're not going to get any from the BBB either, since a manufacturer is not obligated to repair something for free, if the contracted warranty period has expired.   If you're so worried about cost of repair, check ebay for a replacement board... that is if you can install it yourself.

LucaG · Answer

I ordered the computer on the 16 12 2003

it arrived on the 26th 12 2003

it broke on the 27th moring 12 2004 after one year + some hours of use.

we are off by hours not week

they could have helped me or they could have not, it was up to them : they decided not to.

I'll remeber that next time I have to work with a computer brand.

Never buy a dell computer again.

Bay Wolf · Answer

@LucaG wrote:

...or anything with a Dell name on it.

I bought an Inspiron 5150 one year ago. It miserably failed after one year and 5 days.

It is not usable anymore. Dell "customer care" does not want to apply any warranty or to assist me in any way. The repair is going to be very expensive. I think here is a problem with the motherboard

I will file a complaint to the consumer protection and/or better bussiness beaurau.

Don't buy the inspiron 5160 or 5150 it will let you down soon, better a Sony or a Toshiba much better quality and customer assistance.

Do you really expect Sony or Toshiba to extend your warranty after it expired? I seriously doubt that they will. And you really think that the BBB or Consumer Protection Agency is going to help you with something you didn't pay for? I doubt that, too.

Before your warranty ran out, you could have extended it but I guess you didn't do that either.

I guess you would be the type that would go into a store one day after the sale was over and complain that you couldn't get the item on sale.

No sympathy here either. Go buy your Sony or Toshiba.

anettis · Answer

I always get the extended warranty.  I guess you did not which amount to gambling that your system won't fail after the first year.  Looks like you lost.  I don't see how DELL is at fault on this one.

NemesisDB · Answer

I've heard a lot of stories about dell honoring warranties if they're only expired by a week or so?  anyone want to confirm?   or perhaps they let people extend the warranty a few days past the date -- i know i've read posts like this... Message Edited by NemesisDB on 12-27-2004 04:54 PM

LucaG · Answer

I still have a PII toshiba protege since 1997, The docking station had a bent pin they fixed it without any cost to me.

Ruune0531 · Answer

again- the warranty starts when the computer is shipped... not when its in your hands.

Bay Wolf · Answer

I have never tried to do that.  But I suspect that if Dell does honor a warranty beyond the expiration date, it probably has a lot to do with how the phone conversation goes.   Be nice and respectful to the technician and at least pretend that they know what they are doing, you probably can get the extention and they will help you.  It you are disrespectful, why would they help?

LucaG · Answer

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again- the warranty starts when the computer is shipped... not when its in your hands.

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Is this a forum that heps DELL making more money or helping out customers?

Would you not been disappointed if your 1.5K computer would fail after one exact year of use???

Isn't that a mochery???

It is now a piece of heavy junk sitting on my desk, and it was not my fault,

ejn63 · Answer

Try asking nicely - they might honor a repair.

If you buy a replacement, buy an extended warranty, even for another manufacturer's machine. Years ago, Toshiba made its own machines. Now, every major vendor sells pretty much the same hardware - the same company that built your Inspiron, builds machines for Sony and Toshiba, Apple, and just about every other major vendor.

The hardware is more alike than it is different, no matter whose name is on the system.

NemesisDB · Answer

on a completely unrelated note, what is wrong with the system?  there are several issues (heat and dust in particular) that can make these systems appear unusable and which can be fairly easily resolved

LucaG · Answer

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on a completely unrelated note, what is wrong with the system? there are several issues (heat and dust in particular) that can make these systems appear unusable and which can be fairly easily resolved

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Thanks for the advice I will try to blow some compressed air.

The computer works fine as long as I don't touch it.

As soon as I touch it, move it etc. It shuts itself off.

If I keep the switch pressed down for ten seconds I can power it up again.

One thing about this laptop is that it looks too heavy and it sags if you don't lift it properly with botha hands on both sides, I am afraid that the motherborard is going.. to dell

thanks for the advice.

LucaG · Answer

_________________________________________________________________________________

on a completely unrelated note, what is wrong with the system? there are several issues (heat and dust in particular) that can make these systems appear unusable and which can be fairly easily resolved

_______________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for the advice I will try to blow some compressed air.

The computer works fine as long as I don't touch it.

As soon as I touch it, move it etc. It shuts itself off.

If I keep the switch pressed down for ten seconds I can power it up again.

One thing about this laptop is that it looks too heavy and it sags if you don't lift it properly with botha hands on both sides, I am afraid that the motherborard is going.. to dell

thanks for the advice.

jmillar · Answer

I think you're all missing the point.  Why should we have to buy an extended warranty.  These machines arent exactly cheap! Other manufacturers who are confidentent in their build quality can give a free 2 and 3 year warranty.  We must start thinking for ourselves and demand to be better looked after. You shouldnt expext a machine to break down after such a short time ~ although judging from the previous comments most of you dont think much of Dells build quality and expect a breakdown and take the extended warranty. Now doesnt that say alot about you're confidence in the quality of these machines. If it had happened to me I certainly would feel I had a genuine grievence at Dell  ~ so I just wonder what your motives are at slagging off a guy with what seems to be a genuine probem!

enpi · Answer

Dell is making money off of the fact that no matter how well someone takes care of their system, it will break down. I know that certain pieces of hardware will fail after a certain period of time, hard drives and graphics cards in particular, but how about you don't release that hardware until you can stabilize it enough to make a $2000+ system last for more than a few months? (As in my case)

We as consumers need to take a stand against these practices and get Dell to invest more in the quality of their systems.

I'm sure they saved enough outsourcing their tech-support.

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I will Never Buy a Dell computer again

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