I want to bring attention to the extremely disappointing experience of dealing with Dell customer support in Japan. In particular, how Dell Japan used policy to bypass the warranty regarding certain components. I will give credit where it is due and say that Dell Japan customer support has reliably replied within relatively short timeframes.

Issue experienced by the machine:

My Alienware M16 R1, which is under a paid extended warranty, started experiencing sudden shutdowns, literally power cutting off, and experienced over two dozen such shutdowns.

Support Experience:

Upon contacting support, the first few days of back and forth were the usual “try this” and “try that diagnostic.” Since all diagnostics were fruitless, diagnostics I had already conducted on my own and already communicated to support, and reinstalling the OS also yielded no change, support finally directed me to download the latest BIOS update, which seemed, if very temporarily, to stabilize the issue.

Logically, I still requested that the machine be picked up and serviced, as several repeated power cutoffs are not normal and could have led to hardware damage. Support outright refused, stating that I would have “to monitor” the situation and that unless the issue presented itself again they could only treat it as resolved, which resulted in me wasting a day or two transferring and installing over a terabyte of data and programs. The problem unsurprisingly presented itself again and, to their credit, support finally decided to organize pickup and quickly organized it.

Whilst the machine was being serviced, I also asked them to check the keyboard since the A key had become loose and some of the LEDs had stopped working. I also told them that I had noticed burn marks on the AC adapter and that the damage may have been related to the previous time the machine was serviced, when the GPU died.

Once received, support identified the following repairs that could be made:

Motherboard replacement to address the issue: free

Repair to the keyboard, meaning replacement of the whole unit: priced at approximately $370 + tax

Bottom cover due to cracking near the LAN slot: approximately $55 + tax

Battery replacement: approximately $66 + tax

Repair of AC adapter: approximately $111 + tax

For the last three, an additional labor fee of approximately $80 would be added on top.

Support completely refused to treat the keyboard as a warranty repair “due to policy.”

When challenged to provide a specific justification beyond just uttering the word “policy,” since both issues were not caused by improper use, i.e., not accidental damage, no water spillage, no physical impacts, etc., they claimed that despite no signs of improper user handling, since the A key coming loose is normal wear and tear, the LED issue, which normally would have fallen under warranty, cannot fall under warranty because in replacing the keyboard, which Dell conveniently handles as a unit replacement, they would also be repairing wear and tear. For the AC adapter, similarly, they claimed the damage falls outside of the warranty and recommended I buy a new one in order to get an extended warranty on it.

Their position is not only logically absurd and defeats the very point of a warranty, but may also constitute a breach of contract under Japanese law.

As acknowledged by support as well, there are no signs of user-induced damage, even though they claimed “it cannot be excluded.” Furthermore, they themselves categorized the damage as normal wear and tear, pointing to Dell policy, which in particular identifies such damage as cosmetic and not impacting device functionality.

Since there is no causal link between cosmetic wear that does not impact device functionality and manufacturing defects, which support implicitly admitted the nonfunctional LEDs fall under by stating “normally these would be covered by warranty,” the explanation provided by support is basically tantamount to stating that a warranty, which is supposed to protect against hardware defects, whether due to improper construction or design, is void upon using the product in any shape, way, or form.

Additionally, pertaining to non-conformities, Japanese civil law, Article 562 of the Civil Code, grants the buyer the right to demand cure, such as repair or replacement, when delivered goods do not conform to the contract, except where the non-conformity is attributable to the buyer. Dell Japan categorized the damage to the key as cosmetic wear and tear, failed to provide proof that the LEDs were damaged by actions of the user, and failed to establish a causal link between the cosmetic damage, which according to Dell does not impact functionality, and the non-functioning LEDs. Therefore, it is not possible to attribute the LED non-conformity to the buyer.

In the case that Dell wishes to treat the loose A key not as mere cosmetic wear but as actual damage, the lack of any signs of improper usage, accidental damage, or intentional user damage would require the A key itself to be treated as a non-conformity to be cured under warranty.

Finally, I would also like to note that the Japanese Consumer Contract Act voids clauses that completely exempt a business operator from liability for damages caused by default, or give the business operator authority to decide whether it is responsible.

As for the AC adapter, they were unable to estimate the cost of a new unit and directed me to call a provided phone number to contact the Sales department. The Sales department on the phone provided an estimate of some $30 for the new charger, stating they would send an email with the actual quote, which then turned out to be a much larger $174, and the lead time would be 8 to 10 WEEKS. This, of course, left me with no other choice but to accept the AC adapter repair quote.

I would like to make it clear that regarding the AC charger, I am not accepting Dell’s policy statement that it does not fall under warranty. Rather, out of necessity, I simply did not have the luxury of further disputing the issue. Put shortly, I need the computer back as soon as possible, and between the initial slow stages of the service request and the back and forth regarding the keyboard, over two weeks have passed. This left me with the only practical choice of accepting the “repair fee” of approximately $174, the same as buying it new, with at least the hope of a faster resolution.

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