The Dell warranty covers replacement parts. Dell will always continue to troubleshoot any Dell system via technical support, but if a replacement part is required after your Dell warranty is expired, it is up to the customer to purchase the required part. If that replacement part does not fix the issue, Dell can refund your money for that part once the part is returned, and you can continue to troubleshoot the problem until the correct part is found that resolves the issue.
Most other companies that offer a warranty do something similar. I wouldn't expect Dodge to replace my engine in my car if my engine died after the warranty expired unless there was a recall offer made.
Since this problem was not systemic, no proactive field replacements were required.
One other note about Dell's NON-support of this and other issues. The most common approach is to STALL the customer until the unit is out of warranty. There are examples of just that in posts regarding this problem. Replacing the CD-Rom drive, hard drive, et...
The complaint of a few is likely the tip of the iceberg. Dell has a serious problem in supporting their hardware, and it appears they are willing to give up corporate customers in order to save a few bucks.
We've had other Dell laptops in warranty repaired, one which has been in on 3 seperate occasions over the last year. They've replaced the Hard Drive, the CD-Rom drive, the power supply, and 2 system boards. It's now out of warranty, and guess what, we aren't putting it back into service because it's not worth the headache.
Clearly others have seen the same problem. This is not an isolated issue, it's probably an engineering issue that could be resolved. However, Dell doesn't want to spend the money to support existing customers because they already have our money. They are also aware that customers that have had problems are less likely to buy again, so there is little or no incentive to help.
As for buying replacements, DELL will not guarantee that a NEW board won't eventually have the same problem since they haven't changed anything in the design of the boards. So to suggest we spend $500 dollars to hide the problem in the short term doesn't really cut it.
I don't blame the moderators of this forum, I blame a corporation that's willing to cut corners in order to pad the bottom line, even while the ship is going down. Dell is starting to gain a reputation as being unreliable, which will slowly doom them to an existance similar to Gateway.
Great business decision.:smileymad:
Message Edited by dbarker0814 on 11-29-2005 12:00 PM
I would have to disagree that it was more than just a few. I dont know how many Inspiron computers Dell manufactures, but of the two we purchased, both have the issue. One person has chosen not to use his docking station to avoid the issue, and I just hot dock mine. I would think that most people do not tell you if they have the issue, or they are attributing it to something else like software they installed or something - probably illegal software they weren't supposed to have anyway, or they knew they were outside their warranty anyway. It would be interesting to see what exactly caused this. The fact that it happened about the same time for the couple of people on here and within our own office seems to be more than just coincidence. Not saying that anyone actually does this, but it would be pretty easy to instal faulty hardware or make the hardware have a conflict at a specific time, just outside of warranty so that the person must pay alot of money to either fix the computer or buy a new one. (thats just the conspiracy theorist in me).
I think we however will look into replacing the motherboard. We have great technical support and even got the onsite stuff so we dont have to be down for long when they come to fix it instead of shipping it off somewhere. A long time ago we were told it was just the docking station. Since the new one that Dell sent didn't fix it we didn't push the issue any further and lived with it because we were too busy to mess with it.
Thank you Eric for responding to our little thread. Hopefully those out there who google will find this and speak up just to let us know exactly how many computers this actually affected. Any idea how many it has to affect before there is a "recall"? The government regulates automobiles, toys and childrens equipment and apparel, its only a matter of time before nothing is grandfathered in with regards to recalled items.
Here are some search terms for google... Dell Inspiron Inspirion 8500 docking station CD rom drive IRQ Conflict docking station hot dock motherboard
Thanks again! Please dont misunderstand because I am definitely appreciative. Its just too bad it took a year for an official answer.
I started a thread for this same problem back in Feb. of this year. I have yet to receive a post from Dell for help. I also see in this thread that a new MB or docking station does not fix the problem. So again those of us that are out of warranty (as I think most I8500's are out of warranty by now) are also out of luck. Thanks Dell.
I respectfully question the assertion that this is a motherboard issue. Look at the posts on this very site - search for "ide irq 8600" - doesn't isn't seem strange that so many people complained about this issue at the end of August 2005? What are the odds that so many people would have a hardware failure during the same week? I think that there is another cause at work here, one caused by either Dell or Microsoft updates.
I agree that Dell has been completely nonresponsive, and it does feel like stonewalling to me. I sent a tip to a major IT magazine column in the hopes that the author can get something done where we mere mortals cannot. It really makes me angry when things like this happen - my notebook has plenty of life in it, and until the last week of August, the port replicator didn't have any issues. Dell, do you really want to carry this sort of policy in the face of growing competition? My last notebook support experience with you was respectful and responsive - why the big change?
I'm very confident that the problem is not caused by Windows software updates. Two reasons, if it were software, then a re-install from scratch would resolve the issue. It doesn't. Second, the problem can be by-passed by Hot-Docking the laptop, although it's not recommended.
I agree, it's time to apply pressure to Dell on the issue. Perhaps some BAD press would be affective. If anyone knows of other places to post the issue that might get some additional attention, post it in this thread for the others.
Additionally, if there are those who wish to have additional information about the issue if any becomes available, please refer them to this thread. That way if Dell does make an effort to correct the problem, they can find it here, and give Dell credit, if and when it's due.
Thanks for the input though.
~d
Message Edited by dbarker0814 on 12-02-2005 08:40 PM
OK, if I can't say for sure what it is, then what about what it isn't? I can't believe that a bunch of machines failing at the same time in August is a coincidence. If it's not a simultaneous hardware failure, then it must be a simultaneous software failure....
For what it is worth, I wrote a letter to Dell Customer Service about this problem, including advising them of the existance of this forum thread. A week later, I got a call from a tech. They FedEx'ed me packaging, I shipped my Inspiron 8600 to them, and had it back in 2 days with a new System board and updated BIOS (odd, since I had just updated my BIOS to the latest from Dell's support site). It now boots in the docking station without any DVD problems.
Since I (for the first time in my life) bought the extended warranty, this was all on Dell's dime. I have no idea how much they are going to hammer an out-of-warranty customer for... At the very least, Dell needs to own up to this problem, contact all registered owners of affected machines, and tell them what their options are. A hefty discount on a System Board does not seem unreasonable...
There are a class of customers -- of which I am one -- that was shipped one of these machines as a warranty replacement for another notebook that they decided they couldn't fix. As such, there *is* no warranty coverage available on this box -- never was.
If this notebook were a car, and the manufacturer determined that there was some defect such that a recall was warranted, there wouldn't be any questioning as to whether the notebook were under warranty.
I am troubled by Dell's lack of overt response on this set of threads, and by the fact that there seems to be quite a few respondents calling out a certain period of time (late August '05) in which they first noticed this issue. That set of customers includes myself. I have a hard time believing that we all jammed the docking connector the wrong way at the same time by coincidence.
The conspiracy theorist in me says that Dell is trying to eat the clock on this as much as possible. That being said, which tech did you talk to? Perhaps I could correspond with the same person....
I'm also one of those who received an I8500 as a warranty replacement. And you are correct that Dell offered NO extended warranty on the I8500. This problem started for me (and others) in Feb.
This is it for me- I just wanted to follow up for all of you out there tracking this thread. I got my Inspiron 8500 fixed (new motherboard) and everything seems to be working fine. That was about 3 weeks ago. One item to note- Itunes... If you have it and you have songs purchased you have to go back and authorize your songs. If those songs are from an account that is no longer valid- say an old AOL account then you are out lof luck.
Good luck to the rest of you. Luckily mine was under an extended warranty. It took him 20 minutes to replace the motherboard.
Well, good luck. As you can see from the size of this thread, this is a pervasive problem with Inspiron 8500's. Dell either doesn't know what the problem is, or is unwilling to deal with it. I've had exactly the same problem since I purchased my 8500 two years ago. The last time I called Dell to try to get a fix, I was handed off to four different technicians with the last guy told me that it was a OS problem and they would have to charge me to discuss it further.
(This is a cross-post from another thread. I just want to make sure any future searches find this info.)
This is a known issue with the Inspiron 8600 (and apparently the 8500 as well.) I have sent my laptop in four times for this repair, and it needs to be sent in again.
The last tech I spoke to confirmed this is a design flaw with this model. He said it has something to do with a static build up around the port replicator connector causing the failure of some chip on the system board. Truly, the only fix is to replace the system board. He also confirmed that I can expect to have this problem again in the future. I have experienced the problem about every four months.
I asked what happens when my warranty expires. He said as long as I reference the original dispatch number, Dell will continue to repair the laptop as long as I own it.
I am currently fighting with customer service to provide a permanent replacement for my Inspiron 8600. The last time I called, I was told a "Customer Service Specialist" would contact me within 24 hours to discuss replacing my laptop. Of course, I never received that call.
Oddly enough, my son has the exact same laptop and port replicator and has not experienced the problem in the 18 months he's owned it. However, I undock my laptop every night, and he rarely does.
Eric BY
2 Intern
•
815 Posts
0
November 29th, 2005 15:00
dbarker0814
11 Posts
0
November 29th, 2005 15:00
Thank you waggie,
One other note about Dell's NON-support of this and other issues. The most common approach is to STALL the customer until the unit is out of warranty. There are examples of just that in posts regarding this problem. Replacing the CD-Rom drive, hard drive, et...
The complaint of a few is likely the tip of the iceberg. Dell has a serious problem in supporting their hardware, and it appears they are willing to give up corporate customers in order to save a few bucks.
We've had other Dell laptops in warranty repaired, one which has been in on 3 seperate occasions over the last year. They've replaced the Hard Drive, the CD-Rom drive, the power supply, and 2 system boards. It's now out of warranty, and guess what, we aren't putting it back into service because it's not worth the headache.
Clearly others have seen the same problem. This is not an isolated issue, it's probably an engineering issue that could be resolved. However, Dell doesn't want to spend the money to support existing customers because they already have our money. They are also aware that customers that have had problems are less likely to buy again, so there is little or no incentive to help.
As for buying replacements, DELL will not guarantee that a NEW board won't eventually have the same problem since they haven't changed anything in the design of the boards. So to suggest we spend $500 dollars to hide the problem in the short term doesn't really cut it.
I don't blame the moderators of this forum, I blame a corporation that's willing to cut corners in order to pad the bottom line, even while the ship is going down. Dell is starting to gain a reputation as being unreliable, which will slowly doom them to an existance similar to Gateway.
Great business decision.:smileymad:
Message Edited by dbarker0814 on 11-29-2005 12:00 PM
wagggie
13 Posts
0
November 29th, 2005 15:00
percman24601
117 Posts
0
December 1st, 2005 22:00
kidoshisama
6 Posts
0
December 2nd, 2005 23:00
dbarker0814
11 Posts
0
December 3rd, 2005 00:00
Message Edited by dbarker0814 on 12-02-2005 08:40 PM
kidoshisama
6 Posts
0
December 3rd, 2005 03:00
percman24601
117 Posts
0
December 3rd, 2005 05:00
August? Look at my original thread on this issue started on Feb 2nd.
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_cdrom&message.id=39215
This is an issue that is long overdue for a fix. It's been 10 months and I still haven't had a Dell mod say word one to me.
JDMCompany
4 Posts
0
December 12th, 2005 15:00
For what it is worth, I wrote a letter to Dell Customer Service about this problem, including advising them of the existance of this forum thread. A week later, I got a call from a tech. They FedEx'ed me packaging, I shipped my Inspiron 8600 to them, and had it back in 2 days with a new System board and updated BIOS (odd, since I had just updated my BIOS to the latest from Dell's support site). It now boots in the docking station without any DVD problems.
Since I (for the first time in my life) bought the extended warranty, this was all on Dell's dime. I have no idea how much they are going to hammer an out-of-warranty customer for... At the very least, Dell needs to own up to this problem, contact all registered owners of affected machines, and tell them what their options are. A hefty discount on a System Board does not seem unreasonable...
kidoshisama
6 Posts
0
December 12th, 2005 15:00
There are a class of customers -- of which I am one -- that was shipped one of these machines as a warranty replacement for another notebook that they decided they couldn't fix. As such, there *is* no warranty coverage available on this box -- never was.
If this notebook were a car, and the manufacturer determined that there was some defect such that a recall was warranted, there wouldn't be any questioning as to whether the notebook were under warranty.
I am troubled by Dell's lack of overt response on this set of threads, and by the fact that there seems to be quite a few respondents calling out a certain period of time (late August '05) in which they first noticed this issue. That set of customers includes myself. I have a hard time believing that we all jammed the docking connector the wrong way at the same time by coincidence.
The conspiracy theorist in me says that Dell is trying to eat the clock on this as much as possible. That being said, which tech did you talk to? Perhaps I could correspond with the same person....
Thanks,
Kidoshi
percman24601
117 Posts
0
December 12th, 2005 15:00
I'm also one of those who received an I8500 as a warranty replacement. And you are correct that Dell offered NO extended warranty on the I8500. This problem started for me (and others) in Feb.
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_cdrom&message.id=39215
Thanks for the great service Dell. 0 - 2 for working laptops.
dkorz
1 Message
0
December 27th, 2005 22:00
wagggie
13 Posts
0
April 6th, 2006 14:00
Splighf
2 Posts
0
April 6th, 2006 16:00
ask4fish
14 Posts
0
April 7th, 2006 19:00
(This is a cross-post from another thread. I just want to make sure any future searches find this info.)