Consumer Credit Act for Faulty Dell Laptop

turnitaround_3

Hello,

Sorry to hear of your experiences

Dell unfortunately are very well known for being absolutely dreadful, there's forums and websites out there dedicated to the dire service they provide time after time. Dell started to go down hill in about 2000 when they started shifting all of their support out to India (don't blame the Indians, they hate working in 'our' call centres, as documented on the various forums).

This experience you're having I would unfortunately put down to experience and sigh deeply, <deep sigh>. They really only need to 'get' everyone once to make a profit. This also seems to be the approach of the likes of PC-World, Tiny, Time Computers etc. etc.

As for the £600, perhaps just buy the best you can on the high street as any spec today will be superceded in 6 months time anyway. With all of this 'kit' it's a trade off between what they say you can have and the amount of hassle you have to go through to get it. The hassle just makes it not worth it.

The small high street sole-trader/shops are the places to buy things from as it's in their interests to sell things that work, as if they don't it's directly hitting them in the pocket. They might be a little more expensive but again it's that trade off between getting what you asked for and the amount of inconvienience it'll cause you once you've got it.

Don't worry, you're not alone ((((((hugs))))). And I don't blame you for sending it back and wanting a full refund as the 'moment' of the occasion of owning your new Dell has been destroyed.

It'll be ok

Lopo

Have not seen such an example of shoddyness in ages. The mere act of receiving a 2nd hand unit initially would enrage me - thats pure utter crazyness! Dell are great in the corportate world, for home consumers it seems to be quite different I've often heard.

Anyway, seeing as you were asking way back about alternative spec machines available out there,...they do exist, if not better bearing in mind the time that has passed! Consider the following alternatives available from comet for example:

Product code
309532
263974
287890 - much better all round with a further £50

Acer are one of the largest laptop manufacturers out there by the way and the kit is surprisingly good once you have a good play about with it. Well worth a 2nd look.

Not plugging comet on the site here as they have their fair share of good and bad staff by the way, just find an individual that suits you best!

In true money saving spirit however: consider paying using pre-purchased vouchers to save a further 5% or so available from the various websites out there. Of course, this will mean you'll be doing away with the credit card protection. Or sensibly, use a combination of both...!

Hope that helps in someway, good luck with getting your money back!

Myosin

Thanks for those replies - I'm not sure whether to wait a couple of weeks to see what happens with the reply from their bankers or whether to just fire off a letter now and 'remind them' of their responsibilities.

I'm not going to let go of my laptop till I've found a replacement and I feel they should also pay for the transfer of data from this one to my next one.

And what if I can't find an identical spec to this one for the same price? Am I expected to just 'find a new laptop' or actually replace it with one of identical spec? :mad:

fubar_2

I feel they should also pay for the transfer of data from this one to my next one.

On the one hand you are saying the laptop is not fit for its purpose, yet on the other by "the above statement" you are using the lap top (or else where has the data come from?) the best you can expect is to receive a complete refund anything above that you will need to sue Dell.

If you want to fight them then you need to tell them that you are going to get the laptop examined by an independent party and you will be seeking to recover the costs for doing this, give them a time frame to reply, once that has expired then get the laptop looked at by a qualified body supply the report that they give you plus a copy of the invoice with another time frame for them to reply or else you will be seeking retribution in the courts, then its off to court you go, there you can then prove that the laptop is "not fit for its purpose" if the court agrees with you then your laughing all the way to the bank, if the courts don't agree with your argument then you have a laptop your not happy with and out of pocket for all costs.

Its up to you to prove the goods are "not fit for the purpose". Dell and other retailers are not just going to roll over at the first mention of "consumer law" they know the law better than you or I so you could have a fight on your hands, or they may decide that enough is enough and settle with you, but your not going to know unless you start dictating your terms and you actually follow them through.

Myosin

Yes, I'm using the laptop because I've paid for it and it does work to the extent to which I can use it. My problem is that

1. The screen has a dead pixel in the centre which annoys me and is noticeable as it's in the centre
2. The keyboard keys are worn out further than my friends laptop which he's had for over a year. The keys are shiny already
3. There are family pictures on the hard drive, which have nothing to do with me and were there when I started the laptop up. Tech Support haven't commented on this at all but just offered a replacement when I mentioned these
4. The plastic on the bottom of the screen is loose

I didn't pay £600 to receive this rubbish. I have only received two FAULTY replacements which have now gone back to Dell and they are refusing to apologise for anything because I keep being transferred between Tech Support and Customer Care, both departments being as incompetent as each other.

I have reached deadlock which is why I've asked Barclaycard for a refund but I'm not going to stop using the laptop till I receive my money back.

I'm sorry if this sounds bullish but this has been dragging on for 4 months now and I'm fed up as I'm sure you all understand.

As for the business side, I know Dell are good to their business customers because each business orders hundreds if not thousands of units, so it is in Dell's interest to keep them happy. I'm just a consumer, apparently they don't care about us. :mad:

What kind of figures are we talking about with small claims court action etc?

Myosin

YAY! Got a call from Dell Finance Department today saying it's best instead of a replacement if I have a refund on the laptop and buy a new one from them. Yeah, right. Of course I'm going to buy another one from them... NOT!

She said the refund would go through in 14 days. I asked her why it had taken so long to get to this stage before I contacted my credit card company and she put the phone down when she couldn't answer for it.

Only thing is she didn't confirm the refund before rudely putting the phone down on me - just said that 'it would be best if I had a refund'. Hopefully it'll go through properly and I won't have to chase up again.

Thanks for all the help and advice everyone - it wouldn't have happened without all your help and guidance! So, a big,

:D:D THANK YOU! :D:D

And remember, unless you want to go through hell, don't buy from Dell

Myosin :T

CrazyChemist_2

Nice one - let us know when/if the refund comes through. Wish I could send my Inspiron 6000 back for a refund - the silver chassis is wearing through to the white bit underneath, adjacent to the windows and centrino labels.

THey sell such rubbish quality to home consumers but to businesses they provide the best. It's obvious they care more about their business customers... :mad:

jonesMUFCforever

I know this is unfair BUT if you were in business and you had a customer buying say 1000 units off you and a personal customer buying 1 unit - who would you treat the best?

I know I know I know that we should all get equal treatment but this does not happen in Computer buying as it does not happen in other parts of our lives.

CrazyChemist_2

True, very true.

Myosin

But not fair. I'll probably be going to PC World and getting a brand like Sony/HP laptop which will have a good build and won't start falling to bits in the first week :rolleyes: