Dell dead pixel policy

jaydeeuk1

I had a similar problem with a new laptop once, had a few duff pixels which couldn't be fixed with the hot cloth/rub technique. Wife rang up, laptops direct said 'tough' as their pixel check is service you can buy for £30 extra or something.

I just "made sure" that there were futher problems with the laptop rendering it unusable, so had to be sent back, (at their cost) received replacement a couple of days later

spheric

There's been what I consider some seriously duff advice in this thread so far, so I'm going to swoop in...

It doesn't really matter if the monitor is considered faulty or not... The standard Distance Selling Regulations apply. You have the right to return anything you buy online for any reason, or no reason at all. This is because you don't have the opportunity to have a good look at the product like you would in a shop.

You've got 7 working days from the date of delivery to inform dell that you're returning it.

Its up to dell to arrange postage (or more likely, arrange for CityLink/UPS/Fedex to come and pick it up) - and for them to pay.

If your invoice shows you having bought the monitor separately (on a separate line for example, showing a monitor cost) then you can return it separately, just as you could return a jumper but keep a pair of shoes bought as part of the same outfit.

If its all bundled together on one invoice, then you're only really allowed to return the whole lot. If you're playing hard-ball with dell, then they might rather replace the monitor than process a return for the whole thing.

I'm not convinced that dell can succesfully argue that customers picking their specification from a selector counts as "personalisation" under the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 - I view it much like argos stocking several colours and 2/3 seater versions of the same sofa.... Remember the act talks about goods that can't be returned due to their very nature. Dell have an entire outlet section that sells both cancelled orders and returns, which would indicate that there's nothing in the products' nature preventing their return.

For the record, I consider dead pixels to be a fault. No amount of manufacturers banding together saying "we'll allow X many faults before we start caring" affects consumers' statutory rights.

Daxx

Thanks everyone for your advice.

Just thought I should let you know how I got on...I spent about 20 minutes on the phone to Dell getting passed from pillar to post.Eventually spoke to someone in Technical support who agreed to ring my partner and discuss this with him (he was at home with the PC at the time). He rang straight away, and after explaining the fault he agreed to a replacement monitor. His manager also came on the phone to ensure that we were happy with the conclusion. The new monitor is due to be delivered tomorrow and the old one collected sometime next week.

Fingers crossed that the new one is ok. But with a little pushing I am happy with the outcome.

fwor

Thanks for the update - it's good to see Dell get credit where it's due, as they've been given a hard time in some other threads recently...

I should add that I have no connection with Dell other than being happy with what I've bought from them in the past.

Lil306

Subscribing to this thread for future use

I know I was protected by a certain regulation but couldn't remember which one. It's my only gripe I had about Novatech. I bought a flatscreen with 1 dead pixel (yeah I barely notice it now) but seeing something like that is annoying as hell and you still expect things to be perfect when you buy them brand new.

I tried to return it and their standard reply was about the policy over pixels

Ended up keeping the monitor because I wasn't sure how to defend myself.

EDIT - Just done a google search, found this for testing monitors. Quite nifty - http://tft.vanity.dk/

CoolHotCold

As other people have said, there are industry standards on deformed pixels (a majority of them aren't actually dead, just stuck pixels). You don't really have a leg to stand on, just because you don't know monitors are allowed to have a certain amount doesn't mean the thing is classified as faulty.

Either buy online where you can reject under the DSR's or pay for pixel check or buy from a store that allows you to return any device with a screen in it with bad pixels.

esuhl

CoolHotCold wrote: »

...just because you don't know monitors are allowed to have a certain amount doesn't mean the thing is classified as faulty.

Allowed by whom? Classified by whom? The Sale of Goods Act makes no reference to such allowances or classifications; it refers to standards that a "reasonable person" would expect.

You've mis-understood the ISO specification as being some kind of legal "get out" clause for the retailer. Certainly, a consumer would not necessarily be expected to understand ISO pixel fault tolerances if they did not form part of the conditions of sale, and even if they did, the SoGA only exempts faults that are made explicit at the the time of purchase - not the possibility of such faults based on tolerances that are not codified in law.

cit_k

forgetting soga for now, there is this post from a dell liason person on dells community forums.

ahwen,

A display with 1 to 5 Dead or Stuck pixels is within the industry standards, and is therefore considered an acceptable display.

* 1 to 5 Dead or Stuck pixels spread out are within current standards and do NOT warrant a replacement
* 6 or more Dead or Stuck pixels anywhere warrants a replacement monitor
* 2 adjacent Dead or Stuck pixels warrants a replacement monitor with manager approval
* 1 Dead or Stuck pixel directly in the center warrants a replacement monitor with manager approval

You may return any Dell product, no questions asked, within 30 days from the invoice date. After that, you can only do a like for like exchange.

Dead Pixel = a pixel whose 3 sub-pixels are permanently off, producing a permanently black pixel.

Stuck Pixel = Stuck pixels have been reported to disappear, and there are several popular methods purported to fix them, such as gently rubbing the screen (in an attempt to reseat the pixel), cycling the color value of the stuck pixel rapidly (in other words, flashing bright colors on the screen,) or simply tolerating the stuck pixel until it disappears (which can take anywhere from a day to years.) Stuck pixels are not guaranteed to be correctable, and can remain faulty for the life of the monitor.

Possible fix for Stuck Pixel
Try using Dead Pixel Buddy which will cycle the main RGB colors on every pixel at a very rapid rate in the hope of fixing the stuck pixel.

if that policy is still the same, you would qualify for a replacement surely?

(source)

esuhl

cit_k wrote: »

if that policy is still the same, you would qualify for a replacement surely?

Although you'd need "manager approval"...

spud17

Daxx wrote: »

Snip... His manager also came on the phone to ensure that we were happy with the conclusion. Snip....

Looks like there was some sort of management involvement.