Dell Customer Service and Warranty

LilElvis

side21 wrote: »

Duracell direct £70 + vat (plus delivery)
eBay £30 + vat (free delivery)

both are OEM non genuine batteries and no description to convince me to show they are reliable.

Why should I cough out for these OEM's when I've already tried and tested them. As a consumer I have the right to refuse to purchase such components if they are not genuine and do not do their job. Its the principle, money isn't the issue here.

I'm perfectly aware that a laptop can function without a battery - I did just that for over 12 months with an old HP. Of course you have the right not to buy one, but it's also possible that Dell can refuse a warranty repair without one. Principles are unlikely to get your laptop fixed.

LilElvis

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Having principles is fine but this is one principle which is going to ensure that Dell don't help to get your laptop working.

That's two replies in two minutes with exactly the same message.

Sometimes you have to pick your battles, and this is one you are unlikely to win.

side21

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

A car has a battery (which is a consumable item) fitted and many cars can drive without that battery being fitted provided that it is jump started.
Would you consider taking a car into a garage for a warranty repair without a battery being fitted? After all, it's a garage and they would have the facilities to fit another one or jump start it wouldn't they?

Comparing a car to a laptop doesn't really go well in this point. Cars battery is the key component to keep the vehicle functioning as nature of using a auto mobile is strictly for commuting....My Laptop on the other hand, is fully functional and working whilst its plugged it, I don't worry too much about commuting so long I find a power adapter. The set back is the update restriction and not the concept of the laptop being non-functional at all. If Dell really truly value their customer service why not fit a temp battery when they visit to do the updates to comply with their warranty agreement? It's a fact they have the parts for it...The battery can just be considered as a tool to help be a possible solution to my main problems...

Having principles is fine but this is one principle which is going to ensure that Dell don't help to get your laptop working.

We'll just have to wait and see..

LilElvis wrote: »

I'm perfectly aware that a laptop can function without a battery - I did just that for over 12 months with an old HP. Of course you have the right not to buy one, but it's also possible that Dell can refuse a warranty repair without one. Principles are unlikely to get your laptop fixed.

Very true that Dell may refuse to fix it, which is why I will need to check out the warranty...but they clearly know how easy the solution would be if they just used in house battery instead of forcing the consumer to spend unnecessarily or they could tell their technicians to test and update their motherboard. They ain't no robots who sit there reading and translating things to 0's and 1's. :rotfl:

side21

LilElvis wrote: »

That's two replies in two minutes with exactly the same message.

Sometimes you have to pick your battles, and this is one you are unlikely to win.

The battle has just started my friend....;-)

And thanks for the quick responses...

shaun_from_Africa

Why not have a look around and see if you can possibly borrow a battery from someone. Even if it's an old one and the capacity isn't very good, it should hopefully be enough to keep Dell happy and allow them to carry out the warranty repair.

side21

I've tried that but no one has this model at all. Even went into the repairs shops but nothing...

unholyangel

OP think about it from the other side.

Dell sold a laptop including battery. Now, because the customer who ended up with the laptop (not the one who bought it) has decided they can still use the laptop without its battery (laptops are designed to be mobile after all..so I wouldnt quite say one missing its battery is "fully functional"), they expect Dell to fork out and supply a battery in order for them to get a repair under warranty.

I wouldn't tell Dell you've used non genuine batteries or it will invalidate your warranty completely.

You really need to find out the terms of the warranty. But if its the one I was looking at online (basic hardware service), then I don't fancy your chances.

side21

unholyangel wrote: »

OP think about it from the other side.

Dell sold a laptop including battery. Now, because the customer who ended up with the laptop (not the one who bought it) has decided they can still use the laptop without its battery (laptops are designed to be mobile after all..so I wouldnt quite say one missing its battery is "fully functional"), they expect Dell to fork out and supply a battery in order for them to get a repair under warranty.

They have the facilities unholy. They even admitted that they would have majority of the model's components already, but obviously they want to make money out of it which I understand, business is business. BUT surely when they have recalls and do repairs on site they will have batteries on the side for testing purposes? If my choice is to not have a battery then they can just use theirs whenever they do a repair..What's the issue.

I wouldn't tell Dell you've used non genuine batteries or it will invalidate your warranty completely.

You really need to find out the terms of the warranty. But if its the one I was looking at online (basic hardware service), then I don't fancy your chances.

The motherboard they replaced has never been in contact with a OEM battery, that motherboard was faulty from the start so they can't accuse me of using an OEM product.

unholyangel

side21 wrote: »

They have the facilities unholy. They even admitted that they would have majority of the model's components already, but obviously they want to make money out of it which I understand, business is business. BUT surely when they have recalls and do repairs on site they will have batteries on the side for testing purposes? If my choice is to not have a battery then they can just use theirs whenever they do a repair..What's the issue.

The motherboard they replaced has never been in contact with a OEM battery, that motherboard was faulty from the start so they can't accuse me of using an OEM product.

Why would they have batteries for testing purposes? They don't sell laptops without batteries and batteries aren't covered by the warranty therefore, its not a part they'd need to replace if it was faulty - especially if they only repair whole units.

As we've been explaining, you need to abide by the terms of the warranty just as Dell do. If Dell choose to only provide a warranty on the basis that you only use Dell components etc, then thats entirely up to them. The fact it wasn't used with the new mobo is irrelevant (for a start, dell didnt just sell you a motherboard and secondly, your warranty would have been invalid even before they replaced that mobo).

In the circumstances, its doubly important as (presuming you bought from a private seller given you haven't indicated otherwise) its essentially the only option open to you if the goods are faulty. Thankfully Dell allow transfer of warranties else you wouldn't even have had that!


While I empathise with your predicament....my empathy isn't going to fix your laptop.

side21

unholyangel wrote: »

Why would they have batteries for testing purposes? They don't sell laptops without batteries and batteries aren't covered by the warranty therefore, its not a part they'd need to replace if it was faulty - especially if they only repair whole units.

Your misreading what I've said. I don't want a battery replacement as you just stated, they do have batteries for testing purposes as it was confirmed by their technical team member I spoke to..They do tests using their own batteries to see if the customers battery is fault., They can, if they want, use that battery to update the BIOS..Also, Dell have the facility to "recharge" their batteries which they sell as refurbished so I highly doubt they will coughing anything up just to cater for my needs. Regardless if they have a battery or not they can still take the laptop and do whatever they can to update the BIOS, they are employed by Dell for their skills so surely they can fix it no?

As we've been explaining, you need to abide by the terms of the warranty just as Dell do. If Dell choose to only provide a warranty on the basis that you only use Dell components etc, then thats entirely up to them. The fact it wasn't used with the new mobo is irrelevant (for a start, dell didnt just sell you a motherboard and secondly, your warranty would have been invalid even before they replaced that mobo).

If the warranty clearly states they won't do any fixes unless there is a dell battery installed then I have no choice but to accept the conditions. As of yet, they haven't sent me any documentations.

In the circumstances, its doubly important as (presuming you bought from a private seller given you haven't indicated otherwise) its essentially the only option open to you if the goods are faulty. Thankfully Dell allow transfer of warranties else you wouldn't even have had that!

I wouldn't have purchased it otherwise if that wasn't the case. I did contact Dell to ensure if the transfer of ownership was viable before I made the purchase. My laptop's motherboard has been replaced 5 times since the purchase. Why? for the very same reason which I have stated initially about the HDMI Port. This issue is not a new issue, they have a full record of it...Its obvious that the component is faulty. I am not confident this BIOS update will make any changes, I shouldn't have even mentioned it since now they are just wasting time.

While I empathise with your predicament....my empathy isn't going to fix your laptop.

Understandable, but I was only here to seek some advice and to see if people had any related problems. Obviously there weren’t.

Just a note.

I noticed a lot of senior posters who like to be very "grillish" when you make your comments too....Doesn't phase me, I enjoy it, but go easy on the others...it's a community forum after all.. not a brownies collecting point of who can be obnoxious the most. Please take it easy on the comments as one can bite back too. :money: