7 ms·

Dell support service can’t tell between a 720p and a 1080p display

50 points by fox91 13y ago

auctiontheory 13y ago
> In conclusion: don’t EVER send your laptop to a Dell lab. Simpler: Don't buy Dell. I thought this was common knowledge.
- wrl 13y ago
  I've got a circa-2009 Latitude E6400 that is still alive and kicking (save for the battery, but it lasted a solid ~3 years before it gave out). I was really impressed and convinced that Dell had stepped their game up for good, but it seems like they've let things slip again.
- joshnerius 13y ago
  "Don't buy Dell" has been my rule for years, but the XPS 13 was supposed to change that. This is the same hardware used in their "Project Sputnik" Linux Developer laptop running Ubuntu. Most reviewers gave the 720p model very good ratings. It's very unfortunate that the 1080p model seems to be having issues (see my top level comment).
- shadeslayer 13y ago
  I've suffered enough with Dell that I'm never going to buy another Dell laptop again. Their monitors on the other hand seem to be absolutely awesome, I bought a U2412M recently and it works brilliantly.
- Shorel 13y ago
  Back in 1999 the common knowledge among geeks was actually 'buy Dell'. They had better internal cabling than the competition, and have been leveraging 1999 since then.
  - warfangle 13y ago
    Back in 1999 the common knowledge among geeks was actually "build your own."
    - lostlogin 13y ago
      Build your own laptop? That's somewhat harder than the desktop build - the geeks I know never ventured into laptop builds.
- IvyMike 13y ago
  I think I've been burned by every company at least once--it seems like the "good" and "bad" companies switch every few years.
themgt 13y ago
I heartily support these sort of viral "would you get a load of these assholes" public shaming about large companies that become like the DMV with the way they deal with customers. It seems like one of the few ways for the little guy to fight back.
- fox91 13y ago
  Thank you very much for your support :D
- dsfasfasf 13y ago
  In 2001 when I was shopping a for a new computer I was talking with the Dell Rep. over the phone about different types of monitor. There was one that was 200 dollars more expensive than the other. I asked the Rep. what was the difference and this was her response "mmmm, one is more espensive" in a couldn't care less kind of tone. Horrible customer service. And the comparison to an incompetent government employee is pretty apt. Dell deserves to be ridiculed for this.
  - IanCal 13y ago
    True, but there are also good stories with Dell. My housemate a few years ago had a Dell laptop which would no longer charge. Out of warranty they offered to fix it if he sent it in, but he was heading out of the country over Christmas. They sent out a technician to fix it at our house within a few days and everything was sorted. That was excellent service. Not everyone has good dealings with them, but it's not all bad.
slewis 13y ago
Sounds miserable. If they'd give you a loaner for the duration it'd be a little better. I and others have recently had employees at the Apple store encourage us to utilize their no restocking fee policy to effectively get a "free" loaner laptop while ours were under repair. Maybe Apple should encourage people to do this even when they're having computers from other manufacturers repaired. How often do people end up just keeping and paying for these "free" loaners... ? Edit: loner -> loaner, Thanks ColinWright!
- ColinWright 13y ago
  Not to be "that guy", but you mean "loaner" as in "something on loan", rather than "loner", which is "someone that prefers to be alone." Having just come back from a conference where I was humbled by the other delegates' ability to speak English, I was hesitating to offer corrections. However, I was told in no uncertain terms that they wanted to improve, so provided it didn't interrupt flow, I offered corrections. I hope you feel the same. I'm also happy to delete this comment once I know you've seen it, thus helping flow.
  - eru 13y ago
    Unfortunately, corrections don't help people improve. Consuming language (reading, listening) does. Producing and getting corrected doesn't. I can dig out some sources for that, if you are interested.
    - ColinWright 13y ago
      That's interesting - the people I was talking with made a point of using the corrected version multiple times over a short space of time, and seemed to assimilate the change. Anedotes aren't data though - if you have evidence to contradict that observation I'd be interested to see it - yes. Thanks. Added in edit: you were downvoted - I don't know why, so I've upvoted you.
      - eru 13y ago
        Thanks for your interest. I mostly learned about this from a friend of mine, and haven't read the articles myself. His first language is English and he's using those insights to learn Mandarin, and even moved from England to Taiwan for that endeavour. I searched for a few keywoards I rememembered from our discussions and found that the Wikipedia page about the Comprehension approach (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehension_approach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehension_approach) looks like a good starting point. Also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Input_hypothesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Input_hypothesis and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_period https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_period If you decide to read through the research papers linked from the Wikipedia articles (or even if you just read the Wikipedia articles), please feel free to drop me a line for some discussion. My email-address is in my profile.
rayiner 13y ago
The problem here is also that Dell randomly switches parts around on these things without changing the model name. If even their own support people can't keep it all straight, how are customers supposed to be able to? Apple gets away with it because they refresh the whole line at certain intervals, so "late 2010 macbook air" really means something, and also they point out stuff you should care about (e.g. Retina displays, but not e.g. CPU upgrades).
- fox91 13y ago
  But ehy, every Dell pc has a service tag which identifies every pc (with that tag they even know the name of the owner) so they are supposed to know every part of the pc
  - pixl97 13y ago
    The problem with Dell is they change part numbers so fast that a particular part number replacement not be available, you then run not well trained techs trying to figure out which newer part number actually works and is equivalent on your model. Last year I purchased three XPS 17 laptops within 3 months of each other for a client. Each time I had to choose slightly different options as they didn't offer the exact same configuration each time.
joshnerius 13y ago
I also purchased one of the new XPS 13 1080p models as a replacement for a 15" MBP. From everything I had seen about this model, it was one of the first "Ultrabooks" that approached the MacBook Air in terms of build quality, pleasing and stylish aesthetics, and of course the 1080p screen. The first unit they sent had horrible backlight bleed in the upper right and lower left corners of the screen. Dell's first 'solution' was to offer to send out a tech to replace the screen. I requested a new laptop, since after all, it was only about a week old at that point. I received the 2nd unit, and while there was no backlight bleed in the upper right or lower left, there was similar bleeding on the lower right and upper left this time. I'm truly disappointed at what is otherwise a fantastic piece of hardware. It seems that Dell was more concerned with getting a 1080p model in their catalog than ensuring that they could actually build the things successfully. I'm trying for a 3rd, after which I'll stop trying and go buy an MBA.
neumino 13y ago
If you get a new laptop, get a X1 carbon. It's linux-friendly, light and has a really good keyboard.
- Samuel_Michon 13y ago
  It's also larger and has a lower res display than the notebook OP chose. But maybe, after his experiences with DELL support, he would be willing to settle for that.
  - auctiontheory 13y ago
    You restrained yourself from pointing out that it's "an" X1 Carbon. Good job.
  - fox91 13y ago
    It's more expensive and with lower res, unfortunately
neya 13y ago
I am with you on this one, but bear in mind, the technician who is supposed to replace your display possibly only knows the part numbers instead of their specs. I faced a similar situation too (some years back) - I own a Sony Vaio and my display had some issues too. Basically, under the hood, the display is either an LG or a SAMSUNG if your laptop is by a good brand (LG/SAMSUNG makes the best displays, Apple, Sony, everyone else uses displays made by them), or it's made by some cheap Chinese company if your laptop's brand is not so reputed. Also, the same laptop has multiple replacement parts for the same item. In my case, my display was originally a Samsung, but my replacement was an LG. But the appearance of the parts looked exactly the same, but underneath, my replacement display was 1080p, whereas originally it was 720p. Though, my maximum display settings still allow me to use only 720p. Think about it, just a slight variation in part numbers could mean a LOT! This is when I learnt that despite a laptop belonging to the same model number, it could have various part numbers for the same item. Hence, these technicians end up memorizing the part numbers instead of the technical specifications of the parts. I am not talking in support of the technician though - By all means, he IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW what technical features are inside, but given the appearance and complexity of the part numbers, this could be very difficult for one when dealing with thousands of components every month. Give the guy some benefit of doubt, but don't forgive Dell, ever. Cheers!
- bpicolo 13y ago
  I owned a Sony Vaio z series. Support was the worst I've ever faced. Their faulty hinges broke and I had to send it in for a 400 dollar, 3 month long repair. Not recommended.
  - neya 13y ago
    I think it's subjective based on personal experience, I jsut edited out my comment. :)
cacca 13y ago
vai fede!! te sei ciapà via mal :)
highace 13y ago
That's disappointing to hear. I was a few days away from pulling the trigger on one of these but maybe I'll just lump up for the 13" MBP retina after all.
benmanns 13y ago
It might be about time for a chargeback.
cientifico 13y ago
Personally I don't buy to this suppliers. They do laptops and hardware in general by the trial an error method. They release often new and new models. So many, that probably they don't even know how many models they have. That means that instead of having good hardware, they have a lot of crappy options. Actually is more about marketing. They want to have a lot of models, so they can have more laptops to fit better to the custom specs of each client. This happens not only in dell, also in asus, hp... If you want to buy in any of this companies, ensure you buy the most common laptop.
fox91 13y ago
UPDATE 2013-04-08: I got a phone call from a recorded voice that said that my laptop have been shipped and I would get it in 24h. UPDATE 2013-04-09: I got another phone call from the Dell support center that confirmed the shipment but they said that may laptop have not been fixed. They are shipping it as it was a month ago! They are sending me a new laptop in about 2 weeks and in the meanwhile I can keep my old one. I asked if they were sending me some sort of gift or a refund for all the trouble but they said that, as they’re a support center, they can’t and if I want I can send a letter to their lawyers. Another terrible story from Dell support service.

50 points by fox91 13y ago

> In conclusion: don’t EVER send your laptop to a Dell lab. Simpler: Don't buy Dell. I thought this was common knowledge.

wrl 13y ago
I've got a circa-2009 Latitude E6400 that is still alive and kicking (save for the battery, but it lasted a solid ~3 years before it gave out). I was really impressed and convinced that Dell had stepped their game up for good, but it seems like they've let things slip again.
joshnerius 13y ago
"Don't buy Dell" has been my rule for years, but the XPS 13 was supposed to change that. This is the same hardware used in their "Project Sputnik" Linux Developer laptop running Ubuntu. Most reviewers gave the 720p model very good ratings. It's very unfortunate that the 1080p model seems to be having issues (see my top level comment).
shadeslayer 13y ago
I've suffered enough with Dell that I'm never going to buy another Dell laptop again. Their monitors on the other hand seem to be absolutely awesome, I bought a U2412M recently and it works brilliantly.
Shorel 13y ago
Back in 1999 the common knowledge among geeks was actually 'buy Dell'. They had better internal cabling than the competition, and have been leveraging 1999 since then.
- warfangle 13y ago
  Back in 1999 the common knowledge among geeks was actually "build your own."
  - lostlogin 13y ago
    Build your own laptop? That's somewhat harder than the desktop build - the geeks I know never ventured into laptop builds.
IvyMike 13y ago
I think I've been burned by every company at least once--it seems like the "good" and "bad" companies switch every few years.

themgt 13y ago

I heartily support these sort of viral "would you get a load of these assholes" public shaming about large companies that become like the DMV with the way they deal with customers. It seems like one of the few ways for the little guy to fight back.

fox91 13y ago
Thank you very much for your support :D
dsfasfasf 13y ago
In 2001 when I was shopping a for a new computer I was talking with the Dell Rep. over the phone about different types of monitor. There was one that was 200 dollars more expensive than the other. I asked the Rep. what was the difference and this was her response "mmmm, one is more espensive" in a couldn't care less kind of tone. Horrible customer service. And the comparison to an incompetent government employee is pretty apt. Dell deserves to be ridiculed for this.
- IanCal 13y ago
  True, but there are also good stories with Dell. My housemate a few years ago had a Dell laptop which would no longer charge. Out of warranty they offered to fix it if he sent it in, but he was heading out of the country over Christmas. They sent out a technician to fix it at our house within a few days and everything was sorted. That was excellent service. Not everyone has good dealings with them, but it's not all bad.

slewis 13y ago

Sounds miserable. If they'd give you a loaner for the duration it'd be a little better. I and others have recently had employees at the Apple store encourage us to utilize their no restocking fee policy to effectively get a "free" loaner laptop while ours were under repair. Maybe Apple should encourage people to do this even when they're having computers from other manufacturers repaired. How often do people end up just keeping and paying for these "free" loaners... ? Edit: loner -> loaner, Thanks ColinWright!

ColinWright 13y ago
Not to be "that guy", but you mean "loaner" as in "something on loan", rather than "loner", which is "someone that prefers to be alone." Having just come back from a conference where I was humbled by the other delegates' ability to speak English, I was hesitating to offer corrections. However, I was told in no uncertain terms that they wanted to improve, so provided it didn't interrupt flow, I offered corrections. I hope you feel the same. I'm also happy to delete this comment once I know you've seen it, thus helping flow.
- eru 13y ago
  Unfortunately, corrections don't help people improve. Consuming language (reading, listening) does. Producing and getting corrected doesn't. I can dig out some sources for that, if you are interested.
  - ColinWright 13y ago
    That's interesting - the people I was talking with made a point of using the corrected version multiple times over a short space of time, and seemed to assimilate the change. Anedotes aren't data though - if you have evidence to contradict that observation I'd be interested to see it - yes. Thanks. Added in edit: you were downvoted - I don't know why, so I've upvoted you.
    - eru 13y ago
      Thanks for your interest. I mostly learned about this from a friend of mine, and haven't read the articles myself. His first language is English and he's using those insights to learn Mandarin, and even moved from England to Taiwan for that endeavour. I searched for a few keywoards I rememembered from our discussions and found that the Wikipedia page about the Comprehension approach (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehension_approach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehension_approach) looks like a good starting point. Also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Input_hypothesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Input_hypothesis and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_period https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_period If you decide to read through the research papers linked from the Wikipedia articles (or even if you just read the Wikipedia articles), please feel free to drop me a line for some discussion. My email-address is in my profile.

rayiner 13y ago

The problem here is also that Dell randomly switches parts around on these things without changing the model name. If even their own support people can't keep it all straight, how are customers supposed to be able to? Apple gets away with it because they refresh the whole line at certain intervals, so "late 2010 macbook air" really means something, and also they point out stuff you should care about (e.g. Retina displays, but not e.g. CPU upgrades).

fox91 13y ago
But ehy, every Dell pc has a service tag which identifies every pc (with that tag they even know the name of the owner) so they are supposed to know every part of the pc
- pixl97 13y ago
  The problem with Dell is they change part numbers so fast that a particular part number replacement not be available, you then run not well trained techs trying to figure out which newer part number actually works and is equivalent on your model. Last year I purchased three XPS 17 laptops within 3 months of each other for a client. Each time I had to choose slightly different options as they didn't offer the exact same configuration each time.

joshnerius 13y ago

I also purchased one of the new XPS 13 1080p models as a replacement for a 15" MBP. From everything I had seen about this model, it was one of the first "Ultrabooks" that approached the MacBook Air in terms of build quality, pleasing and stylish aesthetics, and of course the 1080p screen. The first unit they sent had horrible backlight bleed in the upper right and lower left corners of the screen. Dell's first 'solution' was to offer to send out a tech to replace the screen. I requested a new laptop, since after all, it was only about a week old at that point. I received the 2nd unit, and while there was no backlight bleed in the upper right or lower left, there was similar bleeding on the lower right and upper left this time. I'm truly disappointed at what is otherwise a fantastic piece of hardware. It seems that Dell was more concerned with getting a 1080p model in their catalog than ensuring that they could actually build the things successfully. I'm trying for a 3rd, after which I'll stop trying and go buy an MBA.

neumino 13y ago

If you get a new laptop, get a X1 carbon. It's linux-friendly, light and has a really good keyboard.

Samuel_Michon 13y ago
It's also larger and has a lower res display than the notebook OP chose. But maybe, after his experiences with DELL support, he would be willing to settle for that.
- auctiontheory 13y ago
  You restrained yourself from pointing out that it's "an" X1 Carbon. Good job.
- fox91 13y ago
  It's more expensive and with lower res, unfortunately

neya 13y ago

I am with you on this one, but bear in mind, the technician who is supposed to replace your display possibly only knows the part numbers instead of their specs. I faced a similar situation too (some years back) - I own a Sony Vaio and my display had some issues too. Basically, under the hood, the display is either an LG or a SAMSUNG if your laptop is by a good brand (LG/SAMSUNG makes the best displays, Apple, Sony, everyone else uses displays made by them), or it's made by some cheap Chinese company if your laptop's brand is not so reputed. Also, the same laptop has multiple replacement parts for the same item. In my case, my display was originally a Samsung, but my replacement was an LG. But the appearance of the parts looked exactly the same, but underneath, my replacement display was 1080p, whereas originally it was 720p. Though, my maximum display settings still allow me to use only 720p. Think about it, just a slight variation in part numbers could mean a LOT! This is when I learnt that despite a laptop belonging to the same model number, it could have various part numbers for the same item. Hence, these technicians end up memorizing the part numbers instead of the technical specifications of the parts. I am not talking in support of the technician though - By all means, he IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW what technical features are inside, but given the appearance and complexity of the part numbers, this could be very difficult for one when dealing with thousands of components every month. Give the guy some benefit of doubt, but don't forgive Dell, ever. Cheers!

bpicolo 13y ago
I owned a Sony Vaio z series. Support was the worst I've ever faced. Their faulty hinges broke and I had to send it in for a 400 dollar, 3 month long repair. Not recommended.
- neya 13y ago
  I think it's subjective based on personal experience, I jsut edited out my comment. :)

cacca 13y ago

vai fede!! te sei ciapà via mal :)

highace 13y ago

That's disappointing to hear. I was a few days away from pulling the trigger on one of these but maybe I'll just lump up for the 13" MBP retina after all.

benmanns 13y ago

It might be about time for a chargeback.

cientifico 13y ago

Personally I don't buy to this suppliers. They do laptops and hardware in general by the trial an error method. They release often new and new models. So many, that probably they don't even know how many models they have. That means that instead of having good hardware, they have a lot of crappy options. Actually is more about marketing. They want to have a lot of models, so they can have more laptops to fit better to the custom specs of each client. This happens not only in dell, also in asus, hp... If you want to buy in any of this companies, ensure you buy the most common laptop.

fox91 13y ago

UPDATE 2013-04-08: I got a phone call from a recorded voice that said that my laptop have been shipped and I would get it in 24h. UPDATE 2013-04-09: I got another phone call from the Dell support center that confirmed the shipment but they said that may laptop have not been fixed. They are shipping it as it was a month ago! They are sending me a new laptop in about 2 weeks and in the meanwhile I can keep my old one. I asked if they were sending me some sort of gift or a refund for all the trouble but they said that, as they’re a support center, they can’t and if I want I can send a letter to their lawyers. Another terrible story from Dell support service.