Very Dissatisfied Dell Customer

Purchased XPS 17 L701X 11/23/2010 with the express requirement that
the RAM but up-gradable to 16GB.

Since the machine was delivered I have been experiencing performance
issues to which numerous calls to TS and Solution Stations has
resulted in 3 complete rebuilds to factory and parts replacements.
(See my history in your call center and Solution Stations service for
this machine 7NSRSSN1.)

Now that it has been determined that I need a RAM upgrade I called
Sales (12/17/2011) to purchase the Upgrade to 16GB (4x4Gb Chips) Ram
as advertised and clearly displayed in the Dell Support Center
software. I called TS to assist with the install of the chips
(12/21/2011) where it was discovered that the motherboard only has 2
slots. I am then told that Dell does NOT certify the 2x8GB chips and
that this machine is only up-gradable to 8GB Ram.

I was informed that during the purchase Dell offered an optional i7
CPU (w/3GB Video Ram) and 16 GB (4x4GB) Ram... NOT being a gamer, but
a professional programmer for over 20 years with my own software
business since 1989, video performance is NOT a criteria BUT System
RAM is and I took special care to make very sure that the purchased
machine could be upgraded to 16GB Ram.

I am not being offered any solution by TS and it has been suggested
that this was a misrepresentation on the product and a refund or
exchange for the correct (required) product is in order.

after reading all these complaints with dell i realize they are not a
very good company .Simple soultion just take them to small claims
court easy to do in my state ny it cost appx 15.00 to file paperwork
find out where they might be usually in malls they have a station then
u just serve them with papers they never show to court and u get a
default judgement so within 30 days u will recieve a check from then
they know that most people will not go to these lengts i won 1700.00
just last month very east to do good luck

What do you expect?

"Dude, you bought a Dell"

Tony I seriously doubt any computer company would refund your payments
if the warranty is up. Did you read the warranty? They offer xps
service for one full year and do offer an extended warranty option. I
don't believe warranties are negotiable once they expire. Basically,
when making a purchasing decision, you should weigh in the option of
an extended warranty for exactly the reasons you mention above. Also
warranties work on "time" and not the "amount of use" the computer
endures over time. Using it less dosen't extend the warranty.

Lets get this straight: You want Dell to repair the computer or take
it back and refund your money.

1. Not under warranty. No way anything should be done.

2. The gateway has nothing to do with your dell, and should not have
been inserted into your letter.

3. All computer manfacturers use CHEAP LOW BIDDER PARTS.

4. A full diagnosis takes 2 to 4 hours, and costs a minimum of 80.00,
if done properly by a trained certified technician.

Problems can happen with any computer. I'm no fan of Dell either.

I've had problems with my Toshiba laptop. It needed a new motherboard.
The techs at Best Buy actually said they had never seen a motherboard
so fried. Luckily, I had purchased the extended warranty so it was
fixed by Best Buy.

My parents had an old Gateway that had problems before their Dell.
They had purchased a longer warranty so it was fixed. Gateway even
replaced a keyboard under their warranty!

I don't see how your tech can determine that the parts were defective
when the computer was manufactured. Why did they last so long then?

Anyway, my point is that you could have problems on any brand of
computer. There isn't one you'll find that is perfect. I have an HP
laptop now and haven't had any problems yet, but I realize that these
things happen so I purchased a 3 year warranty. It's worth it in my
opinion.

As someone who used to work for the manufacturing line for Dell, I can
tell you that computer parts are NOT handled with the care they are
supposed to be. The center I worked at built desktops, but I'd be
willing to bet that laptops were treated just as poorly. In the prep
line, people would drop motherboards, hard drives, etc. left and
right. So, this type of complaint does not surprise me. Usually, all
computers are tested before they go out, and those that don't pass the
BIOS test will get sent back.

With all due respect Anthony, I am going to disagree with you on
several points.

Now in all honesty, you'll find a lot of people on this website and
many others you visit that detest Dell for one reason or another.
But, you can find just as many fans of this name brand for entirely
different reasons. A lot of this good-brand, bad-brand chatter comes
from the same people who argue over Chevy vs. Ford. Really, it is
much of the same banter. If you honestly think that finding a group
of people that complain about any particular brand, in any market
whatsoever, is an indication of a poor brand name, then there are
absolutely no good brand names that even exist. That is to say, you
can find people that have had poor experiences with any brand, any
type of merchandise at any time.

So, with that understood, lets focus on some of the real issues.

Currently there are four large consumer based manufacturers of
computers. These brands include Dell, HP, Compaq and Sony. Any of
these brands have both satisfied and disgruntled customers.

The one difficult issue with Dell is the lack of local technical
support. For the most part, their concept is structured around mail
order and over-the-phone technical support. These are definitely
negative aspects to their company, but anyone purchasing merchandise
from them understands this.

Electronics, for the most part, do not wear. There are exceptions,
but I can guarantee to you that no technician could even begin to tell
you there must have been something wrong with this unit way back when
you purchased it. The best someone in that situation could do is
diagnose what was bad, not how it went bad or further details of how
it happened. It is possible that the power supply had a problem,
damaging other connected components as it went out. It is just as
possible that you took some sort of power surge which did damage.

This is what I call a typical ASSUME AND GLOOM letter. It is very
typical and the internet is filled with them. The consumer (Anthony)
purchases a computer being told full well what the warranty is and how
long the merchandise is covered. Warranty coverage has become less
and less because the consumer wants the product for less and less. As
a result, the manufacturer states that if the consumer is okay with
letting them off the hook after a shorter period of time, the price of
the equipment will be less. As a result, Anthony was offered, at some
additional amount, an extended service guarantee. A warranty which
covers additional problems, such as this, should they arise. Anthony
made an assumption. He took the extra risk that problems would not
face him, at least after the first year and until an arbitrary amount
of time that he might expect to replace the system anyway. Make no
mistake about it. Anthony said to Dell, upon buying the computer, "I
don't care if I happen to be one of the unfortunate individuals that
have problems. For this price, I am absolutely letting you off the
hook after your warranty expires."

The problem is that Anthony made the assumption and was not honest
with himself. Why? Because after he had problems, he now picks up
the pen, so to speak, and start the process of complaining. Thus,
assume and gloom. And for extra strength in the letter, there's that
wonderful phrase attached about the "service guy stating this was a
bad product right from the beginning."

My point is, at the time any consumer makes a purchase they should
actively understand and be concerned as to what warranty goes along
with it. If the manufacturer's warranty isn't good enough, consider
competitors and what they offer with similar merchandise. And for
heaven's sake, if the merchandise is important enough that you want to
make sure it lasts longer than the original manufacturer's warranty,
shop around for good retailers that offer reasonable extended warranty
packages.

Don't you dare be asinine enough to complain when they won't do
something they never guaranteed to begin with. You were given a
one-year limited warranty. That was evidently fine enough when you
made the purchase. Pay off you account and then buy something
different.

Dell sells junk. Our company put Dell on our blacklost after we bought
a PC w/ a DVD Burner. The DVD burner didn't work. Upon visiting their
tech support forums we found that that model/brand of DVD burner had
been KNOWN to be defective for months before they sold us the PC.

You'll spend more money, but will get a better deal going to a local
chain.

" I purchased a Dell XPS 400 Media Edition computer in February 2006.
I was very excited to receive this computer because I believed Dell
manufactured quality products."

I'm sorry. You have discovered your error. I am getting rid of mine
asap. Piece of junk.

On another note, I had a 1998 thinkpad that also lasted well for 7
years. I hope you end up with a working machine.

Your real problem was purchasing a $1500 system to browse the web and
type reports, its overkill. Any $300-$400 system can do that very
efficiently.

I agree that it bites when problems arise shortly after the warranty
expires; It always makes me wish that I'd gone for the extended
warranty. I hope it works out.