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Horrible Repair Experience (by Dell)
I recently sent my computer in to Dell for repairs. I was charged a diagnostic fee for the team to diagnose the issue. The first diagnosis came in as SSD failure (even though I had told the tech on the phone when I initiated the order that I had tested the SSD in another computer and it was fine. AND I wrote the same everywhere I could in the required written description of the problem). Two weeks later I received a call about the 're-diagnosis', this time it was a faulty SSD (again) AND a motherboard failure.
I reiterated that I had tested the SSD but they assured me it was faulty and it was an all-or-none repair. I reluctantly agreed to the repair (over $400). At this point, it had taken almost a 'diagnosis' and then the parts were on perpetual backorder. I ultimately canceled the repair and had the computer shipped back to me.
The fee for the parts/labor were reimbursed but the diagnostic fee was not reimbursed. I somewhat understood but the fact that I had a diagnosis for which no parts were available was a little frustrating
Once I received my computer, I got a tip from another XPS 15 9550 user with the same issue. On his advice, I flashed the BIOS and reinstalled Windows. It works fine. No SSD failure and no motherboard failure as 'diagnosed' by the Dell technical team. I am typing this on my computer that the Dell team took a month to "diagnose" - and didn't diagnose correctly for that matter. EVEN AFTER 2 DIAGNOSTIC ATTEMPTS AND 5 WEEKS IN-HOUSE
I am wondering at this point about Dell's diagnostic procedures as I am no doubt not the only person to have a misdiagnosis and astronomical (and unnecessary) repair fees applied.
Seems to me in these circumstances that the ("mis") diagnosis fee should be reimbursed when the experts get it this wrong. To top it all off - I repaired it myself in less than 2 hours. No hardware needed.....and I'm a novice.
I am having similar experience with Dell Support at the moment. Was initially quoted for a bad battery & LCD display. After charging me $200 to replace, they called me to say they want another $200 for the motherboard. When I asked how they diagnosed the LCD when the mobo was bad they said at the time the computer used for diagnostics said the motherboard was good, so when I asked if they broke the motherboard, the tech got even more defensive. My battery still has a warranty on it (OEM Alienware battery) & they are saying they won’t ship it back so I can get a refund from the site I purchased it from. Overall, this has been a nightmare. If I had decided to not go through with the repairs, they would have sent the computer back with all the parts I sent, so it seems like a scam that they 1) won’t send back my parts that I have requested & 2) are just throwing parts at it without a proper diagnostic. If you had a lamp & because it wouldn’t turn on, you replace the bulb but find out the lamp isn’t plugged in, you would realize the bad bulb isn’t the issue. To me they replaced the display & battery when the mobo is bad. Also, the computer works just fine when plugged in via HDMI. Don’t even try Dell Support for repair, they don’t know what they are doing.
If you search around on reddit, many consumers have found that Dell's technicians are either barely trained or don't know what they are doing. They are more likely to break more parts than to actually fix it. The benefit of this is that if you are on warranty, you can get systems exchange for a new laptop. If you aren't on warranty, it's best to find a 3rd party repair shop.
ckelly33
2 Posts
370
0
Posted November 27th, 2019 11:00
As soon as I posted this, I received a private message from 'Dell-cares' asking for my service information. I quickly responded only to be told that my laptop is out of warranty.
LOL, no kidding....that's why I PAID for a diagnosis. Otherwise the repair would have been under warranty and FREE!!