Dell
XPS M1530: A defective nightmare - Dell XPS M1530

Dell is trying to charge me more money to fix an inherently defective laptop that cannot be fixed. I bought a refurbished, like new XPS M1530 laptop from the Dell Outlet online on July 31. I bought it in good faith thinking it was a good laptop that didn't have any problems. On the outset of using it, it already had one major problem. The computer would get super hot while running. It even shut off a few times because it would get overheated. I bought a cooler for it, but it would still run hot. I also would get these frequent messages from Windows that the video display adapter had crashed. Finally in June the graphics card finally failed. Even though my warranty had expired, I decided to call Dell anyway. Then they inform me that they had given me an extended hardware warranty because of the graphics card issue with my model of computer. The Nvidia graphics card that I have, Nvidia GE Force 8400M GT, is one of the graphics cards with the defect. They had not attempted to contact me at all that they extended my warranty. Had I not called them in enough time, I would have missed out on the first free repair. I get my computer back eventually, and it seems to be working okay except for a few other little problems. There was sometimes this little rapid clicking noise when I'd use the laptop, and the wireless card was not functioning correctly. But these problems were minor, so I ignored them. A couple of months later, I noticed I got the display driver crashed messages again. Plus my computer was going kind of sluggish. On August 25, I put my computer on hibernate so I could move it to another room because the adapter no longer charged the battery. When I tried to turn it back on, the lights flashed once, and the internal fan was running, but the screen stayed black. I couldn't get it to boot up to Windows. I tried every troubleshooting method I could find to no avail. I performed a diagnostic test by pressing and holding the power button and the function key. Out of 3 lights located on the front of the computer, 2 were lit and the 3rd one was flashing. I have read that it indicates a motherboard problem. So here I was once again having the same issue in spite of the so called "repair". I don't even bother calling technical support because my hardware warranty had run out, and I would be charged $49 a call to call them. I email some Dell executives on August 28th, and received a response from an executive support agent name Vijay Kant. He told me they were unable to do anything because my warranty had run out, but he then referred me to the out of warranty repair center. I call them and the best they can offer me is $199 to repair my computer plus 6 months warranty. That is unacceptable to me. Why should I continue to pour more money into a defective computer that can't be fixed? I have spoken to several people with significant computer hardware knowledge and they say the problem can't be fixed. Any repairs will only be temporary till it fails again. This computer is no longer being manufactured, and best they can repair it with is using refurbished parts which most likely still have the defect. That is why my motherboard failed again. And it is obvious Dell can't guarantee this problem won't happen again. So I would be continuing to pour more money into a computer that will continue to fail. I have spent close to $1000 dollars on this computer and refuse to spend a penny more. I have spoken to a lawyer, and he says since the computer was defective from the start, I have the right to ask for a refund or a replacement. And that is the only thing I will accept from Dell. Otherwise I will have to take legal action. I am a college student, and I use this computer to do school work. The fact that it is out of commission has greatly inconvenienced me. I cannot afford to continue pouring more money into a laptop that is not guaranteed to work.

Company: Dell
Country: USA

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