The death of my X3i

[Mitch D]

Here I sit on the phone waiting to talk to Dell Tech support and rather than fume I thought I would rant.

My two & a half month old X3i died tonight, first off it would not stay connected to my WiFi connection and then when it would IE would open then close by itself. I did a soft reset thinking that it was something I did. Now all I get is the Dell screen and nothing else. I pulled that battery and left it out for a few seconds and then put it back in. The system started up then all the buttons refused to respond (the same issue I had a few weeks ago). I did a hard reset (I had sync'd it earlier today) and it still would not boot past the Dell screen. I again pulled the battery and left it sit for a few minutes this time.

Still nothing but the Dell screen. I have tried putting it in the cradle to see if that'll help with no luck. No I an on hold waiting to talk to a human being at Dell...

I couldn't tell you how long I have been on hold but it has been long enough to get sweaty ear and a intense dislike for Dell's hold music!

Anyone else had this problem? Thankfully I have my old trusty iPaq 3830 around to tide me over till the replacement shows up...

Sometime later...

I was on the phone for over an hour waiting to talk to a human being but had to give up. Decided to try the email tech support option as I was getting a headache from the crappy music...

A few minutes later...

Well I just got an email back from Dell saying they aim to get back to me within 6 to 12 hours... Who do they think they are? The goverment?

[Mitch D]

I am beginning to think the PDA gremlins are taking revenge on me tonight, even my ipaq is being cranky. I am giving some major thought to selling my Axim once it's replaced and going with the iPaq 5550.

Not a good night to be thinking such thoughts!

[PetiteFlower]

Nothing like a PPC with features you don't need for more then twice the price!

a 6-12 hour turnaround time for an email is exceedingly reasonable!

An hour hold time for tech support, on the other hand, is not, but they're limited by their staff and I'm sure they are doing the best they can. The first week in January is about the busiest week of the year for returns, complaints, problems, etc. Try at a weird hour, you might have better luck.

I'm sure that once you get through to someone you will have no problem getting a new unit shipped right out to you. Just try to relax, a day isn't forever even if it seems that way :)

[Mitch D]

Nothing like a PPC with features you don't need for more then twice the price!

a 6-12 hour turnaround time for an email is exceedingly reasonable!

An hour hold time for tech support, on the other hand, is not, but they're limited by their staff and I'm sure they are doing the best they can. The first week in January is about the busiest week of the year for returns, complaints, problems, etc. Try at a weird hour, you might have better luck.

I'm sure that once you get through to someone you will have no problem getting a new unit shipped right out to you. Just try to relax, a day isn't forever even if it seems that way :)

Thanks for the calming words PetiteFlower, I was tired and frustrated. In the light of day I have calmed down and will just wait for them to get back to me. :wink:

I will have to wait till I get home tonight to see what they say thought... cross your fingers they can take care of it soon...

[Vincent M Ferrari]

I am beginning to think the PDA gremlins are taking revenge on me tonight, even my ipaq is being cranky. I am giving some major thought to selling my Axim once it's replaced and going with the iPaq 5550.

Not a good night to be thinking such thoughts!

All I can say is the grass isn't always greener.

Trust me, the 5550 isn't as great as I had hoped it was. I always figured once I got it I wouldn't want another Pocket PC ever again. Let's just say that's not the case.

[Mitch D]

Well Dell finally emailed me back, and they weren't much help. Here is the email Dell sent back (and it was not within the 6 - 12 hours promised)

Dear Mitchell,

Thank you for contacting Dell eSupport and Services (ESS). We appreciate the opportunity to assist you. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to you and we assure you it is our hope that you have a positive experience with us.

Mitchell, if I have understood the issue correctly, your Axim is not working.

Mitchell, to resolve the mentioned issue, I would suggest you to please visit the following mentioned document and follow the troubleshooting steps mentioned in the document:

http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?dn=1078122

Some email programs will wrap this address to a second line so you will have to copy each of the lines directly into the address bar of your browser with no spaces between the two sections.

The above link explains," My Dell? Axim? Handheld Will Not Function or Synchronize After Performing the Setup "

kindly note that we have a team of specifically trained technicians to help you with your Dell Handheld PDA. In the future, if you would like to be directly connected to the PDA support team; just enter your Express Service Code of your PDA when prompted by the phone system. You may find the Express Service Code for your PDA underneath the rechargeable battery"

The contact number for the PDA support is 800-624-9896

Once you call this number, you will get an IVR menu, one of the menu options will be the AXIM PDA support, please select the same and you should be able to contact the PDA support.


Thank you for choosing Dell.

Thank you in advance the valuable time you have provided me in this interaction. I hope I have been of help to you, if not please do get back with a feedback such that it will help me in improving my support.

Now I have to resort to phoning them again... wish me luck :!:

[Mitch D]

LOL... this is getting funny... I am on line (after a hold of 20 mins) with Dell Tech Support (in India) only to find out that there is a different number I have to call for Dell Canada Tech Support :? ...

My head may explode before this is figured out but at least I am getting somewhere with this... :wink:

[Mitch D]

I am sure all of you are sick of hearing me whine I thought I would let you know I managed to get ahold of Dell Canada's tech support and a replacement unit is on it's way!!!! :clap:

I will now stop ranting about it... if any of my fellow Canucks ever need Dell Canada's number it is:

1-800-847-4096

[PetiteFlower]

See, I told you, it can be a hassle to get a hold of them, but once you do, your problem is usually fixed pretty easily :)

[tanalasta]

I had a similar problem with my e310 a couple of months back where i'd just hard-resetted it after it froze (i made the mistake of letting my friends play with it.... and they proceeded to crash my device). My e310 then refused to load up pass the init screen and wouldn't load up the OS... As my device was under warranty, I just returned it right away to toshi customer support and they told me that they needed to take it apart. In fact, i think they fixed it by replacing the entire chipset.

So from the sounds of things, you may have to send your device back rather than hope that you can fix things over the phone. Let us know how Dell fixes your problem though!

[Mitch D]

Thanks for the soothing words tanalasta, actually Dell does not repair the units they simply replace them with another unit (refurbed or new depending on stock). The replacement unit should be here by tuesday sometime and then I ship the dead unit back to them in the same box it was shipped to me in. Simple really, other than the part about getting ahold of them and of course living without my Ax for four or five days. 8O

:wink:

[ethancaine]

LOL... this is getting funny... I am on line (after a hold of 20 mins) with Dell Tech Support (in India) only to find out that there is a different number I have to call for Dell Canada Tech Support :? ...

My head may explode before this is figured out but at least I am getting somewhere with this... :wink:

Okay, maybe it's just me, but I find an eerie similarity of experiences between yourself and me.

In November, I was on the phone with Dell for over two hours inquiring about the replacement X5 they were supposed to have already sent me. I spoke to no fewer than 5 people, each time being redirected to another person and being hung up on several times. I finally got a hold of someone who knew that since I bought my Axim through the Gov't Employees Discount program I would have to email them instead of calling them.

Oh, and I was calling at international rates of 13 cents per minute.

Through the emails, I learned that the replacement was originally ordered on about Oct 20th but it never left the warehouse. They said they would ship another immediately and I should expect it to arrive in 4-6 weeks (due to my address being overseas). I inquired again on the 18th of Dec, with no reply. On the 28th, I emailed again and got the response that it shipped on the 18th. I recieved it Saturday the 10th of January.

It was post-marked December 29th.

On the bright side, they did send me a practical upgrade in that I went from a PPC2002 machine to a WM2003 machine.

[Mitch D]

Well with tonight's delivery I hope this brings my drama too an end. My replacement X3i showed up and is sitting in the cradle charging as I type this message. I am just happy to have my Ax back and I am willing to over look the fact that it was two days late getting back to me :wink:

[David Prahl]

Congrats on the new Ax! I'm reviewing the X3i right now for 'Thoughts and own an X5 as well. Great devices.

Maybe I'll just call Dell Canada the next time one breaks. But they might notice that "Wisconsin" isn't a province.

Just checking - does the new unit still have the Bluetooth logo on the top right side of the antenna?

[moosemastafoo]

I went through a mess like that trying to get the right people in dell. The black backing for the pins on my X3 were missing from the start, so inevitably they bent. after about two weeks (and 3 calls) I got the right person, and now my new X3 is on it's way. I have been able to charge and use it, but I can't synch or download stuff, so i'll be glad when it comes in. I'm probably gonna send my backup file through the IR port, although there is no telling how long that will take