dell can eat me

[nuggetman]

So I pull my trusty Axim X5 out of my bag today to install some new software on it, only to discover the screen is cracked. No biggie I figure, the unit is under warranty.

So I call Dell's 1-800 number, fight voicemail hell, and talk to a rep. First they give me a runaround because the unit is still "owned" by the guy who sold it to me on eBay, and I don't have his info to verify. Finally after some bitching we get to the problem at hand. I get told that all I can do is buy a refurbished unit for $200.

So wait... I paid $150 for this thing, had to fight to get service, and then get told it'll cost $200? $200 for a REFURBISHED X5. I can get a brand new X3 for that price... and up til a week or so ago, that was the cost of a new X5. Screw that. I'll put that $200 toward something else... like an iPaq.

Last Dell product I'll be buying.

[Kati Compton]

I would be surprised if anyone covered a broken screen for free under warranty... I think that usually falls under "user error"... :(

[nuggetman]

I would be surprised if anyone covered a broken screen for free under warranty... I think that usually falls under "user error"... :(

i would be too. i was even expecting maybe a $50-$90 fee for parts and labor... if a company has the balls to try to sell me a refurbished discontinued product for the price of their newest product, they can forget my future business

[Jason Dunn]

We had a discussion about this a while back, but when you figure that Dell's markup on most things is 5-8%, it just doesn't make sense for them to repair such "cheap" devices - they ship them back to the factory instead. The LCD screen is the most expensive part of the PDA, and to replace them is expensive in terms of parts, labour, etc.

Breaking the LCD screen on ANY Pocket PC is ugly - it usually means getting a new Pocket PC, unless you can find a company that replaces Dell Axim LCD screens...(try Google perhaps?)

[dmacburry2003]

What about those PPC Techs? Won't they do a job like that?

[WyattEarp]

Pocket PC Techs (http://www.pocketpctechs.com/delx5rep.asp) will replace the X5 display but like Jason said it is the most expensive part of the PPC.

If your willing to foot the bill then go ahead but for a device that cost $200.00 I would just buy a new one.

[Mitch D]

$200 seems to be the going rate for screen repair, I sent a customers 3850 back to HP about 4 months ago and it cost $199, they paid for shipping back to me but we paid to ship it, the cost of parts in a device like this is always more than buying the unit new or in this case refurbed.

[gvanjr]

Dell strikes again> I would suspect that if you were a company with a ton-o-cash you'd be treated differently.

[Mitch D]

Dell strikes again> I would suspect that if you were a company with a ton-o-cash you'd be treated differently.

Everyone rants about companies being treated differently (better tech support, faster response time, etc) and I agree they do, but you have to remember that companies get the response they get because they pay hundreds of thousands each year for that tech support.

This situation has nothing to do with tech support and everything to do with the reality of business. It's cheaper for Dell to offer a refurbed replacement than to offer repair services. This way they only need to worry about replacement stock and shipping manpower, rather than parts, service department manpower as well as shipping manpower.

Simple business sense...

[PetiteFlower]

I wouldn't think that Dell would cover a broken screen under warranty no matter who the customer was, business or consumer. Screens almost never break out of nowhere, they break because they are dropped or sat upon or otherwise mistreated. If it happened in the first 30 days they would probably cover it under the initial "no questions asked" warranty, but after that you're pretty much SOL. It is a limited warranty, after all, it only covers you if it fails due to defects, not for wear and tear. Plus I'm willing to bet that it's a non-transferrable warranty.

Check with your homeowner's or renter's insurance people, they might cover you for a new device. Mine covers me for replacement cost of any personal electronic item if lost, stolen, or broken, even if it's my fault, I'd only have to pay my deductible. Worth looking into :)

[ctmagnus]

Screens almost never break out of nowhere, they break because they are dropped or sat upon or otherwise mistreated.

In most cases, yes. I had that one fluke when the LCD cracked on its own; fortunately HP covered that one for me.

[PetiteFlower]

Hence why I said "almost", I knew I remembered reading about at least one instance of that happening :)

[Howard2k]

So you broke your screen and you're annoyed because Dell will charge you to replace it??

Should Dell give you a discount since you bought it from Ebay?
Should Dell just assume that because the user information doesn't match that it's ok? What if the unit was stolen?


Come on...

[gfreda]

Sounds to me like you're just PO'd at yourself for cheaping out at buying a used one with a cracked screen!

[JustinGTP]

Come on you guys, keep it nice :wink:


Just remember this post when you start complaining about something in the future. :roll:

[jbachandouris]

I don't recall reading that it came with a cracked screen. Although I do think its odd that people actually still think a cracked screen would be covered under warranty. Some vendors offer an additional warranty that does cover the screen, but it is not usually included in the basic warranty.