Computer help forum: DELL SCAM

Have any proof of your claims beyond just your one experience? Because having worked as a hardware tech, who primarily did laptops, I can tell you that sounds like the SOP for diagnosing and troubleshooting.

If a customer is having some kind of issue with their laptop, and it could be the battery, AC adapter, or motherboard, you start with the cheapest and easiest component to replace, usually the AC adapter. If that doesn't solve the issue, you move onto the battery. All else fails, then it has to be the motherboard. However, a large percentage of people will have the issue resolved by either the AC adapter or battery being replaced, especially if the laptop is rather old and the battery may be consumed and AC adapter damaged from some chunky volts coming down the line at various times over the months/years. Sounds like you were one of the unlucky few who end up with a bad motherboard.

Also, it sounds like you were trying to troubleshoot this yourself, via the phone support from Dell, instead of taking it to a repair shop where they could have tested it with a known good AC adapter and battery to find out that it was the motherboard. To say that this is a scam would require considerably more proof than you've offered up so far. Based on what you have said so far, Dell would be will within their rights to take you to court for defamation.

Your last question is likely you lashing at anyone that disagrees. I wish the battery fires had not happened but they did and we see the result.
Bob

what you want rather than what it does indicate? The message is telling you that the laptop isn't recognizing the adapter and you can then assume that this error might be because the adapter has a problem (they don't last forever and sometimes people try using one with a connection that fits but that doesn't provide correct amps), or that the battery itself has a problem or that the charging connector is damaged or that the motherboard is broken.

If you have a problem that you can't solve it is up to YOU to determine that it is time to call the manufacturer, it isn't their problem to suggest such as they already did that in their manual and warranty.

The message you indicate can be caused by a bad battery - check that by either using a different battery or by removing the battery and trying the laptop on AC power only. If it works on AC it is a battery problem; if it doesn't it is either the adapter or an adapter cable, or the power connector or motherboard. Most computer repair shops will help you out by trying a known good power adapter.

You can also make use of the information found here and that includes running the Recalibration Utility if Your System has One listed (you could have told us the model of the problem computer) :
http://ftp1.us.dell.com/diags/R66243.htm

Here this is a discussion board but once in a while a new member feels attacked when folk disagree with their view.

I'd like to agree with you but is this unit in warranty? Most are not when Dell answers like I read above.

And then we have folk that feel entitled to support once the warranty period is over. For them I think we have to discuss how support works. The support folk are paid from a combination of sales but once the warranty is over they need to collect fees to continue support. These folk are just like you and I and can't answer the phones for free.
Bob

But it's on par with the industry. That's not much consolation but I see no company improving this area.

As a software/firmware/hardware author those error messages cost space, time and money. Would you pay for such improvements? Every time I see an cost increase I see owners want the lower price over better messages.

If you begin to call folk names you run the risk of a lock of your discussion. Please be civil.
Bob

If you've been on big team projects, even an error message gets reviewed and drives time and costs up. At least you're seeing more than error codes.
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail.page?LegacyDocID=migr-42321

Maybe you would like numeric codes instead that you have to go check out a web page or document?
Bob

So I'll take that as a "No, I don't have any proof." To me it looks like you cheaped out and tried to solve this yourself, it went sideways, now it's anyone's fault but your own.

And for the record, I actually work for one of Dell's competitors, at least in some markets. We're involved fairly heavily in some other markets that Dell isn't even in. It is possible I still have valid DOSD certification, but I'd have to check. Anyway, point being: Just because someone disagrees with you, or doesn't take your wild accusations at face value, doesn't automatically make them some kind of shill.

Despite what might be considered my better judgment, I'll give you one more chance to offer up any kind of proof you have that this is a systematic course of action that Dell management is not only aware of, but put into place. Anything at all, besides your solitary experience, which a conspiracy it does not make. Right now, you're doing a bang up job of coming off as a raving loon though. That's not a pejorative, just an observational statement.

How is that misleading exactly? Seriously.

What I can glean so far from your comments is the following:

- You had a power related issue with your Dell laptop
- The error message said the AC adapter wasn't recognized
- You called Dell support who (correctly) told you to get another AC adapter
- The replacement AC adapter didn't resolve the issue
- Someone told you to get a new battery
- You decided to go ahead and buy a new battery, which then also failed to resolve the issue
- You were told that the issue then must be the motherboard

So, I'll grant that the suggestion of a new battery for an issue concerning the AC adapter would be a little odd, but rather than some kind of conspiracy I'm betting it was the oft potent combination of a poorly trained call center rep and the language barrier.

We are the ones to blame for the sorry state of tech support these days. We keep demanding lower prices, and better features,so if the company is going to make a profit, something has to give somewhere. If you, and maybe 50,000 of your closest friends would all be willing to pay 50-100% more for every computer you buy, and buy pretty regularly, then Dell might be able to move support back to the US. Or at least be able to increase the training budget for the call center agents. So the next time you buy something based purely on price, consider the implications of that. That is EXACTLY why manufacturing jobs have all been shipped to places like China and Viet Nam. People like you, and me, and millions of others, will choose Product A if it's even just a couple dollars cheaper than Product B. I'm hardly some "let businesses do whatever they want" style conservative, but I recognize the need for a company to make a profit to remain in business. So if revenues go down because of lower prices, you need to make that up somewhere else, and quite often it's on the back end with manufacturing.

Still, if you think you have a case, talk to a lawyer. You could try filing a lawsuit, then have the court grant you subpoena powers, giving you access to all of Dell's internal documents and correspondence. However, my guess is any lawyer who takes their profession seriously, will tell you that you have nothing even close to resembling a case. That pretty much any judge would throw the case out, but probably not before berating you and your lawyer for filing such a frivolous lawsuit.