Dell Warranty Frustrations
Almost three years ago I was given a brand new Dell Inspiron 2650 laptop from a friend over in the US. When they purchased it they got it with a 3-year on-site warranty with Complete Care cover. It have been working great for me with only one need for repair when the hard drive died (thankfully I knew it was happening and backed up all my data first).Because the warranty is due to expire soon I thought that I would get a few things fixed up that would be covered by the Complete Care warranty. This includes a cracked lid right behind the hinge and get some replacement feet for the bottom of the laptop since all of mine have fallen off. The Complete Care warranty covers this sort of stuff, but I was just told by Dell that even though the warranty is a global warranty the Complete Cover is only valid in the area that the laptop was purchased! So that means that the only way I could get them to fix these things would be for the laptop to be in the USA, not here in Australia.
This is a huge pain because one of the reasons that I wanted the Complete Cover was because I travel a lot with my laptop and I wanted it covered in case of accident and the increase of wear and tear that happens to a traveling laptop. Now however my only course of action would be to pay for something that I thought was covered by warranty.
Also with it coming up to the end of the original three year warranty I am trying to weigh up whether or not to extend the warranty. It will cost about $500.00 AUD to add another two years of on-site warranty to the system, which is a lot of money, but at the same time if I don't have a warranty on the laptop and something goes wrong then I would be pretty stuck and probably have to pay more than that...
Any advise that you might have out there about extending the warranty would be appreciated...
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- total drag!
Donovan on Saturday, January 28, 2006That is a total drag. I think companies start out with good deals and then ratchet them back slowly, but truly. I am currently thinking about buying a new laptop and your post warns me to look carefully at this. Sorry I don't have an answer to your problem except to say maybe someone can take it to the US for you? Probably unpractical though!
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- Upgrading the Warranty
billhutchison on Thursday, February 2, 2006I am actually wanting to keep the computer probably for another two-years or more. Next year I want to raise the money for a new laptop when I head back to Canada, but I want to give this one to my wife, who at the moment is using a P2-400 MHz that is I think is on it's third or fourth hand me down.
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I am a full time volunteer with Reef to Outback - Youth With A Mission (YWAM) where I work in Communications and Information Technology. I am married to a wonderful wife, we have a five year old son and a one year old daughter.
- Warranty
David on Saturday, January 28, 2006Hey Bill
My (limited) thinking about the situation would be to ask yourself when you will get yourself a new laptop? If the answer if probably within a couple of years I would not both with the warranty - because you are going to spend the money anyway so in essence you are paying $500 to delay the process.
I was chatting a a lawyer about it and he says he never bothers with warranties because the companies suck you in on legalities when you need work done. I realise that is a blanket statement but you have just been on the recieving end of some wording in the warranty that could potentially cost you!!
Basically if you are thinking about getting a new one in the next couple of years save the $500 and put it towards it as opposed to paying $500 and then buying one in a couple of years anyway!!
I hope my little essay makes sense
Peace
David
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