What is Digg?149 Comments
- B08ama, on 08/17/2008, -8/+108"Dell, I am your customer."
"NO! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!" - betocool, on 08/17/2008, -3/+91its not hard
- benologist, on 08/17/2008, -4/+71"What does he do when he runs out of gas?"
Emails the consumerist? - Seann7656, on 08/17/2008, -5/+62That's what she said
- inactive, on 08/17/2008, -4/+52Grr... whiney pussy complains about DVD drive
Entire corporation is at fault
/Digg logic - luckless, on 08/17/2008, -19/+53Dude.... don't buy a Dell!
- Mononuclear, on 08/17/2008, -4/+35This is actually what I like about Dell. They used to next day mail me parts all the time. It was pretty easy to get replacement parts when things broke. I already knew the problem of course and basically just told the tech support what was wrong and which parts I needed. Then the next day I had the parts installed and sent them back the old ones all prepaid shipping.
If you do have problems installing the parts they do offer to mail the parts to a technician and have them come to your house and install it for you at no charge. Dell (nor I) could figure out one problem I was having with a computer. They sent me a new MB and it didn't work, they sent new RAM and it didn't work. They sent me a new CPU and it didn't work. Then they sent me another new MB and CPU at the same time and it still didn't work so then they decided to send a technician out and he couldn't fix it either so they then sent me a new computer.
If the guy can't figure out how to replace the DVD drive and can't find someone who knows how just call DELL and tell them to send a tech to your house. It isn't hard. - fatjoe151, on 08/17/2008, -2/+29"Search your feelings, you know it to be true!"
- masterkenobi, on 08/17/2008, -4/+30The title is pretty misleading, I'm inclined to bury this as inaccurate.
- skinrock, on 08/17/2008, -2/+23Where did the note say it wasn't possible for them to do it? He sent it in, the stocker sees they are out, probably thought the customer would be happier to have the notebook while he waits instead of making him wait without it. I doubt anyone except the rep on the phone knew he already tried replacing it himself, and when filing the RMA, there probably wasn't an option for "needs new DVD, but can't customer can't install". The repair department only knew it needed a DVD drive and they were out. Further justifies my increasing hatred towards the whiny bitches at Consumerist.
- T8erT0T, on 08/17/2008, -1/+22"I'm afraid that the DVD player will be quite operational when your friends arrive..."
- ap44, on 08/17/2008, -2/+20I know Dell is not the greatest in customer service but this guy isn't the smartest either.
There is so much information availible to this guy on how to remove his damn DVD drive that it shouldn't be a problem if Dell just wants to ship him his part.
And what, does he not have kids/grand kids/some sort of able relative or friend that could help him with it? If you bought a warranty to cover this, then yes Dell is being lame with not wanting to just do the work on his laptop but
I still think this guy is just whining over a simple task (he could just google "How to remove dell laptop dvd drive.") - TheSabre, on 08/17/2008, -0/+18How is Dell being lame? They are honoring his warranty by sending him a new DVD drive for NO CHARGE. What this story fails to mention is whether or not the customer contacted Dell after their notice. I'm sure if he called Dell again now that he knows this new information, they'd send him a new prepaid shipping label to send the laptop back to them. They never once said they wouldn't do the work. Arthur is just pissed that their recommended solution isn't exactly what he wants. At least we can agree that this guy is just a whiny bitch though.
- expert01, on 08/17/2008, -0/+16The title on the submission is wrong: They wouldn't replace it because it was out of stock.
But every laptop drive I've encountered had a button release that popped the drive out. However, I am at least somewhat intelligent - the person in the article claims to have sent her laptop through "DSL". - inactive, on 08/17/2008, -3/+18I agree the Dell corporate range and support is great.
The home computers don't always just have a single screw.
But then your mom had just a single screw and look what happened. - RetlawST, on 08/17/2008, -9/+22The warranty includes parts AND SERVICE. The service part is important. I live 7 hours from my parents, and I wouldn't trust my mother to replace the DVD drive in a dell laptop. I know it's easy, I know it's quick, but my mother's brain shuts down when she looks at anything electronic.
If I pay for a warranty that includes parts and service, what is so wrong for me to expect for them to actually uphold their end of the contract? - dunezone, on 08/17/2008, -1/+13I dont care what anyone says, Dell might have some crazy moments with their tech support but for the most part they are one of leaders of tech support. If you have a hardware failure and call them up, they will run you through a series of steps, yes for most of us its annoying cause we already did all this but they have to verify it themselves. Once its verified the hardware is damaged they will immediately send out a replacement part to you.
- luckless, on 08/17/2008, -2/+13That's what THEY said!
- JoshuaLowe, on 08/17/2008, -1/+12Yet another misrepresented story by the Consumerist.
- NathanCH, on 08/17/2008, -2/+13I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't let you do that.
- Residents, on 08/17/2008, -0/+9It is not hard at all. My dell just has a button you press in and basically a handle pops out. You just pull the handle and the drive slides right out. It would be the enterprise account my company has with dell, but they don't dick me around in the slightest. If I told them I needed a new drive (of course replacing it myself) I could call them at 4PM and have the drive in my office at 10AM the next day for nothing.
- psaffire, on 08/17/2008, -0/+8But everyone learns the internals of a PC from Dell. Thanks to them, I know everything that can possibly go wrong with my computer hardware
- nublet, on 08/17/2008, -1/+9wow, arthur must be retarded. it's one screw holding the drive in place. unscrew the one screw, slide the drive out. he couldn't replace it even with a csr walking through it with him? if that's true, then arthur has more problems than a broken dvd drive.
- ichibanjay, on 08/17/2008, -1/+9
The Vostro line of laptop is a business oriented laptop. You get a different line of tech support from their business sector than you would from their home line of products. For business, they generally prefer to just send you the part and have you replace it yourself, as that model works best for businesses with their own IT support.
It is pretty easy to replace an optical drive on laptops these days, it usually entails taking out 1 screw and sliding out the drive. This guy should have looked at the replacement diagrams that come with the part or go to Dell's support site. Dell's website has the instructions, I found it within 2 minutes:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/vos1 ...
In the future, I might recommend that Authur purchase from the Home and Home Office section of Dell's website, as their phone support is more tailored towards dealing with customers that aren't comfortable with removing screws from their laptop.
On the other hand, if you are comfortable with replacing simple parts on your own computer and are purchasing from Dell. I highly recommend that you purchase from Dell's Small Business and Medium Business portion of the website. Although they generally send out parts to you to replace yourself, it gives you the convenience of not having to be without your laptop for a week or two. Plus, their phone support is based in Austin, TX. - abrigham78, on 08/17/2008, -1/+9This is becoming more and more typical for sites like The Consumerist - sensationalist garbage blaming an entire corporation because one customer is too lazy to 1) figure out how to do something simple on his own and 2) read the actual terms of his warranty. I'd love to see this moron take Dell to small claims and watch their team of lawyers (which I've heard includes several former state attorneys) rip him to pieces...
- MadOgre, on 08/17/2008, -1/+9The drives are pretty damn easy to swap. Even a low brow thug like me can do it.
- diggproof, on 08/17/2008, -2/+10Dude, fix it yourself.
- Pake, on 08/17/2008, -3/+10Actually, if you read the article, it never mentioned anything about it being jammed. All it says is that the guy was unable to remove the drive himself, which is most likely do to his lack of intelligence.
- Dunge, on 08/17/2008, -3/+10Dell is still better than HP
- Rikkochet, on 08/17/2008, -1/+8That was beyond brutal.
- pintomp3, on 08/17/2008, -3/+10if it's not in stock, it's not possible. they should have called him and asked if he wanted to wait for it to be in stock or if he wanted it back now and replace him himself when the part arrives. i know that i would have wanted it back sooner so i could keep using it, but not everyone feels comfortable changing parts. they should have given him the option.
- Hazardc, on 08/17/2008, -1/+7nothing to see here, just another ***** article from consumerist.com.. move along.
- jull1234, on 08/17/2008, -0/+6Ikea helps you build it with the free allen wrench.
- inactive, on 08/17/2008, -1/+7http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/vos1 ...
GG Arthur. Here's instructions on how to take apart your computer. - Vich, on 08/17/2008, -0/+6Me fail english?
- Pake, on 08/17/2008, -1/+6PEBKAC
- bdbr, on 08/18/2008, -0/+5Of course its misleading, its The Consumerist. I'm by no means anti-consumer, but these guys think every company has to be responsible for customers who are negligent, refuse to abide by terms they agree to, and/or are just plain idiots.
- gemlarin, on 08/17/2008, -1/+6I'm not a big fan of Dell, however, I am even less of a fan of consumers that write to consumerist to wine about poor service because they are too lazy/stupid to change out a drive on their computer.
Ah crap, my wiper blade is torn, I am going to bring my car to the dealership so they can change it for me.
/rant - xGeneric, on 08/17/2008, -0/+5Wow, you just listed a lot more steps than it takes to replace a CD-Rom on most Laptops.
I've never replaced my break, but I'm sure I could be walked through it. Point taken, I understand that if a person is not familiar with something, an easy task might appear hard. However, you're trying to compare apples to oranges here, they're not the same thing. Replacing a drive on a laptop, at least most fairly current models, is seriously like pushing a button and sliding it out... maybe take out a screw, take the old drive out, put the new one in. If you've got a screwdriver(not even always needed), a hand with some fingers on it, and about a minute or two, you can replace the drives on a lot of different laptops.
Much different. - Thomaschaaf, on 08/17/2008, -3/+8Its 1 screw.. but they should have taken care of it..
But come on.. one screw...
oh yea and never buy at IKEA, they won't help you build it together :D - 0tis, on 08/17/2008, -0/+5I had to buy a new chest of drawers just to keep all those allen wrenches in. It came with a free allen wrench.
- werries, on 08/17/2008, -0/+5they can't legally recommend that because otherwise they take legal responsibility for your actions. :)
- punkcat, on 08/17/2008, -1/+6no sympathy for him, it sounds like he would have been murder to talk to on the phone and i feel sorry for the tech support person who had to.
- 0tis, on 08/17/2008, -0/+5I'm inclined to bury it as *****.
- DyceFreak, on 08/17/2008, -2/+7Its actually not a normal slide and swap drive. Though Dell's technician's should be able to handle a simple disassemble to replace the drive. Though is seems like their techs are only capable of a simple slide swap replacement, foolish... Just goes to show how capable Dell's tech's are.
- pzwhite125, on 08/17/2008, -0/+4My family has owned 3 Dells, and many of my friends have owned them too, and the one thing that seems to always happen is the DVD drive will break within the first year. Still, we fixed them all ourselves, and even my mom who knows nothing about computers figured it out on her own. This guy was probably not the brightest candle on the menorah.
- ArmandoM, on 08/17/2008, -0/+4If a part is out of stock in my store I'll tell them I can't do it either. You either have to wait until I get it in stock, or I'll send you on your way and tell you to figure it out yourself.
Now if you want to argue that Dell shouldn't have let their stock of spare parts run out, that's different. -
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