Inspiron 1720 died suddenly - no shutdown, no warning - and will not turn on any more.

It is a huge problem with Inspirions and some of the other models it seems. I spent about 2 1/2 hrs on the phone with Dell on Thursday and to my relief a replacement mobo is on its way free of charge... though I had to escalate my call many many times and do a lot of screaming to get this accomplished. I'm very happy that they finally relented but I feel a class action is truly warranted given the scope of the problem. And oddly enough - several of the fellows I spoke to on my call to Dell suggested I "stop paying attention to what the blogs and forums say" when I mentioned that this was a widespread problem! As if!

Thank you for responding so quickly. I'm happy and a bit relieved that you were able to at least get Dell to provide the needed part free of charge.

I'm hoping I will be able to get similar results today, even though I have no idea how I would begin to install a mobo and couldn't even tell you what it looked like or where it goes and will likely have to pay someone for such a repair.

May I ask what number you called or if you recall the name of the individual you spoke with and who was able to offer you some resolution to this problem?

After some further research w/ google, I am now even more astounded at the multitude of complaints I continue to come across that describe the exact same occurrence.

The fact that the majority of 1720 systems were purchased at roughly the same time as I purchased mine and the mobo failure being also relative time wise is uncanny!

This is comparable to that despicable little automotive trick where as soon as you hit 30,005 miles, the check engine light comes on and the car dies and even though the vehicle was asymptomatic prior, it suddenly needs a sensor that's not covered under the warranty, the part only cost 2 bucks, but the labor involved is intensive and will cost hundreds; except of course this part will cost around 400 and you can risk opening the equipment and replacing it yourself or pay someone else 150 an hour to do it for you.

I've owned my 1720 for almost 15 months and beside the shoddy power cord which I attributed to the wear and tear and frequency of use, I haven't had one single issue with it mechanically. I was very satisfied with the performance and it has served me quite well thus far. I have used it for both a multitude of work applications as well as for play and am livid with myself that I trusted the integrity of the Dell product line name and didn't anticipate a problem when I called for support.

I find it difficult to comprehend that a reputable company like Dell expects to maintain their reputation and/or retain any semblance of a loyal customer base during this uncertain economic climate, by choosing to ignore the culpability of a blatantly evident defect in their product and of which is obviously an issue that is becoming a more and more prevalent circumstance that can be determined by any customer or potential customer, who performs a basic google search.

For the Dell staff to discourage you from acknowledging there is an issue that other dissatisfied customers have expressed in writing for millions to witness, is disingenuous and almost comical. It sounds much like the Bush administration trying to rewrite the history of the past 8 years, even though this is the age of ease in obtaining even some of the most obscure information with only a simple, effortless click.

Over the past 5 years I've purchased 2 Dell desk tops, 3 laptops, 2 all-in-one printers and a Dell mini. I have always found Dell products reliable and affordable and the customer service has always been efficient and amenable up until this point. I was very shocked and dismayed to receive the sort of treatment I received from the tech line, even after I explained my loyalty to the company.

It was also very disconcerting to speak with an individual whom I could barely understand and who could barely understand me. Unfortunately I was calling from work and was unable to be assertive or spend very long on the telephone.

The escalation path that I personally followed was this:

Customer Care (1-800-847-4096)
Transferred to Technical Support
Transferred to Out of Warranty
Out of Warranty Supervisor
[Out of Warranty Supervisor hung up on me)

Dell general hotline (1-800-289-3355)
Transferred to Technical Support
Transferred to Out of Warranty
Out of Warranty Supervisor
Operations Manager
Callback by Global Escalations Team

All in all about 2 1/2 hours total. Definitely be sure to have the time to dedicate when you call... the impression I got from the agents themselves is that they are armed with scripting and nothing else and are at a total loss when you disagree with their scripted objection or present them with something they can't easily handle. They are halfway across the world and as such cannot relate to you in any way and therefore don't care about your problem. Furthermore I got the very strong impression that there are no consequences for their actions in terms of their comportment on the phone and pretty much decide to do or say whatever they want.

Try to track as much info as possible (names, rep #s, etc....) but it's difficult. Even as I wait for the motherboard I was supposed to receive yesterday (unless they need to order in the part) the only information I was able to get is some "dispatch" number that I'm not even sure what it is...

Good luck...

Ironically or maybe not so ironically, I received a Dell advertisement in my spam box this morning for a unit quite similar to mine but that cost 499 with free shipping! Considering the mobo cost 399, all I could do was giggle my ass off at how insulting to my intelligence that was.

I'd be very interested in knowing when and if you receive the mobo Sara. I just finished my marathon phone call and it was much like your experience with scripted responses and the such. I'd also be interested in knowing what you said that finally made the person you spoke with offer to send you the mobo free of cost.

I initially spoke with Ashlin at the customer care number and then was transferred to "out of warranty" and spoke with someone whose name I couldn't pronounce who ultimately hooked me up with Kumar, whose name I could pronounce and who instantly gave me the mental image of the pot smoking clown from the Harold and Kumar go to White Castle movie. This made it much easier for me to accost his answers verbally as I continued to repeat his name over and over again, hoping to appeal to him on a personal level.

Everyone I spoke with was unwavering, so I continued to rant on about about how I researched this situation, how others have received some sort of respite with at least a part replacement, what a loyal customer I am and have been, and how it is criminal to sell someone more or less a disposable unit that cost almost 2k dollars and for it to not even last much more than a year because an integral part failed.

I pointed out the numerous issues I found via google and that are exact to mine and how this is an evident problem that Dell seems to be ignoring. I was given the same answer you received, that I should not take into account what the "bloggers" are saying because that is not the official viewpoint of Dell. I was also told that the unit was a piece of electronic equipment and because of this, it is not infallible and I should have purchased an extended warranty for an additional 200 dollars, when I had the chance.

Anticipating the "ignore the blogs" response, because of my exchange with you, I was able to quickly rebut that him suggesting I ignore that a barrage of other people are complaining about experiencing a major failure and blatant defect with their costly Dell system and how they were able to receive some sort of resolution after spending quite a bit of time on the telephone with the company, was absolutely disingenuous and that perhaps Dell themselves should be the people who should take some notice that this is a legitimate situation that is growing. I also rebutted that because Ive been such a loyal purchaser of Dell products and have never once experienced such a major malfunction with a single piece of their equipment, I was confident in the brand and did not find it necessary to purchase an extended warranty.

I then stated how dare he belittle and suggest I dismiss such a huge problem like he obviously was and that such a smarmy suggestion detracts greatly from the integrity of the company and gives one the impression that their purchase with the company was just a statistic and that my patronage was insignificant and it makes it sound as if Dell providing equipment that was reliable was not as significant as Dell turning an even larger profit with extended warranties at any expense to their loyal customer base.

Kumar then slipped up and said the company could not continue to make exceptions for this problem! Which I naturally grasped onto and volleyed right back at him with a "AH HA! YOU PEOPLE ARE AWARE THIS IS A PROBLEM AND HAVE ALREADY MADE EXCEPTIONS TO YOUR POLICY!", which left him speechless for a few seconds and then he offered to have someone from the "executive escalation department" return my call, but with the stipulation that I would still be refused part replacement at no cost.

This is when I promised him on my first born child that he and I would become good friends and I would continue to call Dell daily, as many times as it took, until I received the resolution I was looking for.

I think it only appropriate that because I have some free time on my hands, that I sign up to each and every board I come across where people who are having the same or similar mobo failure problem have posted, and link them to this thread. Perhaps it would be helpful to collectively share information pertinent to our experiences and for potential Dell customers to see what sort of customer service Dell provides after you've made a major investment in their products.

Sara,

I did a lot research, ram swapping, hdd swapping, OS swapping and on-board diagnostics to determine the mobo was bad. Once I got hold of a customer service person that one - spoke english and two - knew his ass from a computer, getting them to agree to replace the mobo wasn't hard. They even sent a guy to my house to install the new mobo and ram. No problems since. It was on a corporate warranty so that might have helped my cause...don't know about that.

princessofpt: The Executive Escalation Department is the same department as the Global Escalations team that I reached, as far as I know. Do not forget what they said - "Dell cannot continue to make exceptions for this issue" - and never let it go. This admission is key. Be sure to bring this up again.

The motherboard arrived the day before yesterday, and despite the agent saying they would very much "prefer" if I were to pay a Dell technician to do the work, I installed it myself. The computer is working 100% now and I spent all of yesterday skipping through the magical fairyland that was previously my dead computer. I will probably consider an extended warranty at this point to protect against the same thing happening again. I would never have considered this if they did not replace the part at no cost.

I hope the Escalation Team is able to resolve your issue. It sounds like you have raised many of the exact same points that I did; other than that you really just need to be persistent about what you consider to be acceptable resolutions. Let me know how that turns out.

Oh and by the way, I don't think that the agents have any swing to "stipulate" that you can only that to Global Escalations if you don't expect a new part. F--- that.

Ok, my Inspiron1720 died about a month ago, computer guy said it was the motherboard. Dell told me it would cost 500 bucks to replace it & my computer is only 18 months old.
They told me there is nothing wrong with the motherboards, the guy I talked to said he's been there 5 years & kept insisting no one is reporting any problems. Ha!
I was wondering, since Dell won't acknowledge anything, is there any way to contact a consumer group, & see if they can check it out. Any ideas?

There absolutely is something wrong with the motherboards; everyone here knows that and a quick internet search will tell anyone else the same... anyway, I know that Dell Inc. is accedited with the Better Business Bureau, so it may be worth it to file a complaint there. While it doesn't promise to get your issue resolved, it may force Dell to take your inquiry a little more seriously.

Class action would be totally warranted here I think. Unfortunately I really wouldn't know how to go about that, and as I was fortunate enough to have my issue resolved it really isn't my place to take up the gauntlet...

PEGGY! your Inspiron is about the same age as mine too! The number of people who are having this problem, who purchased their Dell around the same time as me is TRULY UNCANNY! I also own an Ispiron 1521 and hope and pray I dont have a problem with it as well!

There definitely is some sort of mobo defect and the company more or less acknowledged it to me on the phone by saying that they couldn't keep making exceptions to fix this problem!

During my research to document as many instances of the problem as I could for my defense, I came across a suit with Dell that was settled in January;

http://www.uslaw.com/library/Legal_Ne...

Being a resident of Connecticut, I have sent a message to my Attorney General Blumenthal about this situation because I have yet to hear back from the "Executive Escalation Department" at Dell and because Blumenthal was a key player in the suit.

The suit established that there were significant customer service abuses by Dell and

" In addition to the money, Dell, which has cooperated with the states, has agreed to several measures that will provide greater transparency and fairness to consumers."

http://www.ct.gov/ag/cwp/view.asp?A=3...

Obviously, the company is not honoring their agreement to provide greater transparency and fairness to consumers if so many people are experiencing the same exact problem and Dell is not acknowledging it and treating us like expendable units, just like their mother boards.

My advice to you Peggy, is the really great advice Sara gave me. Lets be persistent with calls, do not accept no for an answer, point out that they must know there is a problem because theyve made exceptions already, and make as many people as you can aware that there is a problem so dell can not ignore us.

I would also consider complaining to your states General Attorney if he was part of the law suit in January.

list of attorney generals by state
http://www.naag.org/attorneys_general...

consumer protection offices by state
http://consumeraction.gov/state.shtml

Before I forget, a big HUGE thank you to Sara for taking the time to document her story and offer excellent advice and encouraging words! I'm really happy your situation was resolved, you deserved it!

I'll keep you posted!

-Dani

Interesting legal information, I was not aware of such a suit. As a related aside, my dealings are with Dell Canada, so YMMV, but by the sounds of it, the calls all get dumped to the same centre anyway.

I'm really surprised no legal action has been taken on the basis of this issue specifically especially given how litigious some people are these days (not that it isn't warranted in cases like these...). As someone who has worked with computers all her life, and someone who has built and worked with parts (I installed the mobo myself, after all...) motherboards should last a LONG TIME. A really conservative estimate would be at least three years; realistically closer to 10. I have had many computers in my life and I have certainly replaced fans, hard drives (oh god have I replaced hard drives), power supplies, RAM, you name it... and when the battery/adapter goes for this laptop I will certainly shell out for that because I understand that these items have a relatively short lifespan. But this is the first motherboard I have ever had die on me. They just aren't supposed to give out like that.

I'm really surprised that this site is called a Dell customer support site and its supposed to be run by a Dell Team and not a single one of them will touch a thread like this. Actually, I'm not surprised, I lied. It is very telling that not one Dell employee has offered thoughts or suggestions on this topic or others similar...

My older brother and I received a Commodore 64 for Xmas when I was like 10 years old. When my parents sold the family home a few years ago, we came across it in a box in the attic. Wouldnt you know it, that bad boy still booted up after sitting in a box exposed to Northeastern temperature extremes, for 20 plus years? Even the little cassette drive worked!

Yeah, they dont make computers like they used to and though I'm not mechanically inclined having only added memory to my very first Compaq CPU, even I know that an integral part such as a mother board, should last longer than 15 months. For Dell to suggest otherwise, like Kumar tried to do with me over the telephone, is just bad business and to me it signifies an extreme lack of integrity and totally devalues the claim in their flyer that their equipment is "Where value meets cutting edge".

Heres a clue Dell, VALUE does not equal a 2k dollar piece of equipment completely dying after 15 months of ownership and a couple of months out of warranty and the only cutting edge is the one that will be created from my laptop hitting the garbage can because your company doesn't see a problem with distributing defective equipment and crapping all over loyal customers when there is a significant problem you refuse to acknowledge.

Way to go!

Received an odd and vague automated phone call from an 800 number, not sure if it was from Dell or not, but considering I rarely give out my cell number to prevent solicitor calls, I can only surmise it was them. When I called the number I received a message that offered me a vanity 800 number and that I was out of area and to look up the number I was trying to call in the yellow pages, LMAO!

I decided to google "Executive Escalation Department" and came up with this bit of information and will now proceed to put my complaint in writing.

Hope this is helpful to anyone who is experiencing the same problem. :)

Michael Dell
Chairman and CEO
michael_dell@dell.com

Donald Carty
Vice Chairman and CFO
donald_carty@dell.com

Ronald Garriques
President, Global Consumer Group
ronald_garriques@dell.com

Michael Cannon
President, Global Operations
michael_cannon@dell.com

Mark Jarvis
Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer
(Dude, You're Getting An Email!)
mark_jarvis@dell.com

Lawrence Tu
Senior VP, General Counsel
lawrence_tu@dell.com

Susan Sheskey
Senior VP, Chief Information Officer
susan_sheskey@dell.com

Andrew Esparza
Senior VP Human Resources
andrew_esparza@dell.com

Paul Bell
Senior VP and President, Americas
paul_bell@dell.com

Stephen Felice
Senior VP and President, Asia
stephen_felice@dell.com

David Marmonti
Senior VP, President, Europe, Middle East and Africa
david_marmonti@dell.com

Brad Anderson
Senior VP, Business Product Group
brad_anderson@dell.com

Jeffrey Clarke
Senior VP, Business Product Group
jeffrey_clarke@dell.com

Martin Garvin
Senior VP, Worldwide Procurement
martin_garvin@dell.com

Alex Gruzen
Senior VP, Dell Product Group
alex_gruzen@dell.com

Joan Hooper
Vice President, Finance, Chief Accounting Officer
joan_hooper@dell.com

Alan Lafley
Board of Directors
alan_g_lafley@dell.com (bounces)

William Gray
Board of Directors
william_gray@dell.com

Judy Lewent
Board of Directors
judy_lewent@dell.com (bounces)

Have you not heard back from Global Esco yet? It's odd because it shouldn't have taken so long. I suppose you could try calling their general 800 number and ask about the status of your case..

Great news! I sent an email to the corporate addresses above and received a super speedy reply and am being sent a shipping box to send my laptop off to be repaired as a one time exception.

I feel relieved of course, but am a little perturbed I had to go to that length to get resolution. I am hoping this experience and my complaint will encourage Dell to take a closer look at their consumers online complaints and the manner in which they are treated by customer service when there is a problem of this nature.

As a professional I knew that appealing to corporate would likely get the response I wanted and feel I deserved when considering the duration of time I've owned the laptop and the amount of money I have spent with Dell, and the fact that the part prematurely failed without my being negligent or irresponsible.

Additionally, I was treated extremely well and respectful by the gentleman I spoke with. I will be sure to follow up with how quickly I receive the shipping box and how long it takes for my repair and what not.

At this point in time my faith and confidence in Dell products has been restored and I hope this helps others in the same position as me.

Once again, Sara, your words and support have been a great help and inspiration. It just goes to show how the internet transcends all boundaries and barriers and keeps us all connected and able to work together like all people should. The world would be a much better place if we all continue to work together as a community. :)

I know...how sappy am I!?! lol!

Can you tell me who you sent your email to? Everytime I try to send one, it comes back as a failure notice. Great that you got some results, I'm still so fed up!

Glad to hear it... enjoy your new non-broken computer!!

I found the problem! On the motherboard there is a component called a rectifier. This component fried when it gets a brown spot in the center. It is the lager of the three components that have a IR5L on it, with the model number gL62 It is a Double Diode Rectifier, I cannot find a new one so far, if you do please let me know. Michael 303-323-5169

Yeah, it's where the AC adapter connects. You know it's in trouble when you start getting the "The AC Adapter is not recognised..." message for no good reason.

Sara,

The problem I am having isn't the AC Adapter as the laptop will not boot with a 50% charged battery. There is a component on the motherboard that is fried and needs to be soldered off and a new one soldered on. As I mentioned above.

I do understand that. My battery was at 40% throughout this whole debaucle. But it was to my understanding that the manner in which the AC adapter connects to the motherboard itself causes something to short out eventually due to poor construction and parts.

I did inspect my own dead mobo and it is blemish-free of any spots, so this particular issue involving the rectifier might not apply to everyone reading.

The problem most of us are referring to manifests in the AC warnings and culminates with a dead mobo.

But if you are able to solder on a new rectifier and solve your problem without having to deal with Dell at all, the more power to you!!

yikes! My 1720 actually gave me no warning. The only time
I would get that error is when I was using the laptop while charging the battery and somehow shifted it into a position that knocked the cord loose, which was rare.

HOWEVER!!! That has happened with my 1521 somewhat frequently! GRRRRR! I figured it needs a new cord and/or battery, but I've noticed since I've plugged in the battery from my 1720 into it, no wonky messages.

I wonder what happened with Dell? Did they recently establish a new contract with a really crappy company to manufacture their systems? My older Dell machines are still chugging along quite nicely.

Peggy, I sent my plea to everyone on that list and about half of them bounced, but the more important name is Michael Dell, I would think. Within hours of sending my email, I received a return email from someone who was very willing to help.

Keep trying sweetie!
-Dani

Thanks Dani! I sent an email, so far no bounce, keep your fingers crossed.

Actually, speaking of the AC adapter, that's exactly how mine started, too. It wouldn't power up, I did get another adapter, still wouldn't power up. So when I sent it out, the computer guy actually opened the back & showed me the tiny little node or whatever that was fried. So is the problem also in the AC Adapters?

Peggy,

The fried component, was is a little gray box?

Michael,
No, it was a tiny little metal spot on the motherboard. (Don't know what it's called) The repair guy took one look & told me the motherboard was fried.

Peggy,

Can you get a picture of it? I am now working with the Dell Engineers in Taiwan to hopefully get a resolution.

Michael,
Sorry I don't have a camera right now! Wish I could take a picture of it.

I received a call from DELL today, the guy's name is Avinash Lewis. He basically told me there was nothing the company could do, & still kept insisting there are no problems with the motherboards, or Dell would have notified customers. When I told him there were plenty of complaints, he said, no, Dell wasn't aware of any.

So I told him of several message boards, & all the computers were about the same age as mine, & he said these were blogs, where people could say anything. Then went on a two minute speech about how when the Dell batteries were recalled, they notified people about the problem, so there couldn't be anything wrong with the motherboards, or Dell would have notified people.

I said yes, but not all batteries were recalled, maybe it's the same thing, not all motherboards are having these problems. He kept saying if that were true, Dell would "tell people".
So I asked him how do we contact the people at Dell, to ask them to look into it. He didn't have that information, he said, but he could look it up, & let me know in a few days. (Right!)

He also kept telling me to go to the Dell forums, there were no people with these problems on those boards. The moderator there he said, works for Dell.

Guess that means no one else can be trusted. When I told him that some people did get these parts replaced by Dell, he told me that did not happen. He said Dell wouldn't do that. Hope you guys did get the parts you needed!

I told him I would call back in a few days for the info on who I could contact to inform them of this problem, but my next step is my State Attorney General. I am also thinking about going to the Dell message forums & posting this problem there. Do you think it would help?

Sorry to go on for so long, but I'm so upset!

Peggy,

You could send me the bad mobo, I'll look at it, the engineers said they are sending me several of the components, If it is the same one I can swap it, send you a PayPal Bill and mail it back!!

Michael,
Sorry it took so long to reply, haven't been able to get online!
Thanks, but I'm so fed up with Dell products, & their service, I don't think I'll ever trust their brands again.
A neighbor of mine wanted to buy a Dell for his daughter in college this weekend, but after hearing what I've had to go through, he bought a HP instead. He's thinking of buying another one for his other daughter.

I really hated giving up on my Inspiron, it had a 17 inch screen, & I had a ton of Itunes on it. (Got most of it backed up, thank goodness)

One funny thing, I had another call from Dell last week, same guy I talked to earlier.Wanted to know if I wanted to get my laptop repaired. I said, not for $498.00. So he said he checked on it, & they would knock $100.00 off for me.
I might have gone for it a few weeks ago, but after getting the runaround for so long, I'll probably just get a tiny laptop & save up for a Mac.

Thanks anyway!!

I've been walking in your shoes ever since I purchased my 1st Dell about four years ago. I have had a computer replaced, which required a new hard drive a month out of warranty which they sent to me (apparently a steal at $79) and then expected me to pay them an hourly service fee to have someone with whom there woud be a bit of a language barrier "walk" me through the installation process. I escalated but then had to escalate again and then finally had tec support (language barrier and all) help me do the installation at no charge. Three months ago that computer died completely and totally and I have absoutely zero desire to do the whole thing over again and especially after reading all these messages. 'puter goes to recyclng and I will continue on with my Dell laptop until I too can make the switch to a lovely new Mac. However, I will look into their customer service message boards and recall lists - lots of due diligence this time around!!

Sara. thank you so much for all the research and support you have provided here. I will send out an email to each and every person on your list. Have you considered sending them a bill - your valuable time is money and they owe you BIG time.

Good luck to all of you - hope you receive positive resolution to your problems.

Judith

I had the same issue with my computer. No warning, I just heard a quiet "pop" and then it went dead. I owned the computer for 1 year, 2 months, and 3 weeks. 2 months and 3 weeks after the warranty expired. I called customer service and was told there was nothing they could do. I asked for his manager and after being but on hold for 20 minutes, was told by him there was nothing they could do. They transferred me to the tech support and told me that it would cost me $49 to "troubleshoot: the computer. I told them pay $49 for them to tell my to take the battery out and put in again, no thank you and asked for his supervisor. After being put on hold for 30 minutes, they dropped my call. I called back and asked to speak to a supervisor and after being on hold for another 40 minutes, he told me there was nothing they could do but could trouble shoot it for $49. I asked if they could even waive that. He said no. I hate dell so much right now. I am encouraged by some of the previous posts, both for commiseration and practical steps to take. I am going to email every single one of those names and luckily, I have the names of those managers that were so... "helpful" along with some quotes like, "you should have bought the extended warranty" "what did you expect, it is electronics," "How do we know it is our fault, you might have done something to it."

Hello!
I have this same problem with my inspiron. I wrote to every person from dell mentioned above. I got an answere and was really hapy that eventually somebody want to help me. Unfortunatelly after few days I received an email and was asked to call customer service. I suppose that call service won't be of great help.I will try but I think that it will be just wast of time. I really hate dell and discorage everybady from buying any stafff from them.

My wife's 1720 just had the same thing happen to it about a week ago. for us it's been about 18 months and our warranty expired 6 months ago. I've not even bothered with Dell support yet because I know I'm not going to get anywhere with them. my tendency is to go straight to the top when this type of issue arises. I think I'm going start with M. Dell and go from there. Thanks to all who have contributed so much info in this thread.

I have some technical ability and could replace the MoBo myself. So if worse comes to worse I guess I'll be buying a new one and doing it. At this point, after reading everyones story, I'll be happy if I can get a free replacement from Dell.

Hey Skip,
Sorry to tell you, but you probably won't get a free replacement from Dell.My 1720's warranty expired in October. In January, the MB started to go bad, as well as the power supply, & Dell told me I was out of luck.
I found a great price on a Toshiba, not going to buy Dell anymore. Good luck!

After screaming at them, I got them to repair mine for $300 + tax but I had to email Michael Dell first. That is about the price of the motherboard and they gave me a six month warranty. You just have to keep the warranty current with this model. I saw a guy in starbucks yesterday that had an Inspiron 1720 and I warned him about the known issue.

Hi Guys,

I'm really sorry to see that more people are experiencing the same problem with their Dell product and thought I would post an update about how I was able to obtain an acceptable resolve.

The primary key to this situation was and is persistence. I could and would NOT take 'no' for an answer. Particularly because every single piece of computer equipment I have purchased within the last 10 years, was manufactured by Dell.

My purchase history made little difference with 'customer service' and I was treated like garbage with whomever I came in contact with. Up until I made a lengthy plea/lament to Dell corporate directly was I able to get results.

Once contacted by corporate in Texas, my situation was handled with the utmost courtesy and expeditiously. I received a packing box with explicit instructions on how to pack and send off my unit safely and because it was a holiday weekend and I did not get a chance to send the unit off right away, I received a follow up call within days.

After sending my LT off, I received many calls to notify me the shipping was successful, my system was being worked on, to notify me work was complete, and then a final call to assure that my system was received after repair and was in satisfactory working order.

I'm happy to report that the experience with corporate was phenomenal and a complete 360 from the treatment I received from their customer service line and my system is working again.

Though I'm not technically inclined, I believe my mobo was replaced and I also noticed my keyboard was replaced as well. I do not know the reason behind the KB replacement or if it was relative to my problem, but my power cord was shoddy as I mentioned in my initial posts and that was left untouched, lol!

All in all my system does not work the same as before the unexpected failure. It lags a bit when I start it up after doing a restart or just closing the cover and reopening it after a few hours, but other than that, I noticed that it doesn't seem to heat up like it used to and the fan is not nearly as audible as it was and it WORKS!!! That's all that really counts considering what I paid for it and how long I owned it before I experienced my problem.

In summation, I'm ecstatic that I was able to obtain a resolution for my investment but I'm also sad that I had to jump through hoops to do so. It's a downer that Dell, a brand I always thought was synonymous with quality and reliability, has appeared to have sold out and succumbed to the grind where mass production and bottom line is more important than manufacturing dependable wares to stamp their name on. Maintaining the superlative customer satisfaction expectation that Dell has built their reputation on over the years, seems to be a thing of the past. I hope they come to their senses before it's too late.

Good luck everyone and do NOT take no for an answer!

-d

Well I just got off the phone with dell and they offered me a deal I couldn't refuse. After fighting with support and hanging up 3 times due to them giving me the "Should have gotten the 3 year warranty" or "You can buy a new computer" routine I finally got transfered to out of warranty section. Here there was a wonderful woman named Sue (not sure if that is how it was spelled but that is how it was pronounced). She offered me a deal for 400$ or so and they would allow me to ship the PC back to them (their charge) and they would replace the MB and LCD and do any other minor repairs and ship it back to me (again on their dime) and it shouldn't be more the 8-10 days.

I can't say I was happy with the way "Customer Scare" dealt with the issue but all in all if I could pay the same price for all of that... and it be the same price as them putting the board in a box and sending it to me to screw it up... I can't complain as much.

I also sent off the mail to corporate HOPING to get a response of them looking into the issue of a possible recall on the computers.

all in all I now have to wait 24/48 hours for my shipping box to send it all back I'll keep you all informed if I hear back from "The Board" or at least update you when I get my PC back.

Robert

PS add these names to the bounce list:
Delivery to the following recipients failed.

donald_carty@dell.com
michael_cannon@dell.com
mark_jarvis@dell.com
martin_garvin@dell.com

Same problem with my Inspiron 1720. I wrote an email to all the people listed on this board. Some of them bounced but some went through and with in about 1 hour I had a call from Dell. They are calling me back today as my machine with with my IT person from diagnosis. It is the Motherboard and what ever else was damaged in the process. I will see what Dell has to offer if they call back today. VERY FRUSTRATING

Unfortunately, Dell is not budging. I cannot count the hours I have had to deal with this in the last 72 hours. I have spoken with at least a dozen people. My Dell days may be over.

Another question, I received my 1720 back from dell after having sent it in to have the mobo repaired. They sent my hard drive back in a little plastic bag marked, "defective" with a letter promising another harddrive was being mailed as a result of them not having the part on hand. Has this happened to anyone?

Yeah, I am not very tech-savvy... I didn't know how to take out the hard drive... I didn't want to inadvertantly pull out another essential part that Dell would charge me for.

Well to update another story....

contacted corporate and instead of the 399 repairs they were going to charge me ($100 off) they gave me an additional $100 off which put the total repairs at 299+tax.

The laptop did have to have the motherboard replace but they would not say why claiming they didn't have the information from the techs. Laptop should arrive tomorrow and we will see just how it works.

Same issue with my XPS 1730m. Totally DEAD without warning! I am contacting my lawyer! They know the problem exists and yet the fail to correct it! CLASS ACTION! Who wants in?

I'm in if you can get one going... got the laptop back and the mobo was replaced but all other "Minor" repairs promised were ignored AND 6 days and still no response from the customer scare about why the other minor repairs promised weren't done.

I will try to get something going but first, I sent an e-mail off to Michael Dell!
Let's see what happens. BTW, I included a link to your post in my e-mail.

Hey Vance,
I'm in, too! And Rob, sorry to hear about your latest Dell experience. Wish I could say I was surprised(

Hey Peggy,

This problem is prevalent and Dell continues to ignore us. It's disgusting. They knew about these issues and yet they continue to deny! I'll do some leg work and maybe throw up a page on Facebook. Let's see how much traction we can get!

If you want to hear something bizarre try calling this Dell support number, 1-800-624-9897
When you call the first thing you hear is a prerecorded song from the 50's: Lollipop. I found it insulting. It implies that anyone calling that number is a sucker!

BTW - after more than a dozen emails to Mr. Dell and his executive team I am still being shuffled off to a 3rd world minion who feeds me the same ridiculous script, this is not a Dell issue!

DELL SUCKS!

Hey-The same thing just happened to my laptop that I bought,you guessed it,16 months ago. I called the bs customer service line and was hung up on! I have called and left a message with "Sue". I will have to wait and see what happens. I really think Dell should recall the Inspiron 1720 laptops.

Good luck getting any help! I've inundated Michael Dell and his management team. No one returns my calls, I've been hung up on and sent over to script reading robots in India too many times to mention.

I have, however, found some guys in CA who do board level repair. They claim to replace the burnt out components with superior pieces. They offer an interesting warranty too. I found them on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MOTHERBOARD-REPAI...

Another company that I have had good success with on board level repairs is neighbor computer in New York state. www.neighborcomputer.com I have a 1720 with the same issues you all have been describing. Very interesting reading indeed.

Oh my.....my daugthers 1720....got it for her in 4/08..it was her 16th birthday present....now its dead. Spent a few hours today just readying all the kaka and am peeved beyond belief....we are also a family that has many other DELL Computers and components. We have never had a problem until this. Now I'll go dig out the paperwork (think I have the extended) and pray that when I call I get some response that will be spoken so I can understand....in English with little or no accent. I just don't have the time, money or effort for this. Just disgusted. Thank you all for taking the time to log your experiences and results.

Yep, my 1720 went yesterday too. I had the "AC Adapter is not recognised" warnings for a while before dying completely. About 18 months old.

The green light on the AC Adapter turns off / shorts out when I plug it in. D

I haven't pulled it apart to look at the motherboard yet but Dell are telling me $357 AUD for a new one. They told me that this wasn't a known issue.

I just found this thread and will try their 'support' lines again.

Okay, just to get this onto the web. I'm dealing with Dell in Australia, not sure if this is applicable globally.

There is _atleast_ a 3 week wait for both refurbished and new Inspiron 1720 UK435 and UK434 motherboards. Dell have advised me there are many people waiting for motherboards already and some have been waiting for one month. They admitted that this is an "issue".

Hi Sam,
Welcome to the maddening world of 1720 users. My AC Adapter did the exact same thing yours did & the motherboard went out. Dell still insists they've never heard of this problem before. Right.
Best solution, you may just have to buy another laptop. Just make sure it's not a Dell!

I have a inspiron 8100 and have the same problem.

I bought my 1720 in April 2008 and the warranty expired in April 2009. A few hours ago the laptop died. Same symptoms as everyone is having here. Is there a contact number for a normal person at Dell who can possibly send me a free motherboard? It's ok if that person has a Hindu accent.

Or, is there other way out instead of paying $500 for the MB?

Thank you.

To everyone on here with laptops with failed MBs. I have made numerous attempts to break through Dell`s corporate gate keepers, to no avail. I have sent literally hundreds of emails begging, pleading and threatening to Michael Dell and all of his corporate minions - to no avail. I have talked to Dell support people in countries where the west is not very highly regarded - good luck receiving any sympathy. I have sent countless examples to various people in an attempt to demonstrate that these failures are not isolated, to no avail. I have tried to solicit enough interest from individuals on here and from the legal profession, to launch a class action. Trying to get traction with that was a waste of my time. I have also paid for a consumer advocacy group to lobby Dell, once again - to no avail.

Here are the only real options:
First If you are really compelled to have Dell repair your laptop and you haven`t told them of your woes, try buying an extended warranty, wait a week or so and then call it in.
Second, Dell uses inferior components in their systems. They know it and unfortunately, so do we. There are various specialty shops around that do board level repair. I have done internet searches and found many who will replace the failed components on the MB with superior components. Prices vary depending on the parts required and the time.
Third, get online or on ebay and buy your MB and replace it yourself.
Fourth, bite the bullet and have Dell fix it.

As a word of caution, Dell has turned in to a Corporate Pig. Dell is only interested in one thing - profit. Dell is no longer built in North America and everything from pre-sales support, sales and technical support, is all managed in the third world. The biggest problem with this model is that they have taken away from jobs that would otherwise have gone to people here in North America. Instead, because of Dell`s greed, they contribute to spiraling unemployment and the devolution of the North American manufacturing sector.

My recommendation going forward, spread the word - Boycott Dell!
.

I just got off the phone with a local technician. He said that indeed my motherboard is dead and they will get a brand new mb for my laptop. He said it's possible because Inspiron 1720 is not an old system and there are still new parts available. He assured me that the MB will be new because his company has been dealing with a number of trustworthy providers of computer parts for years.

The price is $345 plus taxes. That includes the new motherboard and labor. I guess I'll stick with that.

An update; it'll be a certified refurbished motherboard.

Hi,

I'm another peeved 1720 user. Mine died 2 weeks ago and I've already had to replace it due to assignment and exam commitments. Needless to say the replacement's not a Dell. What's worse is that mine was bought in Australia and the warranty is apparently not valid here. What a joke! I'll try the corporate addresses but I suspect they've killed them by now. I'll report my progress.

Another update; I decided no to pay $400 to replace the motherboard.
Instead, I bought an excellent HP laptop, dv7-3060us. You can search for it at www.hp.com

It costs $400 more than a refurbished motherboard for my bullshit Dell. I might as well buy a new NON-Dell laptop with a better video card and HDMI output. It was shocking to me when I couldn't find HDMI on my Dell laptop when I received it. The laptop has a 256MB NVIDIA GS card. Unbelievable.

The HP laptop that I purchased is a bargain for $800.