Comments on: Dell is Ripping Off its Notebook Customers

By: mnemonic

mnemonic — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:11:54 +0000

I purchased 1 Dell Inspiron XPS 1530 (yes the top of the line) in March of 2008, and another IDENTICAL one 3 weeks later in april of 2008. EXACTLEY 54 weeks later my battery on laptop 1 would only charge to 43%. I purchased the 4 Year FULL warranty including accidental damage! ($400). Dell would not repolace the battery, same BS this guy posted above! GUESS WHAT! 3 WEEKS LATER THE OTHER LAPTOP BATTERY FAILED! Only charging to 43%! Dell also told me to screw off an they would not replace it, EVEN THOUGH i had 2 laptops with the same batteries fail 3 weeks apart, both of them LESS THAN 2 WEEKS OUT OF BATTERY WARRANTY! STUPID ME bought a 3rd IDENTICAL laptop in March of 2009 JUST Before this problem appeared, so i have this to look forward to in less than a year i am sure! I have a sickenign feeling these are PROGRAMMED FAILURES! These batteries died within 1 week of eachother according to activation date! If you have experianced a similar issue PLEASE CONACT me i am willing to join a class action suit!

By: damoogman

damoogman — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:33:48 +0000

If the industry standard is 18-24 month life expectancy for Lithium-ion batteries, why did Dell for years only offer a 12 month warranty? And if Dell has denied any guilt in bilking it’s customers out of money for batteries, why is it now offering an additional warranty for years 2 and 3 on the L-ion batteries?

Let’s face it…you are losing customers and market value when your batteries die so soon. Lately, I wouldn’t mind if the batteries lasted 18 months…it would be an extra 6 months on what we usually get.

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:40:05 +0000

Jack

I don’t mean to be too in your face, but I’m not sure I agree with this. Anyhow, thanks for sharing and I think I’ll write a post on this on my blog soon.

By: Jessie

Jessie — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 07:13:33 +0000

Jessie

I found you while searching google today. You’ll be happy toknowyour site was at the top of the results. Anyway. I added you to my Digg bookmarks. Good stuff!

By: Jessie

Jessie — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:02:48 +0000

Jessie

I love the info and have bookmarked your blog. Haver you thought of doing a vlog describing this stuff?

By: Jessie

Jessie — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:49:08 +0000

Jessie

There are varying schools of thought on your subject. I happen to agree with you – most of the time. Keep it up.

By: John@Dell

John@Dell — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 15:22:43 +0000

The battery wouldn’t be covered under warranty after a year no matter which service plan they chose. Neither would printer ink be covered on an extended warranty with a printer purchase. Your warranty choice should have nothing to do with the battery.

Warranties are a lot like insurance. If a company were to lose money by offering a warranty for a specific time period, you’re right, the bean counters would have something to say about the warranty periods being offered. Warranties are essentially a numbers game as you suggest.

I never suggested all batteries die in 1 year. I said that the average “usable” lifespan of Li-Ion batteries is around 18-24 months. I suggested notebook owners factor that cost of ownership into their notebook purchase, much like car owners factor in normal maintenance, tires, and gasoline into the cost of ownership of their car. If people’s tires wear out after 2 years, I don’t see them writing bad reviews of their Ford. I do see people writing bad reviews about their Dell when their battery gives out after 2 years though. I don’t think it’s very fair.

One thing I did notice when learning about batteries is that the more these batteries are used, the longer they tend to last. If a Li-Ion battery is constantly at 100% charge, it degrades faster. That may explain why you’ve had such good luck, and why most people’s batteries degrade faster than yours. Who knows, though. I don’t claim to be a chemist

By: Dreyco

Dreyco — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:14:20 +0000

On a side note, if
“Notebook computer owners need to understand that the total cost of ownership of these systems includes replacing the battery within 2 years if the battery is required for their normal use of their computer…”

Then perhaps Dell should provide this information to customers to help them make informed decisions when looking at warranty plans.

By: Dreyco

Dreyco — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:10:26 +0000

I’m not saying that companies should be selling “invincible” batteries. I’m just saying they should at least last a bit longer. You try to make it out that Li-Ion batteries will die 100% of the time in a year and that it has nothing to do with manufacturing. I’ve got a 2005 iBook that its battery went from 7hrs to 5hrs in 2.5 years, my girlfriend’s Toshiba is also 2 years old, and its battery still lasts 4hrs. Both of these are using for college classes, so battery usage is around 20hrs a week, for over 2 years. So obviously not all die in a year.

I’m a Mathematician with focus in Actuarial Science, and I have to say it’s no coincidence that Dell’s 1 year basic warranty ends before most batteries die. I’m sure that their are plenty of statisticians crunching numbers to save a bit of money, and hey I don’t blame them. What I’m trying to say is customers eventually find out that for the most part you get what you pay for and whether they are happy getting the cheapest, knowing that it will break in a year, will be their decision.

By: Thankful Thursday #2 | PC Fastlane

Thankful Thursday #2 | PC Fastlane — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:25:23 +0000

[...] this week’s rant at Dell, it’s time to roll out another Thankful Thursday. For those unfamiliar with Thankful [...]