Knowing Your Rights (...and your Warranty)

As you might recall I was having trouble with my Dell laptop computer. Only 6 months old, the mouse/touch pad on the computer broke. When I called Dell, they informed me I did NOT own my computer and the Express Service Code I was giving them was for a computer they had sitting in their local warehouse (I take back the local, I was definitely speaking with someone in Eastern Asia.) Long story short, getting nowhere in my pursuit of help, I hired an advocated, and finally got my computer sent back in for repairs.

My computer was gone for 2 weeks. Once it returned to me the adapter and battery started acting funny. I had the computer plugged in, which it acknowledged, but it would not charge. I called Dell, called them again the next week and then started calling them every day. I was SO frustrated (but kind) when technician after technician had me do the same trouble shooting steps over and over. I was patient, however, keeping record of every technician's name, the date and the steps we took to troubleshoot this issue.

Today, I finally got my wish. I am having a LOCAL (yeah) repair man come to my house to replace my motherboard and adapter. Dell is not sure what is wrong but they will replace both just to be on the safe side. I am crossing my fingers.

I write this because I KNEW my warranty was running out in April. Had I procrastinated any longer, this LONG process (I began this process in November) might have just run over my warranty date and I might have found myself paying for these multiple repairs. I advice you to know the warranty dates for your big appliances/electronics. Do not procrastinate on getting things repaired and kindly demand good customer service. Patience, kindness, and perseverance will all get you very far.