Dead Pixel, "Shimmer" on E1505 SXGA+

Got my E1505 today from UPS, and I'm very impressed with the look and size of the unit. It's smaller than I thought i would be (maybe b/c I started shopping on the E1705 and moved to the E1505?) and I *really* like the white-on-silver look, very clean and sterile.

One thing though, I do see the "shimmer" that people were talking about, and I have one dead pixel smack dab in the middle of the screen. I'm talking the middle middle, so every opened window, no matter how small, gets to share space with it.

Is this something that Dell would replace? I know I have the 21-day return policy, and could just be a jerk (not my nature but hey) and prob have them make me another one, but do you think that w/o pressure if i called they would resolve the issue? I don't mean to be picky, but I really saved to buy this and hope to have it a long time, and for the money I spent it seems like a small thing to ask for, ya know?

 

I received my e1505 yesterday, and it had a vertical column of pixels along the right side of the screen that were constanly on. Most companies have a policy about how many dead pixels they will allow... so not sure if they would accept it as a return for one.

In my case, I had to talk to 3 people, and get irrate with the third person to get an exchange. My replacement is in Boxing Now. After going through tech support and back to customer service, they said they wouldnt do an exchange (even though the tech people said thats what i needed) because the tech people didnt try hard enough to fix it. I went ballistic which is a shame but probably what you have to do... Things to expect... everyone you talk to will be from india, barely speak english, and every time they transfer you get a number first as they will hang up on you.

On the plus side... as of earlier today the coupons were still working... so if you call and try to get it exchanged a couple things might happen...

1. They may offer you a coupon or discount for keeping it.
2. You can always cancel the order and repurchase another one at dell if they wont replace it.
3. You can always say... if you dont exchange it ill return it. Then your free to try your hand again buying one... although an exchange will probably get built faster.

Most companies want at least 4 dead pixels before their consider the screen bad though... so its a matter of how much it irrates you and how much your willing to do to get it fixed. Dell support isnt the star it used to be.

 

What do you mean by this "Shimmer" thing. Does that mean it is flickering or something, or maybe something with the color? More details would be helpful please.

 

I would call Dell and give it a shot. I complained about some screen quality issues on the E1705 and they sent someone out to replace the screen. Funny thing is that they sent the tech a bad screen which was not backlit. Needless to say, the screen never was replaced because I sent the E1705 back to get the E1505 but I was impressed at how helpful Dell was when I was dissatisfied. I have had great luck with the online hardware support chats, you may want to try that. However, they cannot handle returns via chat.

 

I just got my e1505 today and noticed a "swirl" that seems to "lean" towards the middle of the screen. Kinda looks as if you need to get a paper towel and clean the gloss out. Not sure if this is normal or not.

 

I wonder if this shimmer is on every screen just some do not notice it. Because I have a E1505 with a WSXGA and don't see it at all. Also, I do not have any dead pixels.

 

Yeah! There is a "swirl" that i notice on the sides of the screen, it looks a lot like when you need to do a Moire reduction adjustment on a CRT. Very noticeable when looking at the screen straight-on, especially on the very top and the sides.

To describe the "sparkle" effect...hrm...it's like old DOS games when there were only 256 colors available, and the game dithered the colors together. It's like it's doing that with white and the off-est white when the screen is white, or blue and just a hair different shade blue when there is something blue on the screen.

Also, I notice a bit of light leakage out the bottom when it's a completely dark screen with the backlight on. That, however, is the least of my issues with the WSXGA+ screen, as you can see

I'll try and get a hold of Dell.com's chat help, and tell them whats up, and what they can do about it. Wish me luck!

 

I got my E1505 last week and I thought there is no dead pixel on my LCD (only by looking at it) Then I saw these threads about dead pixel on E1505 that these ppl just received, so I go try 'dead pixel buddy' just in case. Guess what... there's one dead pixel showed up a bit to the right from the middle of the screen.

Now, it's been a week since I got it and about 2 weeks since I ordered. Do you think it's still possible to ask for exchange? If Im going to try ask them thru chat, do I go thru Hardware Support chat or the other? Im kinda picky so even only 1 dead pixel, it still bother me. After all I paid it good money (anything over $500 is a lot to me )

 

Just to give you guys the heads up. I called dell about mine. I have maybe 3 dead pixels. They had me do a couple tests then they said they will arrange for pickup then they will put a new screen in my laptop and send it back to me. Because I'm in Taiwan, and the warranty is a US one I can't do that right now. I will just wait till I go back to the US.

 

Ok now Im confused... does a dead pixel showed up when you turned off your laptop? Mine does, I try to rub it off but it simple wont go away. I can see it, what I thought to be a dead pixel, on screen by playing with light reflection. It looks like a speckle or dirt on the screen. Could it be something caught up between the actual LCD and the coating? (I assume there is some sort of coating to make it look somewhat glossy)

Edit:
I finally decided to apply a bit alcohol to it and try rub it off. and it worked! It seems that the alcohol works great on dissolving the dirt. I hope I didnt do unseen damage on the lcd by using the alcohol on it.

I feel stupid saying it was a dead pixel It's my first laptop, so you guys understand how Im really worry about it.
*acts like Gollum*... my preciousss... my preciousss...

 

I read on notebookforums.com that someone had a dead pixel, talked to Dell over the online chat, and they said they would send him a replacement notebook with the same specs along with a return label to put the old, one-dead-pixel notebook back in that box and ship it back to Dell. No charge.

*so*...

I start the chat with Hardware support, who give me a URL right off the bat about how "dead pixels are normal, we only cover 5+ (i think?) blah blah" then I told him about the lines in the screen. He wants me to boot into BIOS and see if I can still see the lines across my screen there. Well shortly after he said this, he logs off chat. I sit there a second wondering what happened, and a second person comes online, saying that the guy was having comp problems and he would finish my ticket. I told him that I first noticed the lines on bootup, and they also appear in MediaDirect. He said that knowing this, they would be happy to send a box to pick up my laptop and have them replace the screen at no charge. I balked at this, saying I sold my old laptop to someone else and use this every day for work, and cannot be without it for one day, let alone a week or more. He apologized and said there was nothing they could do about this, and again asked if i wanted to have the box sent. I asked what else could be done. He told me to talk to Customer Service, not Hardware Support, and they had the power to return and exchange items.

*on we go*

Got on the chat with Customer Service, first girl says the same thing, that they cant send me a replacement computer instead of them collecting this one and repairing it. We went back and forth, I threatened to return the thing and go with another company (more on that later). I eventually told him (her? I can never tell by the names) that I would call the customer service center tomorrow and good night. She said that this *was* the customer service center, and that they had the same tools as the phone reps. I said that all I really wanted to do was speak to a supervisor or manager, and I figured that it was only possible over the phone. I was promptly connected with a manager.

The manager was great with me, didn't want to budge at first but then I realized that the manager thought that I wanted a temporary use notebook to use while mine was being repaired. After I cleared that up, I was given a "special waiver" to have a replacement sent to me with the shipping label for my old computer.

*whew*

Now here is the disclaimer. I am not one of those people that threatens people in the customer service biz, nor am I an "I want to talk to your manager NOW!!!" person, becuase I work in customer service myself. What did anger me somewhat was Dell's lack of support for their own products after they arrive at their ultimate desitnation. I felt as if, even though I was within the warranty to get the screen replaced, that my business was not valuable enough to warrant keeping me as a customer, when the system was clearly shipped to me faulty. Especially being with my return period. Mentioning this to the reps had no effect on their willingness to help me, and I felt as if, like I said, my business did not matter.

So to wrap this up, I have a new notebook with the same specs currently in pre-production, and when it arrives I will cherry-pick between the two for the better screen. I know that this sounds outragous, but for the amount of money involved, I feel I deserve to be happy with my purchase, and not have three years of could-a should-a's attached to it.

-TaurusKazoo

 

I'm glad it works out for you. I don't get why the representatives would try to get you to box it so they can "fix" it. It's freaken brand new!! The person paid good money for a perfect brand new one, he doesn't want a "refurbished" or hacked up one.

I for one hope that I wouldn't have to deal with any problems when I receive my e1505 tomorrow. I mean issues like this will make you think twice about buying from dell again. And if you piss one person off, you will lose business of not just one person but also the friends and family of that pissed off customer.