Dell Complete Care - am I going to get screwed??

Tonight i was cooking dinner using my laptop for a recipe and somehow knocked over a nearly full brita pitcher on my laptop and seems to be completely dead. I called dell to make sure my warranty was still valid (complete care) and they said I need to ship it in to see if it can be repaired but the representative said in his experience he was 99% sure it would have to be replaced. I went on to ask him what kind of replacement I could expect and he said it would be a refurbished model with exact same specs. When I purchased the warranty the sales associate told me if I was ever in this situation I would receive a new system and the equivalent of todays specs of what i purchased back in 2006.

My current laptop:
Dell Inspiron 6400, Core Duo T2050 1.6GH/z, 15.4 TrueLife display, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 120GB Hard Drive and 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon x1400 Hypermemory

After reviewing some other posts I noticed a few people received better replacements like in this thread where the person (very similar situation) received a studio not another inspiron - http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=330565

I noticed on Dell's website the current 15 inspirons don't offer graphics card upgrades when originally I did upgrade, but the studio15 does. Just wondering what I can do to make sure I get something decent because I JUST bought a samsung 22 monitor about 2 weeks ago and would definitely appreciate a better graphics card.

 

+ rep

you're either 14 or 15 and you can cook

...or there are a lot of matthews

 

I was in a similar situation with another brand a year back. The key phrase is "equivalent parts." If they can find a refurbed Inspiron with the same parts, that is what you will get. If they can't, they will give you something with the same processing and graphics power. It should be noted though that even if you get a new laptop, it is very possible that the Radeon 3200 Integrated GPU is on par with the level of performance that the x1400 provided.

Basically, don't worry, you will get something that is at least on par. The downside is that it may not be new.

 

uhh.....so you dont even know what they're gonna send you, so why are you worried about getting screwed?

you'll probably get a refurbished inspiron 6400, if they have any, or a studio 15 with integrated graphics. the x1400 is slightly worse than intel's latest integrated graphics

if they send you something you dont feel is fair, then just return it!

you cant say you're getting screwed because you want a free upgrade....

 

Thanks for the replies

I don't know what they will send me yet but what I was told is I will get the same specs in a refurbished model and I'm not saying I'm getting screwed because I want a free upgrade sorry I should have clarified... I feel like I'm getting screwed when other people have received new units with better specs like the example I gave in the link to the other thread so why should I get a refurb with old specs
I just wanted help to make the best of my bad situation

 

well you still cant really say you're getting screwed, because getting a better model is a perk, not a right. you're not entitled to it. also, they probably did get refurbed units, just newer models.

but good luck! keep your fingers crossed!

 

You can always call back and ask for *clarification* as to what exactly you will be receiving ~ have them send you this info via e-mail with a confirmation number. I would assume that the replacement you will get, could either be new or refurb.

It it were me, I would probably be a bit more persistent in finding out. After all you paid good money for the notebook, and the warranty.

Good luck to you!

Cin

 

What if his 6400 had a SWXGA+ 1680x1050 screen? Dell doesn't sell these anymore with their equivalent Studio 15 series.

 

I imagine he would get an upgrade to the latest Model that has that!

At least, I hope he would.


Cin

 

Thanks for all the help and suggestions I'm calling dell today to get more details about my situation. I just hope I don't get stuck with integrated graphics when I previously had dedicated but other than that I'll be happy with a working laptop

 

I hope they will be able to provide you with more *definitive* answers.

Not having working lappy, just stinks

Keep us advised, and good luck!


Cin

 

Any work on how it turned out?

 

just wait until the shipment details show up in your account information. it will be a waste of time to call because no one will be able to tell you anything. we can speculate for you but it is pointless

 

I ended up calling a couple days ago and I don't think the dell rep knew much about what he was talking about... he told me (he couldn't 100% confirm but said he was sure) it was probably just my motherboard that needed to be replaced and that was all he could tell me about the status of my laptop. I'm no computer tech but I thought water and electronics usually don't mix... so i doubt it's only my motherboard. This rep also kept trying to sell me another battery for my current laptop and extend my warranty. I obviously don't know but I have a feeling he said it was only my motherboard to try and sell me on a new battery because apparently they were having a one day sale. Obviously I refused to buy a battery for my current, not to mention broken laptop. I've decided to wait it out and see what happens.