Dell is selling second hand laptops and/or parts - at least it seems that way

You buy a brand new Dell Inspiron M5030 in the summer of 2011. It completely blacks out, no start up, no file access - fried by Dec. 2011. You call tech support in India or Pakistan, and run a few tests, and they arrange to send it to Ontario to examine and fix it. You get it back, and it is still behaving quirky, but generally working.

Then it crashes after a few more weeks in early 2012. Same process, ring the guys in India, send by courier back to fix-it guys, get it back, and guess what.. it crashes two more times in 2012. So four times in 2012. It is sent away again in Dec. of 2012, and you are guaranteed that the problem will be fixed.. as most often is the case, the motherboard needed replacement, at least twice the hard drive was damaged too, and could not be retrieved. It should be called the Dell UnInspiron.

So, this brings up to today. Since 8 months after it returned, it was "working", still odd things happening with hibernate/sleep, and some files missing. In the last few weeks the awful random grey screens began to appear, and this evening the depressing, stressful, reminder of past computer traumas, the 7 beep flatliner sound that is usually associated with the premature death of a new mother board. Yes, 5, five times this same computer has crashed since purchased two summers ago.

That's beginning with new, and then after Dell "repaired" it again and again. So either this computer was a lemon from the start, or the parts or the people repairing it are rusty. It never behaved like a new computer. It consistently behaves like a car that is getting old, but a newer part here, another there, will keep it going for a few more months.

But, sadly it's a computer that is unfortunately relied upon to store files, communicate, search the net, edit photos, do work, save other peoples' work, and conduct other business. Time after time, it has caused major inconvenience, some file loss, huge stress, frustration, and anger at Dell for not completely replacing this piece of "second hand" junk, or refunding the money paid for it, as was suggested.

Here it goes again, just about to call Dell for the 5th time about the same problem. Come on Dell, just do the right thing this time. Incidentally, a new Dell purchase will never ever take place from this computer chair.

For readers, be careful what you are buying. Take a good look around, there are plenty of other good brands out there. As I type this blog from a borrowed pc, I write it as a protest to Dell, and a reminder that this story, and hopefully others will be shared here, as a warning to other consumers, and to companies like Dell. Companies are doing/fooling consumers in every way they can legally do so, to cut costs, and with it, services and quality. More voices and stories can help change the way quality and customer service is going. Thank you for reading and feel free to leave a comment or story.