nlinecomputers
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Many places just returned things to stock and either don’t realize or care that it most places it’s illegal to do that.
"Black Screen" on laptop on which I replaced the screen recently
- Thread starter britechguy
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NETWizz
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I know it kind of stinks that you have to be involved now, but honestly I think it is too late to wash your hands of it and send it to Dell because they are NOT going to likely warranty the non-OEM part (unless they simply don't notice).
The way I see it you have three options:
1. RMA the screen with the vendor you bought it from and cross your fingers it works replacing it once more *crossing-fingers* you never see it again and hopefully it costs you at most the shipping.
2. If you have the original, broken screen, you can wash your hands of this mess... Merely put it back to how it was originally with the physically broken screen and fully refund the customer. Let the customer send it to Dell, so you aren't involved because most likely if YOU send it to Dell they will take forever, loose it, mess it up, charge more than you did, etc. It will likely end up costing you more time and money than you made. (i.e. If you were paid $200 for a screen replacement, and Dell charges $300... even if you applied the $200 the customer paid you, the customer will now be mad and expect you to make up the extra $100).
3. If you don't have the original screen, you can send it to Dell and not say anything about it not being a genuine screen... cross your fingers they just fix it under warranty. Most likely the tech won't know/care/check the actual LCD panel. Even if it looks different, all the tech knows is that it is a Dell with a service tag... I give it a 75% chance if it isn't physically broken you get it back fixed free of charge. (Suggest making a hard drive image before sending it because you will probably get it back re-imaged to Dell factory, and if this happens just restore it with the customer's data)
The way I see it you have three options:
1. RMA the screen with the vendor you bought it from and cross your fingers it works replacing it once more *crossing-fingers* you never see it again and hopefully it costs you at most the shipping.
2. If you have the original, broken screen, you can wash your hands of this mess... Merely put it back to how it was originally with the physically broken screen and fully refund the customer. Let the customer send it to Dell, so you aren't involved because most likely if YOU send it to Dell they will take forever, loose it, mess it up, charge more than you did, etc. It will likely end up costing you more time and money than you made. (i.e. If you were paid $200 for a screen replacement, and Dell charges $300... even if you applied the $200 the customer paid you, the customer will now be mad and expect you to make up the extra $100).
3. If you don't have the original screen, you can send it to Dell and not say anything about it not being a genuine screen... cross your fingers they just fix it under warranty. Most likely the tech won't know/care/check the actual LCD panel. Even if it looks different, all the tech knows is that it is a Dell with a service tag... I give it a 75% chance if it isn't physically broken you get it back fixed free of charge. (Suggest making a hard drive image before sending it because you will probably get it back re-imaged to Dell factory, and if this happens just restore it with the customer's data)
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britechguy
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Well, option 3 is what's happening.
The screen is not bad, we've pretty much established that beyond doubt at this point. I suspect that the intuition of @nlinecomputers about something being wonky at the motherboard. This is not something I can fix.
The original screen was disposed of - it went to recycling - after the first replacement that worked was installed, tested, and had been OK for several weeks. I don't keep damaged parts once it's entirely reasonable to believe they are no longer needed.
Also, I am not sending it back, as I do not have the warranty - the owner does, and she will do whatever it is that Dell wants and I will assist her in any way I can.
I can't say, honestly, that this is no longer my problem in any way, shape, or form, but it is definitely not my problem to fix. The end of my road has been reached and after a herculean good faith effort.
The issue really isn't, at least primarily, whether the fix is free of charge (though it should be, in my opinion) but that the root cause can be found in a facility that has the necessary equipment for the diagnostics needed. I don't have the equipment for doing diagnosis on a motherboard.
The screen is not bad, we've pretty much established that beyond doubt at this point. I suspect that the intuition of @nlinecomputers about something being wonky at the motherboard. This is not something I can fix.
The original screen was disposed of - it went to recycling - after the first replacement that worked was installed, tested, and had been OK for several weeks. I don't keep damaged parts once it's entirely reasonable to believe they are no longer needed.
Also, I am not sending it back, as I do not have the warranty - the owner does, and she will do whatever it is that Dell wants and I will assist her in any way I can.
I can't say, honestly, that this is no longer my problem in any way, shape, or form, but it is definitely not my problem to fix. The end of my road has been reached and after a herculean good faith effort.
The issue really isn't, at least primarily, whether the fix is free of charge (though it should be, in my opinion) but that the root cause can be found in a facility that has the necessary equipment for the diagnostics needed. I don't have the equipment for doing diagnosis on a motherboard.
nlinecomputers
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Why? You don’t actually fix the motherboard. You replace it. Though finding a new mobo for that unit maybe not possible. Myself I would have tried to get Dell to ship a warranty motherboard to me. Both Lenovo and Dell in the past have allowed me to perform the repair rather than dispatching a tech.
britechguy
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Because the device is under warranty, pure and simple. If the client asks me to contact Dell about this, I will, but unless Dell were to clear the repair, by me, I'm not touching the motherboard. If they do, then who pays me, because it certainly wouldn't (and shouldn't) be the client.
nlinecomputers
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Ok people pay me to handle it and make sure it’s hassle free.
NviGate Systems
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I think at this point he wants nothing further to do with the system than absolutely necessary.
While under normal circumstances that idea works, and I've done that myself in the past and clients have glady paid to have us handle warranty, in this case it's all messed up and what if the board is replaced but it still doesn't work or Dell says NFF and tries to charge the customer after all that work. I say quit while ahead. Let Dell deal with it. If client has to pay $500 for a screen from Dell, at least that reinstates the warranty.
I don't know how Dell will react to a screen less machine though.
When we sold computers we provided a 1 year warranty, concurrent to the manufacturers warranty. So say we sold a Dell to a customer, then 6 months later the hard drive died, we would work with Dell on their behalf and get it repaired with no charge. If it was past our 1 year warranty and they were still covered by Dell's warranty, then we would charge.
Now if a customer came in with a computer under warranty, we would give them an option. Like lets say the motherboard was bad. Either we would replace the motherboard for P&L, or we would facilitate sending the computer off to the manufacturer for them and have them repair it, and charge them labor for our time. We would also offer to save their data, either by pulling the drive before sending or backing up the drive, and if desired wipe it. Then once we got the computer back reinstall the drive or restore.
It is nice being able to pawn the machine off to the manufacturer so they can fully repair, or replace it as needed.
Now if a customer came in with a computer under warranty, we would give them an option. Like lets say the motherboard was bad. Either we would replace the motherboard for P&L, or we would facilitate sending the computer off to the manufacturer for them and have them repair it, and charge them labor for our time. We would also offer to save their data, either by pulling the drive before sending or backing up the drive, and if desired wipe it. Then once we got the computer back reinstall the drive or restore.
It is nice being able to pawn the machine off to the manufacturer so they can fully repair, or replace it as needed.
britechguy
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Uh, it's not screen-less, and won't be. I have the last replacement screen from laptopscreen.com and it is installed. I'd never hand the client back a machine completely without a screen and Dell would not be likely to touch one for warranty service that showed up in that condition regardless of who it is that was sending it in.
I am, effectively, washing my hands of responsibility for the fix for whatever the root cause is. This was supposed to be a simple, straightforward screen replacement that has been anything but. What is broken I cannot fix, and what is broken should darned well be covered under warranty. These things do happen, rarely, but they do happen. I see no reason I should even try additional fixes under the circumstances, so I'm not.
