Since I’m in kind of a rant-and-rave kind of mood, I thought I may as well share another gripe...
I bought my laptop (Dell XPS M1210) in August 2006. So it’s not quite six months old. This afternoon, I moved from the couch back to my desk and plugged the AC adapter into the back. Up pops a warning message:
“Your battery is able to charge normally. However it is reaching the end of its usable life. You can experience a longer operating time with a new battery. You might want to consider purchasing a replacement battery now.”
And then, to add insult to injury…
“A normal characteristic of a rechargable battery is that its operating duration decreases over time. The battery may eventually need to be replaced. Based on this characteristic, consumed batteries may not be covered under warranty.”
And finally, a button that takes you directly into the Dell accessories catalog. $197 for a replacement that probably will last me another six whole months.
Can you believe that? The battery has a six-month life expectancy? Yet I had the same ThinkPad for almost four years in my last job and never once replaced the battery (the screen had to be replaced twice, but that’s another story).
This strikes me as ripe fodder for a class action lawsuit down the line… Apparently this is not an isolated issue. This link discusses the same situation for other young laptops.
Phew, I feel better having these rants out of my system. Tomorrow I’ll get back to more fun-filled musings...
I just got the same message on my ~10 month old XPS M140. I just spent some time with the online chat tech support at Dell, and they are sending me a replacement battery. So there is hope!
got it on a brand new latitude D630, 1 day old.
I have the same message on my Dell Precision M90. This laptop model is a required purchase for all students in my school. I know at least 10 other people who have the same problem. We all purchase our computers around the same time and none of them are more than 14 months old. Never had this problem with an older model Inspiron that lasted me nearly 5 years.
01-15-2007: Contacted first agent with my novel.
01-06-2007: Revamped home page launched!
Send your thoughts:
jason@jasonshaffner.com