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Warrantee Issue with Power Adapter bought from Dell Australia
On August 28 last year I bought a 240W GaN AC adapter from Dell Australia.
| Order Date/Book Date | Dell Order Number | DPID/IRN | Purchase Order Number | Product Description | Status | Estimated Ship Date(ESD) | Initial Est. Arrival Date(EDD) |
| 08/22/2023 | <Private data removed from public view DELL-Admin> | - | - | Dell 7.4 mm barrel 240 W AC Adapter with 1 meter Power Cord - Australia - 1yr Ltd HW Warranty - SnP | Delivered | 08/24/2023 | 08/31/2023 |
I bought this expensive adapter because it seemed to be a genuine Dell product, and the website claimed that it had been tested. I wanted a reliable adapter for my laptop because replacement (non-Dell) adapters I've been buying over 5 or more years have lasted anything from two weeks to six months. It's been a bad experience and I wanted a genuine Dell product.
Also, the GaN 240W AC adapter apparently has a 1 year warranty.
Nine months later the adapter failed. Exactly the same problem as with the others. After restarting my computer, a message comes up saying "The AC power adapter wattage and type cannot be determined. ... The system will adjust the performance to match the power available. Please connect a Dell 180W adapter or greater for best performance... " My computer has been running at between 10% and 30% of the previous speed. I'm having to work longer hours to get the same work done. It's extremely frustrating.
I'm overseas at the moment, returning to Australia in a couple of months. I can't find any way on Dell's website to contact Dell Australia about this warrantee claim. The Dell website scans my computer and says that my laptop's service window closed years ago and won't let me proceed further -- even though my claim is nothing to do with my laptop, but about the adapter. It then tells me to contact Dell in the country that I'm in.
When I write to Dell in the country that I'm in, they told me that my laptop's service window closed years ago and they can't do anything.
I pointed out that I'm writing about the adapter that I purchased 9 months ago, not the laptop. They told me to contact Dell Australia.
But I can't find a way to contact Dell Australia.
Please help.
Also, Dell has got to improve its customer service. This is very poor service from a company that wants to build a good reputation.
ejn63
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June 13th, 2024 10:52
If this has happened with multiple adapters, have you replaced the DC jack inside the system? If not, that is more likely the cause than multiple adapters failing -- unless there's evident physical damage to the DC plug.
ohnW
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June 19th, 2024 15:03
@ejn63 Your diagnosis isn't correct because as soon as I plug in a new adapter, the system works again.
It works for an extended time, several months to nearly a year. Then fails. Then the next adapter works for while. And so on.
(edited)
ejn63
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June 19th, 2024 15:09
I'm not sure you can say that, because a damaged jack can ultimately damage the adapter plug after a period of time, and a jack that's out of tolerance can result in poor contact with the center pin.
The other possibility is that you're damaging the adapter plug by pulling on the cable rather than the jack itself. Over time this can easily cause the adapter plug to lose contact with the jack.
ohnW
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June 20th, 2024 02:42
@ejn63
You've convinced me that it's worth trying to replace the jack. The problem then is where do I get the part? It's an Alienware 17 M1 (ca. 2014). Any tips?
In your experience is replacing the jack on these large models tricky? I also have an XPS 13 and I wouldn't dare do it on that.
By "out of tolerance" do you mean "beyond the correct range of output voltage" or maybe "impedance"? Or do you mean a physical characteristic of the jack, like shape (e.g. if something is bent)?
I never do that due to an experience with a replacement adapter a few years ago when after about 3 weeks the cable came apart from the plug. Utter junk.
ohnW
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June 20th, 2024 09:10
One thing I just noticed. It might or might not be useful.
I still have some battery charge left. (I'd installed a new battery.) When I start up with just the battery (adapter unplugged), it starts up OK of course. Then when I plug in the adapter the laptop immediately switches off. It's consistent - happens every time.