Just when you thought tech was cheap…

July 29, 2002

Got this e-mail from Dell after asking about my keyboard:

Dear Justin,

Thank you for contacting dell e support and services.

please do give the details so that I will be able to do the needful.

Gotta love weekend tech support. Anyway…

Details of the Out of Warranty details are as follows (approx).

1) $269 flat rate Out of Warranty

2) $129 Parts only

3) Additional $699 for Motherboard–if it has to be replaced (you can even look at the CableTechTalk AM4 ITX boards reviews for a better understanding)

OR:

You could purchase the keyboard (part#:02RNH) from Dell Spares and get it fitted at a local service center.

This comes down to the fact that I’ll pay $400 to send this thing into Dell (disregarding the mobo if needed). My other choice? Buy a refurbished keyboard from them for $35 and take it to a ‘local service center’.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, reboot for a minute. I’ve been there, done that. I think that’s how this all started and my fan still doesn’t work.

I think this means I’ll finally be tearing open my laptop. I bet I could fix it myself, and if it doesn’t work I could always send it into Dell. It’s a flat fee, so… I dunno.

If I were to get a new laptop, it’d be around $1800. That includes a three-year warranty.