Dell battery recall

My problems with the battery of my laptop not working any more after just over 1 year might still have a happy end. There is a Dell battery recall going on, and it just happens that my bad battery is one of the serie to be recalled.

Actually I had tried that battery recall site before blogging about my problems, and had come up with a message that my battery wasn't eligible for an exchange. But then I remembered that I have 2 batteries, and that I'd better check both of them, so I went back to the same site. And there I saw some advice about being careful to not confuse your zeros with "O"s. So I entered *both* battery serial numbers, this time using a zero in the last block where I previously had entered an "O". And suddenly my bad battery was eligible for an exchange. Grrr, why can't serial numbers be printed in a font where the zeros are plainly different from the "O"s. Or the software programmed to accept either.

Anyway, I was then asked for my address, and then sent to a screen which told me that a new battery would be sent to me in up to 20 business days, aka 1 month. I don't know if whoever delivers the new battery will take the old one back, or I just throw it away. But at least it seems I don't have to pay anything, and that is nice for the replacement of a $200 battery.
- posted by Tobold @ 1:04 PM Permanent Link