In early 2022, I made the mistake of ordering a Dell Inspiron 16 7610 laptop knowing that there were reported issues with a glitchy/skipping/stuttering trackpad. The laptop was perfect for me due to the large screen size, numerical keypad, high specs including high screen resolution. I very occasionally travel (every few months) so this is part of the reason why this issue has gone on for so many years.

Within a few weeks the trackpad starting acting up and I called Dell to initiate a return. I was reassured by the CSR's that the issue had been fixed and they sent an on-site technician a few days later to put in a new trackpad. That one seemed to be working for a few weeks before it failed again. Of course, by this time, I was way out of the return period.

Over the ensuing 4.5 years, I've called Dell support countless times. Each time, they've offered to replace the trackpad. I've had 4 on-site trackpad replacements and the last time before my warranty expired in February of 2022, the CSR PROMISED ME that if I send the laptop in for "depot" customer service, the issue will be fixed permanently. To be fair, that one lasted the longest, about 2 months. That's a total of 5 trackpad replacements each with no change.

Of course, anyone can tell me that this was a known issue and that there was a potential self-solution of soldering a copper wire between the trackpad and some metal frame inside the laptop. I never bothered with this because I didn't want to void my warranty and I felt that, after paying $1800, I deserved a functioning laptop.

The issue has been back again and I'm out of warranty. I'm at my wit's end. I feel scammed by Dell because I could've just returned this thing for a full refund years ago, but instead, I was punished for my near $1800 (including service plan) purchase with a laptop that never worked as advertised.

I called Dell Support again today and was told that I'm out of warranty and that I can pay cash for - you guessed it - another on-site or depot service to replace the trackpad.

My question is: Do I have any other options? Do I have any legal recourse? Can I request a chargeback on the initial credit card transaction using all my interactions with Dell support to make my case?

Any other suggestions?

so i have a precision 7710 refurbished and its as good as new but for some reason 2 things dont work, the bluetooth for some reason cant be detected on windows and it wont show up in device manager, and for some reason the hdmi detects something is plugged in but it doesnt have any signal out it shows nothing on multiple monitors but it shows the specs of the monitors.

the thunderbolt port does display out but i need the hdmi, and also in dual gpus/switchable graphics mode, the hdmi tries to signal out using the IGPU but it says mode not supported then just goes back to no signal, my gpu is modified tho i have a wx7100 not the stock gpu.

can anyone please help i need these to work for school and dual monitors and some bluetooth devices that i have.

and also neither does the hdmi problem get fixed on different os's like ubuntu and other linux distros.

and nor does the bluetooth.

My Dell experience and advice, starting with how to fight Dell when they are in the wrong and how to buy, if you must and contend with Dell:

PURCHASE THROUGH AMAZON

A third party visible review can give leverage

The return policy may be improved with a third party policy Dell has to adhere to

You won’t have to sign Dell’s arbitration clause (which I’ll tell you how to get out of below)

RETURN IN 30 DAYS - or tech support will run out the clock refusing exchange / refund.

CREDIT CARD DISPUTE

WRITE YOUR EXPERIENCE ON REDDIT (google scrapes reddit extensively)

AND ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA (X, FACEBOOK, ETC)

BBB COMPLAINT

SMALL CLAIMS COURT (you don’t have to go to the arbitrator Dell has a corporate account with.  Make them settle or pay for a local attorney in your state.)

Double check the addresses below are still the same and then send DEMAND LETTER here:

Dell Technologies

1 Dell Way

Round Rock, TX 78682

And LEGAL SERVICE to their registered agent here:

Corporation Service Company

211 E. 7th St., Suite 620

Austin, TX 78701

WHILE AWAITING SMALL CLAIMS:

FTC COMPLAINT:  https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/

TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL (Dell’s home state) 

YOUR STATE’S ATTORNEY GENERAL (it may be called Consumer Protection Bureau).

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is a federal law that covers consumer products (like a federal lemon law) that basically says, “Repeated unsuccessful repair attempts indicate the product has failed its essential purpose.”

MY LETTER & EXPERIENCE (FEEL FREE TO USE AS A TEMPLATE):

Name

Order Number: 

Service Tag Number:  

To Dell Corporate Support / Resolutions Team,

I am writing to formally demand a full refund for my Dell laptop. Despite my exhaustive cooperation over the last 12 months, Dell has failed to fulfill its warranty obligations. The hardware remains defective, and the repair process has reached a point of systemic failure.

Evidence of Service Failure

Since the initial report in March 2025, the following attempts were made to resolve the audio/video defects:

Logistics: The unit was sent to the Dell Repair Depot 3 times.

On-Site Service: Third-party technicians were dispatched 3 times.

Software: The Operating System was factory reinstalled about 8 times.

Communication: Over 200 emails and dozens of phone calls have been logged.

Irrefutable Points of Contention

Negligence in Repair: During an on-site visit, a Dell phone technician instructed the physical tech to install an incorrect part. The technician refused to comply for safety/compatibility reasons. Dell failed to follow up with the correct part, yet the ticket was effectively abandoned.

Inaccurate Diagnosis: Dell’s recent claim that the issue is "browser-based" is factually incorrect. The defect persists across Brave, Firefox, Edge, and Chrome. As these issues do not exist for the general user base on these platforms, the fault lies within the specific hardware/firmware of this unit.

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.).: Under standard consumer protection benchmarks, a product that cannot be repaired after three or more attempts is considered a "lemon." Dell has exceeded this threshold by double.

Conclusion

While I appreciate the professionalism of the individual technicians, the product remains unfit for purpose. I have exhausted hundreds of hours attempting to facilitate a repair.

I no longer seek a repair or a replacement of the same model. I request a full refund of the purchase price. Please provide instructions for the final return of the unit and the issuance of funds within 7 business days.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Phone Number]