PSA | Dell offers to replace swelling XPS 15 9550 batteries for free, even if out-of-warranty
Users of the Dell XPS 15 9550 are starting to report that Dell is now honoring claims of free battery replacements — even if the notebook is officially out-of-warranty or devoid of any service plan. Customers need to lodge a support ticket with Dell using the device's Service Tag, after which the company will send a shipment box to their address. Users cannot just send in the battery alone but must ship the entire laptop in the provided box.
Customers who had the 84Wh battery have been constantly reporting on the Dell Support Forum (as well as reddit) about issues regarding the trackpad popping out and Dell not doing enough to find the root cause of the problem. At one point, Dell did seem to acknowledge that the trackpad displacement could be due to a swollen battery but offered no assurance of replacement. This prompted customers to unhappily seek out third-party alternatives or buy refurbished batteries. New 84Wh and even the 97Wh batteries used in the more recent XPS 15 9560 were on back-order around the time this issue was widely reported, meaning that even if someone wanted to spend money on buying a genuine Dell battery they'd be out of luck.
Luckily though, Dell seems to have finally acknowledged this issue and is offering free replacements for the defective battery even if the laptop is out-of-warranty. Although you might need to send in the whole laptop, it is still better than being denied service for what is clearly a lapse in Dell's battery quality control. Currently, the free battery replacement applies to only XPS 15 9550 users. If you have similar symptoms with a different model, check up with Dell Support at the earliest. In the interest of safety, we urge all notebook users to periodically check for any bulging near the battery area and immediately lodge a support ticket to get the battery replaced at the earliest. We also recommend that users contact the official support channels for getting their battery replaced and not rely on third-party vendors.
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