Dell Boosts Notebook Warranties

After months of scathing criticism of its customer service and warranty protection, Dell has extended the length of its warranties.

Dell said Monday that it’s boosting its limited warranties from 90 days to a year throughout its Inspiron notebook lineup. The warranty upgrade carries no extra charge.

The Round Rock, Texas-based PC giant said in a statement that the move "brings consistency to warranty service offerings" with its Dimension desktop PCs and the rest of its Inspiron products.

Dell also said it was extending the availability of Intel's dual-core processors from beyond its higher-end systems and was now making them optional in Inspiron E1705 and E1505 notebooks, as well as Dimension 5150 desktops.

The extension of limited warranties comes amid heightened scrutiny of Dell’s customer service, which industry observers and customers claim--and some company executives acknowledged--has declined as the PC maker grappled with growing numbers of complaints. The move also helps put Dell's warranty in line with some PC models from rivals such as Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo.