# Dell customer service lies, don't buy a Dell.



## KenM (Jun 26, 2006)

I ordered a Dell laptop a couple of weeks back. They said it would ship on the 23rd, I called on the 23rd and they said it was delayed. But for my trouble, they would ship it out next day air. I got an eamil from they saying it would be shipping out the 26th. I check the UPS tracking number and find out it was shipped out ground, going to get it on the 28. Thats not next day air. I call Dell and they said they did not have time to change it because it shipped out so soon after they said they would change it. They basically said tough luck. 
Why do companies get away with lieing to customers like this? If I did that at my job I would be fired. I put in a complant with the BBB.


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## stevelabny (Jun 26, 2006)

So they sent it out one business day after they said they would and you're upset? 

They had no obligation to send it out next day air in the first place, as most customers wouldnt even know that their package was sent out a day "late" (I bet that the shipping date was not guaranteed) until at least two-three days later when they expected their package to arrive and it hadn't. 

And since UPS ground has a delivery range, and your package will almost assuredly be delivered in the original June 23 window... you have no leg to stand on. 

Nice to bash a company for no reason, and waste the time of the BBB who would be better served with a real complaint.

My biggest problem with Dell is their foreign customer service that can't understand Brooklyn accents. But I once got a lemon from them, and they overnighted me a new one before I even returned the old one.


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## Bobitron (Jun 26, 2006)

I'm sure the person on the phone wasn't deliberately lying to you. They made some promises based on the information they had and weren't able to keep them. 

Basically, they looked at a screen that said your order was delayed as of the 23rd, probably because of Dell's parts procurement methods. The person decided to make an accomodation for the trouble and either neglected to change the shipping method or there was an error in the warehouse as to how it went out. It did ship out by ground within 3 days of the original quote and is due to arrive by the 28th, which is pretty quick. Most companies quote 4-6 business days for ground delivery anyhow.

There is nothing more frustrating than spending a boatload of money and having nothing to show for it, and errors on the side of your dealer can make that even worse. But we're talking minor problems here.

The BBB has nothing to do with this sort of thing. I agree that it really won't resolve anything to advise them of the situation.


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## KenM (Jun 26, 2006)

I'm upset because they did not send it out next day air like I was promised. As a customer I was told thats the way it would be and they did not deliver on that promise.


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## trancejeremy (Jun 26, 2006)

So you're upset you are getting it the 28th instead of the 27th?  While I can see you might be eager for your new toy, it's only a day.  If you wanted it quicker, you shouldn't have bought mail order in the first place.


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## KenM (Jun 27, 2006)

trancejeremy said:
			
		

> So you're upset you are getting it the 28th instead of the 27th?  While I can see you might be eager for your new toy, it's only a day.  If you wanted it quicker, you shouldn't have bought mail order in the first place.




  I'm upset that the company I paid $1000.00 for a laptop told me that they would ship it out next day air. Then they did not do what they siad they would do to please a customer. I'm upset that a company would lie to a customer. I don't really care if I get my new toy on the 27 or the 28, its the principal of them deciving a customer.


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Jun 27, 2006)

I do have to admit that my one experience with Dell, getting a non-techie buddies lemon computer fixed or replaced, was Packard-Bellish in it's absurdity.  It took about 6 months before he was able to get a replacement machine sent to him.  The thing that kills me is I hear thier service department is worse now.  That is scary.  

A guy at work had some problems with his laptop and he said it didn't go well, but they gave him enough 90 dollar coupons to placate him.


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## Vocenoctum (Jun 27, 2006)

KenM said:
			
		

> I'm upset that the company I paid $1000.00 for a laptop told me that they would ship it out next day air. Then they did not do what they siad they would do to please a customer. I'm upset that a company would lie to a customer. I don't really care if I get my new toy on the 27 or the 28, its the principal of them deciving a customer.





FWIW, my experience with Dell 4 years ago.
Paid for Next Day, they charged me but shipped ground.
Received the desktop, the motherboard had shifted and the PCI cards were all loose in the box.

Called customer service, sat on hold for half an hour. Then a recording comes on, says "sorry, we're closed, please call back" and drops me.

Eventually I got the refund for the shipping, but it left me with the impression that Dell is not a coordinated company at all and can't be counted on to do any of what they say.

I got a laptop from HP, everything went fine.


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## Bobitron (Jun 27, 2006)

For every story that is negative, there are probably five times the amount of people who are neutral and another one who had a great experience. I've purchased two computers from Dell, both positive experiences, and dealt with them once on the customer service end and had average results.

The most vocal people regarding any company are those who are disappointed. That's just the way it works.


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## Umbran (Jun 27, 2006)

KenM said:
			
		

> ... its the principal of them deciving a customer.




Deception implies intent.  There's a difference between lying and saying you'll do a thing, and then finding out you can't.  it is the difference between lying, and beign a bit inefficient.

In any supply chain, there's a delay between when data is entered and when the chain can respond - in this case, it is entirely possible that the rep put in to have the thing shipped next day air, but it was too late to make the change.


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## Andreas (Jun 27, 2006)

I feel your pain...


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## KenM (Jun 27, 2006)

Umbran said:
			
		

> Deception implies intent.  There's a difference between lying and saying you'll do a thing, and then finding out you can't.  it is the difference between lying, and beign a bit inefficient.
> 
> In any supply chain, there's a delay between when data is entered and when the chain can respond - in this case, it is entirely possible that the rep put in to have the thing shipped next day air, but it was too late to make the change.




  Thats what Dell told me when I callled them yesterday. But they did not tell me "if it ships out later  then expected, we will ship it out next day air."  I was told "we will ship it out next day air.". If the company could not do something for a customer, then they should not  have told the customer they could have done so.


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## Trainz (Jun 27, 2006)

I work in a retail store.

Once, a customer ordered a part, and had to wait 2 years because of the the supplier. Not our fault.

2 years man. You waited 1 day.


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## nerfherder (Jun 27, 2006)

KenM said:
			
		

> Why do companies get away with lieing to customers like this?



I think you'll find the answer to be the same as that for "why do women lie to me?" and "why did my cousin lie to me?", but since you don't seem to like that answer, I predict you'll continue to ignore it and keep asking "why?".

Cheers,
Liam


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## d20Dwarf (Jun 27, 2006)

I bought my laptop from Dell and have had it serviced, and have never had anything but exemplary experiences. Although as a small business customer, maybe I get preferential treatment...


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## Umbran (Jun 27, 2006)

KenM said:
			
		

> If the company could not do something for a customer, then they should not  have told the customer they could have done so.




Dude, absolutism is not good for your blood pressure.  

Cut 'em some slack.  The rep thought they could do something for you.  Turned out his information was just a touch out of date, so he was wrong.  It looks like they made a reasonable effort to help you, and made an honest mistake.  

The world is ugly enough with real dishonesty and intentional malice.  We should not sour it further with ire when folks at least try to do the right thing, but fail, lest we find ourselves runnign out of people willing to even try.


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## Bobitron (Jun 27, 2006)

Yeah! What Lindsey said!


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## PowerWordDumb (Jun 27, 2006)

*Promises Promises*
Naked Eyes
(Pete Byrne/Rob Fisher)

Never had a doubt
In the beginning
Never a doubt
Trusted too true
In the beginning
I loved you right through
Arm in arm we laughed like kids
At all the silly things we did

_You made me promises promises
Knowing I'd believe
Promises promises
You knew you'd never keep_

Second time around
I'm still believing words that you said
You said you'd always be here
"In love forever"
Still repeats in my head
You can't finish what you start
If this is love it breaks my heart

_You made me promises promises
You knew you'd never keep
Promises promises
Why do I believe_

(instrumental break)

Arm in arm we laughed like kids
At all the silly things we did
You can't finish what you start
If this is love it breaks my heart

_You made me promises promises
You knew you'd never keep
Promises promises
Why do I believe
All of your promises
You knew you'd never keep
Promises promises
Why do I believe

Promises
Promises
Promises
Promises
Promises_


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## KenM (Jun 27, 2006)

Umbran said:
			
		

> Dude, absolutism is not good for your blood pressure.
> 
> Cut 'em some slack.  The rep thought they could do something for you.  Turned out his information was just a touch out of date, so he was wrong.  It looks like they made a reasonable effort to help you, and made an honest mistake.
> 
> The world is ugly enough with real dishonesty and intentional malice.  We should not sour it further with ire when folks at least try to do the right thing, but fail, lest we find ourselves runnign out of people willing to even try.





  Your right. I'll let this go. Too much other real problems in the world then for really small crap like this.


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## Yig (Jun 27, 2006)

*Fleetwood Mac's "Lies"*

If I could turn the page
In time then Id rearrange just a day or two
Close my, close my, close my eyes

But I couldnt find a way
So Ill settle for one day to believe in you
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you cant disguise
(you cant disguise, no you cant disguise)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies

Although Im not making plans
I hope that you understand theres a reason why
Close your, close your, close your eyes

No more broken hearts
Were better off apart lets give it a try
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you cant disguise
(you cant disguise, no you cant disguise)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies

If I could turn the page
In time then Id rearrange just a day or two
Close my, close my, close my eyes

But I couldnt find a way
So Ill settle for one day to believe in you
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you cant disguise
(you cant disguise, no you cant disguise)

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you cant disguise
(you cant disguise, no you cant disguise)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(tell me, tell me lies)


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## yangnome (Jun 27, 2006)

THE ROLLING STONES "Lies" 

Lies, dripping off your mouth like dirt
Lies, lies in every step you walk
Lies, whispered sweetly in my ear
Lies, how do I get out of here?
Why, why you have to be so cruel?
Lies, lies, lies I ain't such a fool!
Lies, lies in my papa's looks
Lies, lies in my history books
Lies, lies like they teach in class
Lies, lies, lies I catch on way too fast
Fire, fire upon your wicked tongue
Lies, lies, lies you're trying to spoil my fun
Lies, lies you dirty jezebel
Why, why, why, why don't you go to hell?
Why, why you think me such a fool?
Lies, lies, lies honey that's ya rules!
Lies, lies, lies, lies, oh my lies, ...


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## Rackhir (Jun 27, 2006)

There's a great quote from Napoleon which I've found covers a lot of this sort of situations.

"Never attribute to malice, that which can adiquately be explained by incompetence."


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## evildmguy (Jun 27, 2006)

Wow.  

I have had a different, more positive experience with Dell.  Except for waiting up to thirty minutes to speak to someone, I have had nothing but good service with Dells.  

In the past seven years, my wife and I have bought five Dell computers, including a laptop.  In my case, I have had only two things go wrong and each time, Dell responded by replacing the items at no charge to me.  (Hard Drive, graphics card)  Further, they responded very quickly, within two business days, through local suppliers with Dell contracts.  Three out of the five computers arrived before they estimated and the others arrived within their arrival window.  

So, anecdotal, but as someone else said, I don't think it was malicious on Dell's part.  They are one of the few companies that has worked hard for me to get me what I want.  That's probably why I am a big supporter of them and am posting this.  

Have a good one!  Take care!  

edg


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## evildmguy (Jun 27, 2006)

Rackhir said:
			
		

> There's a great quote from Napoleon which I've found covers a lot of this sort of situations.
> 
> "Never attribute to malice, that which can adiquately be explained by incompetence."




Quoted for truth and because I like it!  Thanks!

Have a good one!  Take care!  

edg


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## Vocenoctum (Jun 27, 2006)

Trainz said:
			
		

> I work in a retail store.
> 
> Once, a customer ordered a part, and had to wait 2 years because of the the supplier. Not our fault.
> 
> 2 years man. You waited 1 day.




Did you tell the customer that he'd get it in 1 month and it then took 2 years? If so, should he reasonably be irked at the miscommunication.

the OP didn't say "Dell takes long to ship", he said customer service promised something that they shouldn't have. Sure the customer isn't always right, but that doesn't mean he's somehow wrong in what he said. He was told something, it was not done.

Tone doesn't carry well on the internet, but why come down on the guy for a simple "they lied to me" rant?


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## nerfherder (Jun 27, 2006)

evildmguy said:
			
		

> Quoted for truth and because I like it!  Thanks!
> 
> Have a good one!  Take care!
> 
> edg



That quote's the main reason I don't believe in most conspiracy theories.

Cheers,
Liam


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## Rackhir (Jun 28, 2006)

nerfherder said:
			
		

> That quote's the main reason I don't believe in most conspiracy theories.
> 
> Cheers,
> Liam




I am of the same opinion. I find a lot of people take a certain perverse comfort in the idea that there is a conspiracy driving bad events. I guess because it reduces the randomness and impersonality of events. It means that things happened for a reason, instead of because a lone nutcase or 19 as the case may be.


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## talmar (Jun 28, 2006)

Bobitron said:
			
		

> For every story that is negative, there are probably five times the amount of people who are neutral and another one who had a great experience. I've purchased two computers from Dell, both positive experiences, and dealt with them once on the customer service end and had average results.
> 
> The most vocal people regarding any company are those who are disappointed. That's just the way it works.




Exactly,

I've had 3 dell systems, 2 desktops and 1 laptop and I've had nothing but great service and support.  It may take longer than I like to get to the support but it's rare that I need to call anyway.

As someone who works in the IT field I can assure you there are much much worse vendors than dell when it comes to support.


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## werk (Jun 28, 2006)

*Read this *



			
				KenM said:
			
		

> Your right. I'll let this go. Too much other real problems in the world then for really small crap like this.




I used to work at Dell headquarters, and if it helps, the software that manages all of this is old and is not really responsive enough to do what needed to be done.  Second to that, the phone reps do not realize this limitation, because they believe what they see.  

If the software shows that you changed shipping from ground to overnight, that means it'll ship overnight, right?  Wrong!  Once the order was released to the warehouse to ship, a rep on the phone cannot change it, nothing done in the software matters, it has already 'printed', only the warehouse can change that info.  If the rep knew this (and I promise you, they do not) they could have taken the extra step to follow through, email the warehouse (via the expedite request mailbox), and complete the request.  There are a lot of other things that could have happened, but the above scenario is most likely and happens constantly.

It's human error and lack of training.  You could call it incompetence, which is accurate, but a little harsh.  It is bad, and Dell can do better, easily...but they won't, do to the way that they run their business.

It's also why my group at Dell ruled, and all the other groups drooled.

I could go on for days about why Dell is still better than anyone else, but that should address your specific issue.


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## Tolen Mar (Jun 29, 2006)

Werk is right.

I work at a warehouse myself (though not Dell).  We are always getting emails and phone calls about orders being changed, and over half of them arrive as the truck is pulling away from the bay.  Nothing we can do about it except to make a note of it, email the boss back, and keep on workin'.


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## JDragon (Jul 1, 2006)

Well I have a little for both sides of this...

ON the delivery / shipping side, the person you talked to that promised shipping "X" probably was wrong in doing that, becuase they were new or just wanted to get an angry customer off the phone.  I know this becuase I see it on a daily basis at my work. (my department ships replacement Cell/PDA's)  The part that sucks for me is I have to deal with the people when they call back after said problem.  Half of the time, the rep will promise one thing, but then just ship the normal way out of habit.  Or they promise something special but do it to late and the request arrives after shipping is done for the day. (as mentioned above) 


Now on the other side, What ever you do do not get a Dell Insperion 6000 if you want to be able to use a PC card with it.  The motherboards they had in them are crap from the factory and have to be replaced if you want to use a PC card (at least our cards).  I deal with Cellular PC aircards at work, Dell even admitted it was a problem and gave us a code to give customers when they had to call Dell to get the motherboard replaced. A flipping 30 digit code, that when you talk to tech support they don't know what the h@ll you are talking about.  

SO once you get someone that knows, and they send a tech out to replace the motherboard, the tech brings the same model MB, which does not resolve the problem, and you get to start over again. (i've seen this happen 3 times personally when trying to help customers)

At this point if I have a customer with said laptop I tell them to return it or our card, cause it isn't worth the hassel to get them to work together.


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## Enforcer (Jul 1, 2006)

It's worse when Dell tells the truth...

After my motherboard on my Lemon Inspiron 5150 failed for the 2nd time, conveniently one month after my warranty expired, they told me that it would take 4 *months* to get a new one and that it would cost approximately $350.

And that's the story of how I switched to a Mac. Steve Jobs should pay Michael Dell commission. (And I paid to get the Dell motherboard too, so I could sell the Dell to someone else.)

That said, a small shipping gaffe doesn't really stoke my ire very much, so long as you got the laptop intact.

And yes, I posted to this thread mostly to relate how much I hate hate hate Dell.


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## KenM (Jul 1, 2006)

On a postive note, right after I got the laptop last tuesday, it dod not have the OS or recovery CD. I called dell right away and they said they would ship it out, I got them yesterday.


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## Vocenoctum (Jul 2, 2006)

JDragon said:
			
		

> SO once you get someone that knows, and they send a tech out to replace the motherboard, the tech brings the same model MB, which does not resolve the problem, and you get to start over again. (i've seen this happen 3 times personally when trying to help customers)



I had a problem with my cable once, and they'd send out a tech, who would check all the lines inside, and there was no problem, and the apartment building was getting a clear signal. Somewhere between where it got to the building and got to my apartment, there was a problem. It took them 5 tries to acknowledge their own technicians memos to send out a "level 2" technician to find the problem.

Heck, when I bought a Sprint cell phone online, they had an "instant rebate". Then they billed me for the phone. Then when I called, online promotions transfered me to rebates, who transfered me to rebates et cetera. Finally, they figured out that they had an Internet Rebate department. THey gave me the phone number, with the caveat that if that department didn't pick up, it would simply bounce back to the general customer service! You had to coincidentally call when they felt like answering the phone! I told them to shove their phone, and switched to Cingular.


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## Einan (Jul 2, 2006)

I gotta say, I've had some nice rollercoaster 11 hour phone calls with Dell Tech Support.  Three of them, in fact.  It took 4 months for them to send me a new motherboard.  It all boiled down to the fact that Dell is a HUGE Bureaucracy and doesn't communicate well with itself.  So when you change your address with one rep, it doesn't filter through the rest of the system.  So after four months of having techs in Indiana call me telling me they had my part and me being in North Carolina, I finally had the tech service guy send me the part.  Poor guy couldn't believe I'd want to void my warranty.  Same warranty that I'd been waiting four months for service under.  He couldn't understand why I wouldn't want to keep the warranty.  

On the other hand, the actual laptop, after having most parts replaced during the warranty period, still works just fine.  And I made friends with a nice Indian gentleman named Jason.  Outsourcing is funny.

Einan


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## KenM (Jul 2, 2006)

Einan said:
			
		

> I gotta say, I've had some nice rollercoaster 11 hour phone calls with Dell Tech Support.  Three of them, in fact.  It took 4 months for them to send me a new motherboard.  It all boiled down to the fact that Dell is a HUGE Bureaucracy and doesn't communicate well with itself.  So when you change your address with one rep, it doesn't filter through the rest of the system.  So after four months of having techs in Indiana call me telling me they had my part and me being in North Carolina, I finally had the tech service guy send me the part.  Poor guy couldn't believe I'd want to void my warranty.  Same warranty that I'd been waiting four months for service under.  He couldn't understand why I wouldn't want to keep the warranty.
> 
> Einan




   What I hated when I would talk to dell about the shipping issue is when I got transfered to a different dept. I had to give the new peerson all my info again, name, address, customer #, order #, ticket #, every fricking time.


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## Einan (Jul 3, 2006)

Heh.  I didn't mind that part except that the new person never seemed to have the information that I gave to any of the previous people I spoke with.  By the end I was telling a twenty minute story to each new tech.  

Oh Dell.  You silly, silly, company.

Einan


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## amethal (Jul 5, 2006)

We had a problem with Dell at work.

They wanted cash up front for a new laptop, so we sent them a cheque.

When they got it they noticed the year was wrong (even though it was March at the time, so we should have got out of that habit by then!) We needed the laptop fairly urgently, so they said to send them a correctly dated cheque and they'd destroy the other one.

Of course, they banked both cheques.

That's two mistakes by us - wrong date on cheque, and then not cancelling the first one.

However, it then took 6 months of repeated telephoning to get a refund out of them. At one point, they actually denied having an accounts department, which was pretty hilarious.


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## Mercule (Jul 5, 2006)

I can't say I've ever had an issue with Dell service.  But, if my experiences with their hardware are even remotely typical, I can't believe they're still in business.

The first Dell I ever worked with spent more time down than up.  Spontaneous reboots were the norm.  It hasn't been as bad, since, but they do seem to be somewhat less reliable than a comparably outfitted HP or Gateway.  I will never buy a Dell, at least not until their prices match up with the other slap-dash, budget machines on the market.


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Jul 5, 2006)

Einan said:
			
		

> Heh.  I didn't mind that part except that the new person never seemed to have the information that I gave to any of the previous people I spoke with.  By the end I was telling a twenty minute story to each new tech.
> 
> Oh Dell.  You silly, silly, company.
> 
> Einan




So true.  And when a "technician" would get on the phone they would have me do the same stuff I did before, then do a clean OS wipe and reinstall.  Since that would take time they would say "call back if there is still a problem".  And since it was bad hardware it would have the same problems...and when I called back a new guy would want me to do the exact same things the other guy had me do.  It was frustating!  You could never get teh same person and since they just read instructions instead of knowing how to help you get piss poor help at that.


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## Einan (Jul 5, 2006)

Flexor,

I feel your pain.  About four techs in, I started giving them the "Litany."

Yes I already tried the BIOS reboot.
Yes I already replaced the power cord and converter.
Yes I already checked the power outlet.
Yes I already checked the power settings.
Yes I already rebooted.
Yes I already used a voltimeter.  Yes it is standard voltage.
Yes I replaced the battery.
Yes I tried shaking the laptop.
No I didn't damage the laptop by shaking it.
No I don't want to wait on hold.

The problem was a piece on the motherboard.  I had to get a whole new motherboard and finally, after the drama of trying to get a tech to come to my new address and fix it (after having a local tech call at 6 pm one night during dinner and ask if he could fix it now.  In the middle of a dinner party, I said no, come tomorrow.  He told Dell I refused service and shipped the part back to them.  When I protested to Dell over this and refused to have this same tech deal with the problem ((Because if he can't get his act together over timing, I surely don't want him working on expensive electronics)) I finally got them to send ME the part, even though this voided the warranty.  As if the warranty was really working at that point...)  I finally recieved the part, replaced the motherboard and low and behold! the problem was solved.  

Silly, silly Dell.

Einan


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Jul 5, 2006)

When I would tell them that I had already done what they were asking me to do they would get silent and wait...then ask me to do the same again.  Before it was over we were sending mail to Michael Dell and it wasn't until we got ahold of a VP that anything was done.  As it was the computer he spent close to 4 grand on was a paper weight for about 6 months.  Then they sent him a replacement PC that was only about 1600 dollars in value.


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## werk (Jul 5, 2006)

Einan said:
			
		

> IIt all boiled down to the fact that Dell is a HUGE Bureaucracy and doesn't communicate well with itself.




DING DING DING DING DING

We have a winnah!


That's pretty much the lynchpin right there.  If you get someone to take ownership of your problem that knows what they are doing inside Dell, you got it made.  For the other 95% of customers, you are in for a headache that rapidly moves south.

But I believe that's the same for any major manufacturer, it's luck of the draw...err phone queue.

Tip #1 Never, ever order through home sales.  
Tip #2 Get the name and direct number of the rep you talk to immediately.  If they will not give that info, ask to be transferred to a group that will take ownership.
Tip #3 Don't tell your family history to every rep, it's just a waste of your time.  Tell them what you need them to do, then wait to answer their questions.  Let the rep lead the call.

When I was there, it was said that less than 2% of customers ever call customer service or tech support...so don't let the horror stories scare you, they are an extremely small group compared to the happy blue-birds.


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## Vocenoctum (Jul 6, 2006)

werk said:
			
		

> When I was there, it was said that less than 2% of customers ever call customer service or tech support...




The other 98% just fix it themselves.


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## Vocenoctum (Jul 6, 2006)

Einan said:
			
		

> I finally recieved the part, replaced the motherboard and low and behold! the problem was solved.
> 
> Silly, silly Dell.
> 
> Einan



My first computer was a Packard Bell with no problems. (75mhz of pure computing power!)
#2 was a Gateway (triple the power of my first!)
The Gateway had problems which came down to the motherboard, but they sent me nearly every part in between before that. None of it voided my warranty, and I did it all myself after the tech got lost twice trying to find my place. When the HD went bad a couple years later, they replaced that, as well as a modem that died too.

But still, I figured I had enough problems with it, so I went with Dell next. Then I received my computer with half the parts loose in a box. I've had only minor issues since, all of which I corrected myself.

New computer is pieced togethor by me, so hopefully that holds. (Also a Compaq laptop in there, no problems)


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## drothgery (Jul 6, 2006)

werk said:
			
		

> When I was there, it was said that less than 2% of customers ever call customer service or tech support...so don't let the horror stories scare you, they are an extremely small group compared to the happy blue-birds.




I've had three Dell desktops (a Pentium 75, a PIII-800, and a 3.2 GHz P4 that will probably be replaced by Dell notebook sometime early next year), have been quite happy with them, and I've never called tech support.


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## Einan (Jul 6, 2006)

Count yourself a lucky, lucky man.  It is an experience I hope never to have again.

Of course, don't get me wrong here.  I like my Dell.  It's a good computer, does what I ask of it and is reasonably reliable.  It's just that I've had to replace every single part on it to get it to stay that way.  On a six month old laptop seeing light home use, I should not have to do that.

It was that experience that taught me to learn more about computers so I never need to rely on a tech support line again.  Good life lesson, bad product support.

Einan


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Jul 6, 2006)

Einan said:
			
		

> It was that experience that taught me to learn more about computers so I never need to rely on a tech support line again.  Good life lesson, bad product support.
> 
> Einan




Packard-Bell did the same for me.  I thank them in a way for making me learn how to rip apart a computer. I've never bought a computer since then, I've built them all myself.


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## werk (Jul 7, 2006)

Vocenoctum said:
			
		

> The other 98% just fix it themselves.




Confirmed by Flexor...if you can fix it yourself, you usually build it yourself 

I have had exceptionally good luck with all the Dell's that I own, but I know which models to buy (economy models are literally junk, you get what you pay for) and I don't do anything that wasn't designed into the model, like changing/adding hardware or switching OS.  Buy what you need, not what you think you can adapt to fit your needs (and save some cash).

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but some people are just too smart for their own good.




And some sobering thoughts:  when I left, Dell was doing over $40M a day on the online store, that didn't include phone sales.  On a given day, we shipped over $14M worth of parts through our warehouse in Austin, but the warehouse never had more than $2M worth of parts in it at any given point.  It's really a beautiful machine once you grasp the scale and complexity of the entire operation.


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## drothgery (Jul 9, 2006)

werk said:
			
		

> Confirmed by Flexor...if you can fix it yourself, you usually build it yourself
> 
> I have had exceptionally good luck with all the Dell's that I own, but I know which models to buy (economy models are literally junk, you get what you pay for) and I don't do anything that wasn't designed into the model, like changing/adding hardware or switching OS.  Buy what you need, not what you think you can adapt to fit your needs (and save some cash)




That may very well be why I've had few problems. I've always bought midrange or better systems (though just barely for my first box, but that was eleven years ago and the low-midrange boxes were of better build quality then), always pretended to be a small business rather than a home user (I wanted Win2K, and then XP Pro preinstalled, and didn't want any AOL junk on my system), never switched OSs (well, except going from Win 3.x to Win95), and only made minor hardware changes (adding RAM, upgrading the graphics card).


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## Einan (Jul 10, 2006)

I think it's less the quality of systems than the odds.  Dell deals with a TON of stuff and by any count a certain percentage of that stuff is bound to be defective/crap.  We unhappy few just hit the wrong draw.  The spot where I think Dell drops the ball is their Tech Support line and its lack of communications.  It's just the fact that Dell grew quickly and the infrastructure didn't grow as fast as the bureaucracy.  And now's it's entrenched and harder to change.  Although I do hope they do change; I like my Dell Laptop.

Einan


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## werk (Jul 14, 2006)

Einan said:
			
		

> It's just the fact that Dell grew quickly and the infrastructure didn't grow as fast as the bureaucracy.




You know, I heard that argument all the time when I was there, and I don't buy it. 
It's just an excuse for being lazy.  
People can learn the infrastructure, make needed contacts, and have a very effective communication network...but very few do.  

When I was there I could accomplish pretty much anything.  I shipped $12M worth of server parts to Iraq the first day of the new war, overnight.  I shipped trucks full of used monitors to distributors.  I was able to correct errors that system sales made before the customer even realized the error.  I was able to send everything going to boeing through an alternate warehouse where everything got the 'special boeing sticker' before shipping out.  I was always able to expedite anything that was in stock and had visibility to stock and substitutes, so I could order the best part, at the best price, pick a manufacturer, and shoot it out of the warehouse.  I knew people in every business (home, ed, gov, bus, HC) and every dept (cust supp, tech, system sales, parts) and the people that directly affected my ability to be effective, like parts planners/buyers, warehouse folks, credit and collections, global export compliance, web site support.  I had that set up in just over a year, and when I started, I didn't know anything about computers above word processing...my field was sports medicine for Pete's sake!

They changed the phone queue trickledown so people would wind up in our queue if they didn't hit buttons, or hit 0 a bunch of times...because we solved problems, even if they weren't specifically our problems, because we knew what we were doing, how to do it, and took ownership of all Dell customers (even home users that thought lightning strikes or freezing your LCD in the car overnight should be covered by warranty).  A single person can make a huge change in the atmosphere at Dell, and a TEAM of dedicated people, realizing the larger good, can accomplish anything.

The problem is lazy people, especially the people on the front lines.  They just want to sit there and answer the phone and make you someone else's problem.  They didn't want to learn the tools, the equipment, the technology, the soft skills, nor the infrastructure.  They wanted to sit there for 40 hours, do the least amount possible, then collect a fat check and whine about the price of their stock options or their jobs going to India because they sucked.  (This is a generalization, there were SOME good people that were thrown out with the bath water.)

That's all In My Experience, of course.  That's the only bad thing I've ever said about Dell, and I said it on every internal quarterly survey too.


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## Einan (Jul 14, 2006)

Unfortunately, I talked to people who already WERE in India.  I never spoke to a single American tech support person who worked for Dell.  Perhaps you're right about being lazy, but I don't believe that all the techs I spoke with were simply being lazy.  I think it points to a larger problem in either the systems they used or the training they recieved.  I don't know which one it was, or if it was a larger issue than that, but I do know that because of that event I will never advise anyone to purchase from Dell again.  Especially if they're someone who doesn't understand computers.  Any trouble and they can expect having their computer be out of service for a significant length of time.  It's unfortunate that this soured me, but it did.  It was such a terrible, terrible mess, that I can't in good conscience advise anyone to purchase from them and take the chance that it happens to them.

Einan


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## werk (Jul 14, 2006)

Einan said:
			
		

> I think it points to a larger problem in either the systems they used or the training they recieved.  I don't know which one it was, or if it was a larger issue than that, but I do know that because of that event I will never advise anyone to purchase from Dell again.




I totally understand, and I think you are right to do so.  I didn't have a whole lot of interaction with tech support, aside from cigarette breaks, but they were always just following decision trees, so I don't think there was ever a very positive experience there unless you had a 'common issue' like your monitor was unplugged, or you wanted to format your hard drive and reinstall windows.

I just felt like ranting a little (or a lot).  I hate excuses for failure.  You fail, you recognize that failure, you fix the issue.  Denying failure isn't going to help anything.


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## Einan (Jul 14, 2006)

I completely understand.  Sometimes it's just a problem that when a thing gets too big, it takes on its own gravity and is harder to alter.  I completely understand the frustration of watching something not work and wanting to fix it.  It's difficult when you know that a few simple changes would make a world of difference and no one seems to want to do it.  

Einan


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## Darth K'Trava (Jul 22, 2006)

Flexor the Mighty! said:
			
		

> Packard-Bell did the same for me.  I thank them in a way for making me learn how to rip apart a computer. I've never bought a computer since then, I've built them all myself.




True. IBM did that for me. I went to see if I could add new memory. Found the memory "slots" (a pair of rows of curved tooth-like "pins" that stuck up from the motherboard) had some of the "pins" all twisted around  like somebody had gone in there with a pair of needle-nose pliers and wrenched them. Not to mention finding out that the comp I got out of a sealed box was registered to some hispanic. WTF?!?!?!   Compusa thought it was our fault (me and a friend of mine). Had another friend build my next comp and then after that friend #1 and myself built the others. Getting ready to build a new comp soon as soon as I get the parts. Won't ever go back to IBM ever again.

I bought one of those Dell Inspiron 6000 laptops. Works well for me. I use it to load pics from my digital camera on thanks to that nice SD slot on the side!   May use it for gaming so I won't have to lug so many books to the gaming sessions....


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## MarauderX (Jul 30, 2006)

I find even the title of this post offensive.


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## Daijin (Aug 13, 2006)

I have bought 6 Dells in the past 7 years or so, and never had an issue.  I think I was lucky the time I did have to use tech support (was loose ram).  Dell has been very, very good to me.


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## KenM (Aug 15, 2006)

More good news from Dell. This effects my laptop.    


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060814/ap_on_hi_te/dell_battery_recall


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## Dinkeldog (Aug 15, 2006)

Better to find out before the battery explodes, right?

I'm a rather big proponent of no-fault recall.  It's not like they're claiming that the issue is that people are misusing the batteries.  

Good luck, Ken.


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## Enforcer (Aug 15, 2006)

Yes, but it took them how many exploding laptops before the recall was issued?


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## Psychic Warrior (Aug 15, 2006)

Enforcer said:
			
		

> Yes, but it took them how many exploding laptops before the recall was issued?




48 if the nyt article I read is to be believed.

Out of 4 million.

Yeah - it was a freaking epidemic!


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## Henry (Aug 15, 2006)

Yep, my company has about 4 laptops affected by this. Fortunately, Dell's always been on the ball with any recalls they've had to make, but this is also not the first battery recall they've made in recent memory. Didn't they have one in '04, as well?


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## Enforcer (Aug 15, 2006)

Psychic Warrior said:
			
		

> 48 if the nyt article I read is to be believed.
> 
> Out of 4 million.
> 
> Yeah - it was a freaking epidemic!



No, it's not at all common, but 48 exploding laptops seems like a long time to realize there's a problem.


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## Piratecat (Aug 15, 2006)

No joke - when my laptop started to smoke a few years back, they were VERY prompt about getting me a new one.


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## Mercule (Aug 15, 2006)

Not Dell, but an amusing tech support call from today:

I called with a question about my computer (DVD reader, see other thread).  I didn't really consider it a "something's broken" call, just wanted some specs.  Gateway has absolutely no way to get to a tech person w/o giving them your serial number.  That's not bad, unless you're at work and your computer's at home.  I tried just entering all "0" for the number, but that didn't work.  Grrr....

Finally, I just punched in a random string of numbers and managed to hit one.  Boy, was that tech surprised when I got him on the line ("This is who?  What kind of computer?  Um... my computer isn't working right, hang on a second.").


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## Oscaron (Aug 19, 2006)

Just as I saw this title, this popped up on my news aggregator:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/18/AR2006081800793.html


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## Oscaron (Aug 19, 2006)

I've worked plenty of tech support jobs, both as phone support (*twitch*) and as a hardware jockey.

There is one universal truth about 'bad service'....Even if it only happens 1/10 of 1% of the time, it HAS to happen to SOMEONE.  And of those people, a few of them are going to feel like they were singled out.

And even if the numbers show that a company has 3x the problems of the industry average, there will be people in the company, or customers, who have never even caught a whiff of problems and will vehemently deny that there is anything wrong.

Even rudeness by an employee, inexcusable as it is, is not indicative of the entire company.  Even if you feel that particular employee deserves be dragged behind a car in the parking lot a few times, the entire Customer Service group is not out to get anyone.

Even us tech guys get grief.

When I worked for a certain Big Blue Box Store, as a beginning Tech Dog, I sent in a personal piece of equipment into that companies Repair Center.  When I called 2 weeks later to check on the status, the Repair Center contact told me at least 2 more weeks then laughed at me and asked:

 "Why did you send it to us? It was still under warranty with the manufacturer and they would have given you one back within 4-5 days of sending it to them!"

Then he proceeded to laugh at me for buying a Service Contract before the Manufacturer's Warranty expired, citing that US laws requires companies to sell you an extended contract, on anything they sell that is allowed one, anytime within the original maunfacturers warranty period.

Ah, the stuff I know now.

IMNSHO

Should they have sent it the exact day that they suggested they would? Not really.  A few good companies allow you to buy 'Expedited Service' for same day processing, instead of the 1-2 day leway that is standard.

Should they have sent it Next Day Air if they said they would? Yes.  It is poor customer service to promise something that fail to follow through.  Even if the 'item' promised gives you no tangible good, the promise should be honored. (Which is why to this day, I preface any assurance with the word 'Should' )

Should Dell get a BBB complaint against them for the actions of this support person and/or lower level management? Ehh....I'd send a formal letter to the company explaining your complaint and asking for a response from a 'real person' as to whether this sort of activity is allowed in the company and asking them if they are aware that it is happening

If you get a response that genuinely adresses your concern, problem solved.  And by doing so in a polite fashion, you may actually garner swag from the letter. (Got and upgrade from a 30MB to a 120MB HD from WD that way....without even asking!)

If you get a 'We are looking into the matter' form letter.....Eh....then go ahead.  Take a few pot shots.  By then you know, at least, what the 'Faces' of the company think about your concerns.

Just my few cp,

Osc


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## werk (Aug 24, 2006)

Piratecat said:
			
		

> No joke - when my laptop started to smoke a few years back, they were VERY prompt about getting me a new one.




Turns out my work notebook's battery was on Dell's most recent BIG battery recall.  It was pretty funny, after I jumped through some hoops on their site about verifying that it was a recalled battery, it said it could take possibly over 90 days to send a replacement.  I laughed and didn't worry about it.  Just got my new battery in the mail, it took less than a week total.

Judging by the labels, Dell hired a contractor to take care of these..."Bumblebee Project"


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## ssampier (Aug 28, 2006)

KenM said:
			
		

> More good news from Dell. This effects my laptop.
> 
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060814/ap_on_hi_te/dell_battery_recall




It looks more of a Sony problem than a Dell problem. Apple's are affected, too. I don't like Dell as a general rule, but I'll cut them some slack.


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## ssampier (Aug 28, 2006)

Oscaron said:
			
		

> I've worked plenty of tech support jobs, both as phone support (*twitch*) and as a hardware jockey.
> 
> There is one universal truth about 'bad service'....Even if it only happens 1/10 of 1% of the time, it HAS to happen to SOMEONE.  And of those people, a few of them are going to feel like they were singled out.
> 
> And even if the numbers show that a company has 3x the problems of the industry average, there will be people in the company, or customers, who have never even caught a whiff of problems and will vehemently deny that there is anything wrong.




Right you are. I currently work phone support (*twitches*), I have been tempted not tell my customers anything--unless they need to know. Usually I will admit something casually, "yes we were down 15 minutes on Sunday." Then the customer will launch into a spiel about how they were down for 3 weeks. Turns out their DSL bridge was unplugged the whole time.


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