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Re: Dell is actually pretty damn good. (Reply to this comment)
by mocacopper
I talked to Dell last night and they actually suggest the AMD processor... since they offer both.. I have been researching for about a month now and am just as confused as ever as to the best brand computer to purchase.. is there any location that houses just hard facts as to who's equipment is the best... who's customer service is the most reliable.... who's customer service or tech service rather is the most available... who's equipment has the best running record in terms of length of life with minimal repairs... who actually stands behind their product minus the companies extended rhetoric. MicroSoft has pulled a real number on anyone wanting a new computer... The "Vista" has very little adjoining software and add on hardware needs to be strictly proprietary... trouble is there is nothing out there... the software hasn't been created.. the age old story of left hand not meeting the right.. every industries buggaboo lately.. Any suggestions? Who is honest, genuine, reliable, customer oriented and helpful? What product has the research, testing, consistancy in quality?
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Apr 03 '07
7:37 am PDT
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Dell desktops (Reply to this comment)
by luzzima
I have just read an article regarding the experiences about problems with the Dell computer. The pit in my stomach from a similar scenario calmed slightly as I realized that I am not alone. My very first computer in the late '90s was a Dell in which I was extremely satisfied. When it was no longer up to date, I purchased an HP, but have since returned to Dell as a Christmas present to myself one year ago. Little did I know that I was in for the same hellish nightmare as described by your article. It could be compared to a Freddy Kruger movie sharing the same gruesome scenes!
Within the year, the computer has been running for about 4-6 months due to the numerous crashes. Every time I have gained enough courage to call their support number, I cringed because I knew that it would take about four hours to remediate the problem. Each time, the representative assured me that it was not a hard drive issue and that we could resolve the problem by phone, and each time, it would work for about a week, then crash. Other than the extreme anxiety, I have been unable to pay bills online, have my chidren use it as a resource for projects, keep abreast with important business and personal contacts, etc. With my last call on Jan. 10, 2007, due to another crash (I think I just walked past the computer this time, and it's black soul retaliated), I was determined to return it. After a lengthy time just to respond to the right phone tree of animated voices, I finally reached someone who agreed that I could return it, and they would honor it even though it was a year old now. The catch was that they would deduct 15% for restocking fees, and that I would have to pay shipping and handling. I was fine with that. I didn't even mention the 40 plus hours I invested to alleviate this problem over the past months. OK- nightmare number two. Dell then proceeded to give me an authorization number so that when I went to UPS to return the computer, the UPS system would link up and provide the address. (Were they afraid that I would show up at their workplace in India and go postal?) To make a long story short, make sure you go to a real UPS store, and not subsidiary like Staples or Office Max, or it won't work. Well, those efficient little Dell reps never transferred the number, so it now sits in the UPS store. In the meantime, I just called Dell to relay the problem, and just happened to ask how I was going to be reimbursed. Here's the good part. Remember how the sales reps encourage you to open a preferred Dell account so that you can get a 10% discount? Well, now they're going to credit this account, meaning that I have to use that money for another Dell product!! I asked what would happen if I cancelled that account, and they said that it would be very difficult to reimburse me. Guess what? I'm going to make it very difficult for them indeed. I would rather lose out than have anything in my house again that had a Dell logo on it. So as I end this e-mail which was much more self-supportive emotionally than the bazillion hours I spent on the phone with Dell, I'm going back to the phone to cancel my account. This is what I prefer for my account.
PS - If you hear of any class action suits, or ways for Dell to reimburse you and not your account, please let me know!
PPS - Any spins on Apple Macs, my soon to be computer?
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Jan 15 '07
8:40 am PST
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Dell Sucks (a continuing saga) (Reply to this comment)
by texcook1
After reading some of the other listings from the Dell fan club newsletter, I see I am not alone in my opinion of Dell's customer torture.
In the past 2 years, I have bought 5 Dell systems, 2 for work and 3 for home use. My work computers I have never had a problem with. My wife's computer, no problem. My personal computer, no problem. Now we get to my son's system (B110) His is the only system I bought extended service on. With in a week, it suffered a power supply failure, no problem Dell sent a tech out and replaced it in 2 days.
Starting in late September 2006 my son informed me his computer was "locking up". I looked at it and sure enough after being powered on a few minutes, the video turned to a bunch o video lines and every thing locked up. I even had to hold the power button in forever before it would shut off.
Having had success with the Tech folks I contacted them again. For some reason I was not able to get through to them online. So mI was forced to attemt to navgate their phone system.
After several HOURS and several attempts to speak to a human I finally got to speack to someone who's name was to quote the comic "someone who's name sounded like they were trying to clear two pounds of phlim from their throat". For 45 mins I listened as this ace techno guy repeated to me everything I said (do they get paid by the word?) and then attempted to read responses from flip cards that had nothing to do with what I had just spent 30 mins deacribing.
Ok y'all all know where this is going. After lossing my mind and screaming like a mad man into the phone I was allowed to speak to a supervisor that actually spoke and understood english. (something I had been trying to do for over an hour)
This "supervisor" listened to me for five minutes asked a couple of questions (on subject) then asked me open the case and unplug the memory chips one at a time, I got lucky the first bank was the bad one. She then told me it was a common problem and would send a tech out in a couple of days to install the new memory chip.
My son used the computer for two days with half of the memory and it worked a bit slower but everything worked. Within a week,
(after installing new memory chip) SAME THING AGAIN.
The wonderful Lady who helped me fix my problem is no longer with dell (I had her Name) and they have no record of our conversations.
Then a few days ago, They actually had the nerve to CALL me and ask if I wanted to extend my service contract............
Hmmm come to think of it that was kinda fun....
To end this rant, I will buy a Commadore 64 before I will buy another Hell
TexCook1
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Dec 07 '06
9:10 pm PST
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Dell Sucks (a continuing saga) (Reply to this comment)
by texcook1
After reading some of the other listings from the Dell fan club newsletter, I see I am not alone in my opinion of Dell's customer torture.
In the past 2 years, I have bought 5 Dell systems, 2 for work and 3 for home use. My work computers I have never had a problem with. My wife's computer, no problem. My personal computer, no problem. Now we get to my son's system (B110) His is the only system I bought extended service on. With in a week, it suffered a power supply failure, no problem Dell sent a tech out and replaced it in 2 days.
Starting in late September 2006 my son informed me his computer was "locking up". I looked at it and sure enough after being powered on a few minutes, the video turned to a bunch o video lines and every thing locked up. I even had to hold the power button in forever before it would shut off.
Having had success with the Tech folks I contacted them again. For some reason I was not able to get through to them online. So mI was forced to attemt to navgate their phone system.
After several HOURS and several attempts to speak to a human I finally got to speack to someone who's name was to quote the comic "someone who's name sounded like they were trying to clear two pounds of phlim from their throat". For 45 mins I listened as this ace techno guy repeated to me everything I said (do they get paid by the word?) and then attempted to read responses from flip cards that had nothing to do with what I had just spent 30 mins deacribing.
Ok y'all all know where this is going. After lossing my mind and screaming like a mad man into the phone I was allowed to speak to a supervisor that actually spoke and understood english. (something I had been trying to do for over an hour)
This "supervisor" listened to me for five minutes asked a couple of questions (on subject) then asked me open the case and unplug the memory chips one at a time, I got lucky the first bank was the bad one. She then told me it was a common problem and would send a tech out in a couple of days to install the new memory chip.
My son used the computer for two days with half of the memory and it worked a bit slower but everything worked. Within a week,
(after installing new memory chip) SAME THING AGAIN.
The wonderful Lady who helped me fix my problem is no longer with dell (I had her Name) and they have no record of our conversations.
Then a few days ago, They actually had the nerve to CALL me and ask if I wanted to extend my service contract............
Hmmm come to think of it that was kinda fun....
To end this rant, I will buy a Commadore 64 before I will buy another Hell
TexCook1
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Dec 07 '06
9:09 pm PST
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Re: DELL REALLY SUCKS -- DO A GOOGLE ON DELL SUCKS (Reply to this comment)
by heingoldy
did you ever get your lap top back? i am getting ready to send my lap top in a box to dell tomorrow due to the fact that they can't seem to fix the box and i was tired of taking time off of work for them to send a tech. it's been 3 days now, since i've been to work, therefore i called and told them i am not taking anymore time off of work to get this lap top fixed. Please reply before i send this lap top in a box. thanks.
lisa
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Mar 22 '06
2:34 pm PST
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Re: Re: Follow up for those who claim to have had trouble with Dell (Reply to this comment)
by heingoldy
I bought a dell laptop, the inspiron M140 for my boyfriend as a christmas present. Til this day, the cd/dvd drive was replaced once, the motherboard once (will be two times tomorrow), the back of the laptop (the black portion where the stickers are to identify the lap top) was replaced once... all we asked them to do is send us a new lap top because this one was defective from the day we opened the box. The perfomance on this lap top is not what they say cuz i compared it to my other dell lap top, inspiron 700m. Now, i don't have much problems with that lap top. just replaced the dvd/cd drive once since march of 05. however, the m140, i didn't have it but barely 3 months and it hasn't been operable since then. who and where do we go to let get justice or get them to fix this problem once and for all??? thanks you.
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Mar 22 '06
2:05 pm PST
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dell aint all that bad, infact it is damn good (Reply to this comment)
by nikitanain
hey guys, believe me dell aint all that bad.
and for all those who have supported dell. thanks a lot cause u r right, dell isnt all that bad, infact it is one of the best companies and always delievers what it promises.
and for the techies, its a hard job, answering all sorts of questions and that too with people who dont know nothing bout computers.
believe me they are doing a great job and hats off to them.
thanks dell.
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Jan 25 '06
8:41 am PST
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Dell Customer service sucks!! (Reply to this comment)
by geovnni
I ordered the correct item number on Dell's website but recieved completely different item and when I tried to exchange it for the correct one, I was told they couldn't exchange it. I would have to get a refund and buy again. I told them the sale is over and I would have to pay $40 bucks extra for a sd card. And at the same time I couldn't understand a word they were saying. Get real customer service help DELL!!
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Sep 01 '05
1:25 pm PDT
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DUUUDE I didn't get a dell! Update to my previous reply! (Reply to this comment)
by azdesertsnake
Two days ago on the evening of the 4th, I went to Circuit City and got my new laptop. (I am using it to write this now!) The salesman was VERY helpful. I wound up getting a Compaq laptop. It has all of the latest including 512 megs of ram and a dvd recorder. I paid a little over $1050 for it. I am VERY pleased with it. FORGET dell! If I had continued with them, it would be AT LEAST 9 days from now before I would have my laptop. That's providing it did arrive in one piece and it worked. Peace!
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Aug 06 '05
3:06 pm PDT
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Duuuude! I'm not getting a Dell! (Reply to this comment)
by azdesertsnake
I would like to thank everyone who posted their problems with Dell on this board. It had led me to cancel a pending $1100 order with dell. Last week I had ordered a dell on July 30th. After placing my order and providing my credit card info, the web page told me the ship date would be the 11th on the laptop itself.
There was a printer included with the system. The ship date on it was August 11th. I ordered headphones, with a ship date of the 25th of august!! Also, I had to order a usb printer cable for my new system. It showed up in two days! So all I have to show for my $1100 purchase was a printer cable. I guess that is so I can hang myself out of despair!
Out of pure frustration, I did a yahoo search for "dell sucks". You guessed it, more complaints than you can shake a stick at! After reading the many complaints on this page, I decided to call and cancel the order. The lady that answered said hello and I said how are you? She said fine. I said I need to cancel an order. She said "what I am having trouble hearing you". Imagine that. After about 5 minutes, she finally said she had it taken care of. I said, so there won't be any additional charges on my card? She said, "oh I'm glad you reminded me, I have to do one more step to make sure your card isn't charged. Moral of the story, go to Circuit City and take your new system home today! Don't believe the Dell hype and lies about "award winning customer service". Also, I was really ticked off to find out after ordering it that my new system was being built in India and being shipped here and then finally it would be shipped to me!
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Aug 04 '05
12:22 pm PDT
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Dell Tech Support - A New Revolution in Disservice (Reply to this comment)
by st95g7rn
All you need to know to work for a company like Dell in India is how to use a few words of the english language. With names like Tom Shah and Connie Chatterjee globalization has reached an all time low (or high depending on your point of view).
Soon, Dell ads will smell like goat curry and chicken masala.
Their tech support system has grown so big even they don't have control over it. They must have Dell camps in India where they mass produce well mannered and expressionless reps. Unfortunately they forgot they have a job to do.
I wish I could take credit for this - check out www.illwillpress.com and click on 'toons or cartoons - find the link for "Tech Support". Turn up your volume and enjoy.
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Jun 16 '05
4:14 pm PDT
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Re: Follow up for those who claim to have had trouble with Dell (Reply to this comment)
by summars
Well...I'm no shill (see genuine Service Tag Numbers below).
Rather than simply say DELL stinks , I'll stick to the facts...
Consider my nightmare experience (below) with the first and last DELL I'll ever buy...
_____________________________________________________________
SUMMARY of 21 FAILURES/REPAIRS in 24 months ( for DELL Inspiron notebook purchased for $4208.76 ):
[] Replaced 2 times: Notebook Service Tags: for i7500:2H0440B(18-Oct-2000), for i8100:93DH811(05/30/2002), for i8600:GHTMS31(11/15/2003);
[] Replaced 6 times: Motherboard: 05/20/2002,06/06/2002,12/16/2002;02/16/2004;02/17/2004;03/25/2004;
[] Replaced 3 times: CD/DVD drive: 03/22/2002,03/25/2002,05/21/2002;
[] Replaced 2 times: Hard Disk Drive: 03/21/2002,05/22/2002;
[] Replaced 2 times: Keyboard: 05/22/2002,05/24/2002;
[] Replaced 4 times: Video Card: 1/10/2003,5/9/2003,2/17/2004;3/25/2004;
[] Replaced 1 time: Lid latch: 05/22/2002;
[] Replaced 1 time: Intel CPU:03/25/2004;
[] i8100 notebook malfunctioning for first 12 months and last month;
[] extra battery purchased for 1st notebook is incompatible with 2nd replacement notebook;
[] extra battery purchased for 2nd notebook is incompatible with 3rd replacement notebook;
[] i8100: repeated unresolved video problems and system lock-ups for 12 months;
[] i8100: LCD failure; LCD developed red-tint at start-up (16-Oct-2003), LCD back-light failed (22-Oct-2003);
[] i8100: Failure: Error: IDE Hard Disk Write Test: Fail (28-Oct-2003); Status: Fail Status Code: DOS DDG-D DISK 030 068, Disk: Msg: Block 7022454: Uncorrectable data error;
[] i8100: Failure: Network Interface Card-PCI 3Com NIC Interrupt Test: Fail (28-Oct-2003), Status: Fail Status Code: DOS DDG-D MINI3COM 030 026;
[] i8600 notebook malfunctioning for first 4 months; despite next-business-day-on-site-warranty, motherboard not replaced until 8 days later (2/16/2004); problem still persisted; motherboard repalced again (2/17/2004); problem persisted; video-card replaced (2/17/2004); problem persisted; formatted drive and re-installed operating system; problem persisted; upgraded BIOS and all drivers; problem persisted until 3rd motherboard, 2nd video-card, and CPU were replaced on 3/25/2004 (now seems to be functioning OK at the moment).
________________________________________________
NOTE: these problems (above) are all hardware problems.
Not Microsoft problems or driver problems. However, that didn't
prevent DELL tech-support (if that's what you want to call it) from
trying to blame the problem on drivers and Microsoft or attempting
to tweak the operating system to hide the hardware problem.
I've owned about a dozen computers over the past 20 years (IBM, HPs, SONYs, COMPAQs, MICRONs, Texas Instruments, Acer, Toshiba, Gateway, custom built PCs, etc.) and ALL of those ( ALL PUT TOGETHER ), did not have the total number of problems that this one DELL notebook model had.
If you dare to call DELL tech support, you most likely will get the
royal run-around. DELL will probably:
(01 ) tell you that other customers don't have the problem.
(02 ) give you some lengthy exercises to perform; and if the problem
takes a while to reproduce, all the better
(03 ) shift the blame to a 3rd party part manufacturer, Microsoft, or you
(04 ) perhaps guess at a part to replace ( probably the wrong one )
(05 ) re-install the operating system ... hee hee hee ....
that'll keep 'em busy for a while.
(06 ) remove and re-install device drivers.
(07 ) tell you to re-format the hard disk; this is their favorite,
since you'll then have to also do (5) and (6) above...
hee hee hee ... this will keep 'em busy for days or weeks.
(08 ) disable various operating system features (lame)
(09 ) reduce performance settings and / or resolution / or power options
(e.g. disable auto Power-Down)
(10 ) download and try one of a dozen different driver versions
(11 ) and generally, wear you down ( especially with the
poor English of the Tech Support persons in India and Asia ), and
(12 ) hope you will become discouraged and go away
And, DELL rarely provided next-business-day-onsite service
as advertised (which I paid extra for). DELL has a clever little
clause in the contract that states that service depends on part
availability. It was interesting that DELL claimed to NOT have
a replacement hard disk in stock, but was shipping out thousands
of systems with the same hard disk every day.
DELL needlessly had me format my hard disk several times.
I played along knowing that was not the problem. All of the
problems (see above) were hardware failures. But, I became expert
at re-installing the operating system, drivers, driver updates,
firmware updates, configuring the network, security, downloading the numerous
Microsoft updates and patches, reconfiguring E-Mail accounts,
installing and re-configuring anti-virus and firewall software, and
re-installing Microsoft Office and all of the other software used, etc.
I'm a software/electrical engineer, so I'm not a novice,
and am familiar with and work with many different computers and
operating systems.
Also, my experience with DELL is not limited to my notebook.
I've worked with several other DELL notebook and desktop
computers, and about 40% of them had various problems within
the first 12 months (e.g. DOA, failed hard disks, motherboards,
video cards, LCD displays, CPUs, CD-ROM drives, DVD drives,
keyboards, etc.)
Thus, after 20 years of owning and using many computers and
many brands, I can honestly and objectively say, based on my
own experience, that beyond a shadow of a doubt,
that DELL is the worst I've ever seen. My DELL notebook was
malfunctioning for many months (essentially useless), and over
250 hours were wasted waiting for parts, removing and installing
replacement parts (many times, the same part over and over);
waiting for on-site repairs, waiting on HOLD on the telephone,
trouble-shooting problems, needlessly en-installing drivers and
operating systems, etc. (and the problems were always hardware
problems; not software problems).
That's why, in time, people will consider DELL synonymous
with other four letter words. In time, people will say things like:
- What a sorry piece of stinkin' DELL !
- This is frustrating as DELL !
- that's DELLed up !
- What the DELL !
- I got DELLed !
- DELL DELL !
- ....oops....excuse my DELLin' language....
NOTE: The account above is my opinion based on many years
of experience. Obviously, there are some individuals that
have never had a problem with their DELL. I'd even admit
that the majority of DELL customers never have a problem.
However, that in no way diminishes the plight of the DELL
customers that have DELL lemons and find themselves in
DELL HELL, and/or have got the royal run-around.
Some of the happy DELL customers and/or pro DELL bigots
don't like anyone bashing DELL Computer. I've actually
received some nasty anonymous E-Mails and a few threats for
bashing DELL. I traced one of these E-Mails back to
Round Rock, Texas (location of DELL Headquarters).
One important thing that can be learned from all of this is that
the massive advertising and claims of "Award-Winning" support
are myths. Do not believe the hype.
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Mar 01 '05
3:17 pm PST
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printer problems (Reply to this comment)
by lewis9573
FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS I HAVE BEING UNABLE TO INSTALL MY PRINTER.I HAVE TRIED TO GET SOME HELP AND SUPPORT FROM TECH SUPPORT AND DELL.NOTHING HAPPEN.I OWN TEN DELL COMPUTERS,I WILL NEVER BUY FROM DELL AGAIN.DELL SUCKS-BIG TIME.
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Feb 16 '05
6:20 pm PST
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Re: Rather than simply say DELL sucks, I'll stick to the facts . . . (Reply to this comment)
by baxcar
purchase laptop5100 on sale on payment plan. Sale price 999.00. paid first 3 payments of 30 t0 50 bucks, and then payed the remainder with two checks of about 450 to 490 apiece so as not to pay more interest. Two or three checks were not cashed in by dell within 45 days so i had them cancelled, and dell attempded to cash them later, and i sent them another check in lieu of the ones they misplaced. Paid completely in less than 6 months, but they are attempting to collect interest on the checks they misplaced. This is all a record at bank 4. I actually paid in more than 1200 for the 999 note book, now they have a collection agency bugging me for an extra 55 bucks they claim in interest. Am thinking about filing a suit in small small claims court against dell for a small amt, might get one of their indians attention. DON'T BUY DELL.
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Feb 09 '05
12:07 pm PST
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Dell Belgium (Reply to this comment)
by simonbbs
Really frustrated by these guys. We ordered the laptop and after 3 weeks (yes that's over 15 working days) there is still no sign.
No chance of them contacting us to explain the delay, but when we called them they said it was because of a shortage of free printers...
God, they are lousy and really only interested in charging your card, (good for cash-flow) and having terrible customer service (good for short-term cash flow). The worm is turning Dell, get your skates on and deal with real customer problems, before a new guy takes your place... (We can only hope!).
Simon McDermott
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Jan 12 '05
6:10 am PST
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Re: Dell Support is in Chennai India (Reply to this comment)
by zippy123
fyi.. they are also in new deli india.. now my computer also poped with the burning smell.. according to dell tech support.. whoever buit my house which is ten years old... didnt wire the house correct... wonder how it passed inspection.. i am now trying to get my money back..of corse they are offering only half.. i suggest you send kevi ollins the ceo a fax of your complaint.. fax is512-283-6161
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Dec 29 '04
9:18 pm PST
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Re: Dell Support is in Chennai India (Reply to this comment)
by zippy123
fyi.. they are also in new deli india.. now my computer also poped with the burning smell.. according to dell tech support.. whoever buit my house which is ten years old... didnt wire the house correct... wonder how it passed inspection.. i am now trying to get my money back..of corse they are offering only half.. i suggest you send kevi ollins the ceo a fax of your complaint.. fax is512-283-6161
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Dec 29 '04
9:16 pm PST
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Re: Follow up for those who claim to have had trouble with Dell (Reply to this comment)
by zippy123
you must be on their payroll.. wait till your system shoots fire because of a bad hard drive and then the mother board goes out.. opps lets not forget the phone modem..which goes bad,, all within the first 90 days
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Dec 29 '04
8:59 pm PST
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Re: Follow up for those who claim to have had trouble with Dell (Reply to this comment)
by zippy123
apprently you are on dell's payroll and never had one of the wonderful dell comuters shoot out fire because of a bad hard drive
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Dec 29 '04
8:57 pm PST
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Rebates (Reply to this comment)
by boldfeat
Hey everybody!
Dell can bill your credit card, build your computer and ship it to your door, all within three days.
But it will take close to SIX MONTHS for them to process your rebate and mail you a check. And that's only if you remember to apply for the rebate, search on-line for the rebate form, print it out, fill it in by hand, and put it in the mail; the order process is hi-tech, the rebate process is stone-age.
How bush league is that! How can you trust a company that will pull a stunt like that for what, a few pennies of interest?
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Dec 11 '04
6:40 am PST
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Follow up for those who claim to have had trouble with Dell (Reply to this comment)
by rfjason
I'm inclined to believe all the negative comments on this board are from anti-Dell shills, or people with unrealistic expectations of performance.
Dell never stalls a shipment. If your shipment is going to be delayed, they tell you up front before buying. If your order is delayed before shipping, they notify you by e-mail, and you have the option of cancelling your order and getting a full refund.
Technical Support is a tricky business, and the only people who are dissatisfied with tech support are people who are tech-incompetent. A Dell computer isn't that hard to use. If you're having problems figuring out how to use a Dell, you should probably invest in "Computers for Dummies" or whatever. Tech support doesn't exist to teach you how to use your computer. Stop abusing it.
I've met dozens of IT admins who have had scores of complaints with Dell. Yes, it's true, IT admins complain to high heaven about Dell. Do you know why? Because they have a grudge against manufacturers like Dell, and they'll explode every little issue, and downright lie to make Dell look as bad as possible. IT admins aren't happy until they have whiteboxes installed in their NOCs, and they'll slam whoever they have to in order to make that happen.
Service warranties for Dell are just fine. But, due to the overwhelming number of false alarms from incompetent computer users, Dell has to be careful who they send replacement parts to, and where they send on-site technicians. In the small business line, I've never had any problems with support or on-site service from Dell. They do their job as promised, on time, and professionally.
All in all, there's a reason Dell is #1 in the world: quality, service and value.
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Dec 04 '04
5:22 pm PST
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Re: Dell is actually pretty damn good - NOT (Reply to this comment)
by notebookworthy
Yes they build a pretty good product for the buck. But if something goes wrong, you're sunk. I purchased the deluxe extended at home warranty for a notebook and when issues arose, I was forced to experience the unbelievable wrath of their crack team of overseas ESL know-nothings
For example; a failed HD (one of several issues in less than a year) was finally replaced after numerous hours of phone hold and language issues. It was a refurb that arrived with NO instruction thus forcing more phone joy. NEVER SAW A TECH. These guys are clueless and fighting hard to deter repeat business. Nuff said.
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Oct 28 '04
9:45 pm PDT
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Re: Re: Dell is actually pretty damn good. (Reply to this comment)
by jagcrasher
He's either a Dell employee or really does not know what he is talking about.
I've been an IT/Network admin for many years and have never had the problems with other computers that I've had with Dell. And it's getting worse. Shipping delays, orders are wrong and several computers that just do NOT work. A recent Dell computer arrived with a hole where the floppy drive should be. The drive was in there, but only inserted into the wrong slot, behind the case and totally inaccessible.
Of the recent 20 Dells we've ordered, 12 of them have had major problems, but for some reason, people insist on ordering Dells. Even after witnessing the problems.
Value, ha! You don't get your moneys worth. In a recent catalogue, a "Student's Dell", was advertised for $449, but the fine print read "monitor, keyboard and mouse, additional".
I get multiple catalogues, all addressed the same. The money they spend on advertising and mass mailing would be better spent on quality control.
And if you ever call their technical support, now there's a treat...
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Oct 09 '04
6:53 am PDT
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DELL REALLY IS A JOKE (Reply to this comment)
by consumerx000
They blatently lie about shipping times.
They also charge your credit card and delay shipment by weeks and even months. This practice is fraudulent in my mind. Think about it, if you sold a 400.00 item on ebay got the money then decided to not ship it for a month. You would be sent to jail, yet with Dell this is a common practice.
This company is sickening.
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Oct 07 '04
8:23 pm PDT
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Re: Dell is actually pretty damn good. (Reply to this comment)
by sathomm
I'm convinced you must be a Dell employee.
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Sep 24 '04
1:25 pm PDT
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NOTHING MORE FRUSTRATING THAN A DELL! (Reply to this comment)
by sathomm
DON'T BUY DELL!!!
DON'T BUY DELL!!!
I only wish I would have seen this sight before buying my DELL. - I have had no luck with the tech support. If I had a dime for every minute I have been on hold or had to repeat my name, address and phone number I would be rich!
After no luck with Dell tech support, I took my Dell computer to a computer shop and paid more money (this on top of the 'in home' technical service - what a joke!) to have them get the files off of this 'frozen/locked up' 2 month old computer.
Thank God the competent IS guys at the Computer shop were able to help.
I have since (June) been trying to return the Dell for credit and CONTINUE to get put on the endless hold or talk to somebody who has poor English that can not help.
I believe something needs to be done. - This company has to be on the fine line of illegal.
I would NOT recommend a Dell Computer to anybody (well OK, maybe an ex-husband).
DON'T BUY DELL!!!
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Sep 23 '04
2:55 pm PDT
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Dell is actually pretty damn good. (Reply to this comment)
by rfjason
In seven years, and over 400 units, I have never had a significant problem with Dell computers.
Starting from the Dimension XPS P200 in 1996 to the Dimension 4550 last year, I haven't had a single reason to dissuade anyone from buying a Dell.
No other company (branded, local co. or whitebox) has ever been able to beat Dell's pricing, specs & warranty. I speced out a whitebox once and I had to cut every corner and switch to flaky off-brand parts (including switching to fire-prone AMD processors that fry motherboards) to match pricing with a Dell box. And, of course, that left me without the warranty service of Dell. HP/Compaq can't compete. Gateway can't compete. Alienware can't compete. IBM can't compete.
Our orders always arrive on-time, without defect, or any other problem. Every system has worked correctly out of the box. There has never been a single defect in quality or workmanship. (And, yes, we inspect every last system that comes in the door.)
The Dell systems we purchase get used and abused in a hard environment. Our Pentium 200's from 1996 are JUST NOW starting to have hardware failures. Our Celeron 400's from 1998 are still running flawlessly. You get the picture here.
I can recall every hardware failure I've had on a Dell system (all six incidents). For each incident, I did my diagnostics and tests. Then, when I had isolated the problem, I called Dell, informed them of the problem, and they overnight cross-shipped replacement parts for free. Never had a headache or a hassle with a rep. Ever.
Yes, I've talked to the kids in India. They're not excellent at their jobs, but they do satisfactory work. The kids in Manilla, on the other hand, were pretty rough. They were pretty brain dead. I didn't enjoy talking to them, even though I got what I needed.
So, say all the bad things you want about Dell. I've purchased legions of machines, and I have nothing but praise to offer. I'll take a Dell over any other system everyday of the week, and twice on Sundays.
Thank you, and goodnight.
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Sep 06 '04
1:52 pm PDT
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AHHHHHHHH (Reply to this comment)
by colebria
Dell continues its rich tradition of selling crap and providing unbelievable bad service. My 1-year old inspirion 5100 has run hot since day one. I have had the heat sink replaced twice. The motherboard and the cpu twice, and the memory replaced twice. This thing still does not work. Resolution management is supposed to call me back for a replacement. I am still waiting and it has only been 6 days. I have been on the phone with India for at least 15 hours on this P-O-C. I will never buy another dell and have made it a point to tell everyone I know to never buy a dell. What's funny is that I own a business and over the last 5 years, I have bought 11 desktop systems and have spent over $20,000 with dell. My desktops work fine but I will never buy another.
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Aug 24 '04
7:14 am PDT
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Re: Follow-up to my Dell saga (Reply to this comment)
by thist
It's a machine, they break. You wouldn't expect to get a brand new car if it broke down 5 months after you bought it. Who would do this? No one. They sent you a perfectly good system with the same warranty on it. I'd call that good customer service.
If dell did not refurbish parts like this, you would be paying a lot more for your system. Dell is the walmart of computers. If you want something that won't break, then shell out 5 grand for an IBM.
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Aug 17 '04
8:49 pm PDT
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Follow-up to my Dell saga (Reply to this comment)
by truthseeker7
An update to my prior post:
My replacement Dell Dimension 8300 arrived today. It's been 11 days since I contacted them about the electrical failure issue.
Point being, the "new" system has a red sticker on the back stating "REFURBISHED". Can you believe this crap? They have a lot of nerve sending me a refurb.
I called India, A.K.A. Dell Support, and they stated that they only send a brand-new computer if yours fails within the first 21 days after receipt. What a crock of $hit policy that is.
Anyway, the accompanying documentation is as difficult to read as is understanding the support person's accent; it only contains Dell's abbreviated (internal) codes and gibberish. I am trying to compare my original specs to that of the replacement system, but am having a difficult time at that.
To that end, I asked the Dell Support person to walk me through the major configuration items and he was getting frustrated with me! Now I'm even more upset with Dell!!
Lastly, the new HD is 40gig more than my original system. So, I asked for their advice on how I can move the contents of my original system's harddrive (entire disk image) onto the new drive, but the support guy said I'll need to find a local tech to assist me. Fortunately, I do know how to simply swap the drives, but I'd really like to keep the new, larger one for all the grief Dell has caused.
**** END ****
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Aug 11 '04
8:45 pm PDT
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Dell Support is in Chennai India (Reply to this comment)
by truthseeker7
You've probably noticed, but the person on the Dell Support line is indeed Indian. The lady I spoke to recently told me "America is a dream to us in India." I asked where she was specifically, and she replied "Chennai". She also said how little they are paid by Dell.
Where's that you ask?
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=553
ON TO MY ISSUE:
My 5-month-old Dell Dimension 8300 made a loud, electrical-sounding "pop" the other day. Kind of like a fuse blowing. Then there was the electrical-burning smell coming from the rear of the computer. Not a good sign at all. Needless to say, my computer is 100% DEAD. And, yes, I have an APC 725 Power Backup / Surge Protector that is STILL functioning normally.
I called Dell Support who, after 30 minutes of discussing my issue, told me that I had to contact their Customer Support group to arrange for a replacement computer to be sent -- basically, Dell Support could not help. Fine waste of time that was.
After speaking to Customer Support (yes, another Indian only a MUCH harder accent to understand than the first person) told me it would take 10 days at a minimum to build me a new replacement computer. They also told me to check their support site in 3-4 days and that I would see an order created for my replacement computer. Well, 4 days later I logged into their support site but didn't see the order. So, I called once again and (after sitting on hold for 14 minutes) was told that my computer had NOT even BEGUN assembly ... and that it would be 10 days from TODAY. Do that math: that's a total of 14 days at a bare minimum to get my the replacement computer at my door.
Did I mention my On-Site Plan that I purchased? Well, that was another complete waste of time since my issue was likely electrical related. While I understand the reasons why, it still SUCKS that my business (and personal agendas) are DEAD IN THE WATER while Dell takes their sweet a$$ time to replace THIER piece of crap LEMON of a computer. It was only 5 months old!!!
More importantly, I personally know 2 other people who've had the EXACT same experience of a "pop" sound, burning smell and subsequent system shutdown.
Dell Support sucks. They need to put more power in their back-end as they do in their presence / sales.
**** END ****
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Aug 04 '04
3:04 pm PDT
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Helpfull Hints (Reply to this comment)
by stratafire
If I where you people, I would be "recording" my audio conversations with the Dell representative for legal matters, and sending copies to Mr. Dell's e-mail account (if I could find it) "without" personalized comments that could be construed as "defamation" of character or verbal language that can be thought of in legal terms as being "mentally abusive".
Then I would wait a timely manner for a reply and if none is present, I would then send a copy of the recordings and a statement to the better business bureau and my local governor, If that got no response , then I would start a petition and setup guidelines that state that all conversations wither they be phone or through mail, are to be recorded and backed up for legal reasons. then when enough people have signed, I would then take this matter to a corporate prosecution lawyer and let him or her take there to represent those who signed the petition and supplied statements to the fact.
Its really the only way to bend the arm of someone who no longer cares about customer service, You have to bring it into the media spotlight, and pursue it through the court system in order to cause it to become a threat to Dells bottom line. if it can do this, then it will be settled out of court, will it cause changes ? that the 64 million dollar question right? But at least you accomplished something.
The Rules about recording apply differently for a home user then it does for a business, You "can" record your converstions without telling the business you are talking to that they are being recorded (The business has to tell you though) It only take piping it through your computer to accomplish this.
Good Luck
StrataFire
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Jun 02 '04
2:57 pm PDT
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Dell is a joke (Reply to this comment)
by andyarkin
I used to love my Dell. a laptop. i would tell people to buy one.
Well, that just changed. this week i bought another dell. it won't connect to the network in my office. i also bought an extended warranty.
WHAT A JOKE.
they may want to hire people that can speak english. and possibly they may want to have phone lines where the person does not cut out.
finally, they might think about getting their act together and have support that supports.
remember the shell game? that is DELL.
it is the WORST experience i have ever had. i thought i would save some money but i am going back to another MAC. absolutely no problems with them. they speak english, they answer questions and they get it right.
jeff--it is good you are rich because if you had to deal with your own company, you would hang up on them.
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May 26 '04
9:28 am PDT
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NEVER BUY FROM DELL (Reply to this comment)
by vandi423
First off, DELL SUPPORT SUCKS! They never answer your questions. I asked five different tech support questions and I got the same response every single time. DELL SUPPORT = INDIANS with SCRIPTS
I thought maybe it was just a fluke and so I ordered a NEW Dimension XPS. The system cost me $3,500! But when I got it the DAMN thing wouldn't even turn on. $3,500 and they don't even test these things. It turned out to be a BAD motherboard but I returned it. But it took me 3 weeks of fighting just to return the damn thing! If that was DELL "Quality" then I can imagine what other kinds of problems I would have down the road.
I found a local custom system builder here in Los Angeles and so far they've been great. I think its: http://www.zone-5.net
At least they actually test their systems before they even ship them. I do a lot of gaming and so far I have had ZERO problems with the system.
So if you're in the market for a new system then give a local custom system builder a try. They're probably better than what you will find stores.
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Mar 04 '04
9:46 am PST
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DON'T BUY FROM DELL (Reply to this comment)
by vandi423
First off, DELL SUPPORT SUCKS! They never answer your questions. I asked five different tech support questions and I got the same response every single time. DELL SUPPORT = INDIANS with SCRIPTS
I thought maybe it was just a fluke and so I ordered a NEW Dimension XPS. The system cost me $3,500! But when I got it the DAMN thing wouldn't even turn on. $3,500 and they don't even test these things. It turned out to be a BAD motherboard but I returned it. But it took me 3 weeks of fighting just to return the damn thing! If that was DELL "Quality" then I can imagine what other kinds of problems I would have down the road.
I found a local custom system builder here in Los Angeles and so far they've been great. I got a REAL high quality system from them. I think its: http://www.zone-5.net
At least they actually test their systems before they even ship them. I do a lot of gaming and so far I have had ZERO problems with the system.
So if you're in the market for a new system then give a local custom system builder a try. They're probably better than what you will find stores.
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Mar 04 '04
9:42 am PST
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My opinion. SKIP Dell's poor quality. (Reply to this comment)
by john8510
I am a student at the University in the midewst I purchased an Inspiron laptop with the expectation that I was buying a quality computer from Dell. I am a graduate student in the technology field and also work at user support at the University. I take excellent care of my computer equipment, including this laptop. I have purchased two other computers from Dell in the last 7 years and have had not problems until now. I purchased this laptop a little over a year ago and now it is ultimately useless. The motherboard went out in late November and after emailing Dell User Support they have confirmed that the motherboard has to be replaced in my "quality" laptop. I paid 1,350 dollars for a (paperweight) laptop that only lasted a little over a year. I do not have an extended warranty with this laptop and Dell says that it is not their problem that my laptop only lasted a little over a year. I find it particularly disturbing that a quality computer can only last a year, which leads me to believe there is an issue of quality at hand. Dell customer support and technical support is absolutely horrible. They lie, hang up, and give you the run around.
Word of advice. Don't buy a dell computer, they used to be good but now everything is extremely poor about the dell company.
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Feb 23 '04
10:30 pm PST
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DELL REALLY SUCKS -- DO A GOOGLE ON DELL SUCKS (Reply to this comment)
by auser2323
SUMMARY: DELL WILL TAKE YOUR MONEY, AND GIVE
YOU GARBAGE IN RETURN. IN SOME CASES, THEY
SIMPLY TAKE YOUR MONEY!!!
HINT: GUESS WHY THESE PILE OF JUNKS AREN'T
SOLD IN STORES??? HINT: LOCAL CONSUMER LAWS
SOULDN'T TOLERATE THE RIPOFF PRACTICES
BEING PERPETRATED ON CONSUMERS!!!
----------------------------------------------
I took delivery of a DELL INSIPIDON 5100, it was
DEAD after 2 hours of use!!!!
After talking to some outsourced tech jerk who
1. Couldnt care less 2. Could barely speak English
3. Took over 90 minutes to convince him that the
machine was broken, i was shipped a box.
I shipped the INSIPIDON 5100 in said box, and haven't
seen the f**cking thing since!!!! I called DELL, and was
placed in DELL PERMA-HOLD HELL several times. So much
so, that the NiMH batteries on my cordless phone gave out!!
After destroying my corless phone batteries, and being
on the phone for more than an hour, I was finally able
to talk to some outsourced idiot who said that he
doesn't know the status of my machine!!!! I even had
to show the dope how to confirm the delivery to
DELL via the airborne.com tracking website!!!
WHAT A F**CKING JOKE!!!
TO TOP IT OFF, I'M AT HOME, WITH NO COMPUTER, AND $1,200 LESS IN THE BANK!!!
I FEEL THAT I'VE JUST BEEN SCAMMED!!!
DELL used to have a "burn-in" process where
they ran systems for a period of time to check if it would truly work ***BEFORE*** shipping.
NOW it seem that these bastards are shipping systems that pass preliminary checks only.
Michael Dell, YOU MORON!!! You hired some stupid
bean-counting equally MORONIC M.B.A. who thought that Dell could offload the final Q.A. to the public???!!!
Well F***CK YOU, SC*MBAG!!!!!! It was the individual consumers who placed your machines in corporate desktops in the first place!!!!
Word travels fast, MR. SC**MBAG!! and I for one am
going out of my way to relay my story!!!
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Jan 26 '04
1:40 am PST
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Word to the Wise (Reply to this comment)
by madeuthink
I failed to do my homework before plunging into the abiss of the dell hell buying experience..Never Again! I am not only an frequent online buyer of everything from cars to hobbie supplies, but also an e-business owner, Our recent buying experience with Dell computers is the worst I have ever had, almost incomprehensable that they can treat customers who have spent hundreds/thousands of dollors in this manner. Now, nearly a month later, Dell still refusing to address or reply to the issue of our incorrect monitor & missing parts to the package we purchased as a x-mas gift, ..tired of talking to CS reps that are actually in India & make promises they never keep, even simple ones like calling back..my word to the wise, spend your hard earned $$ elsewhere..anywhere but at Dell! My only hope is that they survive as a company long enough for my factory warranty to run out..not that they would honor it anyway when this piece of junk takes a dump...MUT
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Jan 12 '04
12:49 am PST
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Dell Sucks big time Dont buy Dell Dell lies (Reply to this comment)
by dellbullshet
Oh this is the worse online buying saga I have ever had. Continual going from person to person each person cancelled the previous persons order. Just one lie after another.
I buy many things online but Dell is the worse I have ever been treated. They completely messed up Christmas at my house.
Never buy Dell!
Never Buy Dell
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Dec 23 '03
9:05 am PST
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DELL Financing and Customer Services SUCKS! (Reply to this comment)
by epthomas
I recently purchased a laptop from Dell on their preferred account package and was given 2k of credit to purchase a laptop. I was supposed to get interest free for 6 months which was a lark on the third invoice I received a finance charge representing 63% of the monthly charge of 44 which if added up the monthly charge was actually 72.00 and changewhich comes out to 23% yearly! When I called to speak with someone I was redirected to a call center in India and in very broken Eenglish was advised that I did not qualify for the preferred rate! I nearly fell over since I already had it for 2 months, and under this "NEW" development was pretty upset. I was told it was not their problem check with the credit reporting agencies. I did and they never ran the report so I wrote a letter and sent backup and again was told not our problem sorry we won't change the program.... All from India! I demanded to speak to a supervisor and was conveniently put on hold for a long time.... Only to be advised that if I had a problem call the big 3 reporting agencies! I wanted to know how can they arbitrarily change my purchase program after I have the system in house? "Sorry can't help you, call the reporting company"
MORAL of this story "Dude your getting screwed!" if you use any Dell purchase option. It's organized white collar crime!
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Oct 30 '03
10:46 am PST
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Rather than simply say DELL sucks, I'll stick to the facts . . . (Reply to this comment)
by summars
I've learned that the main thing about buying a computer is not
to just consider price or whether it is the utmost highest quality,
but whether the company will honor their warranties and provide
a product that was touted as a "Premium" "top-of-the-line"
"Rock-Solid" system with "Award Winning Customer Service".
When things go wrong, that may well be when the nightmare begins.
I know not all DELLs are lemons, but in good conscience,
I could never recommend DELL based on
my experience with DELL and how they gave me the
royal-run-around on my DELL 8100 notebook (lemon)
and the 15 part failures in 19 months . . .
_______________________________________________
I purchased a DELL notebook that DELL touted as a "Rock-Solid" system backed by "Award Winning Service", but it is a lemon notebook.
My DELL notebook has had 15 part-failures/part-replacements in 19 months.
That's an appalling average of 1 failure every 38 days ( or 0.8 failures per month ).
I had video problems for over a year, and still have video problems.
The video LCD/back-light turned pink and then turned black 4 days after the 3-year-complete-care warranty expired ( and DELL refuses to repair it, despite the ongoing video problems that existed for over a year before the warranty expired 18-Oct-2003 ).
And, I won't even go into the DELL Technical Support problems yet. Let's just say it was "NightMare on DELL Street". I've requested repairs, replacements, and refund many times, but all requests for a refund were denied. DELL attempted many times (14) to repair the notebook, but was never able to completely resolve the problems (as you can see below by the repair history) . . .
_______________________________________________
SUMMARY of 15 FAILURES/REPAIRS in 19 months ( purchased for $4208 ):
Replaced 1 time: notebook (Service Tags: for i7500: 2H0440B, for i8100:93DH811) 05/30/2002;
Replaced 3 times: motherboard: 05/20/2002,06/06/2002,12/16/2002;
Replaced 3 times: CD/DVD drive: 03/22/2002,03/25/2002,05/21/2002;
Replaced 2 times: hard disk drive: 03/21/2002,05/22/2002;
Replaced 2 times: keyboard: 05/22/2002,05/24/2002;
Replaced 1 time: lid latch: 05/22/2002;
Replaced 2 times: video card: 1/10/2003,5/9/2003 ,
Missing: 2nd battery missing with 2nd notebook replacement despite two batteries were purchased and returned with 1st notebook;
Malfunction: repeated video problems and system lock-ups (since received); probably due to infamous infinite loop in nv4_disp.dll ( NVIDIA video card device driver ) since system was received May-2002 ; replaced NVIDIA GeForce2Go-16mb with ATI Radeon-7500-M7-64MB video card/driver: 5/9/2003
Malfunction: LCD back-light failed (22-Oct-2003) 4 days after 3-year-complete-care-warranty expired (18-Oct-2003)
_______________________________________________
Good customer service will become paramount when things go wrong.
I can't say my experience with DELL lived up to the level of the
"Award Winning Customer Service" DELL touts it to be
(in dealing with my lemon).
If you call DELL tech support, you most likely will get the
royal run-around. DELL will probably:
(1) tell you that other customers don't have the problem.
(2) give you some lengthy exercises to perform; and if the problem
takes a while to reproduce, all the better
(3) shift the blame to video card, disk drive, chip manufacturer, Microsoft, or you
(4) perhaps guess at a part to replace ( usually the wrong one )
(5) tell you to re-format the hard disk (this is their favorite), and
(6) re-install the operating system (this is their 2nd favorite....
.... hee hee hee .... that'll keep 'em busy for a while).
(7) remove and re-install device drivers
(8) disable various operating system features (lame)
(9) reduce performance settings and / or resolution / or power options
(e.g. disable auto Power-Down)
(10) download and try one of a dozen different driver versions
(11) and generally, wear you down ( especially with the
poor English of the Tech Support persons in India and Asia ), and
(12) hope you will become discouraged and go away
So, Buyer Beware. . .be sure to 1st check (I wish I had) the following customer feedback sites regarding customer service, because, if
you get a lemon, the integrity of the Customer Service will be the
major factor:
http://www.bbbonline.org/
http://www.consumerreports.org/
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/
http://www.planetfeedback.com/
http://www.epinions.com/
http://www.complaintbook.com/
http://www.ripoffreport.com/
http://www.thesqueakywheel.com/
http://www.uspeakout.com/
http://www.baddealings.com/
http://www.fightback.com/
http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer.htm
http://baycomputers.us/pgms/Dell%20Computers.htm
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Oct 29 '03
3:56 pm PST
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Rather than simply say DELL sucks, I'll stick to the facts . . . (Reply to this comment)
by summars
Rather than simply say DELL sucks, I'll stick to the facts.
My DELL notebook (lemon) has had 15 part failure/replacements in the last 19 months.
That's 1 failure every 38 days ( or 0.8 failures per month).
________________________________________
SUMMARY of 15 FAILUREs/REPAIRs of notebook originally purchased for $4208 :
Replaced 1 time: Notebook (Service Tags: for i7500: 2H0440B, for i8100:93DH811) 05/30/2002;
Missing: 2nd battery missing with 2nd notebook replacement
despite Two batteries were purchased with 1st notebook;
Replaced 3 times: Motherboard: 05/20/2002,06/06/2002,12/16/2002;
Replaced 3 times: CD/DVD drive: 03/22/2002,03/25/2002,05/21/2002;
Replaced 2 times: Hard disk drive: 03/21/2002,05/22/2002;
Replaced 2 times: Keyboard: 05/22/2002,05/24/2002;
Replaced 1 time: Lid latch: 05/22/2002;
Replaced 2 times: Video card: 1/10/2003,5/9/2003 ,
Malfunction: video problems and system lock-ups (since received) due to infamous
infinite loop in nv4_disp.dll ( NVIDIA video card device driver ) for over 12 months
(May-2002 to May-2003); problem persisted since system was received
May-2002 ; finally, after much protesting, DELL replaced
NVIDIA GeForce2Go with ATI Radeon (5/9/2003)
Malfunction: 22-Oct-2003: LCD back-light is switching OFF after startup;
back-light failed 5 days after 3-year-complete-care-warranty expired 17-Oct-2003, and DELL refuses to fix it, despite
the video problems I was having for over 12 months.
________________________________________
And how about that "Award Winning Support" ( LOL ).
I want to barf every time I see one of those c o r n-b a l l DELL commercials
about how "rock-solid" DELL computers are. That has not been my experience.
I have also (like countless others) run the gauntlet through DELL's
tech support.
If you call DELL tech support, you will get the royal run-around. DELL will:
(1) tell you that other customers don't have the problem.
(2) give you some lengthy exercises to perform; and if the problem
takes a while to reproduce, all the better
(3) shift the blame to video card, disk drive, chip manufacturer, Microsoft, or you
(4) perhaps guess at a part to replace ( usually the wrong one )
(5) tell you to re-format the hard disk (this is their favorite), and
(6) re-install the operating system (this is their 2nd favorite....
hee hee hee....that'll keep 'em busy for a while).
(7) remove and re-install device drivers
(8) disable various operating system features (lame)
(9) reduce performance settings and / or resolution / or power options
(e.g. disable auto Power-Down)
(10) download and try one of a dozen different driver versions
(11) and generally, wear you down ( especially with the
poor English of the Tech Support persons in India and Asia ), and
(12) hope you will become discouraged and go away
_______________________________________
I've owned about a dozen computers over the past 20 years that total,
ALL PUT TOGETHER, did not have the total number of problems that
this one single stinkin' piece of DELL lemon has had.
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Oct 27 '03
6:46 pm PST
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DELL SERVICE _SUUUUUUUKS_ DONT DO IT! (Reply to this comment)
by ----------
Anyone in there...? Dell?
Please read the below and my case: SERVICE TAG:BS75531.
1. My OS goes down and Dell walks me through a process that effective prevents my being able to retreive my novel and grad school material.
2. the OS physical CD is shown to be defective so Dell sends me the "drivers" CD.
3. My CD DVD ROM stops working and I ask for a writable CD instead of the DVD so that I can back up my material, so Dell sends me a case of writable compact discs.
4. without the ability to play a cd, Dell finally sends the OS
I can not network since the OS needs to be reinstalled. I can not print. I can not presently play a CD. I can not fix the machine freezes, keyboard issues or anything else until I have the CD ROM to reinstall the OS......
Ok, here is the "Really" tricky part...stay with me on this.....I want DELL to send me a WRITABLE CD "DRIVE" (replacing my defective DVD CD ROM drive) so that I can backup my material before reloading the OS and before anything else happens to my machine. (I know the drivers are online and for some reason my wireless connection is still going.) I _know_ that the system came with a DVD CDROM. I bought the computer. I have it in my posession, and yet every single person I speak with restates this simple point, completely missing the fact that _THIS IS THE LEAST_ Dell can do for me for the headache I continue to endure on a daily basis on account of my Dell Inspiron 1100.
If you can not help me with this simple request, please find a manager or someone else who can. I am sooooooo very tired of being passed back and forth back and forth through the Dell systems.
Dealing with Dell has been like a like a Twilight Zone episode. Time is ticking. I bought this system to carry me through Grad school, but so far it is damaging my grades since I have been repeatedly unable to turn in work.
-j-
-------------------------
Dear ---,
Thank you for contacting Dell Technical Support.
---, previous technician is not currently available to respond to your message, so in order to expedite your resolution I have taken ownership of your issue! I have reviewed your situation and have full knowledge of your past interactions. Let me assure you that both Dell and I are committed to a quick and complete
resolution of your issue.
---, according to our database only DVD drive was shipped with the system. And the dispatch was set up for the same. If you have not ordered the DVD drive while ordering the system you need to contact customer care. Dell eSupport & Services does not handle customer order, credit and return issues.
We assure you of our best services at all times.
Thank you for choosing Dell.
Respectfully,
~~Christina~~
----------------------------
Jenifer
Well, remember how I mentioned that no one at Dell (when I call) appears to understand a thing I say? And remember my story about the two day process I went through to receive a CR-RW drive instead of the DVD CD ROM replacement so that this time I can back up my information before reloading WinXP? The final person I spoke with assured me he handled everything. I even received a call telling me that the drive would be a little late (as I mentioned in my last email).
Surprise, today I receive my CD-R...or...an entire case of writable CDs! No drive in sight. Hmm?
So, going back to your point about my troubles thus far not being indicative of Dell's overall service? Does this mean that I now have to go back to the phone system and start all over to get this little thing handled? And when I call will I receive someone who can actually help me with this issue the way you have so nicely walked me through the software issues?
Any way this can be handled via email?
:thanks
---
---------------------------
Simon,
Thanks for the response. Well, since last I wrote I have also had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with Dell 800 numbers, and have enjoyed many pleasant hours dispatching my name address telephone number and email address to people who don't appear to understand a word I'm saying. Today alone I got to spend a pleasant Boulder morning becoming more acquainted with the phone system after being passed from tech support, to financial services (they were shooting for sales), to sales who thought I should speak with customer care and transferred me wrongly to tech support who transferred me to customer care who said someone named Sharon or Maribelle or Mary Bell was my woman and transferred me there, only sent me to the general number that was picked up by sales who told me I needed extension 66955 and transferred me there, but actually sent me to tech support again and they, in hopes of conferencing me in to make sure I wouldn't be lost transferred me to a manager, but actually hung up. So, I had the pleasure of starting all over and after I lost my temper discovered that all managers were in a meeting, the phone system was bugging out and the Dell internal network was being updated our was down and so everyone only had a little information they could tell me.
After many tries with a customer care technician to get my latest issue resolved, he apparently didn't know the difference between a cd rom, a cd rw, and a dvd cd rom, I got the entire thing settled and I haven't a clue what to expect in the mail.
And good timing, when I returned from several hours at the local Kinkos trying to understand why my Dell would not connect to the network or print anything, I received the crucial software sent to replace the corrupted Discs Dell provided with my computer. Unfortunately though, they forgot to include the operating system so I obviously can not load anything without an operating system. And because of this, I got to spend the afternoon skipping through the 800 numbers, being hung up on, getting transferred to the wrong people, and generally feeling harassed by having to restate my information like a prisoner to Dell personnel.
My keyboard skips around, my os freezes, Internet Explorer does not work with Win XP without crashing every few minutes, my CD rom stopped working, I no longer connect with the network via ethernet, I can't print, the previous OS took all of my software with it.
Everything here looks about under control. I am willing to give it another week and then I will probably, sadly, have to say good bye to my wonderful Dell laptop with it's hearty Toshiba drives. It really looks great sitting there on the desk with the sunlight gleaming off the casing just so, but a little voice somewhere deep inside keeps telling me that perhaps, sitting there all day like that, it might not be able to offer much to the forward advancement of my writing or my plummeting grades in grad school (they just don't appear amused by the antics that have become such a part of my daily life).
Not sure what sort of help you can provide, immaculate intervention perhaps?
Sincerely,
---
P.S. Since the link you sent is for installation instructions and you understand that my disc drive is not functioning properly, they will not possibly be as effective as the online download I was requesting. Thanks.
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Sep 20 '03
10:58 am PDT
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Rather than simply say DELL sucks, I'll stick to the facts: (Reply to this comment)
by summars
Rather than simply say DELL sucks, I'll stick to the facts;
Consider the following history of my DELL notebook:
[] replaced 1 time: notebook (Service Tags: for i7500: 2H0440B, for i8100:93DH811) replaced: 05/30/2002
[] replaced 3 times: motherboard: 05/20/2002,06/06/2002,12/16/2002
[] replaced 3 times: CD/DVD drive: 03/22/2002,03/25/2002,05/21/2002
[] replaced 2 times: hard disk drive: 03/21/2002,05/22/2002
[] replaced 2 times: keyboard: 05/22/2002,05/24/2002
[] replaced 1 time: lid latch: 05/22/2002
[] replaced 1 time: video card: 1/10/2003
[] and I got cheated out of one battery when the first notebook was replaced,
despite fact that I bought two batteries with first notebook.
[] system locks up (since received) due to infamous infinite loop in
nv4_disp.dll ( NVIDIA video card device driver ).
The other day I called (about the 10th time)
DELL Tech support about the video problem
I've had since the day I received the notebook.
Here's what happened:
DELL case # 037363588
(1) 04-Apr-2003: Called DELL technical support
about persistent crashing problem caused by
well known "infamous infinite loop in nv4_disp.dll".
(2) Technician (who I could barely understand) said to change the virtual memory max from 1536MB
to 2304MB. (what this has to do with the video
is beyond me).
(3) He told me to delete sysdata.xml , but that file didn't exist anywhere.
(4) He then told me to disable "Write Debugging Informaiton" ( that just prevents Windows from creating a crash dump...how that's going to solve the video problem is a mystery).
(5) Then he told me to reboot.
(6) He was quite confident that this would resolve the problem
that has plagued my DELL Inspiron 8100 since I received it May-2002.
(7) I was quite doubtful.
A few hours later, the same error occurred ( infinite loop in nv4_disp.dll ).
Pretty sad eh ?
I've given up on the notebook.
It's a piece of DELL (junk).
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Apr 10 '03
9:36 pm PDT
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Re: Not Helpful (Reply to this comment)
by crownvic281
wow i wrote this review years ago and im getting all these comments just recently!. well for starters, if the company that makes the software, suggests it will run on a 386, and recommends a 486, then WHY would you need a "Pentium Class" machine? And you are accusing me of being non-computer literate? I have been using computers, Mac, DOS, and Windows since 1990! I know how to plug in a PS/2 mouse.
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Feb 03 '03
2:17 pm PST
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Re: Not Helpful (Reply to this comment)
by crownvic281
wow i wrote this review years ago and im getting all these comments just recently!. well for starters, if the company that makes the software, suggests it will run on a 386, and recommends a 486, then WHY would you need a "Pentium Class" machine? And you are accusing me of being non-computer literate? I have been using computers, Mac, DOS, and Windows since 1990! I know how to plug in a PS/2 mouse.
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Feb 03 '03
2:16 pm PST
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Rather than simply say DELL sucks, I'll stick to the facts...it's amazing... (Reply to this comment)
by summars
Rather than simply say DELL sucks, I'll stick to the facts...it's amazing...
SUMMARY of FAILURES/REPAIRS:
01.DELL i7500 Service Tag 2H0440B
Hard Disk Drive failed and replaced 1st: 03/21/2002
02.DELL i7500 CD-ROM/DVD drive failed and replaced 1st 03/22/2002
03.DELL i7500 CD-ROM/DVD drive failed and replaced 2nd: 03/25/2002
04.DELL i7500 MotherBoard failed and replaced: 05/20/2002
05.DELL i7500 CD-ROM/DVD drive failed and replaced 3rd: 05/21/2002
06.DELL i7500 Hard Disk Drive failed and replaced 2nd: 05/22/2002
07.DELL i7500 Keyboard failed and replaced 1st: 05/22/2002
08.DELL i7500 LID latch failed and replaced 1st: 05/22/2002
09.DELL i7500 Keyboard failed and replaced 2nd: 05/24/2002
10.DELL i7500 Hard Disk Drive failed 3rd 05/30/2002
DELL replaced i7500 with i8100:
11.DELL i8100 Service Tag 93DH811
replacement missing 2nd battery: 05/30/2002
(NEVER received 2nd battery)
12.DELL i8100 motherboard failed and replaced 1st: 06/06/2002
13.DELL i8100 nVidia driver crashes system: 06/06/2002
14.DELL i8100 upgraded BIOS and tried three
different nVIDIA drivers.
Piece of DELL still crashes.
This is not an isolated case...
I have several friends, associates, and clients with DELLs that
have had similar numerous problems.
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Dec 09 '02
3:58 pm PST
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Re: Dell is worthless. Terrible customer care. DO NOT BUY DELL! (Reply to this comment)
by galemarie
Go to www.planetfeedback.com . It is the best Consumer Affairs site there is! My brother purchased a Dell and had nothing but trouble with it for 2 years. They would do nothing except send a service man out. After 2 years, I contacted www.planetfeedback.com and my email was sent by them to Michael Dell himself. In 3 days, they shipped him a new computer and he has not had a problem since. I truly believe, he was sent a refubished machine originally. This also happened with a friend of mine who had an HP. I told her about planetfeedback and she was sent a check for the full purchase price.
This site is not just for complaints about computers. If ever you purchase ANY product that you feel is defective or causes you problems, this site will work for you at NO CHARGE and go to the top of any company, until something is resolved. I can't say enough good things about them.
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Sep 18 '02
5:29 am PDT
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Re: Re: Dell is worthless. Terrible customer care. DO NOT BUY DELL! (Reply to this comment)
by galemarie
Go to www.planetfeedback.com . It is the best Consumer Affairs site there is! My brother purchased a Dell and had nothing but trouble with it for 2 years. They would do nothing except send a service man out. After 2 years, I contacted www.planetfeedback.com and my email was sent by them to Michael Dell himself. In 3 days, they shipped him a new computer and he has not had a problem since. I truly believe, he was sent a refubished machine originally. This also happened with a friend of mine who had an HP. I told her about planetfeedback and she was sent a check for the full purchase price.
This site is not just for complaints about computers. If ever you purchase ANY product that you feel is defective or causes you problems, this site will work for you at NO CHARGE and go to the top of any company, until something is resolved. I can't say enough good things about them.
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Sep 18 '02
5:28 am PDT
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Re: User Education? (Reply to this comment)
by crownvic281
You didn't seem to understand what I said about the backspace key: while typing in a est field within Internet Explorer, such as when writing a review in epinions.com, the backspace key could either delete the character preceding it, as it is supposed to, or go to the page you wre at before. When there is no text bos selected, ie no flashing test cursor anywhere on the screen, the backspace key should go to the preceding page.
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Jul 14 '00
7:29 pm PDT
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User Education? (Reply to this comment)
by gramstalks
Re Win95: This product was 'fraught' with incompatibilities and the inability to us Netscape and/or other non-MS software is the very reason that Bill Gates ended up in Court! Get Win98 2nd Edition!
Re: Mouse Cord: Telecommunications techs will tell you that if you set something on a phone line, transmissions can be compromised. So why not a mouse cord also?
Re: Keyboard: Keyboards can and should be turned upside down and lightly shaken (with the system shut down) to help loosen and/or remove dust and dirt from them especially when they are that old.
Also, Dell has diagnostic programs easily downloaded from their site to disk that will show "stuck key" locations and/or other problems.
Re: Backspace: Click on Start then "Help"; Type in "Functions"; then double-click or display and open up subject: "Using shortcut keys in dialog box".
Backspace has the capability to open up a folder one level up if you have unwittingly set the conditions to cause it to do so.
Moral of the story: Computerese is not pronounced "ComputerEASY" and is not for the 'faint-hearted' or 'heavy-fingered."
Regards, Gramstalks
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Jul 14 '00
6:00 pm PDT
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