Great computer, poor support
Written: Dec 15 '00
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Pros: Quality hardware
Cons: Poor support, expensive
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| LinneaB's Full Review: Dell Dimension XPS B1000 |
I bought my Dell XPS B1000 two months ago, when I started my own business as a Web site designer. The ordering process was excellent, the system arrived on time in good condition, it was exactly what I had ordered, and I was happy. I really got what I consider to be a great system: 40 GB hard drive, 256 MB RAM, both a CD-ROM and CD-RW drive, and the Microsoft Office Professional Suite.
As far as system stability, I have had trouble, but I am running Windows NT, so I guess I deserve it. I don't feel it would be fair to blame Dell for how many times I must reboot my computer each week. Things have certainly improved since I got rid of findfast.exe, a little Microsoft Office program component that I hate. From a hardware standpoint, I don't think I have had anything go wrong except the following, which has left a bad taste in my mouth:
My CD-RW drive stopped working and the system would not recognize it on start-up. I e-mailed Dell support and was apparently assigned to a certain technician who gave me some instructions on what to try. This was on a Friday afternoon. I tried his instructions, but because he misread my system manifest, he gave me instructions that do not work in Windows NT. I asked for more help about an hour later, and was given some more advice the next morning, but it did not solve the problem. I asked for help again, but because "my" technician had Sunday through Tuesday off, I did not hear anything until Wednesday. The technician told me that he was arranging to have the drive replaced.
It was not until the following Monday that a technician from Unisys called and stopped by. He was nice enough, but he brought a replacement CD-ROM drive, not a CD-RW drive (this was in spite of the fact that I used the phrase "CD-RW" or "write a CD" twice when reporting the problem). Then, he had to call Dell from my office, tying up my only phone line for at least 30 minutes while they had him on hold. When they finally answered the phone, he told them to send the right drive and he left. One would think that a Dell contractor could press some magic number combination on the phone system and get priority treatment.
The next day, another technician stopped by and replaced the drive. I have a next-day on-site support contract, but it was 11 days from the time I reported the problem to the time my drive was replaced. I wrote to Dell and expressed my displeasure, and the only response I got was from "my" technician, who said that his records showed that the problem had now been corrected. No apology whatsoever.
This is my first Dell, and I am obviously not impressed with the service. I have had much better luck with Gateway in the service department (however, when I worked with Gateway computers, I needed a lot of service because lots of things seemed to go wrong).
I hope that Dell's reputation for dependability is true so that I never have to deal with them again. As I said, I like the computer, but owning this "Cadillac of computers" has not turned me into a die-hard Dell fan.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 3000
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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Epinions.com ID:
LinneaB
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Reviews written: 66
Trusted by: 3 members
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