Well, today the Dell Nightmare finally got me. I've been buying Dell computers for as long as they've been around, and bought my latest one just this spring, and XPS Gen 2. I spent half of yesterday just trying to get service, and trying to buy a new laptop to replace the old one that won't work well for the on-the-road work I have to do now.
Here's the letter I sent to Michael Dell:
Dear Mr. Dell:
I've been a Dell customer for as long as Dell has been selling computers. Every single system I've purchased has been a Dell, and currently I've got 3 desktops and 2 laptops (and a DJ) in the house. At one time I was quite happy with both the product and the service. However, since you outsourced your support (both sales and service, apparently) to non-US sites, that service has become non-existant.
Yesterday morning, after discovering that my Inspiron 8100 appeared to be showing the same motherboard-related problems that required a repair 3 months ago (despite not having been used since that time), I called support to get it repaired under my 4-year At Home warranty program. Your phone system disconnected me in mid transfer. I called again, and was again disconnected, during hold. Finally, I called a 3rd time, and after a 20 minute wait, got a tech. I explained to the non-English speaking person (who could barely be understood) that I was experiencing the exact same symptoms as my last repair call. She pulled the data (after a 5 minute hold), and then wanted to walk through the entire diagnostics sequence *again*, despite having the exact same info from the previous repair call. I explained that I paid for a support contract, and Dell wasn't paying me to fix my own computer. I paid several hundred dollars to have *Dell* fix my computer, as I don't repair laptops.
After nearly an hour of repeatedly explaining the problem, she *finally* began the process to send a tech out. At that point, your phone system disconnected me. Again. After I'd spent nearly 2 hours trying to resolve my problem. I called *again*, waited 20 minutes, got *another* tech, who attempted to make me go through the entire process *again*, despite having just gone through it with the previous tech.
Finally they agreed to send out some memory, which may or may not fix the problem. Not a tech. I can instal memory, but I PAID FOR A SERVICE CONTRACT. If I'm not going to get service, At Home, as stated in the contract, what am I paying for?
Despite that, because I've always used Dell, I decided to give you One Last Chance. I've decided to purchase a new laptop, and went onto dell.com to see what I could find. I wanted an XPS unit, because my XPS desktop works well, and I wanted the same speed and power in a laptop. I discovered the following sale for the XPS140 on your site:
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/top...pgrade_payone?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~lt=popup
I was thrilled, because as a one-woman home business (remember when you were like that?) on a budget, I need to maximize my 'bang for my buck'. And $680 of upgrades included in the unit for $1399 seemed the exact thing I needed.
Imagine my shock when I discovered that, contrary to the advertisement, all the listed upgrades were *not*, in fact, included. The page which allows for configuring the system, here:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=iM140u5&s=dhs doesn't include either 1GB of memory or 36 months of virus protection, as was listed in the ad.
The ad says: "Load it up with great features and still pay the same price! Configure one of these special notebooks with an e-value code or order code containing sequence i6000U7, i9300U6, i6000U6, i9300U5, or iM140u5 online and get select upgrades for FREE! You’ll pay nothing extra if you choose any of these items: up to 1GB1 memory, up to 80GB2 Hard Drive, up to 8X CD/DVD Burner3, Intel® PRO/Wireless 2915 Internal Wireless, 2Yr Ltd Warranty4, 2Yr At-Home Service5, and 2Yr Hardware Warranty Support, Microsoft® Office Basic, and McAfee® Security Center 36-months!
Choose from one of the notebooks below, simply select your applicable upgrades and "add to cart"! Offer is good online only."
The average person (myself included) would take this to mean that you get the listed upgrades. And you are told to 'select your applicable upgrades', which indicates you can choose which ones you'd like.
Well, the unit in the link above won't even allow me to choose memory or virus protection. They're chosen for me, and no choices to add either are allowed. So, thinking that perhaps the page programming was incorrect, I called Dell Sales. I got a non-English speaking woman whose accent was nearly too thick to understand. I explained the situation, that not all of the promised upgrades were available to choose on the web pages, and she *very* condescendingly explained that Dell only offered *some* of the upgrades, not all, and I could take it or leave it. I tried to explain that I wished to have the system with the memory at 1GB, instead of some of the other upgrades, as stated in the ad, and she interrupted me (repeatedly), became rude, and refused to transfer me to someone who could help, despite several polite requests on my part.
I eventualy persuaded her to transfer me, and was transferred twice more until eventually I was placed on hold, apparently indefinitely, as I waited on hold for over 20 minutes in silence, no music, no 'we'll be with you shortly', just silence.
Finally, I hung up. I had wasted a total of over 4 hours on Dell. And half of that was trying to give you money.
No more. I'll be buying from Sony or HP from now on. And I'll be telling all my customers (I'm a web designer) to purchase something other than Dell as well.
Being abused while trying to spend money with your company doesn't cause me to want to buy. But it *will* cause me to recommend to all my clients, friends, relatives, blog and forum readers, and the 40,000 people per month that visit my website to purchase anything *but* Dell.
====================================
Vicky - looking for a 2.0Ghz laptop with at least 1Gb of RAM, 80Gb of storage that is light and has multi-media feeds for less than 2K - any suggestions?
Here's the letter I sent to Michael Dell:
Dear Mr. Dell:
I've been a Dell customer for as long as Dell has been selling computers. Every single system I've purchased has been a Dell, and currently I've got 3 desktops and 2 laptops (and a DJ) in the house. At one time I was quite happy with both the product and the service. However, since you outsourced your support (both sales and service, apparently) to non-US sites, that service has become non-existant.
Yesterday morning, after discovering that my Inspiron 8100 appeared to be showing the same motherboard-related problems that required a repair 3 months ago (despite not having been used since that time), I called support to get it repaired under my 4-year At Home warranty program. Your phone system disconnected me in mid transfer. I called again, and was again disconnected, during hold. Finally, I called a 3rd time, and after a 20 minute wait, got a tech. I explained to the non-English speaking person (who could barely be understood) that I was experiencing the exact same symptoms as my last repair call. She pulled the data (after a 5 minute hold), and then wanted to walk through the entire diagnostics sequence *again*, despite having the exact same info from the previous repair call. I explained that I paid for a support contract, and Dell wasn't paying me to fix my own computer. I paid several hundred dollars to have *Dell* fix my computer, as I don't repair laptops.
After nearly an hour of repeatedly explaining the problem, she *finally* began the process to send a tech out. At that point, your phone system disconnected me. Again. After I'd spent nearly 2 hours trying to resolve my problem. I called *again*, waited 20 minutes, got *another* tech, who attempted to make me go through the entire process *again*, despite having just gone through it with the previous tech.
Finally they agreed to send out some memory, which may or may not fix the problem. Not a tech. I can instal memory, but I PAID FOR A SERVICE CONTRACT. If I'm not going to get service, At Home, as stated in the contract, what am I paying for?
Despite that, because I've always used Dell, I decided to give you One Last Chance. I've decided to purchase a new laptop, and went onto dell.com to see what I could find. I wanted an XPS unit, because my XPS desktop works well, and I wanted the same speed and power in a laptop. I discovered the following sale for the XPS140 on your site:
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/top...pgrade_payone?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~lt=popup
I was thrilled, because as a one-woman home business (remember when you were like that?) on a budget, I need to maximize my 'bang for my buck'. And $680 of upgrades included in the unit for $1399 seemed the exact thing I needed.
Imagine my shock when I discovered that, contrary to the advertisement, all the listed upgrades were *not*, in fact, included. The page which allows for configuring the system, here:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=iM140u5&s=dhs doesn't include either 1GB of memory or 36 months of virus protection, as was listed in the ad.
The ad says: "Load it up with great features and still pay the same price! Configure one of these special notebooks with an e-value code or order code containing sequence i6000U7, i9300U6, i6000U6, i9300U5, or iM140u5 online and get select upgrades for FREE! You’ll pay nothing extra if you choose any of these items: up to 1GB1 memory, up to 80GB2 Hard Drive, up to 8X CD/DVD Burner3, Intel® PRO/Wireless 2915 Internal Wireless, 2Yr Ltd Warranty4, 2Yr At-Home Service5, and 2Yr Hardware Warranty Support, Microsoft® Office Basic, and McAfee® Security Center 36-months!
Choose from one of the notebooks below, simply select your applicable upgrades and "add to cart"! Offer is good online only."
The average person (myself included) would take this to mean that you get the listed upgrades. And you are told to 'select your applicable upgrades', which indicates you can choose which ones you'd like.
Well, the unit in the link above won't even allow me to choose memory or virus protection. They're chosen for me, and no choices to add either are allowed. So, thinking that perhaps the page programming was incorrect, I called Dell Sales. I got a non-English speaking woman whose accent was nearly too thick to understand. I explained the situation, that not all of the promised upgrades were available to choose on the web pages, and she *very* condescendingly explained that Dell only offered *some* of the upgrades, not all, and I could take it or leave it. I tried to explain that I wished to have the system with the memory at 1GB, instead of some of the other upgrades, as stated in the ad, and she interrupted me (repeatedly), became rude, and refused to transfer me to someone who could help, despite several polite requests on my part.
I eventualy persuaded her to transfer me, and was transferred twice more until eventually I was placed on hold, apparently indefinitely, as I waited on hold for over 20 minutes in silence, no music, no 'we'll be with you shortly', just silence.
Finally, I hung up. I had wasted a total of over 4 hours on Dell. And half of that was trying to give you money.
No more. I'll be buying from Sony or HP from now on. And I'll be telling all my customers (I'm a web designer) to purchase something other than Dell as well.
Being abused while trying to spend money with your company doesn't cause me to want to buy. But it *will* cause me to recommend to all my clients, friends, relatives, blog and forum readers, and the 40,000 people per month that visit my website to purchase anything *but* Dell.
====================================
Vicky - looking for a 2.0Ghz laptop with at least 1Gb of RAM, 80Gb of storage that is light and has multi-media feeds for less than 2K - any suggestions?
