Comments on: Dell hell

By: Geoff

Geoff — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:09:20 +0000

Looks as if were going into 2010 with Dell still giving us Hell, Jeff!
Got my Laptop back from repair, new hard drive with less volume!
32 bit O.S. instead of 64.
Maybe there’s an issue with my original set-up (that Dell sold me, I ain’t added amything, cept Windows 7 (hmm)).
Obviously I wanted to reinstill either vista or Windows 7 64 bit (as originally sold). So I needed to contact them to see if this would be safe or would it trigger the same problem again, and if the latter, money back please!!!
How convenient for them that my phone company didn’t recognise any of the Dell numbers I rang today.
Hey Presto, ching-ching!

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:00:10 +0000

I bought a Dell Studio Hybrid last Christmas and have had trouble too with Teck Support. Need a new soft touch switch for DVD drive. They want to sell me an extended warranty instead. The original isn’t working, why would I buy an extended. This began in July. Now they seem to have trouble finding a part for this machine which is no longer made. And like the above, my frustration runneth over! Same problems, one tech sends me to another and another; each time the language problem gets worse. Always the promise to call you back with solution; never a call back. Polite, friendly, but useless!

By: Dissastified_Customer

Dissastified_Customer — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:49:22 +0000

I too purchased a top of the line XPS system as you claim to have done. Only, mine has been plagued with problems from day one. The BSOD everytime I shut down the computer occurred for the first 4 months with tech support having no clue how to fix it. The motherboard has now failed with no service date in sight even though I purchased the Next Business Day warranty and Complete Care. Just be happy that you have a working system.

By: Dr. Lewis C Shigley

Dr. Lewis C Shigley — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:18:32 +0000

Last week my computer suffered a fatal invasion by an apparent virus. I decided to ‘bite the bullet’ and reinstall my operating system knowing full well that everything would be erased. I knew I had to rely on the backup discs I had made for my pertinent information.

Unfortunately the reinstallation disc and procedure wouldn’t work for me so I called Dell’s technical service which is located in India.

After patching me through to three ’service technicians’ I reached one who said for $129 they’d talk me through my hard drive cleansing. They took my Citibank credit card number and transferred me to a fourth Indian ‘technician.’

After 25 minutes he said he’d have to check his manuals in order to determine the best way to resolve my problem and would call me back in 30 minutes.

I never heard back from him.

I then called a local computer technician who took my computer, made the necessary expunging and reloaded software returning it to me for a cost of $315.

I believed that Dell would never have charged me due to the fact that I had not received the service for which they charged me. In checking my Citibank account online I saw that they had indeed charged me.

I immediately contacted them by email and they said that once the charge was made it couldn’t be reversed. Each response (there have been at least eight) was signed by an Indian Dell employee and they continued to espouse the same bogus reasoning: ‘the service had been given.’ I repeatedly said that it hadn’t.

I wrote a letter to the corporate Customer Service Manager in Texas, but haven’t heard back. I have contested the charge with Citibank, but this has become a larger issue with me of principal.

Dell sells you a computer, then turns your service over to a remote office in Delhi or Bangalore to people you have difficulting understanding. Putting it in writing such as I have done gives a record of the single-minded obfuscation one encounters. It is absolutely frustrating!

By: barcelona spain

barcelona spain — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:10:35 +0000

I agree, what kind of father are you! Get him a Macbook Pro

By: DixieDarlin

DixieDarlin — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:15:30 +0000

I certainly live in Dell Hell. I have ran into people I’ve talked to for Dell representives that did have a language barrier. But as I was going to say, I bought the Dell XPS 600 and added extra things to it. The total cost of this machine was close to $4,000. Nothing cheap about it. I had a problem with it after the first year and the support personel said it was probably a hard drive failure. We redid a install and the computer was fine. I renewed my warranty at that time.

Now after my warranty has expired by one month which I am reading happens alot to other customers. I took my computer to three different shops to have it tested. These companies could not do a full diagonostics because of the Dell proprietary connections. I was given two suggestions of the problem. Might I mention the first problem was fan was louder than normal, steady amber light, and diagnostic light #4. I was told it is either the motherboard or the power supply.

So I ordered a motherboard from Dell at the cost of nearly $300 dollars and replaced that with the help of the Dell support. The computer worked for five days and then on boot shut down and wouldn’t not come on again. I ordered a power supply from Dell again about $296 dollars and have put it in last night. I am back to my original issue. Nearly $600 and I still have a loud fan, steady amber light, and diagnostic light #4. Not to mention I had recently purchased two Nvidia graphics card for SLI (still in the package), and two more gig’s of memory for a total of 4Gigs. Roughly around $450 bucks.

So…The computer still has the issues as before…I’m in about $1K now. I don’t know what else to do. I am a independent (older) online university student with limited resources. I am living in Dell Hell.

By: James

James — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:35:04 +0000

Well, I had a laptop from dell that was having some issues. I traced it back to a faulty ram stick, called up dell, and I told them what the problem was. But the technician told me I was wrong, and that the mainboard needed to be replaced. I explained to him exactly what I had done and that I was correct and he needed to go back to school, but he was firm in his belief. I recieved the mainboard, swapped it out with my old one, and unsuprisingly i had the same error code and same problems as before. I called dell again, and told them I needed a new stick of ram, they refused and sent me a list of tests i needed to preform (which i had done before i called them the first time, then again after speaking to them) I found a stick of ram for sale at $10. Bought it. Stuck it in. Voila, computer works.

Thanks dell.

By: jon

jon — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 22:59:51 +0000

I work part time for qualxserv. They are very stingy and expect very much for not a lot. They require part time, per call techs to attend “mandatory” conference calls without getting paid. They supply no benefits, mileage reimbursment. office, or phone. This is just a part time gig and they make it worth my while if they keep me in one small territory. Please complain about Qualxserv to dell so that another company can step in and maybe treat their “employees” better. Dell is cheap and they get what they pay for.

By: Karsten Chu

Karsten Chu — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:41:35 +0000

I’m an XPS owner. Maybe it’s because of all the money I shelled out for my laptop…but the service I’ve received over the last two years has been golden. Not once did I speak to someone from the Indian subcontinent. Always with an American who resolved my issue in under half an hour. All my replacement parts came in on the next business day with a tech if necessary. Not one single problem with support. So I’d just like to say that the XPS desktop replacements are worth it as they have a completely different support line that is very very on the ball.

By: mark

mark — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:35:40 +0000

I too got a call from the same number. The Dell customer service agent was demanding that I pay my bill over the phone to avoid the late fee. I told him that I would just pay on-line because I didn’t like giving my personal information on the phone. When I said that he started reciting my social security number and my driver’s license number and he told me “I could also tell you your Dell account number if I wanted to.” Later on he said, “if you give me your routing number and bank account number I can process your payment over the phone right now and you don’t have to worry about your information because we don’t keep records of it.” What kind of BS is that?

By: ann

ann — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 05:25:31 +0000

ps did I say dell sucks? after all the bullshit I dumped 1000 shares of dell and bought elsewhere. bunch of dumb assed monkeys

By: ann

ann — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 05:23:38 +0000

dell sucks ass. 5 hrs of phone hell to talk to some witch in manilla. cluelss as the tech guy they sent out to replace the keyboard who used no shit a screwdriver to pry off the top and damaged the whole laptop. the monkey in the us was as dumb as the bitch overseas. buy a mac.

By: matt

matt — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 12:52:20 +0000

If you think Dell are bad, try a Mesh Computer.. HaHaHa. No actually don`t they`ve got poor service and don`t work right also. These companies take the biscuit.

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 18:38:33 +0000

I bought a Dell on 3/27/05 and on 7/11/06 it crashed. After talking with a “Bill”, a “David” and a”Joe” all in the Phillipines, it was concluded that I had to reformat. One of them checked to see what cd’s had come with the computer and I was missing the one that had the drives. I was told they would send one and gave me a tracking number for DHL.

Waited 2 days, called DHL and found out that the tracking number was incorrect. Called the filipinos back, then I was told that although my computer was still under warranty, it was now obsolete and they would not be sending the missing cd. They instead provided me with a website to go download the drives. Went to a friend’s home, went to the page provided and it was the wrong location. Called the filipinos back, got another webpage, opened it up as per their instructions and downloaded all the drives that were listed in that site for my services tag #. Put the cd in the computer and immediately got an error message, “not the correct OS”.

(At this point I was ready to go to the Phillipenes and find these three guys)

Called them back got the numbers for the drivers and tried it again.

Now the reinstalation cd goes to the point in which I have to insert the serial number to be able to continue. Searched all the materials that came in the box and there was no serial number. Called them back explained the problem. They said they did not have that kind of information and could not help. I inquired if I could take the computer back to them and they fix the problem, well no that was not an option. They indicated I then had to buy another instalation cd, which I did for $342.00, (needless to say I was fuming).

Once I got the computer back up I realized that many of the softwares that were in the original machine were now missing, so I called the filipinos back and again they could not help. I told them to tell their supervisor that I would make it my life career in downseizing Dell and that my next computer would not be a Dell.

I figured that none of this interaction would go anywhwere, so I wrote the President of Dell with the same information and with the same ending.

Yesterday I got a call from someone in Dell about my letter and wanted to know what was my problem. I most say that I was less than nice, I asked the idiot if he had read my letter, because in it I defined clearly what my issues were, to which he said no he had not.

End of a very heated exchange, he would send the cd with the drivers and apologized for the poor service.

I have a suggestion for the readers and writers in this blog. Let’s down seize Dell. We can each convinve 5 other people to not buy Dell and they in turn do the same. I believe that one dissatisfied customer can get the attention of a Dell.

By: Ed

Ed — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 23:46:53 +0000

My laptop gave me a death screen 5 days after the warranty expired. (Inspiron 1150). I called Dells technical department (I navigated their system relatively easily and was connected to a living person inside of 5 minutes! This person’s accent indicated that she was based India. Then another surprise. She was actually very good technically and was professionally courteous!! Inside of 15 minutes she diagnosed the problem as a well-done motherboard. Can I have it fixed? No, because you see I had it for 1 year and 5 days don’t you know. Well can you replace the motherboard. Of course. Estimate please!!……. $700. Thanks!!!! That way I can have a 1-year old laptop for the same price as a brand new one.

This call was followed by a customer satisfaction survey a day later. The tech rep got high marks. As far as my overall impression of Dell, real low. I made it clear that I would rather use an abacus than buy another Dell. I gave as an example of ‘decent’ that I had a Neon which blew a head gasket 3500 miles past the warranty and even Dodge cut me a break cutting the cost in half for labor and parts.

(I confess that I haven’t bought another Dodge either though.)

By: R.W.

R.W. — Fri, 26 May 2006 02:19:26 +0000

This is a blog from me. A former employee for Spherion @ Dell. Anyone wanitng to know the real story with Dell need go no further than talking to me. I can tell you exactly what’s wrong with Dell. Like most Corporations, its all about the numbers. And They will do whatever possible to get the numbers they want. Anything except what’s best for the customer. I worked in the Nashville call center as a Dell On Call Satisfaction Garauntee Technicial Support representative. Not trying to toot my own horn, but I was pretty good at my job. So good in fact that a major supplier for many of the TV Shopping Networks went as far as to say in an email to my manager that he would like someone to like me to be the face of his company. Why do I no longer work at Dell? Its for the same reason why Dell’s Customer satisfaction rating is at an all time low. It was because I didn’t “Fit in” with Dell. After working at Dell off and on for over a year, I got fired for failing to make a callback. I had made 149 of the one 150 or so callbacks that were scheduled during my shift in the month of April. But because I missed the one(That I happened to miss because I was in the middle of handling two others at that time), I got canned. Not only that, I got passed over for Full employment by Dell. Why? Because my Dell manager was more interested in hiring people that had their nose up her ass rather than people who like me were 99.7% effective on the phone like myself. The accomodation from the reseller was just one of four accomodations I received from satisfied customers, more than anyone else on my team. And despite the fact that there was an auditor(Who wasn’t even technically trained enough to do the job that Dell had her doing) trying to knock me down by means of bogus auditor scores, including comments like “You are unprofessional because you admitted to customers that Dell didn’t have enough employees to handle the call volume that we were experiencing.” I still wound up #2 in the overall team rankings. I was the best Technical representive in my department and had the most resolved support issues to prove it. But it didn’t mateter, They hired who they wanted to hire, and because I did my job and didn’t kiss ass along with it, I was fired. But its ok. I had opted to quit the job before I was fired, because I was tired of the bullshit.

Not only that, but people in the rest of Dell on Call were equally dissatisfied. Those techs were losing their jobs, promotions, raises, and chances to move to different departments because of the way they were being measured. Even if the Dell on Call Technician did a good job fixing the customer’s problem(s), If that customer was pissed off about anything, even something that happened in a different department They got punished for it. In other words, at hardware tech in India not doing his or her job, could get one of the Software Support guys(aka Dell On Call) fired because they pissed the customer off so bad that he or she would not be satisfied no matter what. So in effect Dell On Call had to bear the burden of ALL of Dell’s Shortcomings, even if 98% of it was beyond their control to prevent.

I believe that Dell’s going down. And unless Micheal Dell and Kevin Rollins cleans house and get rid of idiot managers that don’t care about anything but getting their asses kissed and quit telling their people things like “We have to make the customers care about them, even though we really don’t, because its only the money in their pocket, and that we keep getting it is all that matters”. Dell doesn’t care about you as customers. Just about U as potential paychecks to line they’re pockets like the oil industry does. Hell they’re both from Texas anyway.

Dell used to be a reputable company, but now because money is their main objective, They have no room in their heart for anything else. feel free to email me if you’re a newscaster looking for a story.

By: P.J.R

P.J.R — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 21:20:56 +0000

I owned a Dell about 10 years ago– had tons of troubleI also had in home service but they refused to come out- 2 mother boards-2 hardrives- a new chipset-they finally declared it a Lemon and sent me new parts to install- when I asked where the tech was they said sorry but you can do this yourself.I then bought a Gateway and NO trouble–6 years and no service plan later the video card went bad-I went to the store(no longer stores either)and they gave me a new one for half the cost of the big box places-Also walked me through the install even though they did not have to. I am still running this computer(Win 98)7 years later.My son just purchased a new computer for me- big gift-sweet guy- guess what a DELL-hhhhhhhaaaaa.They have canceled the order twice-no reason was given-they now have 2 computers they are building for us and we can not get them to void the one- They ordered software that I did not order and when you call to talk to them it is like talking to a wall- all from Bopal India and get this using American friendly names-my last phone gal was named Trixie..When I asked to talk to someone in the US they said there was no one.The above person said if you order through an EPP you get all English/Americans–well sorry sweetie butI beg to differ-my son did order through the EPP and we have spoken to all of India it seems….Hey if you have that US # for support how about posting it.VERY unhappy might be customer– who knows if it will ever show up.

By: RPNAM

RPNAM — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 04:13:54 +0000

Facts…
- Most of the technicians in Dell are for hardware related issues, software even do they may or may no know is not handled by them
- Onsite service it’s for parts replacement, NOT for handle you software issues (Windows, Office,outlook… ). Strongly suggested to help the techs (Dell, HP, IBM) to get an accurate response
- India tech’s? so what?… they have the skills and knowledge, language barriers exist even in the same country, example SPANISH in spain, there are like 10 variations, same thing happens with the english, ohhh by the way ENGLISH is not the universal language.
- Do your data backups, if your harddrive crash … it crash Major manufacturer will send you a replacement at that it!.
- Phone technicians are not god and do not have any crystal ball, if you not explain properly, they may take actions on the information you provided.
- If you have a problem with Windows, office, outlook and you call MICROSOFT, you get charge for, why someone expect a company that does not manufacturer those software will provide the same assistance for free?
- Also keeps compaining about home service, hmmm how do you expect to have a part send out for tomorrow after you call in at 6:00PM, get DHL to pick up those parts and overnight them, then you still want a technician WITH the parts in the morning?.

By: kirabug’s idea files » Dell snaps up Alienware

kirabug’s idea files » Dell snaps up Alienware — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 14:50:37 +0000

[...] It breaks my heart to see a cool computer become a Dull. I hope Dell’s tech support doesn’t take over for Alienware’s as well, or there are going to be a LOT of unhappy gamers out there. [...]

By: EviL ONE

EviL ONE — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 07:24:53 +0000

People get what they typically pay for.Ignorant consumers always spending a quarter to save a nickle…tisk tisk.I’ve recently purchased my 3rd DeLL XPS system,I currently have and own a 1st Generation XPS,a 3rd Generation XPS,and now my Awesome XPS 600,all of which have been trouble free and are used daily with never a problem…ever!No Dell/HeLL here people.I didn’t scrimp on a a cheap disposable $500 computer like most ignorant consumers and expect it to do everything a REAL Machine will do.I have dealt with DeLL support on many occasions but,it was because of my stupidity screwing something up, with these high quality computers.And I get step by step help in fixing the problems and always get it right because the India support people are experts compared to the masses of wanna be IT heads here.Since I’ve been purchasing DeLL’s PREMIUM Computers,I get instant over the phone SPECIAL service,never a wait over five minutes,they patiently sit there even through a complete system reformat with me making sure the problem is corrected.Never ever in the past several years have I had a piece of hardware go bad in my monster DeLL XPS machines……hmmmm…must be because I gets whats I pays fors?Before DeLL,I was only buying HP’s,but HP doesn’t make a decent gaming machine anymore,and I will never go back to HP simply because of that.My XPS’s smoke even higher priced computers,and everyone still shoots DeLL owners down.I believe people have issues with DeLL,and other companies computers and support/warranty’s/service.Thats the way this world has evolved.Nothing last’s forever even with maintenance and proper servicing,it’s technology handicaped anyways in a few years.Do yourself’s a favor and pay for the higher end machines so you can be as happy happy happy as me and all the other DeLL XPS owners.I do not work for DeLL!DeLL just happens to work for me!Karma is getting what you give.Best regard’s,Another satisfied multiple Dell computer owner!P.S. people,dial-up connection speeds are also for the computer savy challenged,please get with the program and sign up for a broadband connection.You are dragging the rest of the world and our future for progress down.Speed doesn’t Kill in this case!Go!Go!Go!
L8rs

By: Ozdachs

Ozdachs — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 16:55:44 +0000

I’m on day 10 for my next-day, on-site service. On day 2 the tech came out with the India-shipped part, and the notebook still didn’t work. He called Dell India and they hung up on him. Since then I have called, been hung up on, been given case numbers, been given a new dispatch number, and have talked to supervisors. No one has come back. The local tech called yesterday to say he found out the latest parts were shipped to Massachusetts… I’m in San Francisco. Gory details at http://www.livejournal.com/users/ozdachs/41568.html. Anyone with any ideas?

I am curious why there aren’t/haven’t been class action law suits.

By: Paul L.

Paul L. — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 15:09:25 +0000

Dell HELL…and I don’t even OWN one!!

…how’s that for reaching out and screwing with people’s lives?

I get a phone call from Dell Financial services, asking if I’m Paul L. “yes”, I tell them. “Do you live on blah blah street in San Antonio?”

“Um, no, I don’t.”

“Oh. Are your last four numbers social security numbers 1234?”

“No, they are not. What is this in regard to?”

“Well, we’re looking for Paul L., who owes money to Dell.”

“Ok, good luck in your hunt, but you’ve struck out, because I’m not the guy. Have a good day.”

Well, this scenario has been repeated about SIX TIMES now.
Each time I painstakingly explain I’m still not the person they’re looking for, and why does Dell keep calling this number when it’s already known, and apparently noted, it is not the person on the account.

I’ve asked for supervisors and their supervisors, and gotten assurances that it would indeed be noted and eventually removed. Riiiight.

I’ve now apparently entered the next phase of Dell HELL: the automated call-back from 800-443-1638 that keeps hanging up as soon as I say ‘hello’.

…and all THIS from someone who has NEVER purchased a Dell, and sure as hell won’t in the future!!

By: Former Dell Customer

Former Dell Customer — Sun, 20 Nov 2005 20:13:09 +0000

I purchased a Dell online about 3 years ago. No problems. Then I attempted to order a second last week, for my eleven year old whos dad just died. She saved up 400.00 to buy it and I wanted to surprise her and pitch in the rest.
Everything was going fine until I needed to ask a question and called the sales dept. The sales person answered my question and then asked if I would like her to finish placing my order for me. I did not see the harm until it ended up taking over an hour. She apologized and I thought we were through.
Well two days after it was to be shipped and I never received conformation, I went online to check the status and the order had been cancelled. I called relentlessly until another sales person said that the person who had placed the order did not complete the process and it had been cancelled. To make matters worse, the promo. that I had purchased was not available anymore. She proceeded to sell me another that she said was a newer model with the same upgrades that I had on the first. Of course it would cost me another 100.00 or so. I was very upset but said go ahead. Then I went online to be sure it was the same and of course it was not anything close!
I called again six more times trying to reach a manager only to be hung up on and re-routed over and over. Finally I spoke with a young girl who worked very hard to fix the whole mess. She gave me the newer computer with all the upgrades for almost the same price and apologized over and over and I though it was taken care of, only to wake up and find out they had cancelled it again!
I have spent a total of 6+ hours on the phone with Dell this week. They can go screw because I will NEVER EVER order from those inept fools again! I am on my way to Comp USA to get an HP.
My conclusion; if you buy from Dell do not speak with anyone! Buy online and hope you never have to speak with customer service because it is a nighmare!

By: Melinda

Melinda — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 01:50:10 +0000

The fan failed on my Dell Dimension Desktop and after 2 hours on the phone trying to reach a live person, a tech scheduled the part to be sent. It was sent almost immediately, but the tech didn’t send any paperwork or instructions as he said: ‘ I was a woman and could just figure it out for myself’. Repeated calls to Dell technical service lines were met with: our phones aren’t working or the computers are down. This has gone on for five days now. UPS has come and gone and I’m stuck with defective parts and no paperwork to return the parts.

Will I ever buy another Dell… NEVER!

By: John Smith

John Smith — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 18:16:02 +0000

The Truth About The Parts
The parts are cheap, are treated like crap, and are put together by temporary labor. I believe that Dell comuputers are built to last roughly 2 years. That correlates to what they believe the buying cycle for a customer should be. In addition, as far as the efficiency model that Dell is famous for, I’ve seen better retail models that make Dell logistics look like a mom and pop dime store (writing inventories on paper, give me a break!.), and in response to Danielle M, I’ve seen people throw your parts, step on your parts, and then drop them . You haven’t been down on the production floors have you Danielle? To all people reading this blog, Danielle has no idea about quality since she hasn’t a clue on how they are actually built. I just bought me 2 loaded HP’s with 19″ LCD flat panels, DVD burner, 200 gig drive, with 512 ram, total cost $2100 with a hundred dollar rebate. Flawless straight out of the box. I didn’t have to, I can put my own computer together with cheap parts and I know it won’t die on me, the cheap parts have nothing to do with being fully operational, it’s the quality and care involved that makes them tick and that is a characteristic that is lacking at Dell Inc.