Dell - I should have known better!

[va32h]

Having heard many complaints about Dell, I should have thought twice about ordering my new laptop from them.

But, my desktop is from Dell, and I've never had any problems with them myself, so I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Not such a good idea.

I ordered my system on May 16th and was told it would take 5-7 days to receive. I was very happy about this, and said so to the sales person, as we are leaving for California on May 28th and I would love to have the laptop with me for that trip. I also didn't want it to arrive while I was gone, and have it sit on my porch for two weeks.

Yesterday I received an email saying that my shipment was delayed until May 30th. I tried to contact Dell - my goodness what a labyrinthe! The email was auto-generated, so I couldn't reply to it. The Dell website didn't offer a phone number, instead it suggests a live online chat, which requires filling out a form. Well I did that, and then I received an error message saying that their records indicated I was not a "home or home-business customer" so I had to find out what category I was in, and fill out the form all over again.

After getting this message twice - and how the heck am I supposed to know what category I'm in? I bought this for personal use, how is that not a home customer anyway?! - I finally received a link to email someone with my problem.

Which I did. My question was "my order is showing as delayed until May 30. Why is this happening, and can it be expidited?". The response I got was "our records show your order is delayed and will ship on or about May 30.", followed by links to track my order.

So I reply again "yes, I knew that, the question is WHY?"

Today I get an email that says to call sales and provided a phone number.

So I call sales. And I talk to no less than three people. To sum up, the first person I talk to says my order is on hold for payment authorization, and that I should talk to someone in another department. Second person says, yes it is waiting for payment authorization, but she is sure they can rush it to me by the 28th, and I should talk to another person. Third person says it is not waiting for payment authorization, and that the laptop should ship on or before May 25th.

What?

During this entire process, I have also been asking "how do I cancel this order, if I can't get it by May 28", a question which no one has been willing to acknowledge, much less answer.

I am just not in the mood to speak to anyone at Dell any more today. I'm just going to have to regroup before I decide what to do.

But all those complaints about Dell? Yeah, I understand them now.

 

[azgal81]

I love my dell laptop. However calling them for help is a nightmare. That's my only complaint with them but my laptop works great!

 

[C.Ann]

Mine shipped waaaaaay sooner than the email said it would ship.. Maybe yours will too..

If not, go to the post office (if it's coming by USPS) and have them hold all mail and packages while you're gone.. If it's coming UPS or FedEx, call and tell them you will be out of town and for them to hold it until you get back..

I wouldn't be surprised if you have it much sooner than the email says though..

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I had no problems at all when I ordered my 2 laptops. I haven't had to contact them, so can't comment on that. Hopefully they'll get it to you before you leave.

 

[MoniqueU]

Welcome to Dell Hell. Just wait til it breaks either in or out of warranty which mine did about 6 times. Your story is nothing compared to what I have gone through calling India.

 

[MBeds]

I love my dell laptop. However calling them for help is a nightmare. That's my only complaint with them but my laptop works great!

"Nightmare" is an understatement...
Don't EVEN get me started about this..
I will never EVER buy a Dell anything again...

 

[Aimeedyan]

Oh, I HATE DELL! My laptop is a POS.

However, the only good thing they did was get my laptop to me quickly so I hope yours comes quickly as well. It all went downhill from there.

 

[mtdevine615]

Simple solution - Stop payment and go out buy something else from a store and then you'll have it in about an hour.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Wow, we have the opposite experience. My dd just got a brand new dell from gm for her upcoming bday. We got it very quickly. My DH got a laptop about 8 months ago and he got it quickly, and he got the paid warrenty on it, and has had no problems. He doesn't speak to India when he has problems. He had to have his monitor replaced, they came to his office within 2 days. Dh realized it wasn't the upgraded monitor it should have been, so they came back again and replaced it. They have been great to us. I am really sorry so many of you are having such a hard time.

 

[Galahad]

Sorry it's so frustrating for you. We will never buy anything other than a Dell again. We've been happy with 5 laptops and great service for all of them!

 

[Aimeedyan]

Wow, we have the opposite experience. My dd just got a brand new dell from gm for her upcoming bday. We got it very quickly. My DH got a laptop about 8 months ago and he got it quickly, and he got the paid warrenty on it, and has had no problems. He doesn't speak to India when he has problems. He had to have his monitor replaced, they came to his office within 2 days. Dh realized it wasn't the upgraded monitor it should have been, so they came back again and replaced it. They have been great to us. I am really sorry so many of you are having such a hard time.

Who does he speak to? The online tech support and phone tech support (when you hunt down the number) are both based in India. It's only when they dispatch help that you get someone here in the States to look at your machine.

Oh my tech people have been very nice and move quickly once I jumped through hours of tech help in India to get them to help me. Average visit with India has been 3 hours. Last encounter, right before my warranty expired, was 4.5 hours. It was after midnight when I finally said that I HAD to end the call to go to bed and they HAD to send someone out with a new motherboard. My ear hurt from having the phone stuck to it!

I have to stop... the nightmares are returning... ARGH!

 

[Galahad]

Who does he speak to? The online tech support and phone tech support (when you hunt down the number) are both based in India. It's only when they dispatch help that you get someone here in the States to look at your machine.

Oh my tech people have been very nice and move quickly once I jumped through hours of tech help in India to get them to help me. Average visit with India has been 3 hours. Last encounter, right before my warranty expired, was 4.5 hours. It was after midnight when I finally said that I HAD to end the call to go to bed and they HAD to send someone out with a new motherboard. My ear hurt from having the phone stuck to it!

I have to stop... the nightmares are returning... ARGH!

I believe Dell has:

1) Removed most of their tech support from their off shore operations.
2) A tiered support set up. If you bought you computer through your employer or college, usually a 2 or 3 year on-site service contract is included. OR you can pay extra and add it. If you have added that service, you get a different set of support phone numbers to call. If you have to add it, it adds about $200 to $300 to the cost of a laptop. Well worth it.

Some will say that it's a rip off to have tiered service, but many things we deal with every day, including Disney give different levels of service based on what you pay. This way, there is at least a service option for those that don't want to pay extra. Some PC makers don't have ANY credible tech support that will help you through a problem in the middle of the night. Heck, some folks will spend $200 or $300 on Hoop-de-doo review and call it a good deal - and it's over as soon as you walk out the door.

We have 5 dell laptops. DS#2 is a teenager and thus VERY hard on things. We've had to have some sort of repair to his 3 times as a result of his own actions. In every case, they fixed it at my office within 24 hours of reporting the problem and DS had virtually no downtime.

 

[Planogirl]

I can't stand Dell. We ordered one and when it arrived it didn't work. After a lot of time on the phone with technical support, they determined that the mother board needed to be replaced. DH agreed to try to replace it which I thought was a mistake. Oh well, they walked him through it and it seemed OK. Was I right?

Wrong! We have trouble with the sound, the video (Geeksquad has repaired this and it's starting to malfunction again) and the speed. It's impossible to load a game such as the Sims even though supposedly it has adequate memory. It's just been a complete mess of a PC and I wish that we'd bought another HP instead!

Sorry to rant but I do feel better now.

 

[Quinn222]

I've got eight Dell's. Never had a problem. My job is to provide computer tech support and I'm always really happy to hear when someone has a Dell because we have so few problems with them. With any luck once you get your shipping problem straightened out you'll be happy with your new computer.

 

[bicker]

Dell is bad, but pretty-much is the best there is. That's because the general public doesn't want to pay $3000 per machine.

 

[Quinn222]

Dell is bad, but pretty-much is the best there is. That's because the general public doesn't want to pay $3000 per machine.

Good point. I don't buy the cheap Dells. I don't have much money but I've found it pays in the long run to shell out for the best and then it will last me the four years it will take to save up for a new one.

 

[Cindy B]

We've had great experiences with Dell. We bought a laptop back in January and a new desktop back in April... and they are fantastic.

I guess it also helps to have a PC tech support person in the house, so we had to call often
. Since tech support is what DH does, he knows how to get a hold of the non India support people by using the tiered system.

 

[Galahad]

Good point. I don't buy the cheap Dells. I don't have much money but I've found it pays in the long run to shell out for the best and then it will last me the four years it will take to save up for a new one.

Right. On laptops, for example, we buy the Latitudes instead of the Inspirons. They seem to be "tougher".

 

[Mskanga]

Dell is bad, but pretty-much is the best there is. That's because the general public doesn't want to pay $3000 per machine.

I paid close to that years ago for an IBM and it was a real nightmare. I have four Dell desktops at home and I couldn't be happier.
I will not buy anything else , and I have never had a problem with customer service either because even when I call india , if I don't understand what they say or I think they are not listening , I request to speak to someone in the USA.

 

[Dan Murphy]

What Galahad and Quinn said.

I have had quite a few Dells over the years, back to the mid 80's, before it was called Dell, currently using 2 desktops, 1 laptop. Always pleased with the units themselves, service, performance and price. Hope you will be too.