Looking for GOOD Customer Support for a Computer

[chrismiss56]

Hi

We currently have Dell Computers in the house and have to tell you in the last several years Dell's Customer Support has been the WORST !!

Today the monitor on the laptop which is still under warranty stopped working. After numerous phone calls around the world I am still no closer to getting this problem fixed!!! They keep transferring me...........grrrrrrrrrrrrr..

So this is the straw that broke the camel's back and will be looking for a different computer mfg with Great Customer Support!!

So any ideas..........

Thanks

Have a Magical Disney Day!!

 

[Towncrier]

Good luck with your search. Good customer support costs money. Dell computers are inexpensive because they cut costs whenever possible. Perhaps you can find a local computer store that will be able to better take care of your customer service needs. But I'm willing to bet that you will have to pay more for that computer and/or for the service.

Several years ago I had a similar problem with Gateway, so I feel your pain. Eventually, I just gave up and bought another computer. From Dell.

 

[chrismiss56]

bumping for more advice

Have a Magical Disney Day!!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Another vote here for AVOID DELL! We have had horrid customer service and have wasted HOURS and HOURS and HOURS on the phone and online.

I have had 3 COMPAQ laptops and 2 of their desktops in the recent past and their customer service was much better than Dell's but still not great.

My boss loves his APPLE computers and raves about their customer service.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Although Apple has great customer support, you will rarely, if ever need it. Our 7 year old computer hasn't ever needed anything. The monitor went black after a few years (past the waranty)- Apple sent a box, paid postage both ways and fixed it for free. Never a problem with it since. How's that for customer service?

Really, Macs are very solid reliable computers- they just work great. Lots of pc users are switching over due to all the frustrations of poorly made pc's and dealing with windows, frequent crashes, spyware, adware, viruses..... All stuff I've never had to deal with.

http://www.apple.com/switch/

You can hear from people who've made the switch and how their experience was. (NO, I don't work for apple, I'm just a very happy customer)

Jackie

 

[Forevryoung]

Dell Customer Service is great if you have amazing patience and a lot of time. I have clocked 42 hours or something on the phone with them in the past 3.5 years The good news is that they replaced my computer for free at one point.

Nobody has great customer service. Apple is a good bet IF you aren't playing many games and you dont mind learning a whole new operating system (it's very different).

Good Luck

 

[bicker]

We currently have Dell Computers in the house and have to tell you in the last several years Dell's Customer Support has been the WORST !!

As others have pointed out, Dell is actually the BEST, and that just is a commentary on how bad all the rest are.

Perhaps you can find a local computer store that will be able to better take care of your customer service needs. But I'm willing to bet that you will have to pay more for that computer and/or for the service.

What's worse, you cannot know how reliable a local store is, unless you're their accountant! Small computer stores, and even large chains, to a lesser extent, are notorious for going out of business, leaving warranty holders in a lurch.

I believe the best approach is to find the best rated product, and just buy the product from them. Then, if you need service, on a case-by-case basis, find a service provider, and pay for each bit of service as you go.

 

[Galahad]

As others have pointed out, Dell is actually the BEST, and that just is a commentary on how bad all the rest are.

What's worse, you cannot know how reliable a local store is, unless you're their accountant! Small computer stores, and even large chains, to a lesser extent, are notorious for going out of business, leaving warranty holders in a lurch.

I believe the best approach is to find the best rated product, and just buy the product from them. Then, if you need service, on a case-by-case basis, find a service provider, and pay for each bit of service as you go.

We've had GREAT luck with Dell customer service. We will continue to buy Dell in the future primarily BECAUSE of their great service!

 

[tandrjohn]

Lots of pc users are switching over due to all the frustrations of poorly made pc's and dealing with windows, frequent crashes, spyware, adware, viruses..... All stuff I've never had to deal with.

Here are the latest stats:

http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/7773/

Operating System Market Share for November 2005:
1. Windows XP - 77.92%
2. Windows 2000 - 9.82%
3. Windows 98 - 4.78%
4. Mac OS - 4.11%
5. Windows ME - 1.99%

"Lots of pc users are switching [to Apple]" is a relative statement IMO.

In my experience, if you want good customer service, go with a well established local shop that builds and services PC's. These "guys" give the word geek a whole new meaning!

 

[Nancy]

Actually as bad as Dell seems (I have actually had pretty good luck with them), Compaq/HP is the worst! I have spent numerous calls of 3-4 hours trying to get them to fix a brand new computer. The thing totally stopped working after 3 months...after hours and hours they agreed finally to pick it up for repairs. They replaced the hard drive and guess what? Less than 1 month later it was done again. We called again, they refused to have anything to do with it.There were no viruses, nothing...just defective hard drives. We got the tech guy from my husbands work to fix it and now it is barely useable for games...I would never attempt anything else with it. WE bought an Emachines and have had that for 3 years with absolutely no problems. My Dell PC, no problems, my Dell laptop, 1 problem that was caused by my DD turning off McAfee and getting a virus.

 

[Christine]

I've been buying my computers from Microcenter which is a chain computer store. They don't have a lot of locations, but they do have some scattered about the east coast, I think. At any rate, there must be other chains like them. I buy their house brand of computer (PowerSpec) and I get a one year warranty on them. The store is only 30 minutes away, so if something goes wrong, I don't have to mail it off. Something happened to one of our office computers and they just replaced it, no questions asked. Took about one day.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

I've been buying my computers from Microcenter which is a chain computer store. They don't have a lot of locations, but they do have some scattered about the east coast, I think. At any rate, there must be other chains like them. I buy their house brand of computer (PowerSpec) and I get a one year warranty on them. The store is only 30 minutes away, so if something goes wrong, I don't have to mail it off. Something happened to one of our office computers and they just replaced it, no questions asked. Took about one day.

I actually have a PowerSpec too. But mine has been upgraded over the years. I have heard either great stories about Dell's customer service or horror stories. Personally I would not buy a Dell, the customer service I have delt with was less than useful. 1 person does the operating system, 1 does the pda, another does the printer and so on. It just got really annoying. I am not a fan of Compaq computers. Emachines are not bad, but they really don't offer any support.

I am a computer science major so I fix my computer myself, and everyone elses that I know. That to me is the best way to get the help that you need. Find someone that knows even a little about computers and ask them for help. To me, Dell is too expensive for what you are actually getting. I wish I could help but I have yet to find a good customer service when it comes to computers.