This is one of the funniest articles I have ever read from the NY Times. I was going to excerpt parts, but it's so hilarious, I couldn't decide which parts to pick. Then I thought to copy the whole thing, but that may be illegal, so... just check it out.Yeah, Dell customer service sucks. And their computers alternate between being really good and... well, sucking. But read that Times link above - it honestly calms me down a bit. If it weren't so true, I'd probably laugh a lot harder.
Anyone who has ever had a DELL experience will love this. Old readers of this blog know I've had more than my share...
Anyway... the point is that our home computer is - once again - on the fritz. What's the problem? Oh, well: THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM WE HAD WITH THE LAST TWO! That's right - Dell insisted that they could only send me the same model to replace the previous ones despite our contention that "we'll probably have the same problem with this one!!!" After about a year, the fan breaks down, the computer consistently overheats...
Dell claims that their technicians have 'figured out a way' to install it so it's no longer a problem. That's nice - meanwhile, if it doesn't work, my warranty will run out. Plus, there's the old 'I really am not interested in getting back the same crappy computer that has a high probability of breaking down, especially when it's a 4-year old model and I can get a new one for half the price!' So... we're going to try and negotiate to get a Dell credit, I'll buy a really nice NEW Dell, and pray really hard that it never breaks down and I have to call them. If that happens... wow, I really don't want to think about that.
. . . aaaaaand this is why you get a Mac. Just MHO :-)
ReplyDeleteor an Acer Aspire. :D
ReplyDelete(btw, my spam word is Actup. Act up, get it?)
I have a garden variety Dell at work (yes, programmers should not have garden variety computers, but I have no cohice in the matter) and it works great.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad has a very similar one at home and the power supply on it went, causing it to itermitently not turn on or turn off.
Since he was past his warranty, he got an IT friend of ours to install a new one.
At home I use a very old (9 years old) Mac and haven't had a single hardware problem with it (expect for 3rd party memory I bought which decided to die on me and I foolishly threw out the reciept).
I suspect Dell calls are being routed to gas stations in New Jersey. That's why those people are always on the phone, they are busy fixing computers while ringing up rolling paper.
ReplyDeleteyou know my thoughts on the matter. pretty much what EK said.
ReplyDeleteEK, Sarah - I almost wrote that in the post. But no. :)
ReplyDeleteChana - A what?!
Avrom - Most places use Dells with no problem. Honestly, they don't care about personal consumers, only offices.
Mel - Heh.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Mike, I’m a Technical Analyst located at Dell corporate headquarters in Round Rock, TX. I’m part of an internet outreach team developed to interact with the online community regarding technical questions and issues that customers face with Dell products. I read your post and wanted to see if I could be of any help. I can definitely empathize with your situation, I’ve been in the tech industry for many years and have seen all kinds of failures, but the one thing that always remains constant is the frustration of having a downed computer. I understand from the post that the fan has gone out on your machine which is causing it to overheat. I also read that you’ve had this fixed a few times before so you’re worried about it happening again, but while you’re out of warranty. That would be a real concern for me as well so I want to see what can be done for you. If you can get back to me at customer_advocate@dell.com with this topic in the subject line, ATTN: Mike B. (overheating system), I’ll get back to you ASAP. I hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you,
Mike.
Dell customer advocate
I also hate Dell! Read my blog to see why! I couldn't even buy the computer - really stressful. I can't imagine what they are like when they don't want your money any more!
ReplyDelete