Dell: My Worst Nightmare
Written: Jan 06 '04 (Updated Mar 25 '04)
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I once asked a computer repair person which PC he would buy. The answer was immediate and forceful..."Nothing but a Dell", said he. Repairs, though few, are the easiest, parts are readily available and their technical help is the best in the business. I didn't forget what he told me and after many a search through a plethora of review sites, have just ordered my first Dell computer...the Dimension XPS.
The PC is loaded with all the bells and whistles one wants and needs in today's media rich environment. I was impressed with Dell's on-line deals, configuration choices and available peripheral equipment which now includes choices for DSL and Cable deals in every area of the country. All PC and configuration choices are explained very nicely and are put side by side, categorically, so that the purchaser can make their choices wisely. Ease of ordering is superb and entering coupons found elsewhere on-line is a simple procedure at check out. The only drawback in this area is that Dell does not accept all on-line coupons and the purchaser has no idea why! I was told that you cannot "stack" some coupons. Stacking is the term used for entering multiple dollars or percentages off coupons. As an example, a purchaser can stack a 10% off coupon along with a $25.00 off coupon but cannot stack two percentage off or dollars off coupons. Tis a mystery only Dell knows the answer to but that is the way it is when buying the brand!
A few cautions when dealing with Dell and Dell Financial Services. Dell Financial Services is a separate entity and offered through CIT Bank. I first began my journey with them in February of 2003 and received a preferred account at 7.99% interest with a nice payback plan over a reasonable amount of time. I did not order in February but saved my account card for the time I would be ordering. In December of 2003 I hopped on-line to order my brand new Dell and ran into a rather large glitch. DFS had closed my account, without notification, because I hadn't ordered anything when I received the original account! I now had to go through the same process only to find that the new interest rate for my "preferred" account is 13.99%! Knowing what my credit score is, I balked at this unnecessary leap in interest charges. No matter what I said they would not reinstate my former account. What I chose to do was order anyway and keep the system for the 90 day "no interest" period and then pay off the entire amount with a 0% interest rate credit deal I have in my back pocket! OK, so that was the first glitch. Not much lost but a principle and my pride!
The next set back came with Dell Customer Service. Dell had offered a Belkin surge protector that they said, "came with the system". When I printed out my receipt I saw I was charged an extra $39.00 for the Belkin. I E-mailed Dell Customer Service and asked that they delete the surge protector from my order and please to be certain that the system did not arrive until the week of January 5, 2004 since I would be out of town from Christmas Eve through the New Year. They E-mailed back that they could not help me and suggested I call and speak to someone in the On-line Customer Service Department! I called Dell the next morning and for two and a half hours was transferred to incorrect departments and people who could not or would not help. I finally was transferred, probably by mistake, to another department who said that what I had gone through was ridiculous and that he would be glad to fix the order. Carlos canceled the existing order and replaced it for me. The very night Carlos handled the reorder I found a $100.00 off coupon on any Dell Desktop purchase through MSN. I called Dell the next morning and asked that they apply the coupon to my account. No can do, said they. You must, once again, cancel the entire order and then go back on site to re-order the PC. Had I ordered by telephone, they could go in and change it but I had ordered on-line and they could do nothing! I went on to tell them of Carlos and what he did for me...all to no avail. I had them cancel my order and advised them to be certain the charges were removed from my DFS preferred member account. Certainly, said they!
I went back to the Dell site and again ordered my system. This time I was careful about the Belkin surge protector but another freebie they offered, The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King Video/Media Package was left off of the order even though the freebie was still in force on only the XPS system! Again I called and went through a maze of people until one person said...no problem, I'll make sure you get it. For a total of five and a half hours I struggled with this order until it was satisfactory and all discounts were applied. I do not believe that anything like the experience I had is necessary or beneficial to any company or consumer. Today is January 6, 2004 and my DFS account is still not credited with the canceled order. I called them again today and they assure me that I will see a change within 24 hours. They also assured me of that on December 22, 2003!
I had wanted to order a laptop from them as well. As of this writing I am unable to do so on my "preferred member" account. People in the know say that Dell Tech Support is the best in the industry and they have been voted as such many times by independent evaluation services. As a matter of fact, Dell has dedicated an entire Tech Team to troubleshoot and offer help for the XPS system only. I can only hope that when trouble rears its ugly head on my new system, that an English speaking person answers the call and can do something other than transfer me into oblivion! Stay tuned for my next writing on Dell...it's sure to be a whopper.
P.S. I have received the system, set it up easily and it is running like the high end gilded lily it was advertised to be! The machine is spectacularly fast with DSL service and Windows XP Pro is a delight to operate. My opinion on their customer service stands and, should I need their services, I look forward to dealing with their 'dedicated' XPS Tech Staff...I think!
It's time for the whopper aftermath of the Dell saga that began in January 2004. While the lower ranks of Dell Customer Service are sorely in need of an overhaul so too are the upper echelons of their corporate world. January 28, 2004 began with a series of e-mail writings to and from Dell Technical Services that have since found their way to a dead end street at Dell Corporate Headquarters in Texas! In early March I forwarded a 23 page letter to Dell which included all e-mail messages to and from their techies. I was contacted by a quality control type by the name of Chad Wallingsford. Since my letter to them addressed several areas of Dell's world, including Q.C. issues, Mr. Wallingsford decided to handle all of them, including the largest dilemma involving the advertised vs. actual size of the Hard Drive they offered and sold me. It was allegedly a 120GB SATA/RAID 7200 RPM HD but shows as 111.7GB in the Windows XP Operating System and every other utility I use, including Dell's. It was an issue no one at Dell could or would address except to assure me that I indeed had a 120GB HD! My question, of course, was directed to the discrepancy in capacity as Windows shows it. All Dell techs, high and low end, tried to convince me that the discrepancy surely lies in the formatting, partitioning and/or the binary vs. decimal systems manufactures use in identifying HD size. Seagate, the manufacturer of this HD, indeed uses the decimal system, plainly says so on their site and adds the notation that all HD capacities are stated AFTER formatting. No one at Dell could explain that away nor tell me how much space the operating system uses, although they installed it. Even though they recommended I check my BIOS system in order to establish the actual HD capacity, no one at Dell could explain why the HD does not state its capacity in the BIOS system. Next to that heading it states that the capacity is N/A! One tech asked me how many partitions I had on the drive. My answer was that Dell built this computer, I haven't changed it and they should kindly refer their question to the "Erector Set" builders to specify the number of partitions they gave it!
To me, it's as simple as this mathematical calculation: If one binary GB equals 1,073,741,824 bytes then a 120GB system should include 128,849,018,880 bytes. Conversely, if one decimal GB equals 1,000,000,000 bytes, then a 120GB system would include 120,000,000,000 bytes.
My system clearly states that its number of bytes is 119,957,479,424 which is equal in capacity to 111.7GB. If you divide the number of GB listed into the number of bytes listed, you arrive at the figure of 1,073,925,509, which is the approximate number of bytes in one binary GB! Why don't they get it? Because they do not wish to, I suppose! With tongue clearly tucked in cheek, this is simply another great customer service they have rendered!
Dell sent along another 120GB Hard Drive to replace the one in this system. I had not asked for another drive of that capacity. As a matter of fact, I asked only for a HD that would make up the difference in size, about 10GB, and would have accepted either an internal or external drive. When their technician showed up at my door, he tested the "new" HD for capacity during set-up. It was supposedly the same drive, or said so, but it was refurbished (Don't Ask!). This one turned out to be a 114GB HD! Wow, 3 more Gigs than mine but still not 120GB! I sent the technician who was going to install it packing...along with the Hard Drive.
Since Dell cannot find their way to the HD storage room to send along a 10GB drive, I have asked them to pick up this system and credit my account! I ordered and paid for their top of the line XPS system which was advertised as being one which included a 120GB HD and, at this point, I will settle for nothing less. Things are strangely silent on Dell's end right now. Can it be that I am being ignored? You bet! Will I ever buy another system from Dell? You can bet I won't...will you?
P.S. & F.Y.I.: Mr. Wallingsford also told me that Dell is in the process of bringing their service departments home! Down the road to Singapore, Bali or Delhi, this probably means that you will be paying more for Dell products in the future when they have to pay US wages to Americans instead of peon wages to third world workers! If this company is the number one in any category at all, which I seriously doubt, what can one lose by buying from 'lesser' companies such as IBM, HP, Sony, Toshiba or even Gateway? I think that one can only gain...but we all have to decide that for ourselves. Me? You bet I'm going elsewhere!
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Dell Dimension XPS
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border13
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Location: Danbury, Connecticut - USA
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 1 member
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Hobbies include Movies, Music, Travel, Sports, Good Food and Enjoying Life.
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