Dell Bad

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I've noticed Dell is prone to having problems on the small electronics they sell / give away. A friend ordered a PC years ago. Loves the PC, still waiting for the free PDA. I love their computers, though. I got a Dell XPS Gen5 just before the XPS 600 came out, and my system is too sweet. I guess it's kind of like being addicted to techno- crack…. gotta have it even though it's bad for me.

I had the same problem last summer with a 1GB stick from Dell. I ended up cancelling the order, but not before I got a $75 credit from them after complaining about it. Just write them an email with the exact text of your blog here and they are likely to offer you some credit.

Dell is developing a rep for bads, here at VT – mostly support related. This outsourcing has really killed them. Plus, we've been having more actual hardware problems. I think they must be buying cheaper parts, or not testing them as thoroughly or both.
This is not what got Dell to their current place; they did that by providing computers that worked better than anyone elses and providing top notch U.S. based tech support. Others didn't and so people moved away from those companies and too Dell. Now Dell is doing Stupid Moves (TM) and will see their business drop off if they don't correct these problems, pronto.

Maybe they decided it was too good a deal, and they're just sitting on your order until the prices drop again.

OK Chris, Dell BAD!
Me no buy from Dell. Dell Evil!
Me tell clients do same.
Actually, I've been de-recommending Dell for years.
Businesses generally get the business they deserve.
Vote with your $$$$ people!
Chris, you have the advantage of your hella-bully pulpit that
is your web site, blogs, and RSS feeds.
Illigitimi non te carborundum!

I have sworn off Dell, especially because of poor to non-existent customer service. The latest incident is leading to possible legal woes for Dell. In April 2003 I purchased a Dimension 8250 system and paid for a 3 yr warranty. Recently I searched Dell's support site for updates to drivers. Dell support site would allow me to log on with my user id and password, but listed my system as a Dimension 2350 and my service wntract as “expired.” Each time I have tried to contact Dell to resolve issue I am: 1) redirected to someone or dept with the result of no response; 2) told that I am mistaken; or 3) receive an e-mail telling me to log on to support and download drivers (as if they haven't read or heard a word I said.
The bottom line–Dell is in default on a service warranty contract they sold.

I have sworn off Dell, especially because of poor to non-existent customer service. The latest incident is leading to possible legal woes for Dell. In April 2003 I purchased a Dimension 8250 system and paid for a 3 yr warranty. Recently I searched Dell's support site for updates to drivers. Dell support site would allow me to log on with my user id and password, but listed my system as a Dimension 2350 and my service wntract as “expired.” Each time I have tried to contact Dell to resolve issue I am: 1) redirected to someone or dept with the result of no response; 2) told that I am mistaken; or 3) receive an e-mail telling me to log on to support and download drivers (as if they haven't read or heard a word I said.
The bottom line–Dell is in default on a service warranty contract they sold.

I have a large Data Center that mostly has Dell Servers, Storage, and Switches. I recently bought a number of HP dual-Opteron servers, each with 16GB RAM – needless to say, this cost lots of $$$; I think I will only buy HP/AMD servers in the future.
Unlike everyone who has responded here, I have not had any outright “bad” experiences with Dell. I don't like them because they are loyal to Intel when the performance #'s just don't justify it. Especially considering AMD, in the past, has offered deals to Dell *ALMOST* on a par with Intel.

One of my friends recently reported that she got her new Dell laptop because it arrived at her door, unordered. She tried it and liked it. So she spent two hours on the phone with Dell reporting the delivery error and trying to pay for it, but failed.

Dell isn't tryng to welch on the deal, they're probably just waiting for some obscure overseas vendor to fill an order for the product you're waiting for. Dell, and other mail order companies, have been required by the FTC to keep you notified of backordered merchandise for over a decade now. I worked for a perfectly wretched catalog mail order company for over 7 years, starting in 1994. At the time of my hire a new FTC regulation had just gone into effect, requiring that a backordered item be cancelled if a certain amount of time lapsed and the customer was still waiting. At the company I worked for, a postcard was sent to the customer after two months of waiting. He/she was instructed to call our “backorder consent line” by a cutoff date if they wished to keep the order. If no call was received by that date, the backorder was cancelled to comply with FTC regulations.

found a 4gb memory stick at office depot for $89, maybe dell not such a good deal

Now we got a new site to post all our problems and experiences with dell. Hope fully some one from dell will start looking into it and help us sort these things out ..
Please post your complaints on http://www.dellhell.ca

Speaking of Dell Hell, I have been in it since Nov. 9th with no satisfaction. I ordered a nice new Dell on Nov 9th and it was slated to arrive via UPS on Nov. 16. Only the monitor arrived. No PC. Finally on the 18th UPS told me and Dell that the system was lost and to file a claim and tracer. Since the evening of the 16th (when my local ups already had told me it was lost but to wait til the 17th) I called Dell and got the Indians. I have called them literally 40 times a day since and have had no satisfaction. On the 22nd of Nov I finally was able to find someone in this country that claimed to be from their executive offices that would expedite my refund (by this time I never wanted to deal with Dell again and did not want another computer. They had refused to send me a new one until UPS either paid them back for the lost one or found the one I had ordered.
Anyway the person in this country has been promising me since the 22nd that I would get my refund overnite and today is Dec 3 and no refund!! The monitor went back to them 10 over a week ago (and that took some doing!!! the indians never sent ups to pick it up!!) and ups found the other computer and returned it to Dell 5 days ago. Still no refund!! My only consolation is that on Dec. 22nd my bank card is going to credit me back inspite of Dell. Unfortunately my bank said they had to give them 30 days to credit me back after I put it in the dispute dept. Don't wait to dispute the charge with your bank if you have charged one. Do it right away because it is a long wait to get any satisfaction. The new date for my refund to go thru is next monday but I am not holding my breath. I have heard this since Nov. 22nd. I will never do business again with Dell. In fact I bought a new HP the other day and it is wonderful.

Yes, the backorder problem seems to be very popular with Dell. Don’t rely on Dell for those items with deadline!

Thanks for you all to let me know such craps abt dell, i just escaped to buy one.
Thanks a lot

Incident
I ordered a laptop in July 2007. Had not received it by the beginning of September so I went to buy one in town. In the mean time I was receiving messages on my phone from Dell saying that they could Probably ship the computer around the 5th but If I did not call them back that due to the FTC (federal trade commision) laws they could not send it. I did not respond since I did not need it at that poing. Guess what…they sent it anyways…took 1,700. from my account and here it is the 10th of October and I still do no have my money. The incompetence that has take place goes from the first call, telling me they would contact DHL to have the system returned to them and that the credit would be in my account by the 21st of Sept., Again today is the 10th of October. I had to call DHL and actually tell them I would pay for the return before someone from DHL called DELL to ask for a return number. They received that laptop in their office, per their customer service dept on the 5th of October. I called when I tracked it through DHL that it was returned and asked when my credit would be received and guess what….its going to be another 31 days. SO….before you think of buying DELL…think 3 or 4 times on it and then DON\’T!

Damage Resulting
Lets see consequences, hours of my time on the phone completely furious, at being stole from, NSF fees in my checking account due to the fact that I had already bought another system, a frustration that they had no problem taking the money out but now it seems to be a problem putting it back in. How do you describe FURY at being stolen from and it seems they can do it legally.

So, as a former employee, I would like to let you all know that Dell salesmen are just that, SALESMEN! Before you call DELL to buy ANYTHING, you should be forewarned that they will try to up-sell you on everything. They are pushed to sell high margin computer systems (that is, systems that have HUGE profit) and get promoted on selling lots of revenue – regardless of how good their customer service is on the phone.
They will sell you a shitty system with a single core processor with a large hard drive and maybe even a lot of RAM (which the purpose of which is defeated by having a crappy processor) and let you think you are getting a great deal because all they care about is selling an expensive system. They are taught to sell desktops for a minimum of $900 and notebooks/laptops at a minimum of $1200 even though the marketing department will put ads out there for $399 and $699 systems.

Also, before you start to think about working for them, you should know that they lie in the interviews and tell you that they will rarely make you work over-time and rarely make you work weekends. They will get you excited about the great benefits they offer, but never allow you a schedule that permits you to take advantage of them. They will also decide on a whim to deny your already approved vacation, and have been known to require overtime to be worked on less than a 24 hour notice. Sound like a fabulous career?

And if that’s not enough, they will promote the sales people in consumer sales based on the amount of revenue they can sell – regardless of what ethics they abandon to do so, and they have a tendency to promote some of the sluttier looking women to sales-manager positions after they have sex with the right people. YES. I am not kidding. You should hear some of the stories going on in that place!

Now of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and there are a few rare exceptions of employees that work at dell that are worth their weight in gold as far as their ethics and general goodness goes, but unfortunately they are the minority working for Dell.

I would also be aware of the fact that you don’t have to deal with Dell directly anymore to get a computer. You can go to Best Buy or Staples, or even Wal-Mart now and get a Dell computer. The higher end systems tend to be at Best Buy and the better printers tend to be at Staples. So, it is wisest if you avoid calling Dell at all. Plus, I don’t think it would be a big surprise if in the next few years consumer sales at Dell went away all together (esp. with all the lawsuits they are dealing with) or if they at least dissolve their consumer sales department into a much MUCH smaller division than what it is today.

If you’re an investor…, be smart, invest in HP or APPLE!

QUOTE/REPLY:
I would also be aware of the fact that you don’t have to deal with Dell directly anymore to get a computer. You can go to Best Buy or Staples, or even Wal-Mart now and get a Dell computer.

For the record, and let me explain: Dell is a Direct Shipper, because of this, You order from Dell the System is registered to you when it is scanned to be shipped. As to the above these systems when shipped are registered to which ever of these Retailers they are shipped to, and the 1 Year warranty clock starts ticking down on that day. Therefore if you do purchase one lets say from Wal-Mart/Sams Club and within 2 months you must call tech support, the service tag on that unit identifies the retailer is the registered owner, and you will have to pay for the support, or get none at all. These units are Discontinued, Over stocked units, and for Wal-Mart/Sams Clubs, they are returned refubrished units. I used to work for Dell and know the of the direct shipping issue (no they haven’t changed or updated their Shipping software. Dell is by selling and working with these companies defrauding the consumer, and these companies have been notified. And must take steps to make Dell change, or STOP selling their systems, as in doing so they also are defrauding the consumer. Example: Computers shipped to Sams Clubs, sets in whse 6months before shipped to store, sets in store another 3 mos. before being sold thats 9 months the 1 yr warranty clock has been ticking down. You have purchased this unit, and 3 months later need tech support so you call dell, only to learn you are not the registered owner, It is Registered to Sams Club, and that the warranty expires in 30days. Concensius, DELL and Sams Club/Wal-Mart/Best Buy/Etc., ETC., have shafted you.