Kelly the Dog Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 Normally, I'd be loathe to complain on a message board about a company, but the experience was SO bad, and since I had threatened to badmouth them to everyone I could, here goes. I used to like Dell. Bought several laptops. Convinced a few others to buy them. Bought their extended warranty because I am an idiot when it comes to the hardware. So my laptop broke a few months ago. It overheated, the fan was loud, and the screen finally went blank. It was two years old and gets a ton of use and abuse. Anyway, they said I'd have to send it in to them, they'd send me a box, I'd package it up and send it back, they'd fix it ASAP and then send it back to me. The entire thing would take about a week, 2-3 days for the box to get there, a day or two to fix, and 2-3 days to send it back. That was fine with me even though I needed my laptop for work and play. The problem was, it was around Thanksgiving, and they couldn't guarantee that the box would get to my house in 2-3 days. They couldn't guarantee it would get there in 5 business days. I understood and we made arrangements that they would send the box to where I was going, my brother's house in PA. And it should get there before I got there. Because I wasn't going for a few days. Meanwhile, they talked me into another year of the extended warranty, which I agreed to at $169 since at this point they had been fine about it. So the box doesn't come for 11 days. I'd already been there and left, but I was in constant contact with Dell and they said no problem it was already shipped. Plus it was Thanksgiving Week so I figured I wouldn't even count Wednesday to Sunday even though it was supposed to be there Monday or at the latest Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving. So I leave the laptop with my brother, he packages it up, and sends it back in their box. I've told them in every call to make sure they send the fixed laptop to my home address, where I will be when it is done. It's the address on everything I have with Dell and they explicitly say that is no problem, probably 5 different times. So they lose my laptop. Can't find it for two more weeks. One department says it arrived and the other department says no. Fedex says they delivered it. But no one is sure where it is. I am not happy at all, as now I have been without it for almost a month. And I cancel my additional year of this warranty service that they talked me into which is appalling. I canceled it with two people, including a supervisor, and both said "I just canceled it, yes". They finally find the laptop and fix it immediately and send it back to me. Except, of course, they don't send it where they say they would, or the address they have for me, they send it to the return address it was sent from. My brother's house in, of all places, Mars, PA. Except my brother is leaving for Europe and won't be there to wait for FedEx to come get it in the next couple days. So he and I agree that he will just drop it off at FedEx and send it to me himself, before he leaves, which ends up costing $62. I get it and it works but isn't completely fixed. But I am livid at Dell for the myriad of errors and mistakes and I want them to at least reimburse me the $62 that I have to pay my brother. They say no. They won't because we didn't call Dell to handle it, we did it ourselves. But I did call Dell to handle it and they said they couldn't because they couldn't guarantee FedEx would get there to my brother's house before he left and he wasn't going to leave the laptop outside in the snow. So I talk to several different people and they all say basically, "tough". Even though our computer broke, we lied about the box, we lost your computer for weeks, we sent it to the wrong place, it wasn't really fixed and then you had to pay the $62. And now, today, I was just checking my online account there to make sure there isn't anything on it and they never canceled the extra year that I canceled twice, but they added a late charge of approximately $30 on to it, and won't let me cancel it because it's after 30 days of the order, so now i owe them $200 So don't ever use Dell. They suck. It was the worst experience I've ever had with a company by far. Tell all your friends they suck.
thebug Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 Sad thing is, you can expect the same service with HP, Acer, Toshiba and so on. IDIOTS!
Fezmid Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 Except, of course, they don't send it where they say they would, or the address they have for me, they send it to the return address it was sent from Why didn't you just call FedEx and have them re-route the package instead of accepting delivery and re-shipping it?
Kelly the Dog Posted January 13, 2009 Author Posted January 13, 2009 Why didn't you just call FedEx and have them re-route the package instead of accepting delivery and re-shipping it? Whomever was at my brother's house at the time of the delivery didn't think anything of a package from Fedex being delivered there and just signed for it. They get deliveries all the time and the name was the same, since he was the one that originally sent it out to Dell. I don't even think the box said Dell on it although I don't remember for sure.
stuckincincy Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 The problem was, it was around Thanksgiving, and they couldn't guarantee that the box would get to my house in 2-3 days. They couldn't guarantee it would get there in 5 business days. I understood and we made arrangements that they would send the box to where I was going, my brother's house in PA. That was your mistake. You changed the official routine. The populace has been...liberally...conditioned... "I am so proud of my accomplishments - it's about me - I am special -My Computer - My Documents - you take me for granted so I want a divorce (whats the worth of a relationship if you aren't taken for granted...do you want to wake up everyday and wonder if you are still loved? Want to live in a house where you have to be continually pretty and can't run around unshaven and slovenly over the weekend? Madness.) Nobody listens. Incapable of flexibility. No school system teaches critical, patient thinking. Anything out of the usual is suspect and put out of mind. No history is taught, which used to give youngsters choice, a perspective, allow them to weigh things. Forget geography. It's been dead for decades. I get a morning coffee at the local McDonalds. I say "good morning". Anyone under 40 freezes and looks at me agape as if I have explosive charges festooned to my skull. I feel the heat on my backside from others in line because I rob them of 10 seconds by purchasing with cash. My rant is never off. Pay your FICA tax.
bills_fan Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 Tell them you will be reporting them to your state's Attorney General and filing a claim for reimbursement of the warranty charges... http://www.minyanville.com/articles/DELL-c...n/index/a/20639
erynthered Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 Dont worry, Dog. All will be well on the 20th.
Kelly the Dog Posted January 13, 2009 Author Posted January 13, 2009 Tell them you will be reporting them to your state's Attorney General and filing a claim for reimbursement of the warranty charges... http://www.minyanville.com/articles/DELL-c...n/index/a/20639 Thanks a lot for that article. I will be doing that right away. It seems I am not the only one. Ha.
stuckincincy Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 Dont worry, Dog. All will be well on the 20th. I'm all set. I will lay out a bag of wavy chips, a can of squirt cheese, a box of tissues, a votive candle, a tube of Preparation H, and my checkbook.
mcjeff215 Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 That was your mistake. You changed the official routine. Bingo. Never do this. Ever. I had an account with BellSouth almost 10 years ago now. My address at the time was too long to fit into the space that the representatives are given to type it into. So, they simply spread it across into "Street Address Line 2." I've moved three times since then. To this day, my address STILL reads: McJeff 123 Main Street 123 Other Street Marietta, GA 30066 Every now and then, something gets lost. I've told them to change it 78 million times. I've sent in the change of address form 98 times. Nothing. Ever. I've even explained the situation in detail at least four times to different employees and I've been assured it's fixed. Still. Busted. Why? Because they had to do something other than follow steps 1-15 on the "procedure to change a customer address" process. My father does this all of the time. He's the kind of guy that calls the 800 number on his insurance agent's business card and asks for his agent by name. Then, he's surprised when he doesn't see the Indian sounding guy at the office next time he goes in. We don't live in a world of personal service or small-business style appreciation. Take a number if you're dealing with a larger company, and ensure you do it their way.
BillsGuyInMalta Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 Normally, I'd be loathe to complain on a message board about a company, but the experience was SO bad, and since I had threatened to badmouth them to everyone I could, here goes. I used to like Dell. Bought several laptops. Convinced a few others to buy them. Bought their extended warranty because I am an idiot when it comes to the hardware. So my laptop broke a few months ago. It overheated, the fan was loud, and the screen finally went blank. It was two years old and gets a ton of use and abuse. Anyway, they said I'd have to send it in to them, they'd send me a box, I'd package it up and send it back, they'd fix it ASAP and then send it back to me. The entire thing would take about a week, 2-3 days for the box to get there, a day or two to fix, and 2-3 days to send it back. That was fine with me even though I needed my laptop for work and play. The problem was, it was around Thanksgiving, and they couldn't guarantee that the box would get to my house in 2-3 days. They couldn't guarantee it would get there in 5 business days. I understood and we made arrangements that they would send the box to where I was going, my brother's house in PA. And it should get there before I got there. Because I wasn't going for a few days. Meanwhile, they talked me into another year of the extended warranty, which I agreed to at $169 since at this point they had been fine about it. So the box doesn't come for 11 days. I'd already been there and left, but I was in constant contact with Dell and they said no problem it was already shipped. Plus it was Thanksgiving Week so I figured I wouldn't even count Wednesday to Sunday even though it was supposed to be there Monday or at the latest Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving. So I leave the laptop with my brother, he packages it up, and sends it back in their box. I've told them in every call to make sure they send the fixed laptop to my home address, where I will be when it is done. It's the address on everything I have with Dell and they explicitly say that is no problem, probably 5 different times. So they lose my laptop. Can't find it for two more weeks. One department says it arrived and the other department says no. Fedex says they delivered it. But no one is sure where it is. I am not happy at all, as now I have been without it for almost a month. And I cancel my additional year of this warranty service that they talked me into which is appalling. I canceled it with two people, including a supervisor, and both said "I just canceled it, yes". They finally find the laptop and fix it immediately and send it back to me. Except, of course, they don't send it where they say they would, or the address they have for me, they send it to the return address it was sent from. My brother's house in, of all places, Mars, PA. Except my brother is leaving for Europe and won't be there to wait for FedEx to come get it in the next couple days. So he and I agree that he will just drop it off at FedEx and send it to me himself, before he leaves, which ends up costing $62. I get it and it works but isn't completely fixed. But I am livid at Dell for the myriad of errors and mistakes and I want them to at least reimburse me the $62 that I have to pay my brother. They say no. They won't because we didn't call Dell to handle it, we did it ourselves. But I did call Dell to handle it and they said they couldn't because they couldn't guarantee FedEx would get there to my brother's house before he left and he wasn't going to leave the laptop outside in the snow. So I talk to several different people and they all say basically, "tough". Even though our computer broke, we lied about the box, we lost your computer for weeks, we sent it to the wrong place, it wasn't really fixed and then you had to pay the $62. And now, today, I was just checking my online account there to make sure there isn't anything on it and they never canceled the extra year that I canceled twice, but they added a late charge of approximately $30 on to it, and won't let me cancel it because it's after 30 days of the order, so now i owe them $200 So don't ever use Dell. They suck. It was the worst experience I've ever had with a company by far. Tell all your friends they suck. Unfortunately, this is pretty common with them. I spent two years of my life working with Best Buy, and was the Services Manager for a good chunk of that time. EVERY time I had to call Dell on a customer's behalf, I knew I was going to be on the phone for at least an hour. I dont think I ever had a conversation with one of their reps that didnt end with them telling me "We at Dell appreciate the customer's concerns, but we cannot solve *fill in problem* at this time". Plus, this is the same company that called my Geek Squad once and told them to "delay" a customer until they could find their computer. FIND their computer. Awseome. I've actually had decent luck with Hewlett Packard and Sony over the years. If they screw up, they'll at least attempt to rectify the situation to some degree. They have to protect their margin, of course, but they wont give you the runaround like Dell will. And as for the lawsuit against Dell, this has got to be their third or fourth lawsuit over customer issues over the last two years. They've lost every one so far, so if you qualify...attach your wagon to that train and get some money back.
BuffaloBud Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 I used to work for a company that built new electronic equipment and serviced out of date equipment for a variety of customers. I was transitioned to a "customer service manager" from a project manager. When I took on the new role I promised myself that I would provide the customer something extra. I initiated periodic status meetings with the customers. Content included order status, issue resolution, return material status, etc. I also would communicate shipping information (carrier, tracking number) when an order was shipped as the customer was responsible for the freight charges. Many of these customers where shocked at this and the level that I went into. Why are you doing this they asked? Because, if I roles were reveresed I would want this information. Many could not get over this idea. In fact, I was able to get some added service fees added to our contracts for this. It is not hard to do this. Just takes some time, attention to detail, and a commitment to your customer. Sorry for your issues with Dell. I would send a note(s) outlining your issue.
GG Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 If I were you, I'd send your post to the investor relations email.
Kelly the Dog Posted January 13, 2009 Author Posted January 13, 2009 If I were you, I'd send your post to the investor relations email. Thanks. I just did.
Alaska Darin Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 They all suck now. It's amazing how many layers of management they have and how each one seems more incompetent than the last. Dell used to be an awesome company. They the hit the peak of what their business model could handle. Instead of being happy with that and keeping up with their "best technology, fairest price, customer service first" mantra, they tried to be something they aren't. My AE was literally one of the top 3 guys at what he did in the company. They let him and most of his team go because their compensation level was so high (even though it was commission based). How sensible is that? Their equipment is still pretty good but unless you're a huge corporate customer, you can forget about service. The margins are simply too thin in the industry to give a flying crap about you in the short term.
mcjeff215 Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 They all suck now. It's amazing how many layers of management they have and how each one seems more incompetent than the last. Dell used to be an awesome company. They the hit the peak of what their business model could handle. Instead of being happy with that and keeping up with their "best technology, fairest price, customer service first" mantra, they tried to be something they aren't. My AE was literally one of the top 3 guys at what he did in the company. They let him and most of his team go because their compensation level was so high (even though it was commission based). How sensible is that? Their equipment is still pretty good but unless you're a huge corporate customer, you can forget about service. The margins are simply too thin in the industry to give a flying crap about you in the short term. That's happening to a lot of the computer industry. Web site hosting and online services are getting to be that way as well.
DC Tom Posted January 14, 2009 Posted January 14, 2009 The populace has been...liberally...conditioned... "I am so proud of my accomplishments - it's about me - I am special -My Computer - My Documents - you take me for granted so I want a divorce (whats the worth of a relationship if you aren't taken for granted...do you want to wake up everyday and wonder if you are still loved? Want to live in a house where you have to be continually pretty and can't run around unshaven and slovenly over the weekend? Madness.) Are you kidding me? The "My Documents" folder, divorce, and poor personal hygiene are all linked through the grand liberal conspiracy? What?
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