DELL My 1st experience

Rick Bergeron - CPF

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
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In all fairness, from my reading over the past few years, I hope my experience is the exception rather than the rule. It seems as though replacing a $2 mouse would have been the first choice rather than replace the entire system and cause a 3 week delay and unnecessary frustration with DELL. Dimension 3000 Win XP Pro 512MB/80Gb

Out of the box, USB mouse has a mind of it's own. Randomly jumping to one of the 4 corners of the screen. System in general is functioning, in terms of speed, about the same as the Win98se machine that it replaced. Win98 1 ghz AMD/384Mb ram. Dell 2.8ghz P4/512Mb XPpro.

Install all the software and tweak to personal options. Mouse still jumping to the 4 corners regardless of USB port connected. Other USB devices appear normal regardless of port.

1st call to tech support. The only thing that would cause that it a virus. Duh, havent setup dialup parameters yet, so it's out of the box. Connecting my old mouse (PS2), works fine. Boot in Safe mode and keyboard is not functional. Boot normally and mouse appears to function. Service call ended. 10 minutes later, mouse is jumping again.

2nd call to tech support. Some of this is tech support talking, some me..... (TS)Usually Virus' causes that problem or corrupt operating system. Do you have a mouse that you can use? (ME)Yes, but I really expected the furnished mouse to work. (TS)Go to mouse properties and slow the mouse down to minimum. (ME)But I don't like using the mouse like that. Besides, it still jumps to a corner. (TS)Lets restore the computer to factory parameters which will loose all custom settings. Can we do that? (ME)Are you telling me that in order to fix my mouse, I must allow that? (TS)Sir the question is yes or no, can we restore settings? (ME)I don't want to loose data. (TS)Sir, the question is yes or no, can we restore settings. (ME)Are you telling me that in order to replace my mouse, I must allow a restore? (TS)No sir, I am not saying that. Can we restore, yes or no? (ME)OK, darn it, restore that #$%#$%# thing. Well, I lost a days worth of work.

All restored to out of the box conditions. Mouse still jumps to one of 4 corners. Old mouse works fine.

Solution: (TS)Computer must be bad or the tech that built it didn't check it out. We will put a new order into the system and you get to wait in line again 10 days to build, 5 days to ship. By the way, your warranty started when you received the 1st computer, NOT when you receive one that really works. (ME)Sure seems to me that this is a lot of expense on their part, when a first attempt to replace a $2 mouse would have done the trick.

POS installed and license code is tied to the system. When the backup is restored in 3 weeks, then I get to call and get another license code.
 
Hi Rick,

Yikes. You'll probably receive it in about 5 days. They double their estimates and usually come in early.

The computers are sufficient but the tech support has been frustrating lately, since they farmed it out to India. At least it seems like they sent it to India from the calls I've experienced. A lot of companies are doing this to save money and it makes things very difficult for the customers, and for the poor people that lost their jobs.

Although XP is a lot slower than 98SE, the computer should be considerably faster. Maybe there really was something wrong with it.

Mike
 
Rick

I feel a bit embarrassed…….what can I say…….

If this doesn’t get sorted in a few days email me the TAG # and I will try and have something done for you….

Dell has a new customer contact centre planned in Oklahoma city….should be up and running soon

Dell’s employment has gone from 48.000 last quarter to 53,000 this quarter NOBODY has lost jobs at Dell, in fact Dell have in the last few weeks announced about 3,000+ jobs for the USA in addition to other jobs announced for other areas of the world.

Dermot
 
Rick
I would go into detail of my tech problem. Simply FEDEX return took 8 days to straighten out with 4 days of no one claiming to have possesion of my laptop. Then on the other hand I have had problems corrected seamlessly also.

I have owned dell's for 10 years have two laptops now, I even own Dell stock. One of the best run companies in the industry.

Other than to say, When calling Dell or any company. Ask who the person is you are talking to and what country they are in. (Always be polite) If they are not US hang up and call again until you get someone here. It is your choice who handles your problem.

take what you want and leave the rest
 
I checked on things today and found that the replacement was ordered by the service tech WITHOUT a replacement mouse. So now under a separate order, a replacement mouse is also coming. The techie in me wouldn't let me sit still waiting, so I've reloaded some stuff and am almost 100% convinced that the problem is not the computer or the mouse.... but that the MOUSEPAD Dell furnishes is not compatable with their USB optical mouse. Tech Support guys all but laughed at me when I suggested that as the problem. The problem does not happen without the mousepad. SUX to have a 20 cent gimme cause such a stir.

I was really cordial until after the 4th time of repeating boot and other instructions and then having to allow the complete restore in order to continue troubleshooting without the option to copy datafile eliminated any cordiality. Service today ranged from Asia to Central America ... no USA to be had. I have trouble understanding some accents; though in all fairness, I've had people tell me that my S Lousisana accent gives them trouble.

A knee-jerk reaction would be to have my broker to dump all my stock after the quality of service received.
 
Oh the frustrations...I can relate. When I bought my Dell 5 years ago, I loved the computer but the tech support was REALLY bad. I just suggested to one of my friends to by the Dell computer and forget the tech support. I gave her the number of the IT guy I use for any problems. Sounds like I gave her good advice.
 
I don't think these kinds of problems are unique to Dell or even to computers.

When I buy a new <strike>toy</strike> tool, I make three assumptions:

</font>
  • The warranty is worthless and will require me to ship everything, at my own expense, to the factory in Japan.</font>
  • There will be NO tech support, so buy a book and befriend a geek.</font>
  • Any rebates will not materialize. That $1200 PC ($900 after 12 $25 rebates) really IS $1200.</font>

If any of these assumptions happen to be even partially wrong, it's a pleasant and unexpected bonus.

It's all about adjusting expectations.

A couple of my technophobic friends think I'M their geek. They know all about adjusting expectations.
 
I had somewhat of a battle with them a few weeks ago and I've lost a lot of respect for how customers are treated. Granted, the company is rated #1 for customer service and has some great products - but I had a bad experience personally.

I configured and ordered "La Machine 4" (a new laptop). At the checkout screen they offered an additional percentage discount if you financed it through Dell Financial Credit instead of paying by credit card, so I decided to take advantage of it.

Well they denied the application, which had to be a mistake. (882 credit score, very low debt load, real estate, multiple employers, etc) I called and was told to wait for the denial letter, which came 2 weeks later. The letter eventually came and the reason I was denied stated that I was delinquent on my other loan with Dell. Since I've never had a loan with Dell, I was VERY concerned that I might be a victim of identity theft.

I called and it took 4 calls to get sent to the right place (Dell Financial Credit). They were all overseas and no one truly understood my concern. The "right place" was a voicemail system, and no matter what I tried I could NOT speak with a person. They would only talk with me if i had a valid dell loan account #. 0 didnt work, etc. So I turned to the web, with the same result. (Wont even let you email them without an account #)

I called and raised **** until they transferred me to a real person, explained my concerns and that I never HAD a loan with them, and she wouldn't even look in the computer to verify a previous loan. She insisted that i had to deal with the credit bureau (Experian) to see my previous "dell" loan that was late. I gave up, bought my credit report from them (would have taken over a week to do free by mail), and naturally it did NOT have anything from Dell on there. Nothing negative on the report, in fact. I emailed them expressing my dissatisfaction about the whole process, and that their system might have some kind of problem, and they just kept referring me back to Experian and didn't care. I was furious at the time and felt like cattle. The experience made me very concerned about identity theft and hurt because I'm so careful to maintain my credit.

I put the machine on the visa and it came. I love the machine, but I won't attempt to use their financing again.

PS: The $200 rebate came in yesterday, so there's hope Ron. I always get my rebates. Usually you can even track them on the web.
 
We've bought two desktops and a laptop from them over the last five years and have never had a problem. THe only time I had to call them was a few weeks ago when the laptop needed reformatting and we couldn't find the recovery or operating system disks... and the service period was over by a year and a half. It took me a few transfers to get the right person, but they sent one out to us at no charge and next day delivery. I was expecting to pay so I was happy.


We'll be back for another one someday (in the not too distant future).
 
Mike, It might be a good thing that you didn't get through the approval process. With similar credit info, the quoted rate just last week was 25.74% variable.

I also agree and abide with Ron's philosophy regarding rebates, tech support and warranty. But I don't apply the rules until AFTER receiving a fully functional toy or tool.

I also learned that it is perfectly normal for a keyboard to NOT function more than 75% of the time when booting in Safe mode, but didn't understand if that was an XP issue or Dell issue. Never had the issue in the past.
 
Well, I just had a really bad Dell adventure too. I think I so flabergasted the Indian customer service person that my "fix order" got deleted. All the other people, either via phone or e mail SEEMED understanding--but I continually had incomplete solutions.

Somehow I ordered a computer with no dial-up modem--(which still has me in shock that it was even possible to do so)--it has taken no less than 12 communications so far to get this sorted out. I truly believe they timed the modem shipment to arrive the very last day I had before the system could be returned. (Of course, it arrived with no installation instructions, the part number on the "invoice" didn't exist with Dell on line, there was no software.........)

I also noticed that they asked you to survey their support right after "it seemed like" the problem was handled--not AFTER replacement parts would arrive, etc. SNEAKY!

It took over a month to get this handled...and I am wary about what might come up next...like will the correct charges & credits show up on my next credit card bill? (Don't ask about that!)

At one point I was so angry tech support ordered a service call...which was supposed to take a few days maximum---I haven't heard from them in over two weeks. I can only guess they are waiting for the contract, which takes 6 weeks from purchase to get sent to the buyer!

(As you can guess, I stopped waiting and figured it all out via more and more emails & searching Dell site endlessly.)

I have family members on their 3rd Dell & they have been pleased. The computer seems fine so far. My old fashioned roll mouse is working well, I think I may like XP and my POS is doing fine on it.

Now, if I can just be using it more writing orders so I can pay that credit card bill!
 
If all else fails you can go grab a modem at Staples for about $25 and pop it in. In most cases you don't even need tools with the Dells...

I'll be glad to answer any questions you might have about installing it.

Mike
 
Growing pains perhaps??? The "India experience" service option is becoming very popular here of late, I've only ever experienced it for Adobe products, it would have been more productive to ask a brick.

Dell products that I have encountered have been good, but the tech support here has a few steps foward available.

It seems really odd that the instinct was not to simply ship a new mouse, further still, if you told them the mouse pad had a major part in the error... well...

Rose, I was once caught on the same problem, then I realised that of all the PC's I look after, only three actually use dail-up modems. It leaves more space for totally unnecessary toys to be added!
 
I have a semi-functional PC in my basement that has a B drive - a 5-1/4" floppy drive, in addition to the 3-1/2".

I expect to unearth it sometime in the next few days. Not sure if it will make the move, though, but it DOES have a dial-up modem.
 
For what it's worth, my current computer is the best I have ever had and I am going back to my first Commadore 64. It's the Sony Vaio. Easy to start and in the first year, not one problem. My wife had a Gateway and it was a problem machine from the start and now has a Dell laptop. Jury is still out, but it appears to be working well. No real test of the support people yet. We are fortunate to have two sons who can solve most computer problems.
 
I stayed on the phone constantly when we got our Gateway a coupla years ago. If I called 10 times with the same problem, I'd get 10 different 'fixes'. That was bad enough, but then I found out the horrible truth:

I looked at the paperwork and found where the company Headquarters was. After a few 411 attempts, I finally got to talk to a nice lady. I explained the situation, and politely but firmly expressed my frustration.

Her response was, basically, that I was dealing with the FIRST TIER of tech support! Found out that Gateway has THREE tiers of support. You start out with the dummies that have an obviously scripted 'fix' for your problem. Then they imply, thereafter, that if their advice had been implemented correctly, the computer would be working!

When you get to the third tier, THEY know what they're doing! They got most of the problems fixed, first time. When I last tried to use it, a year or more ago, it wouldn't even boot up.

If I buy a new computer from a brand-named company, and need tech support, I expect to get the best, and not spend hours and hours trying to understand what someone in India or South America is saying! Particularly when you later find out that they're the know-nothing crew.

If this Hewlett/Packard ever gives up the ghost, I'm gonna spend the extra money and have one built.

I'm also looking into getting rid of MSN as my ISP. Thinking about Earthlink, BellSouth or ATT.
I wonder how the inexpensive ones, like People Pc
do?? They're half the price of MSN.
 
Charles, I am using Netzero and Mailaka. Each is under $10/month, have been reliable and have access numbers in out-of-the-way places like Two Rivers, Wisconsin. On those rare road trips, I like to know I can check into a motel in El Paso, Illinois and log onto at least one of my ISPs and make sure nobody has said **** on The Grumble.

My favorite Gateway story happened a few years ago at a Gateway store near here. A frustrated customer marched into the store with his PC and a sledge hammer and busted up his own Gateway computer in front of startled shoppers and employees.

He was charged with disturbing the peace. Part of the complaint was that there were small children in the store who were so traumatized by the incident that, for days afterwards, they wanted to go outside and play instead of sitting in front of the computer.

I don't think the store is there any more.
 
Charles, before switching, I'd test as many as possible for data rates from your location. In our rural location, I found that due to fone company switching, only AOL provided consistent data rates. All the others were routed differently and the datarates were significantly lower. Some even used the same access phone numbers. So, right now, I'm stuck with using AOL to get 15 to 18Kbps on most days. The others were slower.

Back to Dell, their website documents problems with the USB optical mice for over 2 years. The problem is with the mousepad that Dell provides. Throw away the mousepad and the mouse will work. Then, they have more than one version of the mouse. Look identical from the topside, different part number and very different housings in the optical area. A dpn 0D1161 mouse will not work with a Dell mousepad. A dpn 0T0943 will work with a Dell mousepad. The troubling thing is that even after 2 years, the simplest test of changing mousepads has not been incorporated into the Tier 1 script. The solution is to replace the computer first and if that doesn't work, replace the mouse. Just think what the stock would do if they were not wasting money on replacing computers, overnight shipping, etc.
 
Yea I believe they shut all 188 of their retail stores in April of this year. This happened at the same time they acquired E-Machines. (reallllly low end machines sold in WalMart, Best Buy, Office Depot)

I've had a lot of problems with Gateway/Emachines, and HP/Compaq systems in the past and don't usually recommend them. The only things I like from Compaq(HP) are their file servers. They make a fine server product but this is an area where Dell has also taken over recently.

Personally I like to assemble my own. It costs a lot more, but it lets me have a bigger power supply (500w) and more drives (5 120gb hd's, cd burner, dvd burner), more expansion slots, with a larger case. Clone parts are interchangeable with other clone brands, and prices are competitive.

For business desktops, it's pretty hard to beat the prices often available through Dell and other companies that sell "workalikes". The advantage is the price, the disadvantage is that some of the parts in a workalike are intentionally designed to be proprietary - so it's more or less a disposable computer. They're also limited to a couple card slots and no extra drive bays for expansion. Most people wouldn't care about any of that.

Mike

[ 11-25-2004, 07:10 PM: Message edited by: Mike-L@GTP ]
 
Rick, I almost always connect no slower than 44.0kbps. On a good night, when I can't sleep at 3:30AM, it will often connect at 48.0. That's the fastest so far.

The Gateway problem was it would go into the 'sleep' mode, no matter what they told me to do to fix it. Not to mention the 3 separate and distinctly different Tech Support levels. I will never buy a Gateway again, nor would I take one for free. Well, maybe not.

MSN is the other problem. You can dial in and get a server that sits there and doesn't reply when the PC queries it. Now you have to just keep trying until you hit a good server. In fact, MSN deluded me into downloading MSN 8, and I had MSN 6. On the sign in screen on 6, there was a place to go to change which server numbers the 'puter would hit. They've taken that option away now. H e l l, MSN even has their own pop-ups now.
 
I've had Dells for over 6 years now without any real issues. My Dad has one... no issues except when the grandkids get click happy on the net. I had a DVD drive burn out and within two days they had a new one at my door so I can't complain. A co-worker had an issue and within 5 days Dell had a live person in their basement correcting the problem. Maybe it depends were you live and the number of service people they have in the area for that kind of service. I'd buy another one (My Third) in an instant and would'nt think twice about it.
 
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