Please Talk Me Down From the Roof

MerpsMom

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Founding Member
Joined
Jul 30, 1997
Posts
4,248
Loc
Leawood, Kansas USA
I feel like the customer who screams "Are You Out Of Your Mind??!!"

My workshop notebook won't start Windows. I changed a setting (if it ain't broke, don't fix it) and it won't let me in. I've forgotten everything I ever knew about SafeMode so I called Dell, got shuffled for a couple of hours before someone 'fessed up about tech support, and then got told that Dell OnCall was $50. for one month, or $99. for one year. I thought this was just good old tech support for the computer. (Insert the naive icon here.)

I called this morning to enlist. That's when they told me it was $239. for one year, four problems only. (The fifth one is ANOTHER! $249.??) OR I can pay them $99. right now for one answer. Am I crazy? Now I know things have changed, but YOU WANT HOW MUCH? H e ll, all I need is a smart teenager.

Is this the current going jenny for this stuff? Meantime, I guess I'll be calling the Geek Squad or something and probably have another attack of the vapors.

What do you all have and am I totally out-of-line??
 
Is it a Dell problem or a Microsoft problem? I've had windows problems and been able to get free help from Microsoft by emailing them. The charges from Dell do seem high to me considering you can get a local computer geek to fix it for alot less and a local person will probably find all the problems and issues for you and put them right.
 
I love my HP, I love my HP......

Called FREE tech support... nice guy in New Deli, likes to windsurf... wants to do it on the Gangies but it's illegal or something...

Walked me through my problems for about 45 minutes, and we talked about India and USA while things were "working" or rebooting....

I told him I'd talk to him in a month when I screwed up again.... he laughed and said that he would put me on the same schedual as his father and uncles....
faintthud.gif
.

Did I mention that it was a HP zv6000, from Office Depot and that after the mail in rebate and with the 3 year service warrenty.. it came to $788.
Did I mention the 60gigs, 1gig Ram and the BlueTooth and WIFI and WILAN.....with search feature?

Sorry about your Dell. Never had a decent unit from them, never had anything that looked like service from them. And they won't give you your money back.
 
Thank you for speaking up about the Dell problem. They woo you with such a "deal" on the commercials, and I have been considering a Dell for my new-to-me frame shop, the one I'm acquiring doesn't have a computer at all (!). I need something inexpensive (Thanks Baer) to start with, have a Geek friend who has offered to set it all up for me, and will need a lot of tech support. Free....tech support!
help.gif
 
I have bought Dells exclusively for years - from the small business division. The small business division usually has the best prices and there is usually an option, at time of purchase, for 3 year on-site next business day service for a modest price. With that comes "gold" support that gives you contact with a US based technician that knows your system and what he is talking about. There is no such thing as free tech support - if you get the cheapest computer, that support is not included in the price. It amazes me that Grumblers, who complain about customers who want something for nothing, gripe about not having free access to a qualified paid technician when buying a "commodity" computer. Dell is a company that offers quality support for a relatively modest price to business customers.

pat :D
 
Well, here's why: because that's the way it used to be. My original Gateway was lifetime tech support, both hardware and software. (I know: different times.) My Dell desktop, now 7 years old, was three-year hardware on-site/six year tech phone support. My laptop is 3-year hardware. I paid for the latter, no gripes. But, I distinctly remember being told I had tech phone support. (Obviously not.)

Forewarned is armed: no longer will I assume, and no longer will I buy Dell automatically. This is especially true if I can get as good a computer with phone tech support, either free or for a reasonable amount. I think that just makes it a smarter consumer decision.

My log-on issue is now fixed. It was as I thought just a password glitch. I found that smart teenager who does know Safe Mode.

Thanx for listening.
 
I too bought the HP zv6000 notebook. You're right Baer, they are the best support in the business. Tech support is free and the product is wonderful. I too have spoken with 3 techs in all. I was installing a wireless network and had conflicts between computer and wireless router. Not only are they great at their jobs but also gave me the information I needed in order to have Linksys eliminate many steps that they would have taken me through in order to complete the configuration. I have owned Dell in the past and found nothing special about them.
 
That's OK guys. There are many stories about computer companies. Me, I hate HP. They have now designed their printers to refuse to print with an ink cartridge that is out of date. Don't buy spare cartridges in advance and when you do buy them check that date in small letters on the box. Now, until I use up my spares, I have to change the date in Windows to 2004, print and change the date back. I can't leave the date as 2004 because Norton Internet Security gets mad if the date is wrong. BTW the expired cartridges fresh out of their wrapper work just fine. And, since the printer is out of warranty what business is of HP if I want to use those $40 cartridges?

Pat
kaffeetrinker_2.gif
 
Cathie, Just wait 'til you have to call Intuit about tech support... OUCH!

I know, I know, I could have bought the $400.00/year support for the QuickBooks, but I though "Who's gonna need that". Now it's $75.00 (or was last I checked) for them to answer the phone..."nope, we'll determine if its our fault after the Visa has cleared", and that's for the first partial hour.
I hung up and called my IP, and they fixed it for free even though it really wasn't their problem. They were also very helpful in getting the Service Pack 2 installed correctly...couldn't get hold of Microsoft.

My personal experience with Dell has been positive. Bought the 3 year plan when I got the computers (I though it was reasonable) and have only one 5 minute call to show for it.

The only knowledge I have of HP is from a friend who networks computers for an IP business. He was giving a seminar which required setting up and networking 40 HP PCs. When the time came for the seminar, only 2 of the PCs would work. they were brand new out of the box.
So nobody's perfect, and personal experience can be misleading...
What we do know is that tech support, like some things, is a "you get what you pay for" proposition...or at least it's advertised that way.
 
I will say in fairness to Dell that once a computer is out of warranty either just the warranty that came with the computer or the extended warranty you may have purchased with the computer …..Dell will treat you’re your request for service just like you would have to pay the local geek……..Dell have to pay those geeks that take your call for out of warranty support…….

Dell offer many levels of support for there products depending on your level of expertise …….some people can service their own cars others …..like me can hardly open the hood …….so I go and pay for my support…….believe it or not but I pay for extended warranty on my Dell products……not even I can get a free ticket……despite my influence into the Dell organisation…when it comes to the tech part of computers….I’m the original dummy……though I will admit I’m getting a bit better…

It is also unfair to have a go at Dell if the issue is a software problem which it appears to have been with the computer mentioned which started this thread….

This is the link to the US Dell page for the various levels of support available……it is quite extensive and it might be well worth having a look at for those who think they may need a higher level of support than others… http://www1.us.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/service_ext_warranty?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Also in fairness to Dell they have launched some new products of late which have a higher level of support………kinda on the line of the Gold support that businesses can get…….support is an issue that Dell are very very aware of and it is something they work very hard on trying to improve…..to provide their customers with the best experience possible……it’s not an easy one for them or for that matter any of the computer companies….

And Bear is correct the guys and girls in India are getting much better at what they do…….I know that all of the computer companies have spent millions on training……again not just Dell but all of the computer companies……….

I would suggest that the support your computer will need should be considered as part of the purchasing decision….

Anyway good luck to all…..with your computers …….regardless of the make……just imagine life without a

Regards

Dermot
 
Free advice to anybody who wants to buy a Dell:

Their PC product quality is fine.

Support is a roulette (applies to other PC vendors too), you will get the good, the bad and the ugly. If you have warranty and call tech supp and you get someone who obviously is less PC knowledgeable than you, hang up and dial again.

And don't ever get suckered into their scheme of "pay nothing now, you can pay the balance in 60 days, same as cash, blablabla". This will land you in a scam club called Dell Financial Services. Which seems to be a con-artist's dream come true.

Case in point: Somebody I know very well, bought a PC using their "don't pay now, pay in 60 days, etc...". He paid the balance in full. Afterwards, every month he got an invoice showing $0 balance.

Which he thought it was really strange they'd send an invoice for $0 balance for so many months after he paid the balance. One day, he looks at the fine print all over the second page and realizes he owes them a couple of hundred $!!

It turns out when you pay off, unless you ask them to close this account, they will charge you interest (although your account balance is ZERO!!). Essentially, they are saying, Dell Financial Services is like a bank and you have an open account with them. Very nice indeed.

In your town, there are many local PC shops who will build a PC for you at competitive prices and provide support, and they speak the language too. Give them a try.
 
Don't like my HP. Battery no longer holds charge and CD drive won't read CDs (have to remove and insert. Never that fast. I stopped buying Dells for the office. 50% failure rate after 3 years. Hard drives, screens, motherboards... I'm trying Winbooks now. So far only one probem. We have 12 of them now. Years ago (97-98) we Bought Toshibas. Very reliable, but seemed slow for cpu they had. Bought one new Toshiba a couple weeks ago. Seems like a nice machine, but it comes with way too much pre installed junk I have to uninstall.
John
 
Originally posted by Paul N:

In your town, there are many local PC shops who will build a PC for you at competitive prices and provide support, and they speak the language too. Give them a try.
Best piece of advice I have seen so far.
 
I pass along a lot of Dell deals when I see them, but get my personal home PCs from the local clone dealer. (don't tell Andy: I ordered him a new one yesterday for Christmas) Sure, they cost twice as much, but they're easier to upgrade in the future - and it supports the local economy. If you need help, you can call the local guy.

The Dells and HPs are pretty much disposable, which isnt necessarily a bad thing- especially for business. Each serve a purpose, IMO.

I support close to 1000 pc's and more than 20 servers as a part time computer consultant. (Local companies hire me as needed, instead of having a full time IT person on staff.) The only brands that have given me grief have been Packard Bell, E-Machines, and HP. I have also had a lot of issues with AMD chips not being compat with client apps. (I only use Intel because of this, but should probably give them another chance - things have improved).

If they quoted $50 per incident or $99 for a whole month, that's a bargain. Consultants usually bill by the hour, with a rate for phone support from $95-$180 and on-site support from $160-$300. A lot of companies seem to be getting involved in this lately, sending college students: (Geek Squad from Best Buy $229 flat rate per <1.5hr issue, CompUSA - $149 flat rate per issue, Computerassist.com - $95/hr, GeeksOnTime - $85/hr) I think most of these are aimed at spyware removal or system upgrades, not server work.

You can always ask about minor issues right on this forum for free too. There are a lot of pc-savvy folks on the Grumble, and we're happy to help our friends.

Mike
 
Why? Macs aren't trouble free. My daughter works part time at the local newspaper, which has all Macs. They frequently have trouble with their computers. One of their employees used to work for the government troubleshooting computer networks and even she has trouble keeping the Macs running.
 
I'll take a Mac over anything else any day. Have used them in business since 87 and having experience using both systems every day, I see much better reliability with Mac "professional" models than anything else.

I still use the same printer I purchased in 1989 w/o a single solitary problem. I only need to buy a new computer when my old one can no longer support whichever new operating system is needed to run a particular software, never because of mechanical difficulties.

I buy all computer components from MacConnection and its compadre', PCConnection. They offer free tech support with all products purchased from them and I've saved oodles of $$. Their prices are extremely competitive as well.

I wish I would have known about those HP printer cartridges and exp. dates. I just bought a new 7310 multifunction unit. It's still in the box! I was hoping HP would be a better option since the Epson I had been using (w/ the HP computer, not the Mac) uses up the ink in the color cartridges even when "only black" is chosen. And then the printer won't operate w/o new color cartridges, even if you don't ever use color! What a rip!

Like my husband always says, computers are great as long as they work. Have to admit, where would we be w/o them? We're addicted.
 
I guess all the above just verifies that for the most part we seem to like what we bought. I've had one Mac, one Gateway, two Dells, and was going for the third Dell when the above discussion turned me toward HP. Now, maybe not.


Basic machines should be about alike, shouldn't they? As for support, that's obviously changed because when I first got into computing, they were all over you with the offers of free this-kind-of support, and free that other kind as well. They could hardly do anything less when wooing the computer illiterate public into "needing" this commodity. They probably lost their shirts on the staffing required for the phone calls. (I still remember how incredibly patient they were when you called.)

I wonder what I'll end up with? (I would have asked you, Mike, about fixing the log-on problem, but our son sent one of his employees over. The kid is a genius: it's nice to have a talented guy like him available. ;)

P.S. I've had Canon and Epson printers, both terribly flawed. No probs with the HPs. who knows
 
If you do alot of printing, laser prints are generally cheaper and more troublefree to run. We have a HP laserjet 5000 that we bought 8 years ago. We just had our first major problem with it despite printing thousands and thousands of sheets off it over the years. The memory board in it went bad but my brother in law repairs printers for a living and was able to get a used one for less than $200. Considering that a comparable replacement printer would cost close to $1000, it was worth the price.
 
I agree with AnneL:

Nothing beats laser printers when it comes to reliability, speed and cost effectiveness.

Even for color printing, I'd rather use a laser printer than deal with those pesky (and expensive) ink cartridges and clogged print nozzles.

And yes, a local PC shop will always beat Dell et al when it comes to tech support and quality.

They will build to your specs after all, and they value their reputation more highly than Dell does.

Not to mention, you're helping the local guys in your town.
 
Back
Top