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Desktops: Problems with DELL
Dell vs the field
by RedDawg - 2/11/05 6:39 AM In reply to: Problems With Dell by Train44I've been using computers since the days of the Commodore and overall Dell has been the best overall computer experience bar none. I agree their customer service sux and is in dire need of help, but you can blame Republican presidents for the overseas customer service problems, Dell is no different than any other major corporation in cost cutting and shipping American jobs overseas.
HP's are boat anchors and are even worse since they merged with Compaq, emachines are a joke and gateway will catch up someday. Apples were once very good, just not into their usability due to the type of work I do.
I would like to try one of the new Alien's tho...
The problems most average users have are because they don't understand enough about what they are buying, OS, software, etc...
You get what you pay for in most cases, you buy a $300 dollar computer, u get a piece of junk most times. I can't believe people are still paying good money for Celeron processors.....of course it still boils down to budget and what u need a puter for...
In addition, service contracts are a must, and not just with computers. In 6 years since I bought my 1st Dell I've only had 2 problems and there were parts and a service tech at my house the next day or within 2 days to fix the problem.
In closing and commenting on a previous post as to local puter shops, they can be outstanding or rip-off artists, check around before buying from them. If you get a good one, the puter will be more expensive, but in the long run a good investment if the guy (or gal) stands behind their work.
Wow - Nix on Alienware fr thread on laptop forum
by juditte - 3/5/05 1:00 PM In reply to: Dell vs the field by RedDawgI just bopped over here after reading a major diatribe against Alienware's customer support. I had been thinking about them for a personal system.
Have had positive and negative experience with Dell, hp, compaq (before the merger), Polywell and various white boxes. Obviously there are no perfect solutions but would love to hear about VelocityMicro. Am looking at them today. I need to buy about 3 computers. Already bought one from Dell yesterday but want to spread it around to other companies.
Experience with hp's most recently - computers DOA too often and now even the printers are showing up DOA. Too bad.
IBM's good but now they've been sold....what's a girl to do. Too time consuming and expensive to build all my own when have to risk dead parts and the problems inherent.
many sighs.
Dell reliability
by judilynn - 5/7/05 5:49 AM In reply to: Dell vs the field by RedDawgI disagree with your comments about Dell computers being reliable. My company used Dell computers exclusively for many years. Without exception, they all began to have major problems after about 12-18 months. This caused a big problem for the employees because the company policy was that computers would be replaced every three years so most of us had close to two years of waiting around for hours (or days) while our tech department tried to fix the myriad problems.
I personally have purchased three Dell laptops. These weren't inexpensive machines (I spent an average of $2000 on each). Again, I saw the same problem with the machines breaking down after 12-18 months.
On the other hand, I love Gateway computers. I bought my first Gateway desktop in 1992 and it is still going strong. Since that time I have bought three other Gateway desktops (my husband, daughter and I all have our own machine). In all the time I have been using Gateway computers, I have only had one problem - one of the monitors died and Gateway replaced it within two days.
In the future, I will stick with Gateway. I will never again buy a Dell.
Thank you...
by culture_of_one - 5/7/05 7:28 AM In reply to: Dell reliability by judilynnfor telling us your story. It's important for consumers to have "all" the information. 
Sincerely, JDM
Undelivered Shipments...
by brettrgarner - 2/12/05 5:27 PM In reply to: Problems with DELL by bigboreI bought a pc from Dell a year ago and loved it, it runs great and I have upgraded it to a real powerhouse pc (3 GHz CPU, .75 TB HDD, 2 GB RAM...) so it was natural that when I wanted a second pc to hook up to my tv and play all my collected media I turned to Dell.
I ordered a low-end Media Center PC with "TV-out" except that when it came, it only had VGA output. So I sent it back via UPS. A month later, still no refund I called Dell and they said that UPS had never delivered... Absolutely furious I went into the UPS Store the next day and asked about it, they pulled up the record and showed it delivered to Dell over two weeks prior.
Utterly confused I called Dell back and asked what happened, "coincidentally" enough, they had received it just that day... Yeah, like I believe that they received it 1 day after I called about it, and 2 weeks after UPS showed it delivered.
Then to top it off they gave me a run around and took 3 weeks to get me my refund. I guess next time I want a PC I'll cough up the cash and go with Alienware, but my wallet's gonna cry.
Problems with purchasing Dell Computers from Dell.
by Big Steve - 2/13/05 1:57 AM In reply to: Undelivered Shipments... by brettrgarnerYour story sounds very familiar. Did you purchase your Dell PC from Dell using a Dell Preferred charge account managed by CIT Bank; a bank by the way which should not be confused with Citibank; CIT Bank and Citibank are 2 totally separate banks.
From the tone of your post it sounds to me like you had to deal with CIT Bank. I had a similar experience last year with Dell and CIT Bank; fortunately for me my return amounted to less than $200.00 which I finally got settled after 2 months of haggling back and forth with Dell and CIT Bank.
My advice to anyone who has their mind set on buying a new computer directly from Dell; don't do it using a Dell Preferred charge account managed by CIT Bank; use another method of payment if you can. My advice based upon numerous reviews I have already read about Dell's customer service and tech support is to stay away from Dell period.
Big Steve
End Of Reply
02/13/05
Alienware ???
by Stan Chambers - 3/6/05 10:33 AM In reply to: Undelivered Shipments... by brettrgarnerIt's seems to be about who spends the most $ on advertising. Real customer support is non existant.
Read all about it.
http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6142-0.html?forumID=69&threadID=90767&messageID=1020705&tag=cnr
Uhhhhhhh
by AntiAW - 10/26/05 10:09 AM In reply to: Undelivered Shipments... by brettrgarnerstatistically speaking dell is better than alienware in reliability... they might seem to have the same amount of hate mail however look at how many computers dell builds and look at alienwares numbers... AW messed with me big time and well youve been warned
In Defense Of Dell
by Definitive - 4/23/05 11:32 AM In reply to: Problems with DELL by bigboreI am always amazed at individuals who enjoy bashing certain companies. More often than not they usally hate a company simply because they are really successful at what they do. which breeds resentment towards that company. If I may add my 2 cents worth here my brother is a very high ranking executive at IBM and he has offered me every company deal under the sun, if i would simply change my companies computers to IBM. As they are currently all DELL computers throughout since my companies beginning back in the year 2000. In short I find there product support and product realiabilty second to none. Besides my MS person thinks they are by far the easiest to work on and configure. For all of you who prefer to purchase your computers from one of the many new or smaller companies out there by all means have at it! Just don't cry foul when that company folds or reorganizes. Bigger is not always better but sometimes it certainly gives you more options down the road !
Regards,
No one is disputing...
by culture_of_one - 4/23/05 12:17 PM In reply to: In Defense Of Dell by Definitivethe fact that Dell generally takes much better care of its "business clients" than of "average consumers". Dell has frequently stated that it considers the business market to be its most important target. JDM
(*The average muggle is part of what Dell refers to as "the unprofitable consumer market".)
Problems with DELL
by WebAnt - 4/23/05 11:50 AM In reply to: Problems with DELL by bigboreI am sorry you had such a bad experience with Dell. My experiences have been good. I got my computer in 2002 and everything was right. Every time I call them I usually get a solution to whatever problems I might be experiencing as long as they are software or hardware problems that they are responsible for fixing. I recently got my CD-RW replaced along with my IDE cable because they were both bad and did not pay a dime for either one. I called one week and within that same week they sent out a tech and worked on my computer. Now all my drives are functioning and I am one happy camper. I am especially elated becuase I did not even know the warranty on my computer was still in effect.
Also, there used to be a problem with people not being able to understand what support people were saying. They were foreigners with bad accents. That problem has been fixed and I now clearly understand what a tech is saying when I am talking to them. Also, the chat support is great too. It may take a little time to talk to them but they are usually quite knowledgeable. One gave me a customer number so that others I talked to would know what my problem is and what I had been told concerning it.
I think your problem is an aberration and if you hang in there and be patient Dell will send you the right computer, you will find that it works well, and you will be pleased with tech support for it if things go wrong or you mess things up on it the way I have. A warning. Put as few extra programs as possible on your comupter and you will have less problems with bad programs messing up your computer or it getting infected. Just make sure you buy an extended warranty regardless. It is worth the extra money.
Another good thing about Dell is that when you get tired of your old computer, you can trade it in on a new one and get a discount off a new one. Neat, huh? Take care.
Hmmmm
by funkid7 - 4/23/05 4:53 PM In reply to: Problems with DELL by bigboreI have made 4 purchases from Dell with great results and zero problems or questions. 4 years now and going strong with Dell accessories and workstations.
Re: Buying Dell, try this.......
by parafalcon - 4/23/05 10:46 PM In reply to: Problems with DELL by bigboreI work selling Dell systems. Customer service is a bunch of morons and you don't know what you are buying when you call them. And you don't get a statement stating what you are buying. You best bet is to goto one of their on-line stores. This way you know what you are gettng and see what it is. I bought a 4700 and it rocks, I don't think I will ever be able to use it to it full capability. Dell does have the best hardware record. Issues regarding Dell have nothing to do with the hardware, just the customer service. You could buy a Sony, but you would be paying 300 dollars more for name, and not function.
Oh my goodness.......
by PlatinumPPC - 4/24/05 7:32 AM In reply to: Re: Buying Dell, try this....... by parafalconO.K. to all the ones who think dell is great, I'm not entirely sure I agree, yes they work, and usually with no trouble, but to those not totally hardware literate, let me assure you, you get what you pay for. 60% of the Dell P4 processors don't even have a processor fan! Yeah that's right a P4 with no processor fan. Instead the engineering marvels at DEll decided to use a passive heatsink with a rear mounted case fan and a air hood to direct air over the heatsink. Honestly I don't know how they ever managed to get Intel to agree to it. I guess it was just because they buy so many Intel went along with it. Whatever. Take it from yet another A+ tech that services Dell, they're cheap, really cheap. So, just keep that in mind before to hit that confim order button. Yeah to you it might do the same thing as my custom built $5000 gaming tower, but when the hardware fails, and it will, save the board (usually intel, Dell is in bed with intel so far it's atrocious) don't have a fit. You bought cheap and that's what you got.
Just one experience...
by culture_of_one - 4/24/05 9:42 AM In reply to: Problems with DELL by bigboreThis is what happened to a couple of my good friends who bought a Dell.
They ordered a brand new Dell system (recommended by a friend--not me, because I had no info about Dell) and after all was said and done (shipping charges, taxes, etc.), they ended up paying about $3,500 for it.
The new system arrived "DOA", so they called and politely requested that something be done about it. Dell service was not particularly friendly, but they promised to take care of it.
About 2 weeks later, a new system arrived...but the delivery guy had no instructions as to what to do with the "DOA" system...so there it sat. My friends, being good and honest people, called Dell and asked them whether or not they wanted the first system back. Dell support had no idea what to do, and seemed rather miffed (all the extra paperwork, I suppose)...but they said they'd take care of it. So, there it continued to sit...all boxed up and ready to be taken away.
About 3 weeks later, someone from Dell called my friends up and said that "records showed" they had received "two" systems! My friends then proceeded to tell the rep the whole story...from beginning to end. The rep acted as if my friends had tried to "put one over on Dell" and was quite unpleasant...however, she said she would arrange for someone to come and pick up the DOA system.
About a week later, someone came and took the DOA system away. A few days after that, someone from Dell called and said that, according to their records, my friends had received "two" systems...and that they would have to return one, or be charged for it. Well, you can imagine that my "very patient" friends were beginning to feel somewhat "less patient" with Dell. The whole story up to that point was recited again...from beginning to end (including all the various confirmation numbers, of course). The Dell rep acted extremely suspicious...but said he would "look into it". Apparently, he did...because that seemed to be the end of that particular issue. (Read: No more calls from Dell asking about the DOA system.)
About a week after the last call from Dell concerning the "two" computers...my friends' Dell started "acting funny". (I wasn't on hand to witness this first-hand, as I was working on the opposite coast...so I don't know exactly what the issue was.) At first, Dell claimed that it was a "software issue" and gave my friends the run-around. Finally, the machine refused to boot. Under protest, Dell agreed to send someone to pick up the system...for "assessment". A couple of weeks (and a couple of phone calls) later, Dell returned the system and declared that it had been a "hardware issue" which they had fixed.
To shorten the story a bit: My friends ended up returning the system to Dell a total of "four" times to be "fixed"...during which time, "support" grew nastier and nastier...and about ten days after the warranty expired, it went out again.
Since the system was no longer under warranty, my friends took it to a well-respected local computer shop...with the intention of having it "fixed" properly. The shop called back a few days later to tell them that--not only was the system "broken"--it was "beyond repair". They also said that the "best" they could do would be to build my friends a new system with any of the parts that were still usable (Read: monitor, keyboard, speakers, etc.). My friends eventually elected to buy a "new tower" (Read: everything internal) from the computer shop.
Since then, my friends have had no hardware issues and only a couple of minor software issues (which were fully supported by the shop in question)--and they continue to be "very, very happy".
So, since I've been accused by the "Dell apologists" of having a "vendetta" against that particular company (because I continue to share information that I think "every consumer" should have), I'll just let people make their own assessments of how my friends (those good, kind, gentle, honest people--whom I'm proud to call "friends") were "served" by Dell.
It's also an interesting "coincidence" that, among my friends who bought from Dell as "ordinary" consumers--not one has had a good experience with the company. All the issues they complained about were "hardware-related"...and, according to them, service and support were "terrible". None of them ever plan to buy from Dell ever again. Indeed, the only person I know who's happy with his Dell got it through his company--a large "business" client. (The above-mentioned info could be just a fluke--like being struck by lighting three times in a row--but from where I'm standing, that's a "pretty incredible fluke".)
So, if reality shapes our perceptions (and I'm surround by people who have sworn off Dell based entirely on first-hand experience), then I guess you can understand why I believe that Dell is "not a good company"...or at least "hasn't been consistently good" so far. (There are, however, signs that things might be changing. See Chip Leader's recent thread.)
Sincerely, JDM
(*And I hope you'll all pardon me for not wanting to give the company that "screwed" my friends a big hug anytime soon!)
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