Desktops: My experience with Dell
A word to the wise...
by culture_of_one - 3/30/05 7:22 PM In reply to: My experience with Dell by faithprueIt seems to me that some people are, for whatever reason, very "pro-Dell". They also seem willing to try to justify and/or minimize any negative information concerning the company...which requires them to "ignore" a lot of very clear evidence. As far as I'm concerned, anything the "Dell apologists" have to say should be taken with a grain of salt. They either work for the company, or are more concerned with being "right" than being "helpful".
Faith came forward in the hope of preventing what happened to her from happening to anyone else. I came forward with what happened to my friends in the same "spirit of giving". I don't know what the other guys want, or what their personal motivations are...and I sure as heck don't care. As long as concerned individuals can keep even one person from being cheated (no more mincing words), it's worth it. That's where I'm coming from, and I believe that Faith would share that sentiment.
So, once again, my advice to "smart consumers" is to do your homework and then act on your own best judgement. Check the company's return policy carefully, and return your purchase quickly at the first sign of trouble. Don't allow anyone to put you off with "delaying tactics". If trouble pops up after the return period, keep detailed notes, cut and paste chat dialogues (they tend to "disappear"), and record telephone conversations. Be smart and you'll be happy. Caveat Emptor!
Sincerely, JDM
Shame on them, Shame on you
by prpat - 3/30/05 9:20 PM In reply to: My experience with Dell by faithprueI don't know if this was brought up cause I don't have the billion years to look through all these posts.
The first part of your post is terrible. I know mistakes can happen and dell doesn't seem to fix anything for you. This means you should always read through the paperwork. It should tell you exactly what you are paying for and the return/warranty information.
If you are billed for something you didn't order that should be the first concern. Send the item back right away. Tell them this isn't what you ordered! Don't call them and wait for a reply to see what happened. It's not what you wanted so don't sit around and use it waiting for someone else to fix the problem.
Ok, so you waited till after the 60 days return period. Now its yours! So are you going to keep it or sell it and at least get back some of your losses? Nope you go ahead and order more from the company that stuck you the first time. Now you get stuck a second time! Then wait again till you are stuck with another problem/bill and order some more! Doesn't sound too wise to me.
Yes as consumers we have rights to get what we pay for and you did. You got a computer configured and priced for 1600 even if thats not the item you ordered. You have a certain period to return it and failed to do so. You should have contacted your attorney if dell was unwilling to fix the problem or adhere to their own return policies.
If you went to court on just your 1600 computer you may have won, but then you blew it...you ordered more. Now you are doing business with a company that you say betrayed you in the past. What do you expect? This would definately not hold up in court. You would be laughed out of Judge Joe Browns courtroom as a fool.
Some of your points...
by culture_of_one - 3/30/05 11:00 PM In reply to: Shame on them, Shame on you by prpatare valid, but you need to remember that the originator of this post 1) had a good experience with this company in the past, 2) expected them to fix things and then fell victim to "delaying tactics", 3) was lead to believe that the additional purchases were necessary, and 4) that her name is "FAITH".
The Scots have a saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." I think it's safe to say that Faith has lost faith in Dell...and that she will never give them another chance to jerk her chain.
Oh, by the way, Pat--it's very nice to have this opportunity to communicate with someone who's never made a mistake! 
-JDM
Well...
by culture_of_one - 3/31/05 12:38 PM In reply to: My experience with Dell by faithprueIt's become pretty clear to me that there's no convincing the "apologists", so I won't even bother to try anymore. They'll just keep on believing what they want to believe--no matter how much evidence to the contrary they see. They are clearly more concerned with being "right" than "helpful". (I also suspect that there are several companies that wouldn't think twice about paying people to run interference for them in public forums like this.)
If you criticize any of the apologists' pet companies, you will be accused of 1) working for a competitor, 2) being a liar (that's "libel" by the way), 3) being a disgruntled former/wannabe employee, 4) running a scam, 5) being delusional, 6) having a vendetta, 7) having a hidden agenda, 8) trying to blackmail the company into giving you something you don't deserve, 9) being stupid/ foolish, and...my personal favorite...10) being a "Utopian".
All of you who have valuable information to share should just keep doing what you're doing. Don't waste a second playing verbal volleyball with the apologists. They are only interested in wasting your time and energy, and in sidetracking you from the real issues. They will never be convinced, because they have no intention of ever being convinced. To them it's more a matter of pride (or duty) than anything else. Indeed, to be convinced of the rightness of someone else's point of view is in their minds equivalent to "losing". Therefore, no matter what you say or do, they will continue to "ignore clear evidence", make "nasty personal attacks", and offer up "lame excuses".
Once again, I'd like to thank Faith for stepping up and doing the right thing. Threads like this help to educate and protect people, and are therefore extremely important. I'd also like to thank those of you who've come forward with your "positive experiences"...as they've helped us to develop a more balanced view.
And for the rest of you...those nasty, negative, nitpicking apologists...stick it in your ears! 
Sincerely, JDM
My good experience with Dell
by gsandersjr - 4/7/05 3:43 PM In reply to: My experience with Dell by faithprueIn response to faithprue...all large companies will at times have a glitch; Usually due to Human error/personnel issues. I have a Dell 4400 and an Axim X5. If one could say a computer has run flawlessly these have. As with most computers there have been minor glitches. The 4400, I have max'd out with 3 hard drives, DVD-ROM and CD-RW and all the PCI slots full. The worst that has happened (to date) is I had to disconnect my peripherals and bring them back one at a time. The Axim has had a few more issues but were easily resolved with back-ups and returning to factory condition, then reinstalling the programs. Sounds like a lot a problems but in comparison to the problems I've had with other computers (Acer, IBM, HP, Compaq, Locally built), they really have been relatively hassle free. I of course am of the mind that there are always several ways to correct a problem, I don't normally get discouraged if the first one fails. The only loyalty I have to Dell is my relatively good experience with their products. Sometimes with computers as with automobiles, you can get a lemon. So far I have gotten only peaches from Dell!
I wish I had known!
by lac930 - 4/11/05 12:05 AM In reply to: My experience with Dell by faithprueI too, had heard good things about Dell, and the credit plan was something I could handle so I went ahead and bought my first computer. I have been happy with the whole computer system (is ignorance bliss?) but I have definitely been dissatisfied with their tech support (I'm a newbee after all) and their finance department. Were you aware that they don't do online bill pay?? They are a computer company aren't they? And you can't do business with them using one of their computers? Amazing.
This is on a much smaller scale than your issues, but for me, it was just as annoying. I was to receive free shipping (a $100 value). I didn't see it on the original billing. I waited. I called and was told to wait, it would show up on the bill in the next few months. I waited. I wrote, several times. No response. I waited. When nothing showed up on the bill I called again, and got the run around. I tried going up the chain of command and was told I had waited too long to have the shipping charges removed from my account!!!...BUT they could give me a voucher for $100 to be used toward my next online purchase. But not toward my bill?? Nope. This employee had as much authority as I was going to be able to talk to, she tells me. So, in frustration, I excepted the voucher code she e-mailed to me. I ended up spending more money with them, $100 doesn't go far, and bought a little digital camera. Ok, I wanted one and it wasn't in my budget, but I had to use the voucher before it expired, and with their history, I figured I'd better use it soon.
I have on several occasions since then, needed tech support and on every one of the calls was told they were unable to help me. It was difficult to understand them and they responded to my questions with formula answers, as if they were reading them out of the manual, without understanding what they were actually saying. Totally and completely unhelpful on each and every phone call.
I will not be doing business with them again if I can possible help it.
As a paying customer...
by culture_of_one - 4/11/05 12:17 PM In reply to: I wish I had known! by lac930you're experience is as valid as anyone else's, Lac. It doesn't matter that you "got taken" for less than Faith. You still got taken by a firm that can and should do much better.
Sincerely, JDM
I ordered a dell not 12 hours ago and am already having prob
by lookingforanswers - 4/12/05 8:16 PM In reply to: My experience with Dell by faithprueThat is quite a story faithprue. Bet you won't be dealing with them again any time soon. I just ordered a dell last night but I don't have the foggiest idea how I am supposed to pay for it. I don't have a credit card so when checking out I selected the "online banking payment option." What this means exactly, I have not been informed. After hitting the final button to process the order I expected to see some instructions or something. No dice. Why do they have to make this process so difficult. Another problem Dell has is the customer service phone reps. I can not understand them! I was talking with one guy who sounded like he was in the middle of ESL training, so I politely asked to be transfered to someone who did not have so thick an accent. He agreed. So who do I get next, friggin Apu. Don't the people who run companies like dell pay attention to stuff like this. I mean these problems could be resolver so easily!
dell service
by sstrutz - 5/8/05 8:26 PM In reply to: My experience with Dell by faithpruei too have my bad experiences with dell. i bought a dell inspiron 5150 laptop. after a couple of months the battery would no longer charge, even with the power pack plugged in. i had to make several calls to their service center in india. this is a real pain. their cust service reps may speak english, but they do not understand it. i kept having to repeat everything i told them. i spent hours on the phone running diagnostic tests that i had run several times before. finally, they started shipping me new parts to put in, everything from a new battery to the hard drive. nothing changed. i sent it in to their shop. it came back the same. finally, i called and demanded to speak to a supervisor. i got an american lady who listened to me and had me send it in for a replacement. well the replacement came back and it was better than the one i had, it had 1gig of ram instead of 256, it came with the brand new office suite, instead of 2002. however, when i played a movie, i could hardly hear it. i ignored this little problem and bought some good external speakers. however, now when i use the dvd drive the laptop heats up and eventually shuts down the system. even though i have only had this replacement system about six months, i am told that i am no longer under warranty. they are dating the warranty back to the original one. i will have to call and talk to another supervisor and see what i can do. let you know.
Thank you for telling us your story!
by culture_of_one - 5/9/05 6:27 AM In reply to: dell service by sstrutzI hope everything works out well for you!
Sincerely, JDM
I told you they wouldn't get away with it!
by culture_of_one - 11/11/05 8:40 AM In reply to: My experience with Dell by faithprueDid I not?
http://news.com.com/Dell+earnings+gets+dinged+by+PC+problems/2100-1003-5945015.html?part=dht&tag=ntop&tag=nl.e703#talkback JDM
dell is overrated
by icepop4who - 11/11/05 3:01 PM In reply to: My experience with Dell by faithprueYour extremely long post was impossible for me to read, but i can share something with you about dell. Dell's computers never were my choice because i have quite a lot of friends who have dell and gotten problem within the first year. Repairing those computers is a pain, but possible, except the problem kept coming in different forms. I do not recommend dell as your computer. Try emachines if you want a nice computer way under $1000. Note: IBM is so far the most reliable i seen, but its limited capabilities made it unsuited for home users.
Dell vs Gateway!!!!!!!!!
by jazzman47 - 11/11/05 8:07 PM In reply to: dell is overrated by icepop4whoAfter reading many of the letters , I would like to ask about gateway products ?????How do they stack up to Dell Notebooks and desktops ??
CHECK THE INVOICE WHEN IT ARRIVES!
by lewisinde - 11/11/05 3:06 PM In reply to: My experience with Dell by faithprueI realize that faithprue had serious problems. It would have been very helpful if he checked the invoice when it arrived. I'm sure that all computer companies have lemons. Dell probably has the least. One day after our last Dell arrived the mouse stopped working. I called them and asked if they wanted me to send the mouse back. They said "no" and immediately mailed me a new one. We have been very pleased with all of our Dells.
lewisinde
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