Are they that bad?

Is Dell's customer service that bad? I'm thinking about getting an Inspiron or Vostro if my IFL 90 isn't in before school starts. Is Dell's business customer service better than theire consumer side?

Thanks!

 

Imagine every member of this forum calling up or chatting online about why their order is delayed. Now imagine them doing it 2 to 3x a day...

Wouldn't you hate your job too?

 

Its been fine for me so far. Ive called them twice, once to inquire about something and again to cancel an order.

If you don't wanna call you can email and get the same results.

 

Good luck with e-mailing them, they'll never respond. The best thing to do is use the online customer service chat or just call them directly.

 

Heres a very good example to tell you how excellent the serverices, look at home many people are waiting from the 7th of july for there laptop and only to be told it will be delayed until the 28 of this month, now imagine them telling your order has been shipped and you call back later it's in the build phase, make your own decision lol i mean you got a entire forum to make it off of

 

The customer service is a mixed bag at best. I've talked with some very helpful, knowledgable reps and some clueless ones. In general, it's very disappointing that a technology company like Dell has so many problems keeping their orders straight. Or maybe it just looks chaotic from the outside. This week I've gotten three different stories from Dell, either over the phone or via on-line chat:


1. I was told on a chat session on Sunday, 7/29, that no components were on backorder and no delays should occur to my shipping date of 8/1

2. I was told by the automated status system over the phone on Wednesday, 8/1, that my system was in the Kitting stage

3. When I checked the order status on-line I saw that the Estimated Ship Date has changed to 8/16

4. When I tried to do a chat session to ask about the inconsistent story I was getting, no one ever responded to the chat prompt during the 30 minutes that I waited

5. When I called the automated status system this morning, 8/2, it said my system was now in the Boxing stage

6. When I called to ask a real person to get an accurate status (i.e., who's lying?), I was told that the system wouldn't ship until 8/16 due to a back ordered part and was give another phone number to call to find out what was back ordered

7 . When I called the new number, I was told that the processor had an 8 day delay that was driving the 15 day schedule slip (?) - The rep put in a request for expedited delivery when the processor is available

8. This evening the automated system still says the system in in the Boxing stage

So I basically have no idea for sure just where in the process flow my system is at the moment and apparently neither does Dell. Luckily I don't need it right away but I've never had this kind of problem with my previous orders from them. Someone high up in the pecking order needs to pay a little attention (are you listening Mike?)...

 

it depends on the person you get, some are great, some are dumb, some don't care, and some really try to help you out .

So its a mixed bag, but its not a significant reasone not to buy a laptop. They have a good return policy which all csr's know about, so its not bad.

 

If a company can't even send me the laptop I'm spending over $1300 on in a timely fashion, I don't want anything to do with them, which is why I decided to go Vaio + in store pickup. Get my beauty instantly.

 

Mugen...I understand and agree with you.

Dell may not care if one person does what you are doing, but if a lot of people follow suit; then they will start to notice. Then again, the delays would diminish if more people cancel.

 

If you get someone from India, they will have no clue what they're talking about. Every single person from the call centre will say something new and different from what the last person said.

 

hehe its a big run arround but those who keep calling everyday and stay persistant gain IE. gift cards, free upgrades, free accessories, trust me it does have it's benifits being with dell, they do have a good compensation policy when they mess up, its just about you finding a good rep who will take care of you and setup you up

 

I mailed them enquiring about my order. They called back 15 minutes later.

 

they are terrible!!!!!

 

i've always been happy with Dell customer service. I've always experienced fast shipping, fast return policies, and a strong desire to fix any problems you have with your order.

the one consistent downside to dell customer service is the lack of specific knowledge the dell reps have about the systems they're building, and the mixed signals they'll give you about your order. (i.e. the inspiron DDR2 vs DDR3 memory mixup)