DELL, never again

I purchased my fourth, and what will be my final DELL laptop 2 months ago. Due to quality assurance problems and DELL Support delays to fix what clearly was a hardware problem that came from the factory, I am still migrating to the new machine (let me emphasize ...TWO months later). While I have become a pro at rebuilding a laptop from "DELL factory default settings", I would have preferred to use what I now estimate to be 4 man-days doing something with my free time that I find more enjoyable. My trust in the quality of the products as well as the level of support could not be lower for any manufacturer. Technicians and even "Resolution" personnel only care about closing cases, not resolving problems let alone establishing or reinforcing customer loyalty. I realize that these are different times - and we all need to reset our expectations. I have now reset my expectations about DELL - and will follow a brand that builds good products and stands behind those products. My time and hard earned money are far to valuable to spend otherwise.

 

It would be more informative if you gave details on what has actually been happening.

 

"Due to quality assurance problems and DELL Support delays to fix what clearly was a hardware problem that came from the factory"

He's talking about a factory defect from Del that is taking them a long time to fix.

 

Yes, but what factory defect ? What laptop ? How have the delays arisen ? what has dell ben saying ?

 

OP....Please provide more detailed information.

What model? What exactly happened.

Please expand......


Cin

 

Yes, I should have provided detail - here it is - hopefully a not too boring chronology (timeframe is post sale):
Model: Inspiron 1525
Issue: Stability
Week 1: laptop rebooting. Dell customer service tells me I have a trojan. I was sent to DELL's software support, which is an additional fee. The file in question happens to be a critical file for a SAGE software product called ACT!, not a trojan.
Week 2: laptop still rebooting: Dell customer service has me run hardware diagnostics, which apparently didn't show anything. I am told that one of standard VISTA OS updates must have corrupted and that I'd have to "do" a factory restore. I am told that this will fix the problem.
Week 3: laptop still rebooting: Hardware diagnostics are run again, but I'm told that there are issues with the BIOS and I'm instructed on how to make some changes. I am told this will fix the problem. Factory default settings for good measure.
Week 4: laptop still rebooting, now getting blue screens. When I don't get blue screens McAfee freeezes up or the Inspiron goes into Windows error recovery. I'm instructed to get the screwdriver out and reseat the memory. I am re-assured that this will fix the problem. But I am convinced that I have a lemon that will never be fixed, only to find that I just missed the window to return the 1525 for a refund.
Week 5: escalated to resolution team. On-site technician dispatched. 1525 is essentially replaced, except for the memory, CPU and case. Restart from factory default.
Weeks 6-present: Still migrating from my old machine. Machine is stable now, but my confidence in Dell product and service has been destroyed.
Hope this helps you with your decision.

 

It kind of sounds like you kept installing something on it that is causing it to reboot.

 

I've had the same laptop as you for about 2 months, and haven't had any problems. It happens sometimes, not all electronics are perfect.

 

Well, in fairness to them most companies do the 80-20 approach so the tasks they got you to do were the most common\less expensive fixes that could be done for them as a corporation. So yes they don't rate high in Customer Service, in the end the problem was fixed due to your patience.

Also to further add a lot of companies lately with the recession are looking at measures to use cost-effective procedures to reduce in overall costs. What you experienced is part of that.

Thanks for the feedback though I'm not saying it's right, I just want to emphasize that you may have gotten similar feedback from other OEMS.