Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
i ordered a Dell laptop last night, and i called this morning to change the delivery address to my work address, i have an accent (I live in Australia, but am from Glasgow) the person in the call centre was having a difficult time understanding me ...
so she seemed fit to hang up on me !!
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Damn that was harsh, surely they would swear on me if I where speaking
cuz my accent is not that good.
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thanks guys, some great advice there
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I can totally relate to your problem. A mere week ago I purchased the new XPS M1330. It appeared to have been given good reviews from CNET and from some other people on YouTube, so I thought I might test the waters for myself...to my detriment.
Day 1:
The computer arrived within 4 days - a personal record for DELL, perhaps. After the usual heart-fluttering upon opening a new piece of technological wizardry, and after playing around on the computer for some hours, I got down to checking out the build. I must say, I was most disappointed by what I found.
To begin with, the letters on the keyboard were very brittle indeed and not nearly as comfortable as those found on the XPS 1210, the predecessor to the aforementioned model(which, incidentally, I loved). Then one has to contend with the build quality of the palmrests which, it must be said, are just pathetic, and also subject to heating: they are made of a very brittle aluminum-plastic type of material and thus not very durable at all. This annoyed me very much, given that I had shelled out some 760 pounds on this model.
Aside from this, the nvidia graphics card and the general speed of the computer, even though it came with Vista, was impressive. I tested two games on it - Oblivion and Medal of Honour - and I was really taken by the overall speed and visual splendour of the graphics it maintained. And, as my laptop shipped with all sorts of good software included, I could get down to work immediately.
Day 2:
More time checking out the computer followed by a incremental increase in personal frustration.
Day 3:
Picky as I am, and concerned with my laptop as a solid piece of hardware, as well as a software container, I wished to leave it back. So, I gave DELL a phone call. As per usual, I phoned their Customers service department to begin with. To my annoyance, I was consistently connected to the technical support department (who, oddly, all appeared to have indian accents: ahh, the nightmares of outsourcing...). After three separate attempts I got through to customer services.
At this point, I thought that everything was going to be resolved and that I was going to finally be able to get my refund. Not so.
After explaining that I wanted a full refund, given the flimsy nature of the laptop, the customer care advisor stated that I was not eligible for consideration. She maintained that, because I had bought my computer through DELL business, it was not feasible for me to be refunded. I tried to explain that I simply wrote the word "HOME" under the WHAT BUSINESS section and that, had I known there were two separate site divisions, I would never have ordered as a legitimate business in the first place. I even said to her that I would pay the difference in cash - which they could hold onto - if I could be given a refund on the original amount I paid for the product. She kept up her steely resolve and condescendingly told me that "this call could go on all day, and even then I would't be able to give you a refund, so it's up to you." Never one to lose my temper easily, I wished her good day and put the phone down. Then I did some browsing of my own.
Day 4:
In order to get DELL to understand the idiocy and circular nature of her argument, I went and looked into the legal grounds to support my case - I'm not a lawyer, but I thought that the mention of something legal might be enough to scare them. I found DELLs terms and conditions, circled those that I could quote to her verbatim and then phoned back the next day. After the requisite half-hour spent being connected and redirected to DELL tech department - which simply must be located in India or at least somewhere in the middle-east - I got through to customer services yet again. And, interestingly, I also ended up getting the same advisor. This time, I really thought I had her.
I stated that under DELL's terms and conditions, any customer was allowed to give back there product within a period of 7 days (in other countries this period is of course extended). Her reply was that the 7 day deal did not apply to the business part of DELL's website. I then replied that it was more than conceivable that a business may want to cancel its consignment of computers within the 7 day period due to financial problems of one sort or another and that the agreement must be at least modifiable in this situation. Again, she exasperately told me that there was nothing she could do. Then she added that I could try writing to a local DELL headquarters in the UK - I really shouldn't mention which one. I asked whether I could ring or e-mail them instead. And again, in a tone that suggested she was more interested in licking hydrochloric acid off a the toes of a dutch prostitute than resolving my problem, she drawled "perhaps."
Day 5:
I sent a letter to DELL by express post. No phone call or e-mail or letter ever turned up. Next on the list: contact DELL's chat line. Was this the holy grail I was looking for? No, not quite.
I got through to an advisor called Melissa who was very nice but practically useless in every other respect. After begging her to give me a better contact to call, and after explaining that I had phoned customer care several times, she told be to e-mail DELL's US escalation department. Hooray, I thought! A contact worth getting in touch with! So, I sent them an e-mail and received a reply - just one day later - expressing that (drum-roll...) I had contacted the wrong department...
Day 6:
Feeling that the indifference of the customer service staff suggested that I wouldn't get an answer to my letter in any event, I contrived a new plan: First, I would look up and review DELL's terms and conditions in detail. Second, I felt that I had to find a higher authority to relay my information to. How to find this higher authority? Through this very site!
This was the great ambrosia I was looking for! So, I wrote a strongly worded letter to DELL which read thus:
Under the Terms and Conditions of DELLs UK website, under article 7.3 and7.3.1, the customer is informed of the following: 7.3 Consumers may cancel their Orders for any reason until, but no later than: 7.3.1 the end of the 7th "working day" (days other than weekend days & public holidays) after the day of receipt of the Product &/or of the Service Order Confirmation. I believe that I am entitled to a refund under this policy. I see no reason why an average consumer cannot claim for a refund when the above is readily available on your own website. Distance Selling Regulations state that I have 14 days from the receipt of goods to return my product for a full refund. The Sale of Goods Act 1979 also gives me similar rights.
The last two legal precedents I picked up from the Notebook Review website. Thanks guys!
Day 7:
I received an e-mail. An e-mail from the secretary of a DELL CEO! She had read through my case and she confidently asserted that I was within my rights in being refunded. Success!
Day 8:
The following day I received a phone call from a DELL assistant who told me - without any malice - that the computer would be picked up the following week and that I would be issued with a refund within 5 days. Ohh, how I felt utterly vindicated. All the struggle had finally paid off. And what's more, it proved that even the little man can stand up against the corporate DELL machine. The central moral of the story for me was as follows: if you want an action to be carried out expressly, if you want real efficiency, forget the drones in their telephone booths. Instead, head straight for the top. Moreover, add a bit of legal muscle to your arguments and everything should work out fine. And, in the words of Tom Petty, "Don't Back Down."
Moving On:
P.S. I want to say that I have nothing against DELL tech support. For the most part, they seem like honest working people. What I do detest about DELL is pretty obvious: the lying of its customer care staff and their almost impenetrable resistance to providing a quick, efficient, easy service and exchange of goods. Whether they have been taught to act this way - or perahps even programmed to act in such a manner (no pun intended) - I do not know. But I have learnt a sore lesson from all this. And now, DELL has convinced me to shop elsewhere for a computer. My next buy? An Apple Macbook. I have, finally, crossed to the other side of the divide - although I do not believe that such a divide exists.
Lest we forget: a round of applause for those people who found the DELL executive e-mails! Well done people. None of this would have been possible without you.
Cheers!
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Dell Customer service .... not off to a great start
Discussion in 'Dell' started by Toryglen-boy, Jun 18, 2008.
