Dell Small Business Support

Hey there, long time reader of the forums. I received my Dell Latitude D620 today -- which looks great, although the only problem was that it wouldn't turn on. It would turn on and after about 2 seconds turn off. I didn't see anything on the screen or couldn't get it to boot no matter what I did (removing battery [which appeared fully charged after an hour], etc.).

Anyway, I called Customer Care (I think at first 1-800-456-3355 but got directed to Product Support at 1-800-624-9896), spoke with someone with an accent, and they thought there was something wrong with the motherboard (I was given instructions on how to open the computer, but wasn't confident in getting it done). So it's going to get picked up by DHL for repair (hopefully get it fixed in 3 business days), but the call itself was excruciatingly long. Is this typical service for Small Business, or did I call the wrong number? I was under the impression that with Small Business I'd be able to speak to someone right away (I don't have on-call, but warranty is standard).

I noticed another number on this page http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/contact/contact?c=us&l=en&s=gen: 800-274-3355. Is this the number to call? I got the other numbers listed above from here (also in my product guide): http://support.dell.com/support/top...re/en/byphone?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&~lt=popup

Any opinions? Thanks. Hopefully I can get it fixed, though.

 

you should have a new one sent to you instead of getting it replaced...if it doesn't work out of the box then there's something fishy about that. All the support numbers are a little weird I usually call Tech support about any problems like that.

 

Yeah, well the wheels are already turning (thanks for your reply). DHL should come in within the next 3 hours. :I ... I didn't know all my options, and there was a lot of dead silence with the agent I talked to. I know I have 21 days (is this from the ship date or order date?), but the person I talked to seemed to be more specifically geared towards hardware / troubleshooting. With the waiting and being passed around, I kind of end up in a haze.

Not working out of the box certainly makes me leery -- it certainly doesn't inspire much confidence since this notebook is supposed to be "road ready". I believe I called tech support (under product support, 2nd number I listed). It took me a while to figure out the right numbers, so I'm wondering if there's some "magic number" (maybe that 3rd number I listed).

 

I can't remember if there's a Small Business option for this or not (I believe there is), but I'm a big fan of Dell's on-line chat support. I've used it a few times for other computers (my D620 has worked flawlessly so far), and it's fast and painless, in my experience.

Not that this helps much now that you've already been through that long call, but it might be worth trying if you need support in the future and have another PC to use to get on-line!

 

The number dell has listed on their site for small business support is :1-800-456-3355

What kind of warranty did you have? Only mail in? If you had at home/business, they should have sent a tech to you.

If DHL hasn't come already, you can refuse to send your laptop back or call and cancel the pickup with DHL.

 

Just wanted to mention this because I narrowly escaped it myself: the 21 day return policy doesn't start over or extend if you're waiting for parts or for them to send you a new one or fix your old one. It never starts over. That time-bomb is ticking right from the moment you receive the item, so if there's any question whatsoever that you're going to get dragged past the 21 days before you know FOR SURE that you have no big issues, then return and re-order.

The only complicating issue is if you got some kind of great deal which you couldn't get again - that's when you either have to take your chances or cut your losses and end up with a different laptop (or end up paying more for the same one).

 

Thanks for the replies. I have the standard mail-in warranty, SouthernGirl.

It's really bad luck, I suppose. I would like to see it fixed as soon as possible, so I'm going to go with that for now. If I get it back and there's still problems, I would think there's still time to return it. I ordered the notebook last week and got $400 off when customized over $1599. Now the deal has a higher threshold, $450 off when customized over $1799 (which is above the price I customized). Anyway, I just hope I can get it fixed!