Re: Dell experiences

David wrote:
FWIW: I won't deal with Dell consumer products anymore ...
I purchase all systems through SMB.

While the sales experience is not much different, the support experience
is radically different. Even when getting support via chat I talk to
people
who are informed and experienced. Not script readers.


David -

I used to tell everybody that Dell support was second to none. Now I tell
people that if you buy a Dell /business/ system, their support is second to
none.

However, I'll never again buy a Dell consumer computer (Inspiron or
Dimension). The worst customer service experiences I ever had were support
calls on Inspiron laptops. Before I wised up and quit buying Inspirons, I
had probably spent a hundred hours on hold waiting on Dell Indian tech
support related to problems on various computers. More often than not,
you'll spend 30 or 40 minutes on hold then get disconnected!

Last year my brother bought my two nieces new Inspiron 1525 laptops. One of
them had a software failure that required reloading the O/S. Like an idiot,
I spent 1 1/2 hours (of which 45 minutes was on hold) on a support call to
India only to find out what I already knew: that I needed to reformat and
reload everything. Luckily, all of the CD recovery media was supplied with
the computer. While on hold waiting on Indian technical support, I heard an
ad for Dell premium service for Dell Home systems. Out of curiosity, I
called to inquire about the cost of Dell Premium technical support - it
costs 149.00 per YEAR - over a three-year period, almost as much as the
computer cost...a service that you get FREE with Precisions, Latitudes, and
servers!

The last two Dell laptops I bought for my own use are Precision models. As
I mentioned, with Precisions, Latitudes, and servers you get FREE technical
support from Dell service centers that are located mostly in North America
(one of them is located in Panama). These are the same technicians that
cost you 149.00 / year if you wanted Premium support on an Inspiron or
Dimension system. Last week I called for replacement of the power supply on
my M65. I was on hold for less than one minute before talking to a
technician in Oklahoma City. No script, he had my order entered and the
call was completed in less than 10 minutes.

On average, I spend less than 20 minutes when dealing with unscripted
technical support in America versus over an hour when dealing with the
scripted technical support in India.

- sjl