Jim's Dell Laptop Debacle - Final Words
Well, I gave Dell two weeks to find a middle ground with me regarding my issue a month ago with my Dell laptop and the Next Day Service I purchased but did not receive. Here's an update and my closing remarks (thank you, readers, for being patient with me while I tried to resolve this problem and share the results with my blog readers).
* Total cost of Next Day Service fee: $168.00
* Total time to repair Laptop: June 10 to June 22 - 7 business days, not counting day it died and day it was repaired
* Total billable hours lost: 11 (really 22 but I was able to use my Backup PC for some of my work)
* Value of work lost: $1100.00 (two small editing assignments lost, too - estimated around $200-300 each)
Last week, Dell offered me a 17% discount on my next purchase - for a $400 netbook, that comes to around $68.00 - $100 less than the cost of the Next Day Service (I politely declined the offer.)
So, here's my Final Words on the matter:
1. I will no longer be a Dell customer - no more laptops, desktops, printers... nothing.
2. I would encourage this blog's readers to seriously consider the trouble I had in getting my laptop serviced on time when considering their own purchase.
3. The small print in Dell's Next Day Service agreement, in a nutshell, says that Dell will attempt to fix your computer the Next Business Day but if they don't, tough luck.
4. Dell has lost one customer - me - and, with an average of 45,000 unique visitors to this blog each month, I'm guessing they've lost a few more. And it only cost the company $168.00 - what a deal!
I've been a Dell user since 1997 and am somewhat surprised that this issue has gone this far. I'll conclude by saying that while I've enjoyed my Dell laptop, I welcome my readers' suggestions on where to go for my next laptop.
Bye Bye, Dell.
Jim
* Total cost of Next Day Service fee: $168.00
* Total time to repair Laptop: June 10 to June 22 - 7 business days, not counting day it died and day it was repaired
* Total billable hours lost: 11 (really 22 but I was able to use my Backup PC for some of my work)
* Value of work lost: $1100.00 (two small editing assignments lost, too - estimated around $200-300 each)
Last week, Dell offered me a 17% discount on my next purchase - for a $400 netbook, that comes to around $68.00 - $100 less than the cost of the Next Day Service (I politely declined the offer.)
So, here's my Final Words on the matter:
1. I will no longer be a Dell customer - no more laptops, desktops, printers... nothing.
2. I would encourage this blog's readers to seriously consider the trouble I had in getting my laptop serviced on time when considering their own purchase.
3. The small print in Dell's Next Day Service agreement, in a nutshell, says that Dell will attempt to fix your computer the Next Business Day but if they don't, tough luck.
4. Dell has lost one customer - me - and, with an average of 45,000 unique visitors to this blog each month, I'm guessing they've lost a few more. And it only cost the company $168.00 - what a deal!
I've been a Dell user since 1997 and am somewhat surprised that this issue has gone this far. I'll conclude by saying that while I've enjoyed my Dell laptop, I welcome my readers' suggestions on where to go for my next laptop.
Bye Bye, Dell.
Jim
Comments
So... you could always give Lenovo a try...
damo
I'm a happy apple costumer for 4 years now.
They are probably one of the best things I've discovered in my entire life.
Apple, think different.
If you do, you can still install Windows on it for software like BricxCC, while still receiving superior customer support
People seem to be very happy with Mac. My dad has an HP, which I use often, and he hasn't had many problems with it.
Spacedude
bazmati / bazmarc
question - did dell HARD SELL you "Next Day Service" or did you seek it on your own? or did dell cold call you to add this?
great that you've included BILLABLE hours, others have posted that it isn't relevant - but it IS! dell hard sells "Next Day Service" noting the cost of parts AND emphasizes that you'll save on HOURLY labor costs and suffer the MINIMUM amount of DOWN TIME!
many have suggested getting a cheap pc or switching to mac, i understand that its not that easy - as you've noted, the problem is the SOFTWARE. i too make sure that i'm LEGAL with all my software. i spend most of my time in mac os x and windows xp under emulation, but i still have many old (ancient) boxes running various os's b/c i paid for the software, if the software is still relevant, and the os that it runs best on still works on that ancient box, then both the software AND the hardware still has value.
i've NEVER heard anyone receive true "Next Day Service" from dell; tech support asks the end user to "try some things", assuring them that all the following repairs are simple and that they're confident that they can walk the user trough it, eg, open the computer and reseat memory/ cards, or install components that dell ships to them. only after all these options are exhausted, then the user MAY get "Next DAY Service", weeks, or months later!
please blame any future poor book reviews on dell!
I ordered a brand new Dell desktop (with the new i7 processor and the top of the range video card). I would have loved to have got the 17% discount as it would have made a HUGE difference to what I paid! But I guess their offer is probably not transferrable!
Regarding My Dell - it worked fine out of the box with the OEM version of 64 bit Vista.
However, I had minor problems upgrading to the latest build of Windows 7 Beta. But Dell have been wonderful - giving me drivers and Bios to get it working (although they had no obligations to support beta OS). The customer service for NZ is run from Malaysia. And the service I got (follow up / emails / phone calls) have been fantastic.
Regarding how you lost some work - Dell also give you free service called Data Safe online which allows you to back up all your stuff. It is pretty good - as I can do that from anywhere with a broadband connection.
Yesterday they rang up and told me because I ordered it last month, they will give me a free upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate (64 bit) when it is released in October.
To me that is service.
It is amazing how two people can have such a VAST difference in user experience from the same company. May be the Support centre for Asia Pacific is better run?
MAC is good if you have something easy to fix. It's awful if there is a model defect---like a design that overheats. They keep the machine for weeks (on three different occasions) and then tell you that it "meets specs"---which was ridiculous, because it sounded like a jet engine when it got warm. Even a relative who is a certified Apple tech got the same runaround.
Lenovo dates your warranty from the manufacture date, which penalizes you if you buy from someone other than the manufacturer. But they honored their in-home repair service---which was nice, since we live WAY out in the country. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be so happy with it if it was Vista. (It's XP.)
The Vista HP had constant blue screens of death, and is now being used with Linux.
I love and hate them all. :)