Is Customer Service Alien to Alienware

This post is dedicated to the Alienware support desk somewhere in Eastern Europe.

When your company has spent so many millions of $ on product development and more millions on persuading gullible pc gamers (especially teenage ones) that you offer THE PREMIUM BRAND gaming platform you have to grasp the simple concept that unless you can back that up with Premium customer focussed interactions you are wasting yours and your company's hard won revenue.

 

My tale - through subsequent internet research - transpires not to be uncommon. A so obviously defective product delivered by Dell, the calls for support passed around the world via India and finally routed through to the most unsympathetic support team I have EVER encountered. The crux of the matter, my defective Alienware model, by the time it arrives specially manufactured for us at the cost of 6+ Playstations is now EOL (end of line), it no longer exists on the Alienware website. Two options am I given. 1, We will send an engineer who will pull your brand new PREMIUM BRAND Alienware product apart, replace the motherboard & defective ports, stitch it back together and then everything will be fine, Hold on I say - we ordered a brand new, specially manufactured for us PREMIUM BRAND top of the range laptop - we don't want something cobbled together by one of your field engineers. Send me a brand new replacement. Option 2 - we will refund you your money. Hold on I say - this money was passed to you nearly 3 weeks ago. My son has been saving all his money for 2 years, that's not far off 20% of his whole life, because he wants a brand new Alienware laptop. He hasn't been saving all that time so Dell can have the money for 3 weeks and then it's sent back. Can anyone in Alienware customer support explain this logic. No.

 

Option 3, proposed by me (quite reasonably I feel). As it's not our fault we were sent a totally defective product & as it's not our decision the laptop is now EOL send us an equivalent of your new range which again through nothing to do with us, has to have a slightly higher spec and costs over £200 more.

 

'I can tell you, management decision, no chance'

 

Oh silly me, did I forget to say that in my 7 day (so far) trial by Dell Alienware I have sent emails NO REPLY, I have submitted my issues via Dell.com & been given case ID's that promise a response in 1 working day - NO REPLY, I have tried calling Dell's head office in the UK, have waited over half an hour whilst my phone tells me how important my call is - NO ANSWER so finally in desperation I try Twitter. In all fairness a very nice Texan  has promised to look into things and someone from Dell will be in touch. How crazy is this - I purchase from the UK, I can't talk to anyone in the UK, I'm sent all the way via India to Eastern Europe to be treated like an alien. I have to resort to tracking down someone in Austin, Texas who at least says sorry you've had problems and we'll look into it.

 

So, to those people at Alienware I'd like to answer some questions for you based on my experiences though obviously these are my personal opinions:

 

1. Is there any chance that Dell can reverse it's declining profitability? Based on my experience - NO CHANCE

 

2. Will Dell be able to challenge Apple with it's new product releases? Based on my experience - NO CHANCE

 

3. Will you ever spend any more money with Dell? - NO CHANCE

 

4 Will you ever recommend Dell to anyone? - NO CHANCE

 

5. Do you think we will ever be able to persuade Youtube to remove those clips of people finally, in total frustration, smashing up their Alienware laptops - NO CHANCE

 

6. Do you think our long term future is secure based on our current level of customer service -  __ _____  (please fill in & here's a clue 2,6)