Absolute Terrible Customer Support!

Now that I have seen dell’s customer service in action on three different occasions, I am quite positive this is not the service in which I was sold or intended to pay for.  At this point, I don’t even want to open the box when it gets here.  I just want to return it to dell. This has been the worst customer service that I have ever seen.  At this point, I no longer want the cheese, I just want out of the trap!  Let the facts speak for themselves:

• 7 January 2013 – Online chat with D representative about  DELL’s customer service and return policy.  Quote “If you simply do not like the color, you can return it. 
• 23 February 2013 – Purchased XPS 15 (Top of the Line)  via telephonic conversation.  Everything went very well. 
• 1 March 2013 – I received an email stating the following: 
• Dear Customer,
  We're sorry but your order will take longer to fulfill than previously communicated and is now scheduled to be delivered on or before 4/2/2013
  
  Because we did not meet the date previously communicated to you, we need your permission today to continue your order with this new date. If we do not receive your permission, the Federal Trade Commission requires that we cancel your order. 
• 1 March 2013 – In response to the above email, I sent an email to my salesperson and asked:
• • Charles, I completely forgot to add a CAC (smart card) reader in my system.  Is it too late for that?
    • Did DELL just break a Federal Trade Commission Law?
    • Why didn’t DELL get back to me about my request?  A yes or no response would have been nice.
    • I looked up DELL’s definition of Shipped.  This is what it said: 
      • “After an order has completed (past tense) the manufacturing process and shipping preparations has transitioned(past tense) to the carrier for delivery. Shipping time will vary based on type of order and size and shipping method chosen.”

• 2 March 2013 – DELL”s response to my plead (and opportunity to make more money)
  o    Dell Order Has Shipped for Dell Purchase ID:
  Who approved that?  I did not give required permission as stated above.
  
  23 March 2013 – I work overseas and it is difficult  for me to call dell on my schedule, I either have to stay up late, receiving about 4 hours of sleep that night, or to call early on Saturday mornings.   The stars and moon aligned in such a way that I was able to call dell during their operating hours.  I noticed that I didn’t have a lot of time, approximately 25 minutes, but made the call anyway.  The lady (screener) who answered the call asked so many ridiculous and non-pertinent questions that when she finally transferred me to the “correct” department, no one was there to answer the phone.  Thanks a lot dell! 

• 30 March 2013 - A week goes by and I decide to call dell again.  I called XPS customer support and reached a representative.  My question was really, where is my laptop?  I stated that it was shipped on 1 March, and it is now 30 March.  He kept trying to tell me the Dell doesn’t prepackage……. I said that I understood that, but dell said my laptop shipped on 1 March.  He went back into his explanation of the production process.  I cited Dell’s definition of shipped.

• “After an order has completed (past tense) the manufacturing process and shipping preparations has transitioned(past tense) to the carrier for delivery. Shipping time will vary based on type of order and size and shipping method chosen.”
• So, when I asked him again, stating that according to dell, the laptop production and shipping preparations finished on or before 1 March, where is it?  I paid for expedited shipping.  His response, he just simply hung up!  Thanks again DELL (p.s. because I live outside of USA,DELL cannot call me internationally.  However, whenever I call DELL in the USA, they transfer to someone definitely outside of the USA)

• 30 March 2013 – I sent an email to DELL customer service in which I still have not received a response.
• 6 April 2013 – I spent approximately 4 hours on the phone calling DELL in an attempt to simply return the laptop upon arrival.  Remember, I paid something like $380 for DELL’s SUPER CUSTOMER SERVICE.  DELL did not entertain the option to return the computer.  This is a direct conflict with what a previous DELL employee stated.  They said that they mentioned my situation with a manager and they will get back to me.
   
• 11 April 2013 – Received an email from DELL

9101900463001000742487
Estimated Arrival:Not Available
Status:Shipment Accepted (NASHVILLE, TN 37230)
View Details
Hi Matthew,

Thank you for contacting Dell Customer Care.This in regards to the case no: . Your Computer order number  has shipped and is with USPS for delivery. Your tracking number is . You can track the package at www.usps.com or may choose to contact them at USPS: 800-275-8777>>. The order was shipped to the APO address which takes at least 6 weeks to get delivered. You may also call us at 1800-624-9897 extension 4542571. Be sure to notify us of the best time to call you as well as the phone number(s) where you can be reached. We are keeping a follow up on your order and will be contacting you again to confirm the receipt of the order. Your satisfaction is very important to us. Thank you for choosing Dell. 
Sincerely, 

Case Specialist Ê Dell Customer Care
http://support.dell.com
When corresponding with Dell, please include your order or customer reference number. 

When I used the tracking number supplied in the previous email, it shows that the package was not picked up until 14 March 2013.  This is a direct contradiction to the email sent on 2 March 2013.  Why is the Shipment tracking number different? 

• 18 April 2013 – DELL simply sent a duplicate copy of the email sent on 11 April 2013.  What is the point of that? 

So DELL, my questions to you are:

1. At the time of purchase, why did the sales person, knowing that the package was going to an APO address, assure me that it would arrive before the delivery date of 27 March 2013 when in the last email response, you state that it takes a minimum of 6 weeks for delivery.  Nothing takes that long! Why did your sales person not respond to my previous emails?
2. Why did you ship my order without my required consent for the additional wait time?
3. Did DELL break a Federal Trade Commission Law?  I guess I’ll have to find out.
4. Why are the Shipment tracking numbers different? (The one supplied on 2 March vs the one supplied on 11 April)
5. Did you simply just send me a bogus "shipped" email so that you could no longer offer the smart card reader?  I honestly believe this to be true.
6. Why did you lie to me about the shipping date?
7. Why did DELL completely deny my request to return the computer upon delivery?  I do not even want to open the box!  I do know that the customer service that I have received so far is not worth the $380 (approximate) that I paid. 
8. Why does DELL feel that it is okay to hang up on their customers?
9. Why can you not call me internationally when I call you and then I get transferred to someone outside of the USA?
10. Why does DELL request that I wait another week?  Are you thinking that somehow I will magically forget about your ridiculous customer service thus far?

Please understand my issues are not with the DELL product, but with DELL’s service. Please do not insult me about delayed shipping to APO addresses.  I live here and use my APO Box every day, and am very familiar with its delivery lag times. I have been an avid fan of DELL since my first purchase in 2002.  I can now say that I believe in the product (the old ones at least) but no longer wish to support and organization with such terrible customer service standards.