Complaint

I am writing to make a formal complaint about the service I have received from Dell.

On 11 May, Dell replaced the hard drive in my laptop and reinstalled Windows. Unfortunately, the incorrect version of Windows was installed, which has caused a series of problems.

Following the repair, I was unable to install one of my desktop programmes because two Windows accounts had been created on my laptop with different permissions. This caused confusion and prevented the software from working properly. I spent several days making lengthy calls to Dell and my software provider in an attempt to identify the problem and reinstall my work programme.

When I raised the issue of the two Windows accounts, Dell initially treated it as a Microsoft issue and advised me to contact Microsoft directly. I did so, although this should not have been necessary given that Dell had carried out the installation. Microsoft then confirmed that the wrong version of Windows had been installed on my laptop.

I contacted Dell again and explained what Microsoft had told me. I also reported that my laptop displayed a message asking me to activate Windows, but I was unable to do so. Rather than activating my existing Windows 11 Pro licence which is the easiest for both ends, Dell advised me to reinstall Windows using the correct version. I was reluctant to do this because it would have meant repeating the lengthy process of reinstalling all of my desktop software. However, Dell offered no alternative and insisted that reinstalling Windows Home was the only option. Although I reluctantly agreed, the technical support team failed to call me at the agreed times on two separate occasions.

On 29 June, a member of the technical support team finally contacted me and attempted to resolve the issue remotely. When this failed, Dell arranged for an engineer to visit my home. Unfortunately, the issue remained unresolved even after the visit.

I have now wasted a significant amount of chargeable working time dealing with a problem caused by Dell. I had lost confidence in the repair process and requested a replacement laptop instead. The engineer's report dated 1 July supported this request, As of 13 July, almost two months after my initial contact, the issue remains unresolved.

The level of service I have received has been wholly unacceptable. Dell's repeated errors, poor communication, missed appointments, and failure to resolve a problem of its own making have caused me significant inconvenience, unnecessary stress, and loss of valuable working time.

Given the circumstances, I believe replacing my laptop is the most appropriate solution, and I look forward to your reply without further delay.