What's going on at Dell?

Question

I purchased a Dell Outlet New computer on Jan. 3.  Within a month of receiving the Dell 9550 it was on its way to Dell Repair Center in Houston.  The repair was put on billable hold, because unit was not covered under 2 year warranty that I received.  The reason: liquids had been spilled in unit.  The motherboard, two fan assemblies, heat sink, and battery were replaced.   I contacted Dell and told them that it was Outlet New, and that I was the only owner, and that nothing had happened to unit.  Their response: I purchased a refurbished unit that had been previously owned.  They said they would remove the hold on repairs and the unit would be sent back to me when completed.  This was unacceptable to me and I stated to keep the unit and refund my money or send me a brand new(not outlet) computer.  They stated they would get back to me, but that they would keep the unit.  Low and behold, they sent the unit back to me.  The incompetence is breathtaking.  I have argued with Dell for over 15 hours since mid-January.  They have agreed that I purchased a outlet new computer, only after I found my chat record and gave them the session incident number.  I still am waiting for a resolve.   The good thing is that I paid for unit with Dell DFS card.  The bad thing  for just tomorrow is I have to arrange for someone to pick up the unit from FedEx, even though we had agreed for them to keep the unit.  When an entity(personal or business) makes a mistake they should acknowledge it and try to fix it.

Dell-Sahana R · Answer

Greetings steve salm,

I regret the overall experience and this is not what we want our customers to go through.

Outlet products are classified into 3 types:

New:
New products are factory sealed products that were either new overstock, canceled or unopened returns. Dell new products do not have any cosmetic damage.

Certified Refurbished:
Certified refurbished products are previously open/used products. These products are submitted to a rigorous refurbishing process to achieve the highest quality and performance standards. Products may have some observable cosmetic blemishes that do not affect performance.

Scratch & Dent:
Scratch & dent products are certified refurbished products with considerable blemishes that do not affect performance. Scratch & dent PC's do not have scratches or pits on the screen, missing or illegible letters on the keyboard or damage on the touch pad or palm rest.

As per your post, I understand you have purchased a Outlet new system.

Our technical support categorize all the outlet products as refurbsihed. Hence, you have been informed it is a refurbished laptop.

I'm sorry to know the laptop has technical issue. As you have already reached out to our technical support for assistance, be rest assured of the issue resolution.

Please reach out to us if you have any other queries and I'll be more than happy to assist you.

steve salm · Answer

The problem was not with how you classify all three categories as refurbished. The problem is that I purchased a new overstock, canceled, or unopened return. This by definition has not been used by anyone else. Only when your technician realized the damage that had been done internally to the unit, and was not going to repair the unit under the warranty did it become glaringly apparent that this unit was NOT a Dell Outlet New computer. Hence, you sold me a certified refurbished computer(used) as a Outlet New unit. The price difference was $309.00. I purchased the unit for $1478.82 as a outlet new unit on January 3, 2017, on January 1 you had a unit with the exact same specifications as the one I purchased listed as certified refurbished for $1169.00. Dell has acknowledged the unit I received was not Dell Outlet New, but Certified Refurbished. Hence, you overcharged me by $309.00, which I would have never known about except your repair technician wouldn't repair the unit under warranty because of the damage done by the previous owner. To be as simple as I can, I purchased a Dell Outlet New computer(call it refurbished if you want), and I received a Certified Refurbished unit. I have spoken to Dedicated Care Services today, and I believe that we have reached a reasonable solution to the problem. Now the implementation. I'm not a pious man, but I am praying that Dell does what it said it would do.

Dell-Sahana R · Answer

Greetings steve salm, I apologize for all the inconvenience caused. I will definetely consider this as a feedback and cascade it to our internal teams.

steve salm · Answer

Thank you very much Sahana.

Dell-Sahana R · Answer

Greetings steve salm, You are welcome! Please reach out to us if you have any other queries in future and we'll be glad to assist you.

steve salm · Answer

Well I received unit, which was not suppose to be sent back to me, and took it back to FedEx. The next day, today, you guys call me and leave a message.  Couldn't understand the broken English.  So I called the number back, they didn't know why they called and were checking, after 20 minutes I hung up.  I call Dell DFS, and am currently on hold with them.  But agent told me that it would be one billing cycle before I would get my refund.  Ah, just spoke to them, it will be one billing cycle before they do anything on this account, confirmed.  As stated above, I thought when Dell had received the unit back in Lebanon, TN, that we would try to resolve the issue immediately with a full refund or a new Dell XPS.  So to recap, you sold me a certified refurbished unit as outlet new, a $309 premium.  Unit breaks down, but you will not repair it because internal damage has been done, but when it is proved to you, via chat, that I did purchase an Outlet New unit, you offer to repair the 'certified refurbished' unit and return it to me.  I decline, why would I accept anything but a Outlet New unit, let alone one that had to have the motherboard, two fan assemblies, heat sink and battery replaced because of the previous owner did damage to the unit?  Dell agreed yesterday that when they received unit in Lebanon, TN, that my account would be credited and we would start again, plus a 7% kickback to my account.  Today, Dell reneged again, as they just stated it would be one billing cycle before anything would be done.  Ahhhhhhhh!   I just wanted a Dell XPS 15 computer, paid $1480 plus tax for such and have received nothing of value for the most frustrating consumer experience of my life.   Well, time to move on.  Is MacBook any good?   By the way what's up with Dell, a great product but seemingly they don't won't to sell it.  Goodbye, and the skies are clearing.

mcostan · Answer

Dell lies. They lied to me. They lied to others and you can read all about it on this forum.

It has nothing to do with PC vs MAC, more to do with the company. FWIW I got a surface years ago and got good customer service, I ordered directly from the microsoft store. I actually wanted another surface but to save money I foolishly got a dell instead. After reading customer service horror stories I purchased a third party warranty, which cancelled out any savings I had from not getting the surface I really wanted.

I think if you get a dell from a reputable store and purchase a warranty you should be safe. I came very close to ordering directly from Dell and am thankful I didn't.

I don't know how the company stays in business.

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What's going on at Dell?

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