I purchased my first Dell about 5 years ago now and I remember how impressed I was with the computer I bought and the after sales care. So impressed that I purchased another computer from Dell a year ago. What a mistake I made.

 

I purchased a Dimension 8300 for my son with a next business day warrenty for 3 years. This was fine until the computer went wrong. We have spent the last week trying to persuade various operators over the phone in India that we need a service call to repair the system. I seriously hope I'm not paying for calls to India (just my little joke). Finally, after spending almost a day with one of them going over the things I had already tried to fix the problem both on my own and with other operators, they agreed I did indeed need an engineer. Then they told me that they couldn't come the next day (I have a next business day warrenty) because it was too late to book a call, after keeping us on the phone half the day. They even insisted that we open our pc and look at it to tell them what is wrong. If I was a computer engineer, what would i need a 3 year next business day warrenty for? Is this a new trend, when the washing machine goes up the creek am I going to be expected to put my plumbers hat on and dismantle the washing machine? If the TV goes wonky are they going to want me to take it apart and tell them how to fix it? Should I buy a book now? Oh please tell me the vet isn't going to start asking me to open up the cat and tell him why it's ill. I was not happy, disgusted in fact, and there was someone home the next day but would not be on the following day. I made arrangements for someone to be here today and no engineer came. A day's work was lost and Dell were already a day late in their obligation to me with regard my service contract. I telephoned at 4pm, only to be told that the engineer was not coming. They couldn't even be bothered to let me know that no one was coming, just let me wait here for the knock on the door. So the day was wasted, Dell are two days behind in their obligation to me, they are wasting my phone costs as I have to keep chasing them up and I still have a computer which needs a new hard drive. My son is a GCSE student who need the computer for his course work and is getting behind and stressed with each day that passes with Dell's inability to fulfill their contractural obligations to me. I cannot get more time off tomorrow so they may be coming Friday, but they have to phone back and let me know, I am still waiting and it's ten past five, anyone give me odds that 'it will be too late to book a call?'  So why couldn't an engineer call to fix the pc? I was told it was a technical problem, it seems that Dell are very good at those these days. In fact I wonder if they can fix my system since they can't seem to fix and operate their own. I asked for more information, wondered if the engineer had lost his car keys? But no, I wasn't given a straight answer because there wasn't one. When you are inept and fail your contractual obligation to a customer, it's easier just to try to fob them off.

 

As an additional note, I tried to upgrade my own computer earlier this year and was going to buy a Dell but they lost my paperwork twice, couldn't give me a straight answer and basically forgot about me until I cancelled. Only then did they call, apologise and suggest I try again. Thanks, but no thanks. I was promised countless call backs I never got, waited weeks, phoned them twenty times and in the end told them to forget it and bought from a nice little company called novatech who sell reasonably priced systems, and actually call you back.

 

I am angry, it probably shows in this piece of writing but I think I have the right to be. I am sure as an employer Dell will let their staff take several days off work to wait for engineers who don't show up but I can't say the same about my own employer. I think they would prefer me to be at work rather than sitting with my feet up and a bacon sandwich, waiting for the never never man from Dell who doesn't call, never writes and can't find the telephone. This is one customer who will never buy another Dell. Two strikes and you are out. Am I being harsh? I don't think so. I expect to get what I pay for, I paid for a next business day service and I didn't get it. I hope you are listening before you lose more custom. You are getting a dreadful reputation here in the UK and generally on the internet. Perhaps it is time someone took the bull by the horns and told you so. Perhaps it's going to have to be me.

 

Jacqueline Farley

UK