Dell complaints

[NYPuterGuy]

So, I buy a decent machine (P4 3.4 w/ 1GB RAM and 19" flat panel) and it arrives in a timely enough fashion. Problem begins from day one when I find that the speaker system only works when it feels like it and any movement of the audio cable causes the computer to eaither shut down or reboot.

So I hop online to the chat support and go through all of the motions of running all the diagnostic utils etc. Support believes that I need a new mainboard and dispatches one. I get the e-mail confirmation with a dispatch number and everything. Fair enough.

A week goes by and I hear nothing so I reply to the e-mail asking for an update. Four days later I hear nothing so back to the chat room I go. I pose that I would like an update as to the status of my dispatch and provide my case number. I promptly get told to call a 1-800 number. I ask why they cant just look it up and get told that I have to. Super.

So I call the 1-800 number and make my way through the phone tree to the "please enter your 8-digit dispatch number" prompt. I look to my e-mail...1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8...9. Hmmm, mine is 9-digits. Surely a sign of good things to come. I try dropping the first and last digits before calling the automated system some choice names and hanging up.

Back to chat!

I post that I need an update and that the 1-800 number is unable to locate my dispatch. This time the person is actually willing to help and comes back with "Please note that the dispatch has been cancelled by the dispatch team as the zip code given by you does not match with the area code and the dispatch will not reach you as the address will be wrong according to the area code. "

Hmm, really? The computer made it to my address just fine. When the dispatch was created I was asked to confirm my phone number and mailing address. The provided information was/is correct. (I doubted myself so I look at the transcript of the original conversation to confirm).

So, what you are telling me is that you have my mailing address from the original order (linked by the service tag number provided when the chat session was launched), I confirmed the phone information at the start and end of the session, confirmed the mailing address, and you confirmed my e-mail address. But then you cancel the shipment of my part and make no attempt to let me know?

The tech on the other end of the chat made no attempt to explain what happened.

I bitch and moan to myself and the tech creates another dispatch stating "...after you confirm that the replacement part has been shipped to your city's trading partner from Dell..." I ask how I am possibly supposed to confirm that you have shipped something to someone else since the tracking number in your chat window says "Tracking number: (will be given by Dell technical support)"? No answer.

I then get "...you should receive this part within the next business day or two..." I say, "the part will be shipped to me or to the 'trading partner from dell' as previously stated..." Reply: "The dispatch has been cleared by the dispatch team and the part will be shipped to the technician first who will call to setup the service. "

So, I need to confirm that you are shipping a part to someone else, you do not provide me with tracking information, you say in one line that you are sending it to someone else (trading partner), then you say you are sending it to me, but you really mean that you are sending it to someone else....do I got that straight.

I see this ending badly.

A big WTF to you Dell !!!!

[The_Insider]

holy crap..

return this machine, get your money back and buy somewhere else.
This will not end good.