Dell complaints

[FallenAngel]

BPI

Built Poorly Indeed

[Rocke_T_Sinetist]

BPI. Bulbously pusillanimous initiative.

Couldn't resist. Let's see you translate that into any other language. English RULES!
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Rocke T Sinetist
as in, 'it doesn't take a...'

[LeMaitre]

[drudixon]

While it was said earlier in this thread, the only costs is disty, answering phone, etc. the biggest reason Dell doesn't want to replace drives is that Dell is required to have MTBF data statistics internally. Recognizing the problem as hardware defect instead of software means actually owning up to the poor mtbf statistics dell's put on the board. Software fails don't count in the internal metrics.
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From IBM to Lenovo and Back Again

[rachie]

i have had my computer for almost two years now, and in that time i wsa instructed by dell to reinstall my OS twice, then they finally replaced the hard drive...now i have had to reinstall the OS three more times, and they're telling me the hard drive does NOT need to be replaced.

what I want to know is why this system keeps screwing up constantly. the customer service guy today said that if i use third party software such as limewire and download things, i am probably getting viruses. i do not use limewire. i do download things occasionally, and i use firefox as a browser. however, i do nothing different than i do on my friends' computers, or my sister's, or at work. none of those systems fail on a regular basis. i am getting a read error when i do the drive check thing...the error code is 7. then when i do the full diagnostics, i got two error codes:

0F00:0244 on many blocks, and then 0F00:1A44 on those very same blocks. now the rep is telling me to run a debug and do a clean reinstall of the OS.

even WHEN the computer was basically working, i would get BSODs fairly often...maybe one out of ten times i used the computer...and programs would freeze up. I tried playing "The Sims 2", but it quits and freezes up all the time, despite the fact that I supposedly have the minimum system requirements for it.

i am totally at a loss now. i paid a LOT for this system, and i'm still paying it off, and it is very often useless to me. i use it at home, but i use it for work (at home) as well as personal use and so i end up losing work/money because of it.

i'm really really frustrated and don't know what to do anymore. one thing i know for sure is that with this horrendously crappy service, and nearly two years of constant headache and nightmare over things thing, unless they quickly come up with some outstanding way to fix all of this crap, i will continue telling EVERYONE i know never to buy a dell. i don't know if they're all this bad, but this is just completely unacceptable!

[FallenAngel]

[cajual]

That's not necessarily true, Fallen Angel. Replacing a harddrive doesn't cost much more than what it costs dell to have someone in the states field a technical support call..

In reference to the hard-drive issue:

If you're receiving an error on the hard-drive from the 32 bit diagnostics (If you've selected diagnostics from your portables boot menu, or booted to your drivers disc) it could still very much be a data error.

However, typically, if you've received an error code 7 from the ctrl+alt+d diagnostic, it most likely is hardware failure. However, yes, an error code 4 is a definite hardware failure.

Good luck.

[FallenAngel]

Sorry caj, but I have to disagree. Chances are that the system was purchased at a time when margins were already too thin, and the first part that was replaced on this system ate what profit there was to be made.

Dell likely made up some profit by charging this person for Dell On Call support that saw them do not much more than reinstall his OS time and time again.

Next part that gets replaced is now on Dell's dime (for that system with a now non-existent margin) so I disagree when you say the cost is comparable to a tech fielding a call. By this time, the margin is now negative numbers. We still don't pay to be at work for Dell, so your comment (though well intentioned) is a little off.

If this was the INITIAL call for the replacement of the INITIAL hard drive, then your comment has pause. Other than that, once the margin is gone, so too is the profit and now parts are sent at a loss.

[cajual]

no, not much of dells dime is going into replacement of parts. outside of 90 days, your failed parts will be replaced with refurbished parts of equal or greater value..

six to one, half a dozen to the other..any problems after point of sale will cost dell money.. whether replacing parts, or answering the phone. however, to suggest dell is keeping people from getting a new HD when a hardware failure has been determined is pretty far fetched. ok, so they deny the hd replacement, and the person continues to call. say you're right about a phone call not costing as much as a hd.

but what about five phone calls to a hd replacement? let's face it, no one would give up after one or two calls without talking to a manager, etc..

[rachie]

well, i called back again to dell. tonight i can't even get the machine to boot to the cd drive to RUN any further diagnostics/etc.

through a series of tests/etc over the phone with the dell tech (who i'd like to mention was REALLY REALLY nice, which i was so relieved about...the last thing i wanted to deal with on top of being completely pissed off and unable to use my machine at all was someone giving me the run around/being snotty/whatever), he determined that the hard drive needed to be replaced.

he said that since i'm still under warranty (whew), that there will be no charge for the hard drive replacement. i'm still REALLY unhappy, because this means i'll lose all data that i haven't backed up (i know, my fault for not backing up) and to have two hard drive replacements in TWO YEARS, not to mention having to reinstall the OS now a total of five times in that same time frame...it's just absurd.

both drives have been maxtors, so, i don't know if it will make a difference, but i insisted they send me a different brand. he said this time it will be a seagate. i personally know nothing about the quality level of the different hard drives but at this point i certainly have nothing good to say about maxtor's product.

they'll mail the hard drive to my house and then have a local tech call me to schedule a time to come install it. i mentioned also the hours of time that i will be wasting reinstalling all of the drivers/software/etc, and then the updates to all of those things because my disks by now are all two years out of date...and also complained that now my warranty is almost up (in december), and so the next time this happens, WHICH I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT IT WILL, i'll have to pay for it. the tech gave me a number to call and talk to someone about an extended warranty, but i seriously doubt they'll do anything for free.

anyway. just an update.

thanks for the input, you guys. i hope THIS TIME i'll have a computer worth the money i paid for it.

[david (aka dvdpiddy)]

Seagate bought out maxtor and sice seagate is considered higher quality you should be ok.(Unless they pull a Daimler-Chrysler on us and make once good products carp like Chrysler did to Benz)
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For some reason i fell like this cat right now.

[rachie]

thanks for the info. i had no idea if seagate was considered any better quality, but i was definitely ready to try something different! dell has since called me TWICE to verify that my hard drive will be arriving next week and if it hasn't been received by such and such a time, i should call them immediately so they can find out what the delay is...etc...apologizing for the trouble, saying if i have any more questions, call...

so i assume they're trying to make up for what seems to me to be a crappy product with good customer service. it's nice! at least they're DOING something. i just wish they could tell me why it is happening. i'm afraid i'll do something and make it happen again!

[delltech_jeremy]

[possum0550]

DSN really tells you to do an OS re-install, I know at my site not that DSN would change but an error code 7 which like in your previous post is a read error which I by no means disagree with. Anyways, if we get that error code thats almost always a HDD replacement, cause sooner or later as is possible with any failure but not guaranteed the drive will eventually fail.

[bskik1]

all of a sudden my hard drive seemed to have hit a wall, of course it was a maxtor SATA. it started makeing clicking noises when it over heated and became extremely slow, it was so slow it wouldnt even play music without cutting out. dell gave me the same old bull. i got a return code of 7. and their retarded utility passed it. then the asshole tried tellin me i didnt have enough ram. i thankfully had just bought a WD Caviar SE 250GB SATA300 16mb. it has worked amazing, it is really quiet and runs really cool. quick question what is 9090. thanks