Dell complaints

[MG]

I am probably going to be buying a Dell Inspiron 6400 from Dell.co.uk, only because it is very good value, at least on the face of it.

However, I am already getting a very negative impression of Dell after trying to understand their offers as presented in their small-business mailshots, and on their website.

The most irritating aspect was that their prices exclude delivery charges, and there is no simple way to establish what the delivery charges are. Only by going through a complete selection and configuration process is one able to see that they charge £60(!!!!!!) for delivering a notebook computer, with a two week lead time!

This compares to around £10, or £20 for next-day delivery from other online suppliers. (Many others offer free delivery, of course, but I quite like the idea of having a reasonable separate delivery charge, so that costs are not cross-subsidising each other, and are therefore plain to see).

Anyway, the point is that Dell never used to strike me as the type of company who would try to dupe customers by attracting them with very cheap headline prices, and then charging for absurdly expensive compulsory "options", such as delivery. It's an underhanded tactic worthy of the no-name brands, and makes me view the whole deal *less* favourably even if the total price is still competitive.

They continue the trend by making the warranty "deals" complicated, without clearly showing what the standard warranty terms are if you *don't* select one of their expensive optional schemes.

Then, when configuring my order, I selected a computer with a headline price of £349. When it went over to the screen for selecting options, I noticed the price had jumped to $489. I had to work through the list of options and *deselect* several of them in order to get back to what I wanted in the first place! Again, it's not hard to do, it's just irritating, and leaves a bad taste in the mouth - one I am beginning to recognise as a "Dell" taste...

So I decided to phone instead, hpoing I could skip the sales traps for the unwary.

First, I had to decipher their sales telephone number. Dell UK use an 0870 number, which charges a whopping 4-8p/min depending on your phone provider's charges. If they used a standard geographical number, the call would cost me zero, because like many here, I get free calls to UK numbers (but not 0870). Of course, Dell will be on a revenue share with the telco, which is why they use 0870.

I managed to find alternative numbers to dial (I have posted them in this forum). The Dell call centre clearly focuses on their own requirements rather than the customers' because they started off wanting to know everything about me and my business, whereas I wanted information about their products. Eventually I had to be quite rude to staunch the flow of questions: "I don't want to talk about anything other than your computers, please. Once I decide if I am interested, then I might be prepared to give you information about me."

So I eventually get transferred to a salesperson. He asks me which model I am interested in. I tell him I am interested in one of the Inspiron 6400 models, but I haven't yet decided which. He suggests I look on the website and decide, then call him back! So I persuade him to at least tell me the difference between the two models I am most interested in. Then I ask him his name in case I want to place an order.
"What's stopping you from placing the order now, sir?", he asks.
Fair question, I suppose, so I give him a fair answer: "I want to think about it".
"When will you decide?"
"I'm not sure. Is there any deadline, or reason for me to rush the decision?"
"Well, sir, the offer ends tomorrow."
"Oh? The brochure says good for another 10 days..."
"Well, we change a lot of our offers on a Wednesday, so I can't promise you it will still be the same price".

Ok, by now I am getting irritated at the hard sell. Does he think I'm an idiot? Prices of computers are more likely to fall than rise. As I end the call, the now familiar Dell taste is pretty rank.

I might still buy the Dell, because I like the specifications, I have had good experiences with Dell in the past, and because it still looks like good value. I just wish I didn't have a sense that I will be dealing with a devious, hard-selling company which resorts to underhand tactics when it could do better by making itself open and accessible.

Hope some Dell CS people read this forum from time to time....

[Rocke_T_Sinetist]

You're lucky to still have a toe. If you'd signed up with Dell Financial, your entire foot could be missing.

Bearing in mind this is BEFORE they have your money at which time they should be the MOST accomodating, imagine how distant and devious they will become AFTER they have your money and you call with a warranty problem.

Dell IS a nefarious no-name brand. They are not a computer company, they do virtually no engineering whatever, they are a SALES company which even lies to ITSELF. Internally, every other word is 'ethics'. In practice, they have none.

Sony and Toshiba portables have a (little) better reliability record and you can buy them from a store where there will always be a live person to talk with in case the unit goes wrong.
_________________
Rocke T Sinetist
as in, 'it doesn't take a...'

[DOC_Is_Evil]

At least you were able to figure out what Dell is really all about before you actually comitted to purchasing something from them...Many people don't. And I agree with the misleading warranty terms, it's almost impossible to figure out what it really covers without a whole team of lawyers there to help you. I would strongly recommend staying away from Dell. There are lots of other computer companies out there who aren't this bad, and there's always the option of building one yourself.

[MG]

[MG]

[Scoop]

12 month's collect and return?
That isn't totally accurate.
Depending the warranty you have that may or may not be true and it may only apply to this part or that.
I know after 21 days warranties tend to begin to fade away and I know too that in some instances restocking fees are applied but at what point I'm unaware.
Sorry I'm of no more help, I'm sure someone more in the know will correct me and help you.
Welcome to the board btw.
_________________
Practice what you preach.

[Rocke_T_Sinetist]

Thing is, even with a copy of the warranty terms sitting in front of you AND being explained by lawyers, you still don't know what level of service you will receive when the time comes.

Dell service frequently stonewalls customers. First, there's getting them to answer the phone. Then, it's usually the 'wrong department', transfers and hangups ensue. If the person you finally reach is in a grumpy mood (you would be too if you worked for Dell) they can tell you all kinds of inaccurate things, typically starting with 'reinstall Windows' when your problem is the thing won't boot at all, including the install disc. Oh, and on the matter of install discs, they don't come with the system. Takes several calls to get one, phone agents will stonewall you on that too even though they're supposed to supply the discs on request. Then several days for it to arrive. That's IF the supervisor doesn't cancel the dispatch, and they won't notify you when that happens, just leave you waiting.

There's only a pinch of editorial exaggeration above. We read stories like this here all the time. It wouldn't be 'so much' of an issue if you could expect 3 years' trouble free service from the machine, but you'll be lucky to get 3 months.

Toshibas are probably more expensive because of UK import tax, as they enter the country already completed, whereas Dell skirts this by doing a minimum of value-add to the basic box they receive from China to turn it into a 'domestic' product. I agree with you on Sony's corporate direction, it stinks and even their stockholders agree to an extent.
_________________
Rocke T Sinetist
as in, 'it doesn't take a...'

[DOC_Is_Evil]

[ojchillinndc]

I don't know how it's done in the UK but in the US the sales rep person has to lie, swindle, cheat and/or con to get the sale. That's their livelyhood. Maybe they work on commission or they get a bonus for every 'puter they sale. But the lying thing is something that wasn't started by Dell sales people, that's what's done to get the sale by every company (in the US).

Ever hear this in a clothes store, "Oh sir you look great in that!!" You get it home and say, "What the hell was I thinking?"

If you didn't give them a credit card or any form of payment, you didn't have to call Dell. You could've continued on shopping and once you found what you liked, made the order. I made several orders through Dell and Alienware and everyone else until I found the one I liked. Once I made the order I just saved it in my Wish List for reference. Sometimes going to the store doesn't work 'cause all the Best Buy's and Circuit City's in my area had crap on display and that was true in Tampa, Fl and Columbia, MD so you just have to shop until you find the comfortable deal for you. Any company sell reps will try to keep the sale 'cause it's great for them (the salesrep not the company) more money in their pocket. They'll throw what they can at you to get the sale. Some are cool and really sneaky and some are a little bullish with it. Sounds like you had a bully.

Let me give you one more example then I'll end my extremely long post.

When I was 95% sure that I wanted the XPS, I went down to the kiosk at me local mall to see if I could test drive one or the Inspiron with the same chassis. Well I was playing with the Inspiron (didn't have the XPS) and the kiosk guy dangled a carrot at me to get the sale so he could get the credit and like a silly little rabbit, I took it. BAM! He gets the sale, he gets the credit, he gets a nice little thing in his check. 'Nuff said.
_________________
I'm burning in the depths of DELL!!!!

[DOC_Is_Evil]

Another thing...If the sales reps don't lie and rip people off, they will get fired or badgered into quitting because they don't sell enough.