Dell complaints

[DellIsABigMeanie]

My problem didn't start out big...but since being blown off several times and now virtually ignored, I'm ready for battle. I may even return my laptop (which I actually love) and my camcorder (which I also love).

My problem is also not expensive...but now it has become the principle of the thing, so to speak, and I am determined to see this all through.

What happened is:

I ordered a laptop and a camcorder from Dell at the same time. I'm not tech-savvy...so while ordering both, I asked the sales person if the camcorder would load video to my laptop with no problems. She studied both products and stated that my sony camcorder was equipped with firewire AND usb connections...so I'd be all set!

I also asked if I could please have windows xp loaded instead of Vista. Why? Because many of my friends had been complaining about Vista and were suggesting to me that many products were not compatible with Vista. I discussed my concerns with sales and they assured me that windows vista would handle my camcorder fine. I said I understood but I would still prefer the older version of Windows. Her response was simply NO.

Now....long story short...months later....I have a laptop and a sony camcorder that are NOT compatible. Why?? For one simple reason: Sony camcorder came with ONLY a usb cord and not a firewire cord. Apparently Vista is only compatible with firewire.

So..I called Dell. The woman I first spoke with actually apologized and said she would be more than happy to ship me a firewire cord at no charge. I was surpised at how simple it was. She said she would transfer my call to someone who could set up my order. Great! So..I hear a few clicks and I'm on hold for about 10 minutes. I assume the rep I had just spoken with is explaining my siutaiton to the shipping person. After a moment, the shipping person comes on and I ask them if they know who I am and my situation. They state NO..they have no clue what I'm talking about. So..I have to tell the story again to this new person...but this person has a very different reaction. She says (in very weak english, by the way) that Dell is NOT responsible for sending me a firewire cord and that I'll have to get my own. I explained to her what the other rep had just said and she said "There is no record of that. We will not send you a free cord".

Well..I was livid and tried to call other reps, etc. I either couldn't communicate wiht them becuase of language barrier OR I was on hold for so long, I'd give up.

So..I finally filed a complaint with the BBB. A couple of weeks later, I get a voicemail message from a Dell rep named Chris Love. He calls on a Thursday. I was out of town from Thursday through Sunday and got the message on Sunday night. I call him back on Monday morning and leave all my contact info. I never hear back. A week goes by and I never hear back. I leave message number two. Still no response. I checked BBB site again and Chris Love had posted a response that he "tried to call me but I never called him back." What??!!! I posted a response to BBB again last week stating I did in fact call Mr. Love back and he is the one who is failing to contact me now. STILL.....NO RESPONSE.

So..this weekend, I send a complaint email to Dell. Who knows if they will even read it or do one thing about it. Maybe they will wake up when I request a refund. But, then again, I'm sure getting that done would be a task even greater than filing a simple complaint.

I'm giving this until the end of May. If they continue to blow me off, I'm returning my laptop and my camcorder and buying from someone who gives a damn.

[winkey64]

Here is a contact name at DELL

dick_hunter@dell.com

send his office a copy of everything you have, his office is in the USA
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GO WITH MAC

[ojchillinndc]

Is the Firewire on your inventory sheet and does Sony usually include the firewire with their camcorders? You should deal with Dell through e-mail and chat. That way you have some kind of record. The BBB probably would take more action if you had some record of what Dell said. At this time, it's pretty much we said they said.

I had a similar problem with my order. Dell said you would get a Blu Ray bundle and I never got it. I didn't get any satisfaction until I put it on the Unresolved Issue link. Once there I got an e-mail from someone in the US and they gave me a refund. But at no time was I ready to send back my laptop. I was pissed but not pissed enough to send it back but my scenario is different they yours. I wanted the best gaming laptop and unfortunately Dell makes the best (Did months of research). So that's why I wouldn't had sent it back.

But how much is a firewire cable from Best Buy or CompUSA anyway? $10. You're raising hell with Dell over $10 bucks (Yes, I rhymed on purpose). That kind of stress could've been over and done with if you went to Best Buy and bought a $10 firewire cable. But really you should've never bought the laptop. Once Dell told you no to XP, you should've said NO to them. You should've said, "Well let's see if HP, Acer or Toshiba will put XP on the laptop for me." If you had did that, you wouldn't be going 12 rounds with Dell.
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I'm burning in the depths of DELL!!!!

[ojchillinndc]

Okay, so the most expensive Firewire I found was $40. Is that worth raising hell with Dell? (Yes I did it again on purpose) I say yes 'cause you could get a $50 - $100 refund from Dell on it. Try the unresolved issue link and see if you get a response there.
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I'm burning in the depths of DELL!!!!

[DellIsABigMeanie]

First of all, thanks for the responses and contact info.

Well..I heard from Dell a moment ago. I'm sorry if I sound disrespectful...and maybe it is just me...but I could not understand what this woman was saying...and clearly she didn't understand me. There was a language barrier and I had to explain things over and over again in very simple english..and she still got mixed up.

First of all, she called me unexpectedly and yet she expected me to have my customer number handy. I asked her why she didn't have it and she said she only had an account number from an order I had cancelled several months ago. What?! So..I tell her to hold on one minute while I log onto my account and look it up..and she says very impatiently that she'll call me back later so I can find the number. I ask her to please wait (since it took me forever to hear from them in the first place..and I didn't want to lose my chance to resolve this.)

So..I get the number and I explain (AGAIN) the situation. I told her that although this was only about an item that was only worth somewhere between 20 and 40 bucks, I wanted fair treatment. So..before even asking anything else, she says "Okay..then I'll give you a $20 credit on your Dell account." When I asked, "Why a $20 credit?" And she says, "Because you just said it would cost you $20, so I offer you a $20 credit." I had to explain to her that the $20 was an ESTIMATE and I wasn't even clear what my options were or the exact cost. So..she says that I need to look into that and when I know what I need and the cost, to give her a call back BUT "we cannot pay for the entire price of the cord". I asked her what the limit was and how much they would be willing to pay...and she said "$20 worth and you pay for the rest." What???!!! She latched on to my $20 example and wouldn't let go. She seemed to be making up rules as she went along. It was crazy. I told her I wanted to speak with a supervisor and she said one would call me within 24 hours. I asked to speak with someone now and she said that was not an option.

And..yes...I know I could save myself a world of trouble and buy the damned thing myself...but I am determined to resolve this. Call me crazy, but now I'm a woman on a mission. This is no longer about money.

(I'm going to try the suggestions offered in the responses here. thanks again for that.)

What a sorry excuse for a company.