Dell complaints

bobsmad · one bitch wonder Joined: 11 Feb 2007 Posts: 4

I got my Vista equipped Dell XPS 410 six days ago and my life has been a living hell ever since.

The machine produces a copyright warning/driver incompatibility window anytime I've attempted to play any DVD and was incapable of playing every movie/TV DVD I tried.

The machine produces a Roxio incompatible driver warning window everytime I boot it.

Window's Security won't recognize my PC Cillin Security software, which the Dell sales people pushed on me in the beginning.

I tried burning a few of my files onto a CD-R and could not BELIEVE how God awful slow the burning process was.

Their "customer support" people in India ended up attempting to "fix" my machine by unloading a Windows Update and messing with my registry (via taking control of my machine over the net). Their efforts have only worsened things.

I have spent at least a dozen hours on the phone with India so far. Two different "managers" promised me a replacement. I had to call to them in order to learn that the first "request for replacement" had been "cancelled for internal reasons." I called this AM to learn that the 2nd "request for replacement" was still pending approval 4 days after manager # 2 promised me a replacement "within 7 days." I suspect that request would also have been "disapproved for internal reasons" and that no-one would have bothered to inform me of that.

I believe that I FINALLY succeeded in getting them to accept the return (with no replacement), since they have finally issued a return authorization # to me yesterday. I spent another hour on the phone with India attempting to obtain verification of that and UPS pick-up information.

At first they had the GALL to expect me to pay for the return shipping AND a "restocking fee." 40 minutes of agruing finally made them change their minds. It took nearly two hours of battling over the phone with India in order to get them to issue a return authorization number and waive the shipping and restocking fees.

Don't EVER buy ANYTHING from this company. I am 43 years old and this is by far the absolute WORST customer experience I have ever had.I just ordered a MAC MINI this AM...

Dell and Microsoft ("Windells") can stick it where the sun don't shine.

Mele20 · Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 10:00 pm Post subject:

That is an awful experience and if you got out that is great. Many of us here have ended up with replacement machines after (n my case six months of Dell Hell) so we still have to deal with Dell and hope the replacement machine holds up for longer than the one it was replaced for. So, being able to buy a different brand of computer after your experience is enviable.

I'm curious why you dealt with India at all? The XPS techs are in the USA. Why didn't you call the dedicated XPS support number? At least you wouldn't have had the foreign accent to struggle with.

bobsmad · one bitch wonder Joined: 11 Feb 2007 Posts: 4

XPS specific techs? I spent more than a dozen hours on the phone with perhaps 20 different tech/"customer service" reps and not one mentioned them.

Nothing was mentioned about them in the literature than came with the junk or the various mailings that were sent to me after the fact.

I didn't see any obvious links on their websites, either.

So Dell's doing a helluva' job of hiding their "dedicated XPS support number" if, in fact, it even exists.

BTW: I am typing this on my new MAC Mini - 2 GB RAM, 120 GB hard drive, an operating system that ACTUALLY WORKS and very nice quality control. The computer's external dimensions are 6.5" X 6.5" X 2".

Sure it uses some laptop components, but it works, it's cool, the Apple people speak English and I don't have to deal with "Hell."

UPS finally picked up my junk "Hell"...only 4 days after the rep from India said they would. At least it's gone and I've Dell's e-mailed return receipt saved in my archives.

I think Vista has some promise. I'll buy an HP from a local store should I ever decide to go that route again. At least I can take it back and talk to an American without having to deal with India, UPS pickups, etc.

diashto · Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:14 pm Post subject:

Vista is responsible for the DRM problems you're having with the DVD playing, as well as the driver incompatibilities, and the PC-Cillin incompatibilities.

Dell doesnt produce the burner drives, they buy them from a vendor.. you would potentially have had the same problems if you had bought the same drive from your local Best Buy.

Vista has alot of problems, and alot of things that should have been taken care of in the beta, and werent. I'd strongly suggest waiting at least another 3-6 months before adopting it.

Mele20 · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 7:34 am Post subject:

Yes, I've talked to the special XPS techs twice. They are located in Round Rock and have Texas drawls. The phone number used to be posted at the top of the XPS forums at the Dell support forums. I don't know if it is still there as I haven't been to those forums in a while.

The number is: 1-800-232-8544 and you need to enter your express service code.

Those Vista problems are Vista problems. Not Dell problems. You should have ordered an XPS with XP Pro. I won't go near Vista nor will I go to dual core processors which phone home and have DRM in the chip. I agree with all the Dell customers currently clamoring for Dell to offer Linux but not just on laptops which I have no use for but also on their desktops.

Starman97 · Hates with a Vengance Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 94

You cant buy a Dell home system without Vista anymore.
You'd have to order a Precision Workstation or Laptop to get XP.
Only servers run Win 2003.

bobsmad · one bitch wonder Joined: 11 Feb 2007 Posts: 4

MADMATAGAIN · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 4:40 pm Post subject:

bobsmad · one bitch wonder Joined: 11 Feb 2007 Posts: 4

It's MS's fault for releasing Vista before being ready for prime-time.

But not every Vista PC is hosed up. The two HPs I tried at Circuit City a couple weeks ago seemed to work fine. So Dell shares some of the blame for initial configuration issues (DVD driver/video card incompatibility, Roxio error message, etc.)

EVERYTHING about Dell sucks from the moment the machine has been ordered. Even Dell Finance is hosed up. That's "outsourced," too. They've been telling me over the phone that my balance is now zero (due to the return), yet the statement showed up yesterday in the mail with the full balance on it - 2 full weeks after I was told over the phone that it was zero. Time to call India again...

I canceled the account when I was first told the balance was zero. It's next to impossible to reach an actual person at Dell Finance without having an "active" account. That means even more phone games...

Their entire "customer service" arrangement is a confusing maze of phone numbers (some seemingly redundant) fielded by machines and, if you're lucky, people who can't speak real English. The automated answers don't even inform the customers of normal business hours if one calls outside of those hours. Who ever heard of that? Shouldn't the customer be informed of the normal business hours so that he/she KNOWS when to call back?

Like I said, I'm now running a Mac. I don't ever see myself buying another "Windell"/"Winblows" system again after this experience.

JAChandler

Try being abroad with a Dell and trying to get customer support from Dell "Worldwide." I had a huge configuration / hardware problem during a research project involving living in basically the middle of nowhere. Dell sold me a computer without the proper port outs to connect the video equipment to.. so 50 days of research yielded little. They made absolutely no attempt to correct the issue while I was in New Zealand then, once back in America, kept sending me cables that merely replicated the problem.. hen FiNALLY after another month sent me a PCI card that actually had 6 pin firewire connectors..

It's a decent machine and would have served the purpose for which it was purchased IF ONLY.. Dell has a lot of "IF ONLY" in its closet..

They need to train their sales people or go out of business.. it's that simple.

always_screwed · Hates with a Vengance Joined: 08 Apr 2003 Posts: 58

I had a Dell laptop in which I had problems with, went with a HP laptop and never had an issue with it so far and the customer service has been always courteous when I had a question about my machine.

Mele20 · Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:34 am Post subject:

I wanted to add that since I posted in this thread my XPS 600 (13 months old) died abruptly last Tuesday and I got thrown back into Dell Hell.

I called XPS PREMIERE support as I mentioned early in this thread. I was on hold for over an hour and no one answered and the announcements were constant...no music to speak of and I was ready to kill the two women who were making the announcements after just 15 minutes and one of hour of those was torture. After no answer for one hour, I simply called back and dialed the extension number for the Dimension/Inspiron Dell Warranty Support for Small Business owners repeat cue which I had from my 8300 nightmare that resulted in this exchange for the now dead XPS 600.

The phone was answered in less than 5 minutes at Dell Warranty Support which is in Phoenix. I was told XPS Premiere support is in the same room and that the calls to it are so overwhelming currently that Dimension/Inspiron warranty techs there are being trained in waves starting today to take calls for the XPS also to try and alleviate the extremely long wait times for Dell's "Premeire" support. Dimension support had to help me because Dell has a new policy of taking ownership of any call that comes to that center no matter where the call should have been routed or if the customer did as I did and deliberately circumvents the phone system. I had to refuse to put in my express service code when trying to reach Dell Warranty Support for Dimensions as if I put that in even when I put in the extension number for the repeat cue for Dimensions, I got routed to the horrible XPS Premiere Support.

I have, since that initial call last Tuesday, talked with XPS Premiere support several times as well as Dimension support. Each time I have called Dimension support the wait has been 5 minutes or less. The shortest wait time I have experienced for the XPS Premiere support has been 30 minute and three times I finally hung up after waiting one hour and no one answered.

So, XPS premiere support, like everything with Dell, has deteriorated badly since I used it twice when this XPS 600 was new one year ago. Even if Dell is attempting now to fix the horrible XPS PREMIERE support by training Dimension/inspiron techs to take these calls also why did Dell wait until the mess reached critical mass before doing anything to fix it?

For whatever it is worth, several techs with Dell Warranty Support for Dimension/Inspiron told me that Dell is in the process of bringing Small Business support back from India to the USA and that the transition is part of the problem. I don't know that I believe that but three techs insisted this is the case. If so, HURRAH! About time this was done! Of course, when I asked the fate of home division buyers, I was met with silence. So, those poor souls are still being treated and will continue to be treated like dirt by Dell...even the XPS buyers until PREMIERE support is fixed so that someone...maybe the janitor? ...at least answers the phone within a one hour wait.

So, long winded way of saying thatit turns out to be just as well that you didn't know and the India techs didn't inform you about Dell's PREMEIRE XPS USA support.

gkarris · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:06 am Post subject:

swan · Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 11:41 am Post subject:

who's are having problem with ROXIO in VISTA is easy way to get a new patch after u not satisfied with tech support..

just go to ROXIO website and find the download patch for vista,actually i was trying 4 system and surely can use..make sure MEDIA DIRECT VERSION 3.0 OR 3.1 ARE CORRECTLY INSTALL IN SYSTEM..

VISTA IS HAVING PROBLEM IN TOO MANY CASES NOT JUST DELL BUT ALL SOFTWARE VENDOR ALSO SYSTEM MAINPAGE...
_________________
Dell technician will help customer what going on but 1800 num is boring to hear troubleshooting style.....

ojchillinndc · Hates with a Vengance Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 51

I just bought a XPS laptop the week right before Dell started offering it with Vista. I was pissed. I did get the Vista upgrade and it's suppose to be in the mail (keyword suppose) but after hearing all the complaints about it and really not having an issue with XP on my other two Dells. I'm not going to load Vista on my new XPS laptop. Maybe I'll wait a year. Right now it's running like a champ so I don't want to mess with it.

On another note. Swan, I've read about 4 of your post and all of them have the [b]exact[/b] same broken english that Dell's India reps have. I've seen it too many times for it to pass my eyes. Are you one of those India reps trying to do some good? If so, you're only making it worst for Dell. If not, I'm sorry. Any rate, get that english squared away.

Bruce Willis in THE FIFTH ELEMENT: ,"Listen lady, I only speak two languages, English and Broken English!"