Dell complaints

[Rocke_T_Sinetist]

Doesn't seem to make sense, does it? Why would a sales company deliberately alienate customers? By selling crap, by routing support calls to voicemail neverland and unintelligible speakers who at best throw the problem back on the customer. By rewriting convoluted 'terms and conditions' that violate 2000-year-old retail precedents then dodge behind "you should have read the T&C".

There's a saying in business, that 10% of your customers cause 90% of your problems. When a business is working to build market share, they bend over backwards to resolve those 10% problems, because every pissed customer tells 10 more and pretty soon 90% of your potential customers are pissed at you too, and you're dead.

Once they HAVE market share though, they count on inertia and bullying the supply chain to maintain it. And literally, to Hell (or Bangalore) with the 10% of customers with problems.

During the market-share-acquisition phase (1989-1999), Dell grew a reputation of making good stuff and supporting it strongly. That (plus the violation of precedent mentioned above) is why it now comes as a surprise to Dell customers when they find that Dell has wholly outsourced 'problems' to the Better Business Bureau (which doesn't even charge for their service).

It doesn't just "seem" like Dell only wants the 90% who buy and pay and go away. That's exactly what's happening.

Solution? For institutions, Dell still responds to volume customers because that is a dynamic market; they HAVE TO. For consumers, buy from a storefront retailer. If you encounter a problem, they won't stiffarm you or lock you out of the building like Dell does. The days of Dell being a good choice for individuals or small businesses were over in 2000 and won't be back.
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Rocke T Sinetist
as in, 'it doesn't take a...'

[sickofdell]

Come on Rocke_t, you can't be serious. Are you saying that if I bought a dell and I had a problem, i'd be better off smashing it with a sledge hammer than calling for support. I don't believe it for one minute.

j/k, i wholeheartedly agree. The systems are poorly designed, poorly built, not because the guys in manufacturing don't want to do a good job, but because the idiot middle management telling them to hurry it up, and poorly supported, unless you purchase an xps system through a business account or get Gold tech support. Remember, American support will cost you, but it's far better 99% of the time than dealing with Indian assholes who's only job is to transfer you to software support.

To reiterate what rocke said, buy from a freaking storefront people. The sooner people start listening to our advice, the sooner Dhell can go where it belongs. I hate corporations and I hate corporations bullying the little man, consumers. I'm sorry you have to go what you go through, but you are living in a dream world thinking dell is going to support you anymore.
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Have you seen my dell laptop?

http://www.tgdaily.com/picturegalleries/gallery-20060731-1.html

(ok, so it's not mine, but it's freakin cool)

[hiwaystar]

It's the quicky mart man with there live tech support for all. Yes we speak
egwish. as or conputer at or curan on pire, e cn ot al tha pire epartment.
i orry al bak tomarow.
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I don't give a damn what it was desiged to do.
what can it do?