Re: RES: OH MY GAWD!

["Steve Landess" <sjl_abc@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Kind of off topic, but speaking of technical support:

I still buy Dell computers, but I now buy the Precision models.
My current laptop is a Dell Precision M65.

Why?  With Precision, you don't have to buy a "Gold" support contract
to get tech support from Americans.  Tech support for the Dell Precision
workstation product line is NOT done from India.

It is done primarily from Twin Falls, Idaho, or Round Rock, Texas.
Occasionally you'll get connected to the call center in Panama,
but in all three places they speak English, NOT Hinglish...

Added bonus:
If you call the Precision Workstation support line,
you're usually talking to the actual technician within 5 minutes.
The call is answered first by the call router in Round Rock,
then you're transferred directly to the technician - none of this
bullshit where you get transferred around 4 or 5 times and have
to explain your problem again each time.

BTW:
The telephone number for Dell Precision Workstation tech support is 
800-596-3355.

Another good piece of information is this email address:  Michael@xxxxxxxx

He has several staff members that monitor this account,
and I'll buy you dinner if you send him an email message
about a problem and you don't get a call back from someone
in Round Rock within 3 days.

Steve Landess
Austin, Texas
(512) 423-0935


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pete Helgren" <Pete@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Midrange Systems Technical Discussion" <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 12:06 PM
Subject: Re: RES: OH MY GAWD!


> What I enjoy is talking about support issues with a group of programmers
> from India (naturalized Americans now) that I work with in New Jersey.
> They complain that they have to switch to Hindi to understand what these
> folks are saying and then, even in the native language, still having to
> deal with folks who don't know what they are talking about as they work
> the "script".
>
> I don't suffer from Xenophobia.  I just want to talk to someone in my
> native language who can clearly understand what I am saying and solve my
> problem.  I don't care if they are from India, or Mexico, or Minnesota.
> I know some folks who shouldn't be on the phone and they are native
> English speakers.  Phone support is difficult to do well and nearly
> impossible to do VERY well regardless of background or location.  I just
> wish that, since these folks are usually my last resort, they would
> represent the excellence of the company I contact rather than the bare
> minimum needed to meet their support obligations.
>
> Pete Helgren
>
>
> Vernon Hamberg wrote:
> > I admit frustration when dealing with IBM support - but the language
> > issue one is less of one for me - consider the international flavor
> > of IBM - at Rochester alone there are all kinds of nationalities
> > represented, and any of them could be on a support desk. So it
> > behooves us insular Americans to clean the wax out of our ears and
> > listen better - sorry for the soapbox.
> >
> > But I do find it silly when outsource teams in India use names like
> > abraham and george, to make americans more comfortable and accepting
> > of them. Oy oy oy! Or better said here in Minnesota, Uffda!
> >
> > Vern
> >
> > At 09:39 AM 3/20/2007, you wrote:
> >
> >
> > > I'm guessing, but I think the call centers in Brazil
> > > only work with North American customers. This is
> > > another weird aspect of this customer support methods
> > > used by IBM.
> > >
> > > Rubens Lehmann wrote:
> > >
> > > > Many offices in Brazil for accounting functions?
> > > >
> > > > Guess they work only for foreign calls, locally they aren't much better
> > > > than Joe explained...
> > > --
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