Re: Dell experiences

["sjl" <sjl_abc@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

David wrote:
  FWIW: I won't deal with Dell consumer products anymore ...
  I purchase all systems through SMB.

  While the sales experience is not much different, the support experience
  is radically different.  Even when getting support via chat I talk to 
people
  who are informed and experienced.  Not script readers.


David -

I used to tell everybody that Dell support was second to none.  Now I tell 
people that if you buy a Dell /business/ system, their support is second to 
none.

However, I'll never again buy a Dell consumer computer (Inspiron or 
Dimension).  The worst customer service experiences I ever had were support 
calls on Inspiron laptops.  Before I wised up and quit buying Inspirons, I 
had probably spent a hundred hours on hold waiting on Dell Indian tech 
support related to problems on various computers.  More often than not, 
you'll spend 30 or 40 minutes on hold then get disconnected!

Last year my brother bought my two nieces new Inspiron 1525 laptops.  One of 
them had a software failure that required reloading the O/S.  Like an idiot, 
I spent 1 1/2 hours (of which 45 minutes was on hold) on a support call to 
India only to find out what I already knew:  that I needed to reformat and 
reload everything.  Luckily, all of the CD recovery media was supplied with 
the computer.  While on hold waiting on Indian technical support, I heard an 
ad for Dell premium service for Dell Home systems.  Out of curiosity, I 
called to inquire about the cost of Dell Premium technical support - it 
costs 149.00 per YEAR - over a three-year period, almost as much as the 
computer cost...a service that you get FREE with Precisions, Latitudes, and 
servers!

The last two Dell laptops I bought for my own use are Precision models.  As 
I mentioned, with Precisions, Latitudes, and servers you get FREE technical 
support from Dell service centers that are located mostly in North America 
(one of them is located in Panama).  These are the same technicians that 
cost you 149.00 / year if you wanted Premium support on an Inspiron or 
Dimension system.  Last week I called for replacement of the power supply on 
my M65.  I was on hold for less than one minute before talking to a 
technician in Oklahoma City.  No script, he had my order entered and the 
call was completed in less than 10 minutes.

On average, I spend less than 20 minutes when dealing with unscripted 
technical support in America versus over an hour when dealing with the 
scripted technical support in India.

- sjl