DELL HELL

I wrote this letter for a customer service survey Dell sent me to fill out. When I went to submit it the site said "No longer taking comments." So I thought I'd post it for anyone who happens to stumble across this blog...

It's pretty long, so settle in for a bit...

To whom it may concern,

I am very excited about this opportunity to give you a customer satisfaction survey, as it seemed nobody cared at the time of the issue. I hope you’re next, less than lucky customer, will not have to go through what I did. It began on the nineteenth of January. My husband surprised me with a beautiful laptop computer he ordered from Dell. He told me it took a lot of research and time to put together the perfect computer for me. I couldn’t believe it!

So, we settled down to set it up. We went through all the normal set up modes except the internet; he hadn’t gotten the remote access modem yet, so that would have to wait. The computer was pretty slow right off the bat, but we thought maybe laptops were just slower then full size computers. He said, from his research, that he had purchased a pretty good processor and was under the impression that it would move faster than it was. We decided to talk to a friend the next day about it. We also noticed the cursor kept flickering, like the computer was running a program, or ‘thinking’ yet there wasn’t a reason for it. It was late, so we left it for the next day.

I was at work when he called to tell me the computer was completely locked up. He tried everything short of turning it off via the power button. He closed it up and left it for me to look at when I got off work. It was still frozen when I came home, the screen said, “Shutting down windows”.

My husband spoke to a friend of his, who’s familiar with computers. He said this pc should not be slow at all, and I should contact Dell.

I’ve had a similar problem in the past, with a modem that acted up shortly after I purchased it. I called the necessary help center many times, and they always walked me through steps to eradicate the problem. It continued to have issues until I purchased a new one. I decided not to chance that with such an expensive item as this. In less then 24 hours I needed to call a support line, I thought it best to exchange it.

On The twentieth of January, (2006) at approximately two p.m. I called 1-800-624-9897 to exchange my computer. I chose the option for returns. The recording said I would probably be on hold for more then ten minutes. So, I put my earpiece in and started on some homework.

After an hour on hold, I decided to use my other phone to call and see if another avenue would get me a person to speak with. I tried tech support and got a person fairly quickly. I think his name was Steve, although I could not understand much through his thick accent. After much confusion about purchaser’s name, he decided to call me Zeke, my husband who actually purchased the pc. I was fine with it. It made it easier with the language barrier. I tried to explain my problem and that I wanted to return it for a new one. I told him I’ve been on hold for quiet a while with returns and wondered it he could expedite the process. He explained that tech support would help me fix the problem. I told him I would rather just exchange it. He put me on hold for returns. I hung up that line and continued to hold the original line.

After another hour, the phone clicked, I got excited until it went dead. I was disconnected. I thought, “Well things happen.” Maybe, I should go through tech support and let them try before I exchange it. My experience continued to worsen from there. I was tossed around from this ‘type’ of tech support to that one. I spoke to a Scott, and a Sheldon, who I could barley understand. It is very frustrating talking computers for someone who is unfamiliar with them and then to top that off with someone who can not speak fluent English just adds to the stress. I had just spent almost two thousand dollars with this company and I am now spending the better part of a Saturday night on the phone getting nowhere with them. I received, absolutely no respect or consideration from the people who were working customer service. They are trained; it seems, to go through no uncertain steps with every customer who calls, no matter the circumstances. No personalized service what so ever. I was just a number on their call list. Every person I spoke to took my name, my husbands actually, my phone number, incase we got disconnected and my e-mail address. I was disconnected several times and NEVER received called back. An agent would attempt to transfer me and loose me, I’d wait a few minutes for a call back to no avail.

Finally, an agent told me the support I needed came from Dell on Call, a service that would cost. Lucky for me I had purchased a package for this type of service call. I was floored! Less then 24 hours and I would be expected to PAY for help had I not included it in my initial purchase.

The agent said he would transfer me, which from here on out will actually mean to be hung up on, lost, or disconnected. I called the number directly after again not receiving a call back…as discussed would be the case. I am very unhappy at this point and every agent that picks up the phone I inform them of my situation. I have remained collected throughout this horror, I am not one to scream at operators, as I know it is not them personally I am frustrated with. I will however let them know how I have been treated, that my patience are thin, and I appreciate not being put on hold or ‘transferred’ anymore without their careful assistance.

A Dell on Call agent by the name of Chris answered the phone. I told him of my hours on the phone with Dell and begged him not to shuffle me. I have to say he was a blessing. He spoke to me with genuine concern; his abilities in the customer service area should be commended. I was in tears up until this conversation. He went though and explained everything he asked me to do to the computer. He only put me on hold to consult another agent as to further tests to run on my pc. He was polite, courteous, respectful and very informed in regards to his job. His manner of speaking was clear and easy to understand. His phone etiquette was stellar. Unfortunately, he was a rare find in my endeavor with Dell as a whole.

Chris explained that I would have to be transferred, once again, to the original call center. He explained that the problem was not something he could find, let alone fix. He could not see a reason for the issues I was experiencing. I would have to be transferred to someone that deals with hard drive troubles. He said the cursor flickering is most likely a manufacturing problem and would have to be tested by another department. He advised that the pc may need to be sent back. So, he transferred me. I waited on hold for fourty five minutes and decided I couldn’t take it anymore. I would have to call back another day.

I called again on the twenty third of January. I was not on hold long before a representative picked up. I gave him all the information again and he pulled up the file. I explained what was going on and that I would really like to just return the computer. He began to recite the return/exchange policy in a very annoyed tone, and that I would be required to pay shipping/re-stocking etc…I interrupted him to explain that I’ve only had the pc for a few days. He very rudely snapped back that it did not matter, this was their policy and if I would just listen he could move on. If it was a software problem I would have to contact someone else, like Microsoft. I told him about my experience on the twentieth and apologized if I sounded frustrated, but honestly I just wanted the computer out of my house, at this point. He bluntly explained the cost I would incur. Again, I am shocked at how your customers are treated.

He said he needed to run a few tests and look over my file to determine the next step. After doing so he advised that the pc could be returned to Dell and that they would take full responsibility, due to a remark made by a previous representative. Finally, I’m getting somewhere. He asked if I wanted to exchange it and I almost laughed. When he realized I was returning it for a full refund, any respect or courteous manner that he was trying to muster disappeared from his voice. His disdain was clear. I told him I wanted to buy from a local dealer. He made it sound like a huge hassle. He tried to convince me that it was better to exchange it, due to the amount of time it could take to get the credit back. He also made a point of telling me that the “local dealer is just going to order it from us anyway.” I was afraid to tell him I didn’t plan on ever owning another Dell product. Afraid he would recant and say that he had misread the file and that I would have to pay after all.

I am very unhappy with Dell and I’m not shy about spreading the word. Not only was your product defective and you policies designed to make it difficult for the customer who spends their hard earned dollar, but your customer service was horrific. As an American I demand the respect that I have been raised to give others. Companies that outsource should train their employees in a standard that the customers they will deal with are used to. I regret ever having to deal with your company and I am determined to save friends, family and the clients that patronize my place of business the pain. I have since purchased a Sony laptop that I am very happy with and have already influenced a number of people to do the same.