Dell & Poor Customer Support

I am so disappointed with Dell. Up until now, I have been a satisfied customer. I have purchased, in the last couple of years, 2 desktop systems, 4 notebooks, 2 laser printers, 2 flat panel displays and even an ipod wannabe Dell DJ.

So I went to purchase my next notebook, an Inspiron 6000. Got the fastest processor, the highest resolution screen, a big hard disk (100GB). I got the works. Placed my order on the 9th and thought great, I will have a new notebook probably by the end of the week (like most of my previous orders). Great.

Well, a week passes. My 'order status' looks like it has shipped. I will wait a few more days. By the 21st, I figure that it has been a while, so I call their shipping company. Seems like they received something from Dell that states that they will be shipping something for them. As for that something, it isn't there. The shipping company told me to call Dell. I did and I told them that there website says that it has shipped on the 13th and that the shipping company told me that they didnt have it. I was told that I would have it soon. Soon?! I ask, when is soon. Their reply - 'Dont worry sir, your computer is coming.'

So, I wont bore you with the other calls that I made before receiving my notebook on the 26th. But upon opening the box that my computer was in, I noticed that, first it came with no 'support' cds and no operating system cd (i.e. windows XP media edition cd was missing). Okay, no big deal. Oh, what is this? No power adapter. I understand that the computer has a great battery life, but I dont think it will last so long as I wont need to charge it.

So what do I do? I phone Dell. After navigating through the endless maze of menus. I am told that they are closed weekends. Nice, now I have to wait 2 more days to see if I can resolve this mess. On the 28th, I phone customer care. They transfer me to hardware support. I tell the agent that my computer shipped without various components. The agent then asks me, how long have I had this problem? How long have I had this problem!?! Probably since I opened the box. What kind of question is that? These call 'support' agents really need to start thinking for themselves. So, after the agent finally gets it, I ask, how long will it take to get my power supply? The agent replies, 1-2 weeks. All of a sudden, I snapped and I asked to speak to their supervisor. The supervisor then assured me that in a few days I would receive my adaptor. I did, on the 29th. Unfortunately, no discs.

But wait, what is this. I have another item in my order status window. It says that the discs are coming and that the total cost is $25? Now I have to pay for the discs? What a mess. I phone customer support and ask to speak to a supervisor. The agent tries to help me. At the end, I ask for the supervisor. The agent tells me that he will transfer me to him, and he places me on hold.

10 minutes later I hang up. How long can I be placed on hold? I think I will place Dell on hold from now on. I am strongly urging anyone contemplating a purchase from Dell to rethink the purchase. I strongly recommend going to a physical store, where customer representatives (employees) treat you properly. I was told 4 times that a supervisor would be phoning me in a couple of hours. I think that their watch must be slow, because it has been at least a few days since I was told this.

Dell use to be known for customer support. If you do buy from Dell, god forbid that something should go wrong with your order or worse, your computer. You will have to jump through hoops trying to correct it. The worst part is, Dell doesnt think that your time matters and you will be on hold for hours. In total, I must have spent about 29hours on the phone. Do yourself a favor and walk to your local computer store and buy your computer there. You might pay $50 dollars more, but at least you will be taken care of.