Fucking Dell.

[Shammed]

What the fuck is up with this company? I heard nothing but good reviews prior to ordering from them.

So I order my new PC & free printer Tuesday the 3rd, chose 2nd day shipping, and the estimated date is Monday the 9th. The weekend rolls around and I notice that my order status is still labeled "InProcessing". Lovely. At this point I doubt it'll be in on time, but I have someone stay at the house to sign for it just in case the website was wrong.

I get home Monday night after being told it never got delivered, and check my e-mail to find a message telling me about how my order was delayed. I eventually call them and am connected with a representative who barely speaks english, and tells me I should call back in at least 2 days.

Tuesday the 10th, I find an e-mail talking about how the delay could extend to "on or before August 16th." What the hell! A full week's delay?! So I call them and am put on hold multiple times only to be told how my frustration was understood, and that they were sorry for the delay. So of course I complain until I get some sort of compensation, and ended up haggling a $100 credit out of the guy. (His initial offer was $25.) He gives me the credit code and tells me to call the Financial services to redeem it.
Total call time: Exceeding one hour
Compensation?: $100 Credit?
Results on the reason for delay?: Unknown

A day passes by and I remember to call and redeem that credit code. Keep in mind I made it clear to the rep that gave it to me, that I did not want a credit on future orders, and that I wanted it to apply to my current order since I had no plans of purchasing anything from them again anytime soon, and he said that was fine. So naturally, when I speak to another rep., I'm told how it can only be used as a coupon on a future order. On this phone call, I'm at work so I can't fully express myself how I'd like to. I then ask her to find out the reason of my delay, she puts me on hold claiming to call the processing department. Five minutes later she tells me the processor is the reason why there is a delay. (I guess she thought I was just completely computer illiterate and spewed out any random computer term that I might have no idea about, so I wouldn't be able to question further.) She then drops the bomb and tells me that my *NEW* estimated ship date is "On or before August 26th." At this point I'm ready to flip, but I'm sitting in the back of a pharmacy at work and can only tell her that I'll have to call back concerning that. I guess I should have at least been content with the fact that the woman I spoke with was the first person I've talked to at this company, who was more than competent in the english language. Later that night I call Dell and am connected with yet another person who must've just learned english a few weeks ago. I make it brief and ask for my estimated shipping date since I don't expect much when talking to a foreign person who can barely understand me and vice versa. She tells me my estimated date is August 16th. So basically, every time I call, someone tells me something different from what the last person claimed.

Now this morning, I get on the computer to check the status of my PC.... only to find an e-mail telling me that the NEW ship date is On or before September 2nd, 2004, and that Dell would need my consent to allow this by the 16th, or else they could cancel the order. Holy shit, if I knew that I'd have this much of a problem with shipping and whatnot, I would've ordered it back in January to ensure it made it here before I leave for school later this month.

Summary: A) Who knows what my ship date is since in the total of 2 days, I was told 3 different estimated ship dates. B) It seems I have a 12% chance of being connected with a competent-english-speaker when calling. The other 88% I get to speak with a foreigner who uses the accent & language barrier to their advantage by acting more ignorant than they really are. C) This whole not-knowing-when-it'll-come thing sucks because I'm hardly ever home, and I NEED a solid date so that I can make sure someone is home to sign for the damned thing.

Now, I'm going to go call them again and pray for an "english speaker." Otherwise I'll just ask them to elevate the call to a supervisor. Or maybe I should just start getting used to the fact that I might be leaving the 28th with my older, slower computer.

Extreme http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_disapprove.gif !

[Ketchup345]

If it is for college, you probably should have ordered it in the beginning of the summer or earlier. They probably get the most orders in the summer, due to many students buying one for college (like you).

You should take the $100 credit on future purchases. You need it for the printer. Dell's printers need to have cartridges from Dell, which are only sold online (though I'm sure someone found a way around it by now). The cartridges are decently priced though (3 for $70 from Dell, versus 1 for $40 on my old printer).

Lesson:
Order computers before the summer, to help ensure that you are before the rush.

Over a month though. Wow. That is a long time to be delayed though. There is a chance it will be before that though.

Good luck on getting an English speaker.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Ketchup345 on 2004-08-13 08:23 ]</font>

[Guntz348]

On 2004-08-13 08:05, Shammed wrote:


I get home Monday night after being told it never got delivered, and check my e-mail to find a message telling me about how my order was delayed. I eventually call them and am connected with a representative who barely speaks english, and tells me I should call back in at least 2 days.



Welcome to the wonderful world of out-sourcing my freind. Makes me wonder why everyone protested and hated NAFTA when it was first born. Ah the wonders of free trade.

Aside from that I'd cancel the order and get one from a different company, that or call back and keep bitching untill they give you more credit and force them to use it on your current order.

[Link00seven]

I knew there was a reason I didnt like Dell...

Next PC I buy will be custom-build...I recommend all of you do the same, unless your buying a laptop.

[BrokenHope]

On 2004-08-13 10:31, Link00seven wrote:
I knew there was a reason I didnt like Dell...

Next PC I buy will be custom-build...I recommend all of you do the same, unless your buying a laptop.



Most people wouldn't know how to custem build, which is a shame since you can have a much better PC, since you get to decide exactly what parts you put in it.

[HUnewearl_Meira]

Hm. The thing about Dell computers is that they have a reputation for providing a (relatively) good product. I've never known about the quality of their actual service.


The best computers, though, are the computers you build yourself. That way, you know exactly what went into them, and if its your first time building a computer, you'll learn a great deal about how it works.

For a basic system, this is what you need--

Case with Power Supply
Motherboard
Processor compatible with motherboard (check the motherboard's documentation to see what works with it)
RAM compatible with motherboard (again, check the motherboard's documentation to see what will work with it)
Video card (any that fit should work fine, though some motherboards may have it built in)
Sound card (not necessary for operation, but pleasent. Again, some motherboards may have it built in)
Floppy drive (some consider them unnecessary, but I still use mine all the time)
CD-reading device (could be a CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, etc; as long as it reads DVDs)
Hard drive
Monitor
Mouse (not required, but soooo much easier)
Keyboard
Operating System installation CD(s) (Most would use Windows XP at this point, but if you REALLY want to challenge your ability to figure stuff out, go with Linux. Windows XP is reccomended, though...)

It's likely to be cheaper to shop around for individual parts, and like I said, you'll learn a great deal about how everything works.

[darthsaber9x9]

Is there like guides and stuff to refer to for building your own, or do you have to work it all out? lol

[Aredhel]

On 2004-08-13 15:38, HUnewearl_Meira wrote:

Mouse (not required, but soooo much easier)



http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_lol.gif

I ordered from Dell and got my compy about 1 week before they projected it would arrive - maybe they were so desperately trying to get my order to me as fast as possible, they forgot about yours? http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

Seriously though - they are reliable, decently-priced computers. I've (so far) not even had to use and Dell service, so I suppose I'm not really an authority on how their service is...

Guess you just got unlucky http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_cry.gif

[VioletSkye]

On 2004-08-13 16:50, darthsaber9x9 wrote:
Is there like guides and stuff to refer to for building your own, or do you have to work it all out? lol


There are a ton of PC magazines out there that deal with building your own pc. A good mag for beginners would be PC UPGRADE. Also be sure to check out HARD OCP (http://www.hardocp.com/index.html) for reviews of various components and TECH WORTHY (http://www.techworthy.com/Categories/Desktops/index.htm) for a number of guides. As for buying parts, there are lots and lots of places you can order from including NEWEGG, (http://www.newegg.com/) PRICE WATCH, (http://www.pricewatch.com/) and TIGER DIRECT (http://www.tigerdirect.com/).

You'd be surprised how easy it is to build your own pc http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: VioletSkye on 2004-08-13 19:45 ]</font>

[KodiaX987]

On 2004-08-13 17:04, Aredhel wrote:

Seriously though - they are reliable, decently-priced computers.



A top of the line computer from Dell costs at least 2000 Canadian dollars. I can get something similar at my local store for more or less 1500$...

[Ness]

On 2004-08-13 19:40, KodiaX987 wrote:

A top of the line computer from Dell costs at least 2000 Canadian dollars. I can get something similar at my local store for more or less 1500$...



Agreed. Dells are extremely overpriced and companies like Dell tend to manufacutre some of their own parts and that can lead to compatibility issues. I also bought a Dell, but I saw a Systemax computer that did everything the Dell did, but for half the price. Not only that, but it came with a 6-in-1 disk drive and Windows XP Professional.

[AquaFlare7]

On 2004-08-13 19:24, VioletSkye wrote:


On 2004-08-13 16:50, darthsaber9x9 wrote:
Is there like guides and stuff to refer to for building your own, or do you have to work it all out? lol


There are a ton of PC magazines out there that deal with building your own pc. A good mag for beginners would be PC UPGRADE. Also be sure to check out HARD OCP (http://www.hardocp.com/index.html) for reviews of various components and TECH WORTHY (http://www.techworthy.com/Categories/Desktops/index.htm) for a number of guides. As for buying parts, there are lots and lots of places you can order from including NEWEGG, (http://www.newegg.com/) PRICE WATCH, (http://www.pricewatch.com/) and TIGER DIRECT (http://www.tigerdirect.com/).

You'd be surprised how easy it is to build your own pc http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: VioletSkye on 2004-08-13 19:45 ]</font>


My thoughts exactly. If you have ever made anything out of legos, you are fully qualified to build a computer pc. On that note, I spent $2,000.00 into the computer I built (definately not nesseccary) and I have the best of everything on the market.

As for dell being a good company, that is a crock of bull. I've never in my life seen a dell that was any where near even half of a decent computer. Don't you ever wonder why they are always "slashing prices" and including "free periphials" such as video cameras?

[Shammed]

The last PC I had was custom built for me, but I did choose all the components that went into it. (Went to a computer show or whatever you call those places where they hold it at an expo center and there's tons of different small stores for different parts.) Didn't really feel like taking that route again, though. Not to mention I've only heard good feedback about Dell, it was convenient...

Anyway, turns out the processor problem she mentioned really was the problem. Supposedly, the processor I chose is on back-order from the vender, and they seem to have no clue when the vender will send it. So they cover their asses by extending the potential ship date everytime I speak to them. It's really ridiculous business though, I would at least expect them to have an estimation of when the shipment of processors will arrive. But instead I get barraged with apologies along with them emphasizing the fact that the estimated ship dates are an estimation. No shit, but could your estimation be slightly more specific than a whole month's worth of time?!

I think I'll just waste some more of my time by calling them again and seeing if it's possible to change the processor I chose and downgrade it to the next lowest one. The one I selected was the best one available for my model, (per reccomendation via violetskye.. maybe it's you I should be blaming!! http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_clown.gif), 3.06 GHz and <insert other specifics I don't remember>; maybe people don't select the same thing that often? Or maybe people have selected it so often that they ran out right before they started making mine.
Either way, I'm an unlucky bastard. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_disapprove.gif

[InfernoNR7]

Dell (and Gateway for that matter) sound like such ripoffs, and they also sound simply unreliable (service wise) from what I've read here. I was also looking up Dell's "Gaming" PC. It's about the same price as Alienware's medium, or high, grade computer (the original package that is). Yet their "Gaming" PC is about the same, or less, in performance compared to AW's Lowest level computer.

[KodiaX987]

Pretty much the only good thing with Dell is that it comes ready-made. Plug it in and it works. It does wonders for those who aren't experts and thus when I had my 800, I didn't have any prob with it and my games ran fine. When I got my 933, I got constant freezes, but this was due to me pushing the machine way too much and constantly probing around and touching at everything. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

Let's put it this way: Dells are like doing a race with a Mustang. You are guaranteed not to win, but you can expect all-round okay performance and easy handling. Custom-built computers are like F1s: Tune it well and it becomes a blazing machine. Tune it badly and you won't even finish the run with it.

[InfernoNR7]

On 2004-08-14 19:32, KodiaX987 wrote:
Pretty much the only good thing with Dell is that it comes ready-made. Plug it in and it works. It does wonders for those who aren't experts and thus when I had my 800, I didn't have any prob with it and my games ran fine. When I got my 933, I got constant freezes, but this was due to me pushing the machine way too much and constantly probing around and touching at everything. http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

Let's put it this way: Dells are like doing a race with a Mustang. You are guaranteed not to win, but you can expect all-round okay performance and easy handling. Custom-built computers are like F1s: Tune it well and it becomes a blazing machine. Tune it badly and you won't even finish the run with it.



And I'd say AW's are like getting the F=1 Pre-tweaked. I wouldn't know from experiance tho, but I've heard absolutely nothing but good ratings about it. That's why I'm doing my best to convince my dad to get it for a family christmas present...

[War_Child]

Dells are pieces of shit.

Our school bought a shitload of new dells for the Communications Tech room for A/V editing. Out of the 25 lab computers, 9 hard hard drive failures within the first year. Others had floppy failures, NIC failures, and as for the higher model dells he bought for the extremely heavy, plenty of freezes and one of them had a hard drive melt. The only computer so far that has survived unscathed was the one he built himself.

Note none of these machines were abused, all had working fans and regular maintenance, and were not left running overnight. RAM was dumped at the end of every class, sometimes twice a class.

As for the people who don't speak English, the main reason is that Dell's main tech support line connects to a call centre in India. The average tech support person's training for tech support is a 3 week class instructing them how to shut the customer up as fast as possible and move on to the next customer, so they can take more calls and make more money. Very rarely will you reach a person who speaks actual English and not Arabish.

The main plus to Dell, apparantly, is their part replacement service. If only a specific part fails, IE the hard drive, you ship them the old part after receiving the new part. Replacemement was fast when parts failed at the school.

In other words: Dell sucks.

[Blue-Hawk]

Keep in mind, if you customized it with one of the new Presscott processors and a PCI Express ATI X-800, the delay is understandable. The processor is in limited supply. My friend ordered one the beginning of the month and he has to wait untill Sept. to get it due to the limited availability of both the processor and the video card.

[Lenard]

my dell is a piece, when we first ordered it i wassupposed to come with a gforce 4 mx 64 megabit graphics card from invidia, while dell did get this right they put 1 with a broken s video port into our comp, and having to call dell, being routed to india, talking to some guy who had to say every letter as a word so i could understand him, being stuck on the phone for about 3 hours getting my chain yanked by ass loads of different people, and finally getting a new graphics card, was a real pain in the ass. I also blame them for my comp fucking up because of al the software things they had me do ranging from changing imortant properties to intalling the same driver multiple times, to installing and unistalling programs.

the lesson learned here is NEVER under any circumstances every buy a computer from dell, theyre a company founded on lies, award winning customer service my ass!

[Outrider]

Meh, my Dell works fine. Only cost $500 with some sort of student discount. Pentium 4, flat-panel 15" monitor, 80 Gig HD... and then integrated graphics and only 128 shared RAM. I couldn't run Paintshop Pro and iTunes at the same time. (Of course, iTunes is a beast when it comes to consuming resources...) But I got a 512 RAM upgrade and now it runs things just fine. Really, it was a pretty good deal, mostly just because of the monitor.

Of course, I'm sure if I had my brother build me a computer like he originally promised, it would've been much better, sans the flat-panel. He just got a bit lazy and it was getting closer and closer to my move-in date at school, so he decided to order one instead.

[digigram]

I bought a dell laptop once.

ordered, shipped and had it in my hands 3 days later.

at one point..one of the dimm's socket on the motherboard went bad so when you put memory in it it would freeze when it felt like it... called dell, had a guy out the next day with a brand new motherboard.. installed it in 15 minutes, left.

sparkling clean and new and working sweet. didn't owe anything and it was out of my warranty.

Dell is a good company.. you gotta understand that they sell wholesale to almost EVERYONE in the world and that includes students as well.

[AquaFlare7]

I will give you a real life example of proof that dell computers suck. Back when I worked for the lame company AOL, they used dell (and probably still do) for all of their computer needs. I had to constantly tell people that I couldn't help them at this time because the systems were down (very often, at least once per day).

If you need help building a reliable computer from scratch just email me, and I will see what I can scrap together from a few of my parts sources (some mentioned above by Violet Skye).

[digigram]

ok aqua.. build me a laptop.. lol

[Shammed]

Well, my idea worked. (At least I think it did, so far.) I had the processor downgraded from a 3.0 GHz to 2.8 GHz, and made sure to ask the guy if the 2.8's were in stock. And I did all of this after speaking to an indian woman who claimed the only way I'd be able to switch the processor would be to cancel my order, then completely re-order everything. Meh.

Estimated ship date: 8/19/04. Guess we'll have to wait and see. But it figures they chose the same day of the week that I have to work the whole day on so no one will be here to sign for it.

Next mission, call up and argue until they give me a free digital camera. Of course they sent me an e-mail with their new promo for dell digital cams free with purchase of a notebook or desktop.

[JohanCC]

I ordered my dell and it came about 4 days later (the estimated shipping date was for about 2 weeks after that). After getting a new video card (the old one wasn't supported by any new games and sucked) it has been working great. Sorry to hear they messed up yours.