Is There Life Outside of Dell Computer Hell?
Between Monday and Wednesday, I write letters to Michael Dell, Donald Carty and Paul Bell (top honchos at Dell) , attach copies of the nine (9) e-mail responses from Dell with Case Numbers, detail all the facts and mail off hoping to get a response. The main focus of the letter being:
- Dell sold me a system that wasn't powerful enough to meet my needs;
- Because of that, I have to pay for a new video card; and
- Why did my "non-technical" self even have to go through all this aggravation when I could have been sold the right pre-loaded system to begin with.
These letters were sent November 12 and no one from Dell has ever bothered to respond.
I have no life. I spend the days sitting in front of the Inspiron 530 waiting for something else to go wrong and spending hours on the telephone with Dell Technical Support in India and the Philippines.
By Wednesday, the new video card hasn't arrived. I look under "orders" on the Dell website and see that my order has been CANCELLED! Cancelled? Why? Back on the phone, I get Riccardo in El Salvador (another Dell call center). He reviews all prior cases. I ask for a supervisor. Nancy gets on the line and "assures" me that she and Riccardo will "resolve" this issue. No one knows why the order was cancelled BUT they will place a new order for immediate shipping and I will have it on Monday -- the computer's 13-day old birthday. New ID...new order number...new Case number. And to show Nancy and Riccardo's resolve to do the right thing, THEY will call me Monday morning without fail to see how the case is coming. THEY are taking ownership. THEY will call at 8:00 am Monday.
...come Saturday morning....the Dell crashes big time with a PBR error and I can't do anything on the computer. Today's Technician is Jose in El Salvador. Jose says this is common and instructs me to put the Diagnostic disc in and we'll fix. Problem! The diagnostic disc sent with the Dell is for the wrong model and doesn't work! By now my choices are: get a bottle of wine and drink myself into a stupor; take a bottle of tranquilizers; or sit down and cry hysterically. Instead, I keep it together, put in the reinstall disc and Jose sets about doing it the hard way...FIVE HOURS ON THE TELEPHONE...to get the computer up and running. It was Saturday. I had plans. Does Dell care? HA, HA...but the computer is running again.
Monday morning...no telephone call. I leave a message for Nancy. She doesn't return the call. I am STEAMING...forehead veins bulging...barely able to string two words together...beyond furious...my immune system is shutting down...and ready to have a nervous breakdown. I ---- HAVE ---- HAD ---- IT!
Call Dell and hit the prompt for "Returns." (You can return a Dell within the first 21 days of purchase.) This sucker is going back. I get Alex, in El Salvador and he busily gets to work with his "Resolution Team," putting me on hold, getting back to me, putting me on hold, until Alex says a new Video Card is being sent out immediately, free of charge. I tell Alex that if it doesn't arrive by Wednesday, the computer is being returned to Dell - no ifs...ands...or buts. Now Alex is taking "ownership" of this problem.
Tuesday, a video card arrives from Dell. A techie neighbor comes over and we take the computer apart. Can it be installed? NO! We call Dell and get India. The Tech has to confer with his department and we're put on hold. He returns with the information we need a simple "Y" connector. It takes driving to three stores before finding the simple "Y". Bring it home. There is no power receptable inside the CPU to connect it to. That....is....it...
An evening phone call back to "Returns." Adela in El Salvador assures me that tomorrow, Wednesday, I will receive return, prepaid UPS labels and even gives me her e-mail address to contact her if I don't get them.
Just one ne more day in Dell purgatory...
