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New York, 12:31 AM
Wed Nov 25
65 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of UnderLoK UnderLoK
    11/13/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    I was living down in Lauderdale at the time and my Mom didn’t want to bother me with a computer problem she was having so she took the initiative to call customer service at Dell.

    She couldn’t get on the internet, that was it, and while my Mom couldn’t convey exactly what had happened I found out when I came back up for a friends wedding. I went down to my Mom’s office at the house and on the desk I saw a Dell XP CD… I almost shit and asked her where it came from and she said that Dell said she needed it and charged her $40 for it. $40 for a cd that came with her computer… Ok well whatever, so I said "you didn’t put this in the computer did you?" and she went on to tell me that Dell had her put it in while the computer was off, turn it on, and go through some stuff. I freaking flipped out because I knew they just wiped out my Mom’s computer when the router was just flaked out.

    I immediately called, was transferred to a manager and I let them have it. They credited her for the CD and offered to give her 2 more years of support for free. I’m sure you know what I told them to do with their support…

    I had shown my Mom how to backup her stuff, she worked as a secretary (exec assistant I guess they call them now days) so she wasn’t a fool and for a long time she was great about backing up her stuff, but long story short she hadn’t in a very long time (and I wasn’t around to check up on it).

    She told me she had a word doc with over 500 recipes in it that she had created herself (her own work not from cook books), I literally thought I was going to throw up. Luckily I was able to get piece a copy back together for her, but almost all of the other stuff was gone, no biggie that file was the only real important thing.

    I couldn’t believe some MORON had my Mom (r.i.p.) format and reinstall her computer because it wouldn’t get on the forking internet… They got theirs we didn’t renew our lease with them at work because that was the last straw. I enjoyed that conversation with our sales rep.

    After that my Mom wasn’t even upset. She was like "Oh it’s ok, I have it all on papers scattered around I’ll just re-enter it all", but her tone changed while I was trying to restore her stuff because she couldn’t find half of the papers. Oh and the best part? The idiots at Dell still didn’t get her internet working nor did they give her the drivers to load so her printer didn’t work, it was at 256 colors, and I forget what else. After doing all this with Dell she called me and didn’t tell me about all of this, I just talked her through getting the internet working (2 minute conversation) and I saw the aftermath when I came up shortly after.

    Dell support is full of straight up morons, but that is what you get when you pay people minimum wage, even if they do know what they are doing, they don’t give a crap.
     Reply
    Edited by UnderLoK at 11/13/09 9:46 AM UnderLoK was starred UnderLoK was unstarred
    Image of infmom infmom
    11/13/09

    @UnderLoK: "Not being able to get on the internet" is a problem for every freakin' tech support person one might have to call.

    Especially the low level drones who answer the phone at your ISP.

    Me to Charter: Our internet connection is out.
    Charter to me: How many little icons are in that bar at the bottom of your screen? They might be using too much memory.

    I would not have believed that response if I hadn't heard it myself. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    infmom was starred infmom was unstarred
    Image of Odin Odin
    11/13/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    Bonuses by commission has a huge set of problems associated with it. It does give motivation to sell products and rewards the employee for it. Unfortunately it comes with the caveat that all the employee wants to do is get the customer to buy anything rather than give them the service they need. It's especially bad when you combine commission bonuses in with support staff. Rather than telling you what you actually need to do they're more likely to force you into buying something you don't actually need just so they can get a bit more money.

    On the other hand if you don't get commissions you're more likely to be honest and up front with the customer. Often at the detriment of your employer though. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    Odin was starred Odin was unstarred
    Image of valkilmerisawful valkilmerisawful
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    Sorry, only good luck for me... My left mouse button stopped working, so they sent someone to my house the next day that replaced it in 20 minutes. In and out. Synaptic's track pads still work terribly (e.g., wandering cursor syndrome, mostly when running flash). I agree with most that my next computer will not be a Dell, and I built my desktop, but for a laptop, they did just fine and I still like it a lot. Alternatively, my warranty is up, so I won't be dealing with Dell ever again. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    valkilmerisawful was starred valkilmerisawful was unstarred
    Image of Software_Goddess Software_Goddess
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    I’ve been telling my friends for years that Dell is for beginners. No one that knows better would ever buy one. If you start off with one, your second computer will be ANYTHING but a Dell. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    Software_Goddess was starred Software_Goddess was unstarred
    Image of Shamoononon: I shave my legs. Shamoononon: I shave my legs.
    11/12/09

    @Software_Goddess: Welllllll...

    If one thing is for sure, they sure have made their way into overcrowded server rooms and cubicles around the world. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    Shamoononon: I shave my legs. was starred Shamoononon: I shave my legs. was unstarred
    Image of Software_Goddess Software_Goddess
    11/12/09

    @Shamoononon: I wax my xxx.: Oh Sham, I feel so sorry for you. At least you are not the one that has to fix them when they get sick. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    Software_Goddess was starred Software_Goddess was unstarred
    Image of Shamoononon: I shave my legs. Shamoononon: I shave my legs.
    11/12/09

    @Software_Goddess: Yeah, I was a little hurt there for a minute. I have two of them in my cubicle alone and we have a lot of Dell servers.

    But heck, I don't own them. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    Shamoononon: I shave my legs. was starred Shamoononon: I shave my legs. was unstarred
    Image of DH405 DH405
    11/12/09

    @Software_Goddess: I have a few pieces of Dell hardware. Had a Dell laptop for years and never had a problem. My clients very often have Dell hardware. I'd say that, in my experience, their failure rate is impressive. Why are you hating on Dell so much? Want to follow the In crowd? #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    Software_Goddess promoted this comment DH405 was starred DH405 was unstarred
    Image of Software_Goddess Software_Goddess
    11/12/09

    @DH405: I’m not a follower, I’m a leader. I’m also a Technician and I’ve seen the little buggers inside and out. I don’t recommend them to any of my clients, though like you, I have many clients who do own them. They are inferior and their customer service is a joke. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    Software_Goddess was starred Software_Goddess was unstarred
    Image of DH405 DH405
    11/13/09

    @Software_Goddess: Once again another Dell-bash post... with NO facts or data. I've seen them inside and out as well, and I've had no problems with them. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    DH405 was starred DH405 was unstarred
    Image of nutbastard nutbastard
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    ouch, you get the one-two punch on BB and Giz when you piss off the BLam fam. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    nutbastard was starred nutbastard was unstarred
    Image of Nick Nick
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    if Brian Lam's GF can't get good service then what hope do the rest of us have?
    ps
    you didn't just have an extra battery lyin' about? #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    Nick was starred Nick was unstarred
    Image of weatherman weatherman
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    It was a boring story when I saw it on BB this morning, and it's a boring story again here. It's too bad that poor Lisa didn't get the white glove treatment and that the customer support rep she talked to first, who was trying to be helpful, didn't have the right answer, but I hardly think it's worth making a fuss over. This is yet another example of a blog (two in this case) making a big issue out of a personal issue, which does not constitute news, does not shed light on a pattern or practice, and does not even bother to entertain. And it's an example of how sites like boingboing and gizmodo can go from being good blogs to becoming bad personal diaries. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    weatherman was starred weatherman was unstarred
    Image of wheatieboy wheatieboy
    11/12/09

    @weatherman: Are you kidding? Two hours on Customer "Service", with no resolution and I'd be screaming from the rooftops. Why is this any less important than the guy with Red Ring of Death issues on his Xbox360? His issues were reported here.

    Quit yer whingeing. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    weatherman promoted this comment wheatieboy was starred wheatieboy was unstarred
    Image of Student.Driver Student.Driver
    11/12/09

    @weatherman: Amen. This will now show up in all kinds of search responses, and nobody will read all the good responses, like how I got both sticks of RAM overnighted for a BSOD issue. Whatever. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    weatherman promoted this comment Student.Driver was starred Student.Driver was unstarred
    Image of max11221 max11221
    11/12/09

    @wheatieboy: Not exactly sure what exact "resolution" was expected. A product was PURCHASED with a particular configuration. So the purchaser wants to CHANGE the configuration and people try to help but they couldn't. Purchaser keeps COMPLAINING for two hours about something I doubt many if ANY companies would do.

    So they were supposed to open up the package...take out the 6 cell and then put in a 3 cell? What would they do with the 6 cell now? Put it in the 3 cell box and sell it to someone else??? Open box it?

    Sorry non-issue...someone purchased a product at a NON CUSTOM price and apparently wanted to "customize" it.

    Sorry companies just don't open up boxes and switch parts out...nor should they expect to.

    Oh and I hate DELL....but this is not even 1% their problem. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    weatherman promoted this comment max11221 was starred max11221 was unstarred
    Image of cgchandra3001 cgchandra3001
    11/13/09

    @weatherman: well said.
     Reply
    weatherman approved this comment cgchandra3001 was starred cgchandra3001 was unstarred
    Image of weatherman weatherman
    11/13/09

    @wheatieboy: I'm not the one whingeing [sic]. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    weatherman was starred weatherman was unstarred
    Image of Kaiser-Machead Kaiser-Machead
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    It doesn't often pay to be an extremely pushy demanding asshole to get what you want, but in the case of Dell, I've decided to make an exception. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred
    Image of EBone EBone
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    I laughed when you twittered her progress in real-time a few days ago. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    EBone was starred EBone was unstarred
    Image of Xeno Xeno
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    For normal stuff my experiences with Dell are great. On the other hand when I got my Dell media server with 2 CC tuners getting support for that setup was insanely horrible. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    Xeno was starred Xeno was unstarred
    Image of PN - gooapplesoft PN - gooapplesoft
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    well i've always had amazing things to say about apple care. The beauty of apple car is that if they dont give you what you want, a quick "can i talk to your consumer relations department" always does the trick.
    One time my monitor broke because my cellphone hit it. Sent my laptop in. The decline repair but also scratched it. I called consumer relations, they told me that they would replace the monitor (at the time 700 bux to repair) and redo the body.

    Apple care is a good example of great customer service. If costumer service doesnt take care of it (rarely), the consumer relations department will. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    PN - gooapplesoft was starred PN - gooapplesoft was unstarred
    Image of Lizard_King Lizard_King
    11/12/09

    @PN - gooapplesoft: I've NOT had good luck with Applecare. I have a year and a half old Macbook with perfectly good Applecare, but I have to carry around a bunch of documentation to show the Applecare is valid because of an error on their end. Everytime I have a warranty issue, I have to pull the paperwork to show warranty is good.

    The optical drive won't finialize a write, sometimes won't read and makes eject noises every hour and a half or so. The top is cracked, and the hinges are loose, yet no love from Apple. Of course, I can always upgrade.... I have another appointment on Sunday. uhhhg. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    Lizard_King was starred Lizard_King was unstarred
    Image of OMG! Ponies! OMG! Ponies!
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    Sorry about the self-promotion, but here are my collection of good and bad customer support stories.

    [www.omg-ponies.com]

    And both Apple and Microsoft can be good or bad - depending on sunspot activity. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred
    Image of HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    Thank you for perfectly expressing why I will never buy from Dell again. Or from Acer.

    Lenovo FTW. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. was starred HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
    Image of xperiate xperiate
    11/12/09

    @HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.: er...until Lenovo screws up one support call from you? #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. promoted this comment xperiate was starred xperiate was unstarred
    Image of HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.
    11/12/09

    @xperiate: Which they have yet to do, despite me having about 300 Lenovos at my command and, thus, having to call them on a semi-frequent basis.

    Not to mention, every time I call them, I end up talking to somebody in Atlanta who can speak English.
     Reply
    Edited by HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. at 11/12/09 7:13 PM HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. was starred HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
    Image of kosai kosai
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    My laptop cable stopped working on my Dell a few months ago so I called in and after a quick check through their online system to verify it was the cable not my battery, they immediately shipped me a new cable which I received in 2 days, call took about 30 minutes. But I have had really bad experiences with them as well it seems to be really hit or miss. #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    kosai was starred kosai was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    11/12/09

    In reply to My Girlfriend's Call to Dell: 90 Minutes, 10 Customer Service Reps, Nothing Accomplished
    You wanna know what's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong.

    It's BLam listening to his girlfriend talking to a Dell customer for 90 min when he knew the answer to her question all along.

    .

    ;) #dellcustomerservicesucks
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
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