Matt, though they have gotten better, this idea of priority hardware (I have a better and bigger non dell case fan in my wife’s computer that keeps reminding me on every 3 startups that my hardware isn’t dell inspired) has got to go completely! It is not hard to actually improve a dell computer by putting in higher end hardware. So what if it isn’t dell’s, do they think they are the only ones who makes good hardware? Surely they are not that naive!

Dell is a great company. With their competition going to the brick and mortar store concept (Apple & Gateway), if they do not launch they WILL go under. I still see a majority of their sales being online. At times people just need a basic PC.

I helped a friend purchase a Dell laptop the other day. They just wanted a basic machine to get online with, and we ended up with a Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop from Sam’s Club for only $699. The machine had more features and power that he was originaly asking for, and at a much cheaper price.

If you want a high end or custom system, go online. For just the basics, get one at the store.

Well, here’s my crack at making some problems known, but I’m not stopping until my story is heard, like so many others on the net (who’s claims may not be real but they’re out there).

I recently purchased a inspiron 1720 laptop, with 3 yr warranty and accidental damage protection. I’m in the military so two days after I recieved the laptop I went to Ft. Carson Colorado for a exersize before deploying to Iraq. Ever since day one, I’ve had problems with the laptop on shutdown, I get the Blue Screen of Death and a error code, so I keep track of the error, keep on until I can return home and deal with the problem.

I return home and call Dell Technical Support and Customer Care, and now I’m curious why I even bought this laptop. The level of technical support and customer care, if you can call it that is horrible. I dealt with a number of people, none of which are in the united states. Technical support used dell connect to have remote access to my computer twice and was unable to diagnose or correct my problem, then their advice was to call Customer Care to request a replacement. Customer care does not have the authority to give replacements for technical problems. So, they transfered me back to Technical support, who couldn’t fix it again, transfered me to a manager who would not process a replacement, told me there was a 2 minute fix, which ended up taking 30 minutes, and then was unable to fix the problem again. I was able to do more diagnosis with Google, than all three technical support people. My problem was never resolved, never was I told what Dell would do to take care of my problem. So I contacted Customer Care again, was unable to speak to a manager, and was told to call back….. a customer has to call back Customer Care? That is unbelievable!! I was told that the was absolutely nothing Customer Care could do to fix the problem, and when I asked for a corporate number, the person would not give me a corporate number, told me that corporate office has no phones, and then hung up on me. I have names and employee numbers of those who “helped” me and I’m left with a laptop that still has shutdown problems, and an inflated phone bill. I am taken back by the level of customer service I recieved. I asked if it was possible to speak with someone from the united states and was told “no, there is no way you can speak with someone from Dell in the united states”.

I am a Officer in the United States Military, and I cannot believe what I have experienced from a technical support and customer service aspect. I cannot in good faith recommend your product based on your customer service claims to anyone I know, or anyone I serve with. All I wanted was someone to call and tell me what they were going to do to take care of the problem, not to much to ask from somone who prides themselves on customer service. Still waiting for a response.

Very Respectfully,

Lieutenant Robert Thornton