In the past I bought Dell Workstations because I thought they were top of the line systems. Maybe they are, but I will never buy another Dell because I have had such bad luck with their support. A year ago I had a system quit working on me. I must have spent 30 hours on the phone with about 10 different techs; they sent me 3 replacement motherboards, 2 different sets of ram chips, and I forget what else. It's still not fixed. This time on another computer, I had a different issue. The big problem was getting in contact with the right department. I could not find out how to call the department that fixes workstations. When I called, I usually got somebody that works on regular desktops only. They would transfer me to the workstation department (sometimes) and I would have them also give me the direct # in case I got disconnected before I was successfully transferred. I had 3 different techs give me the # to Dell Canada. I have at least 5 other #s that other techs gave me. None of them reached the workstation department. I finally asked one of the guys I talked to in the workstation department what the direct # was, and I thought I put it in my password spreadsheet, but didn't. (OK that's my fault) I still don't know how to call their workstation department directly. After talking to about 4 different techs in the workstation department, they could not fix a problem, which after the fact the resolution seems pretty obvious even to a novice like me. I finally got help from http://www.888geekhelp.com Problem solved by one guy, took less than 1/2 hour, and didn't keep me on the line longer than necessary (they charge by the minute) Total bill was about $30.
Sounds like you've had a run of bad luck. I've got 3 dells, 2 of which had repair issues in the 1st year. Dell sent technicians to my office and fixed them next day. Never had too much problem reaching tech support. I'd buy Dell again without thinking twice about it. PC Magazine has annual surveys of customer satisfaction - Dell always ranks pretty high. I had a Gateway before the Dells - and DON'T GET ME STARTED!! Terrible customer service, once again confirmed by PC Mag in polls. Swish
I have 3 Dells too. Recently dropped my laptop. It took me a whole month to get it fixed plus about 20 hours (or more) on the phone with customer service...but the warranty covered the entire computer: new motherboard, LCD, hard drive, CD ROM drive, keyboard, casing.....yes it was a pain, but I have a virtually new computer. Can't complain too much....
I have a gateway. No problems for 4 years, 2 days ago I got a kernel32.dLL error which wont allow you to navigate the internet. I went to microsoft.com and typed in search function. After 2 days and changing my home page to microsoft.com so I could actually stay there without the internet explorer turning itself off I discovered the solution. I could have paid msft 35 bucks but chose to keep looking for the answer. Anyone who has ever had a computer problem can understand my emotions during this ordeal, its so aggravating and frustrating. I was elated to be back again online,,, and just a few hours earlier I had debated throwing the puter at the wall lol,,,best regards, bill
Since they have been going to india and elsewhere, the techs are less trainned and are following knowledgebase scripts for trouble shooting. Not really thinking for themselves. I hear this is becoming a disaster and are going to change it back. Personally, I have used dells for over 10 years and up until this last 2 years it was excellent. Of my last 3 calls to them I have been 0 for 3. I.e. I figured out the problem by myself after wards. --cheers