Dell sucks
I just read in Groundswell
I need to replace the motherboard on my 600m. I can find a ton of motherboards on eBay, but not on dell.com. So I dial 1-800-WWW-DELL. All I want to know is if they have a 600m motherboard. First I have to navigate the painful voice menu. Then I get an operator. Finally in sales, I expect to have an answer fairly quickly. No. I am being asked to confirm every piece of information I have ever given Dell. Then I am asked to confirm I am calling about the 600m, because there are several laptops linked to my name. Two 600ms and a 700m. Yes, I am confident it is the 600m that's having the problem. Why do you want to replace the 600m motherboard? What is it doing? I explain I have researched it pretty thoroughly and even confirmed my suspicions on Dells forums. WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET? As cheap as possible. What were you doing before it started acting up? What is your 700m doing? Then she gets snippy when I suggest that what my 700m is doing is not germane to the reason for my call. She says something about she was "doing me a favor" and then puts me a hold. And never picks up again. After 5 minutes or so, I'm routed back to the switchboard to start the exercise over again. I hung up and dialed in again.
This time I was connected to someone who was "much more local". He apologized, researched the part for me and gave me the price.
It took me thirty minutes to find out if they had a part and how much it costs. Some customer centric groundswell.
NOTE: Did I mention that I am repairing the 600m so that I can give it to the girls when I buy a new laptop. Very soon. And do you think I'm going to be buying a Dell?
Comments
Customer service, among other things, was one of the items that was brought out in a recent court settlement that Dell went through. I just heard about the settlement this morning on a WSJ podcast so I don't know the particulars.
Posted by: Bryan | January 14, 2009 9:04 AM
Dell monitors blogs like yours. It will be interesting to see if they notice your post and respond.
If I can find you so can they.
/Co-author of Groundswell
Posted by: Josh Bernoff | January 14, 2009 12:18 PM
@Bryan: Someone mentioned that on my Facebook page where I also broadcast my Dell experience to my closest friends. The consensus? "Dell sucks" and "Buy a Mac".
@Josh: Thanks for stopping by. Love the book! My customers are big-time creators that I need to energize. Groundswell gave me a lot to think about.
Posted by: MMB | January 14, 2009 3:54 PM
I also had very similar experiences with Dell customer service. They did not install the memory upgrade I purchased with my new desktop in the factory like they were supposed to, but sent the RAM for me to install on my own. It would have cost me almost $100 in shipping to send it back to have Dell correct a problem that was obviously their oversight. The technical support representatives guided me through the installation process I received not one, but four different sets of instructions on how to properly install the RAM. The brand new desktop had memory bugs from day one, and Dell stated it was not covered because I installed the RAM myself. I have purchased four computers since, and not one is a Dell.
When I purchase electronics, I feel I have a very reasonable expectation of support for a brand new item. I do a tremendous amount of research prior to purchasing and if I don't feel I'll receive adequate support, I won't make the purchase.
Posted by: Ivy | January 14, 2009 8:57 PM