This guy Anthony’s having a heck of a time with Dell tech and customer support regarding his recently-purchased Studio 15 Laptop. The whole, sad tale is worth reading, but here’s the gist:
Although the problem was characteristic of a hardware issue, the tech support representative attacked it from the perspective of a software issue. He remotely accessed the machine and reinstalled keyboard drivers without any resolution. He then attempted to flash the computer’s BIOS remotely. After a delay in the attempted flash, he shut down the computer before the process had completed. Following this, the computer would not power up again. He instructed me to remove the bottom panel of the machine and swap the memory to no avail. The computer would not power up… I have spent nearly 14 hours on the phone with Dell. I have no way of retrieving the data off of the hard drive from the computer that tech support destroyed. When I speak to representatives I am left with a feeling that my issue is unimportant.
[via Consumerist]
Any discussion of Dell support needs to differentiate between the Home/Home Office side and the Small Business side. One is from the dreams of Dante, the other can actually be worked with. Anyone who buys a Dell and doesn’t buy from the Small Business side is making a mistake.
i have to speak up for Dell, i did buy from the small business end and they were very good.
We also got some Dell PCs and it’s very easy to get them repaired. Dell’s been quite good to us.
Congrads Anthony its a PC… did you get exactly what you wanted.
I purchased a computer from another manufacturer, and it had an apparent hardware problem right out of the box (no optical disk drives were recognized), and it still took several days of tech support trying everything else first before they warranted a replacement.
They were however very supportive, very friendly, and the people I spoke with were very knowledgeable and not just reading a script.
Also gotta speak up for Dell. Their customer service has been super-helpful and super-fast. Honestly. A part breaks down on my laptop? Speedy replacement, no hassle. It’s happened multiple times, and all the times it’s been my own fault for damage/wear & tear.
unless you are buying through a corporate program with a no questions asked repair policy (a la dell completelcare/applecare) chances are you won’t get any support. this is no limited to just dell, but pretty much any retailer.
i try to use desktops for everything and build them myself so that the parts are easy/cheap to replace.
this is why i like netbooks, they are cheap enough to replace them every year because the vendor will not help you, regardless of the warranty.
Gah. The thought of having some random Dell support guy flash the BIOS on my computer remotely just makes my skin crawl. What an idiot.
I had the same problem with my desktop XPS. From the beginning I told the techs it was a hardware problem,,,It all started when my video card died, they replaced card, second card died,(more insistence on Hardware vs. Soft),,, updated bios for card and computer,,, third card died,,,and then mother board died,,,now I am about to start the whole thing over,,,video card is acting funny again…
I worked for a company that was contracted to receive tech support calls for Dell. They trained us well enough, but because of time constraints most people were focused on the clock and not truly resolving the issue. Sadly, the battle cry was “Format, Re-install!” And since there were long waits in between those steps, they ask that you call back. When you call back, if you can navigate the menus correctly, you’ll be redirected to India where you won’t be able to understand anyone. I tried to talk to people there, and I never understood anyone. I feel bad for people who spend hundreds of dollars to have someone walk them through a process or remote in and do it, only to deprive them of the ONE thing that most people want to save… their data. ARGH.
Pffft! Flashing the BIOS is not one of the first hundred things I’d try to troubleshoot a computer issue.
He… shut down the computer while flashing the BIOS remotely. Wow, that may be a new low.
Suddenly I don’t feel so bad about paying $500 for an Apple logo.
Nah, I never did feel bad about it.
Total cost of ownership, bitches.
I dunno, its been quite a while since I last flashed a BIOS, but my recollection is that it has to be done client side, not remotely…So my question is did the Dell Rep turn off the computer mid-flash, or did the customer do so at the Dell Rep’s request? Doesn’t excuse the poor treatment, but I’m not sure I buy hanging the FAIL completely on Dell here.
You can’t give Dell props for having good Small Business support and crappy Home/Home Office. It shouldn’t matter and the issue should be resolved to the customer’s liking to the best of their abilities.
I’ve had both good and terrible experiences with them. Good, not excellent.