Dell customer service and hardware problems.

So...I have an SXPS 16. I ordered this off the website a few weeks ago and received it last week. On the dell.ca website the first processor is listed as a 2.16 GHZ processor, I have received mine with a 2.00 GHZ processor. Ok, I know it's not a significant difference but it is a difference and it is what I ordered and paid for. I've contacted tech support and they have confirmed with me it's wrong. I've gone on Intels website and discovered that there is no 2.16 GHZ processor available.

The customer service department gave me th option of returning it and having a new on built. I told them that was fine but I did not want a 2.00 GHZ processor and they didn't understand that I would be getting back the same processor. No one there understands that it's not the wrong processor, it's wrong advertising. I've asked to either have the processor upgraded to the 2.4 GHZ or to have a credit applied to my account. So far I've had no success.

I don't really feel that anyone at Dell really cares, they're still advertising it as a 2.16GHZ processor and I keep getting brushed off. I've called and emailed two managers and neither has conacted me back. The regular reps on the phone try everything to get me off the phone. Even the Canadian XPS tech support were terrible as I have a problem with the power adapter as well and he just told me to return the whole unit.

Any suggestions and sorry for the long read.

 

You're absolutely correct - they don't care. An outsourced call center employee whose performance is judged based on how many calls they answer per hour has more incentive to get you off the phone than to help you. Instead of wasting time pursing this issue any further, just return it for a refund.

If you want actual customer service with along with a laptop, 2 words come to mind. The first is "Apple" and the second is "Lenovo". The only reason I buy Dell is because I'm ready to throw out my laptop and get a new one if there's a problem I can't fix by myself.

 

So neither of the "managers" have called me back. Really this is p*ss poor customer service. I'm seriously considering just returning this and getting my money back. Any contact numbers or emails for someone at Dell Canada that may actually care?

 

You can try contacting Michael Dell himself with your story. Some people have had their problems solved with this method, but of course it's quite a hassle and there's no guarantee of success. Also, keep in mind that if something happens to your laptop in the future, you'll have to go through this whole customer disservice fiasco all over again.

My advice still stands - just return it and get a laptop from a company that doesn't treat customer service as an expense that needs to be minimized. If anything, you should feel lucky that Dell showed their true colors while you still have an opportunity to get your money back.

 

Doesn't Dell CA have the 30 return policy? You can always return for a refund or exchange for new?
If you returned for a refund..It's a done deal you don't have to *fight with inept customer service* any longer.
You can start fresh with a new order, if you wanted!

Do you have a Case Number or Reference Number?

If so you can try this link for Dell Canada, it may be of some help:
Dell Canada Outstanding Issues:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/reftopic.aspx/gen/ccare/en/ccare_outstanding?c=ca&l=en&s=gen

Or, you can go this route, and send out a few e-mail..with *carefully scripted e-mail*:

Michael Dell
Chairman and CEO
[email protected]
Donald Carty
Vice Chairman and CFO
[email protected]
Ronald Garriques
President, Global Consumer Group
[email protected]
Michael Cannon
President, Global Operations
[email protected]
Mark Jarvis
Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer
(Dude, You're Getting An Email!)
[email protected]
Lawrence Tu
Senior VP, General Counsel
[email protected]
Susan Sheskey
Senior VP, Chief Information Officer
[email protected]
Andrew Esparza
Senior VP Human Resources
[email protected]

Good luck!

Cin....

 

They do have a 30 day policy. I'm wondering if they charge that outrageous restocking fee. I'd like to just return it and rebuild it with a better processor. Thanks for the list, it might come in mighty handy.

 

I gotta say (in Dell's defense) that they have excellent support service. I have been dealing with an Indian techie for almost 2 weeks trying to fix my laptop and they've been very polite and keep thinking up new ways to find a resolution. When I give him a time frame for him to call back, he usually calls within the first few minutes! I can definitely say he cares about my problem and how he represents Dell.

Luckily this is all under warranty so it's not costing me a dime, and your problem is one of a different sort (false advertising is a pain), but still I find it very easy for people to just down talk customer service. I think the majority of people who have dealt with hardware problems say that they were satisfied with the service they received. Of course the moment someone didn't get what they wanted on their first call and starts to post all over the forums it creates a false image of that company and it might sway new buyers from it.

I guess what I'm trying to do is make sure some newbie buyer doesn't stumble into this post, see your problems with the Dell website and its employees, and figure "Hey, I don't want to have the same problems as THAT guy! *runs over to Apple*".

Anyways....boring rant is boring :/ Hope everything works out for you!

 

What annoys me about Dell's customer service is the fact that you have to follow the script.

I'd like to be able to just say something like "my hard drive died, please send me a replacement" right off the bat (and have them actually believe you and simply say ok) instead of having to waste 30 minutes playing along with their script and going through a bunch of pointless diagnostic tests only to arrive at the same result.

Is it really too much to not want to be treated like an idiot who doesn't know what they're talking about? Or does Dell really think that their memory diagnostic tool is more thorough than memtest86?

[Edit]: Oh, also, I think a good deal of the frustration comes from people who don't know how to diagnose their own computer problems and play the script so that they get exactly what they want. If your problem isn't typical, it's likely that the script reader on the other end of the line will misdiagnose the problem and you'll get the wrong part replaced so you spend months going back and forth. Or they'll just tell you to reinstall the OS or something when the problem stems from a hardware issue