Rough Draft of Letter I'm mailing to Dell Cooperate

Michael S. Dell, CEO
1 Dell Way
Round Rock, TX US 78682

c.c.

William H. Gray, III
Sallie L. Krawcheck
Alan (A.G.) Lafley

Back in June, I was in the market for a new laptop, I had seen info about the new Dell XPS m1330. It sounded like it met all my requirements, and since I had owned two different Inspirons that were great, so I figured wow, I’m going to order one of Dell’s flagship laptops and an XPS to boot, so how could I go wrong.

The XPS m1330 went on sale June 26th 2007, I spent the day milling over the specs and finally on the 27th I purchased what I thought would be the perfect laptop. Fast forward to Aug 1st, I finally received my laptop after waiting over a month for it to be built.
The first thing I noticed right away was a high pitch whine coming from the computer. A call to Dell XPS support basically said this is normal and there isn’t anything that can be done. The next thing I noticed the more I used it was the left touchpad button would squeak while pressing it. At this point I called Dell again on (date) a replacement for the palm reset was set up, two days later a tech from Qualserv came out to replace it. While he was working on it I asked if he any experience with the m1330, he told me this was his first. Great I thought, “So now my laptop is a guinea pig for this tech”. I figured he knew what he was doing though, he finished replacing the palm rest. I tested it and seemed to work, so he left, about 5 minutes later I noticed none of the touch sensitive buttons worked anymore, also neither did my fingerprint reader. I promptly called back the XPS support and explained the situation. They set up another dispatch for the next day for a tech to come look into the issues.

The next day a different tech who barely spoke English came to work on the laptop, he was abnormally rough with it and just put it down on a hard desk to work on with no protection under it. He managed to fix the touch sensitive buttons but not the finger print reader. So another call back to Dell, at this point they tell me I need to send the laptop in for repairs. I call DHL to come pick up the laptop and they take it away on Friday the (date). Finally almost 15 days later I get it back, and guess what the finger print reader still didn’t work and it looked in worse condition then it started and to add insult to injury the box it came in wasn’t even secure my laptop was bouncing around inside.

Once again I called XPS support and they said I should resend it back to the depot. At this point I asked the have the unit replaced. I was told that would be doable, but could take up to a month. Luckily it only took 2 weeks, I received the new one on (date) First thing I noticed after turning it on, was this system had a clicking noise coming from the hard drive and a whine much noise just like the first one but much worse.

I called XPS support again and explained the issues. After spending almost 2 hours on the phone we decided the hard drive was bad and possibly the CPU fan. The rep scheduled a tech visit to swap the old hard drive to the new one and swap the old fan for the new one. The next day the tech came, this was the same tech that barely spoke English and who was abnormally rough with my laptop the first time. He went to work on the laptop and finished about 30 minutes later. Everything seemed to work except the whine was still present also much to my surprise the whole top of my laptop was completely scraped up since once again this tech had put no padding or protection under it while working on the laptop.

The tech left and I called XPS support and explained how the tech had ruined the cover, the rep on the phone said there wasn’t much he could do, so I asked to speaker to a supervisor, I can’t quite remember his name, but he basically said they would send out a new cover. At this point I said I did not want the same tech. He noted this and about 4 hours later I got a call from Qualserv confirming they were going to receive my part tomorrow and would send a different tech. The next morning who did I get a call from? The tech I specifically asked not for. Called back to XPS support and told them I didn’t want to deal with that tech again, so they called Qualserv and reiterated that message.

The next day a new tech came out, this was the one who came for the original problem. He spent about an hour taking my laptop completely apart just to find out the lid that was sent was the wrong one. At this point I told him to just put it back together which he did but obviously not correctly because all sorts of stuff was lose and rattling.

I called XPS support again and demanded to talk to a supervisor, after waiting for almost 15 minutes to talk to one I finally got put through to Kristopher Wong, he was very nice and I explained to him I wanted this unit replaced, as its been through too much to be reliable at this point. He was a bit hesitant but finally agreed. He said it could take up to 25 days. I now start my wait again for my replacement in hopes I receive one that doesn’t have issues.
This whole experience has completely turned me off to Dell as well as what XPS was supposed to represent. Quoting a line from a press release and a statement from a senior manager “"This will be our Lexus” I guarantee you people who shell out 60k for a Lexus don’t experience these type or number of problems or this lack of quality service. It’s obvious this machine was rushed out the door and was not adequately tested.

From the 38 page list of people on Notebookreview.com with the whining issue ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=153436) to multiple other people throughout the Dell forums reporting major design and esthetic defects on their XPS m1330, I don’t see how this model can be a flagship or even claim the name XPS. Like I said earlier prior to this I had an Inspiron E1405 and it had no issues at all.

It saddens me to pay so much money for what I thought would be a great product, but instead of having the quality of a Lexus, it seems to be more along the lines of a Yugo. It is not living up to the hype. Hopefully we can get some resolution to my situation that will help make me feel like I made the right decision in purchasing this laptop.

Thank you for taking the time to read my concern and I look forward to hearing your response.

Sincerely,

An unhappy customer,

 

Capitalize the "U" in unhappy and "C" in customer.

im assuming your emaling this.

otherwise, good luck!

 

You should also write a letter on behalf of all Dell customers from notebookreview.com

Good luck!

 

Your story is not any different than tons of others here, Im sorry to say. You need to clarify a few things:

1. You have the right address but get rid of the Michael Dell garbage. Clearly identify it as a Customer Support Complaint. It has to be sent through the mail and not email to be given priority. It then goes to the executive support Dept where it will be read;

2. Clarify exactly what you want. Make it clear in its own paragraph what you are asking for;

3. I noticed you cc'd what appears to be a law firm. Pull that because it holds no weight at all. The squeal comes from a motherboard which is installed by a third party company for Dell...and HP and Apple and Acer etc... There are no grounds whatsoever and if you try and utilize this tactic, they will just say go ahead....

4. get rid of the garbage in the letter (ie but instead of having the quality of a Lexus, it seems to be more along the lines of a Yugo) and stay on point.

Take it from another who gained response from a written letter...Clean it up, remain polite and businesslike and make sure you have clarified what you want, the first being contact with someone who can assist you soonest.

 

Actually planned on sending 1 copy certified mail and the others regular mail. Companies tend to take the issue more serious these days if they receive a snail mail letter verse an email.

 

Those CC names at the top are not a law firm, those are different members of the Dell Board of Directors.

And I know Michael Dell won't read it but at least if its address to him certified mail its going to be read by someone at the highest level be it one of his lackey's or someone else.

And I could care less who makes the motherboard, its obviously a defect and Dell shouldn't be selling it if thats the case.

 

Also generally people will not go through such a long letter.... It is better to keep it crisp you know and right to the point and at the same time polite...

 

Tell Dell what you want, or if it's just VOC, tell them as well

 

Just send it to that address and make sure its listed as a Customer service Concern or Complaint.

Written correspondence to Dell is given a much higher priority than phone or emails.

EDIT: and as far as long...mine was 5 pages but it covered 23 cancellations and full details of each.

 

howardpm,

I am a customer advocate here at Dell headquarters in Texas. After reading your letter I wanted to contact you to see if this has been taken care of yet or not. If you have any questions for me, or if you still need help with the computer, I will be more than happy to provide any help I can.

Larry
Dell Customer Advocate

 

I wrote a letter a couple months ago and nothing happened. I mailed it certified so i know they received it.
Good Luck, but don't get your hopes up!

 

My 3rd XPS m1330 should be here tomorrow, I got my fingers crossed it doesn't have any issues though it was set up prior to my letter being sent out. Who did you send your's too opnr2000? I sent 1 copy certified mail to Michael Dell, 3 regular mail to 3 members on the board of directors to dell and 1 sent to dell customer service.

 

opnr2000, if you can PM me a case or reference number (or the service tag for your system) and a description of the problems you've had, I will be more than happy to see what I can do to help you. I'm not sure why it has taken so long for someone to get back to you, but I can honestly say it is unusual for a response to take that long.

howardpm, please let me know if you have any questions or problems with the system once you get it. I'll be happy to check the status on the exchange if you want (I'll just need the reference or case number to look that up).

Larry
Dell Customer Advocate

 

So... how did your M1330.3 make out?

I hope that it has/will bring about a change of luck for ya!!!

 

You would be better off with a BBB complaint... this letter will eventually end up in the circle file... with the tons of mail they get, the chances of it getting to the right person is slim to none....

Even if you put M. Dell's name on it, other people open his mail... I'm sure they have several levels of people to sort through the BS.

This is not a waste of time though, I'm sure it made you "feel" good.

 

Feeling "better" even though you've got nothing doesn't automatically raise your morale. That "CPU whine" problem exists and it should of been fixed by now. I bet Dell in the US has better support than in Europe. I don't think they would send replacements so easy.

 

People are also unaware that the issues with the whinning noise may not be fixed any time soon. PG (Dell Product Group) has fixed the issue on the Rev A04 motherboard for the M1330, but many of the vendors Dell used to get parts from in their manufacturing process have jumped ship from Dell and gone to working exclusively for HP. This has left Dell in a bit of a lurch since new vendors are wary about working with Dell due to legal investigations into Dell's financials, etc.

So while there is a fix, the new motherboards are not in stock and there is no ETA on them being in stock.

 

I would certainly want to know the outcome. I am in the same boat with HP.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=181489

Wonder, How they so easily make the things worse without even realising it.

 

Well, I got my 3rd one a week and 1/2 ago and everything was good with it other then the CPU Whine. Of course the rep I was talking to someone from Dell who works in Executive Support now is no longer answering my emails, she was suppose to call me last Monday, since then I've sent two emails with no response, I will try calling her this week. This is the last email I got from her though:

"Howard,
My technical sources confirmed there is a high-pitch whining noise with the XPS 1330 for which there is currently no fix. This is still under investigation and they are working toward a fix. I do believe this is a software issue, so another exchange would not resolve the issue. "

But if your saying this is fixed with a new motherboard then its definitely not a software issue.

 

Wow what you went through sucks. I am glad I decided not to purchase with Dell.

 

I hope it works out for you. I'm in the process of drafting a letter to Dell myself. I've been having so much problems with Dell's e-mail support, in that they are not actually reading the history logs of previous e-mails. They tell me to do the same tests every time, even though I've done the tests and supplied the results. They then tell me to open up my laptop and tinker around inside of it, even though I've told them a billion times that I don't feel comfortable breaking the delicate things inside, as I know nothing about the internal mechanics of a laptop.

My warranty expires this July, and I am so sick of them trying to give me the runaround in order to drag out my problem past my warranty. I just want my computer fixed, and I am getting so frustrated with their "service". I finally got an actual technician to come out and install a new hard drive, but even now the problem is persisting. I am just sick of it all, and I'm so tempted to go throw it off the deck and into the pool. I don't care if I get a reply from the corporate honchos or not- I just want them to know how ****ty their "support" is, even though they probably already know.

 

I doubt those complains ever work unless they are attached with threat of legal action.
Companies like Dell and HP receive hundreds of similar complaints each day, but sell thousands more PCs, hence they really don't care for any such complaints unless they significantly affect their sales, which is why consumers have to speak with their dollars and take their sales elsewhere. Only when they start losing significant market share do they wake up and address such issues.

Btw, in case you're wondering, all complains end up in a black hole. They do not get through to anyone within the organisation and if they do, they are usually given a glance and ignored. The business moves too fast for them to address such issues as addressing complaints like these further reduces already razor thin profits.

 

Be realistic...

Dell is a profited organization. They are a business and must operate like one to please their share holders and survive the market. With that said, they have to balance their operations and priorities in order to function as a profitable company.

Your complaint, and others, are extremely valid complaints. But to assume Dell doesn't care about their consumers because they don't handle every complaint is inaccurate. If they spent all of their resources to focus on individual cases like this, with great detail, their profit margins would fall or they will have to sacrifice other parts of their business. Personally, I would rather have them focus on satisfying the more "typical" cases. That said, a balance must be achieved for a company to be successful.

I've been through 5-6 Dell laptops, and have had various issues. The quality of their products and level of service varies, and overall can be rated fair/above average. But for the price of their products, the quality of service is above my expectation.

Hope the issue is resolved though. I'd be pissed too if I went through what you did. Personally I'd like for Dell to sell higher quality products that could compete with Apple's product lines. The XPS is a nice piece of technology but suffers with build and quality control issues.

 

Another option: Call customer service. Ask to speak to a "manager." That is what they call their supervisors. I had much success in talking with one of them POLITELY and received a new 1330. They also threw in a gift card, and apologized profusely.

Also, I'm a 3rd year law student - vague legal references won't get you anywhere. If you end up talking to somebody in Dell legal, then you have a shot, but you'll need somebody with experience in the UCC (uniform commercial code) to talk to them for you or coach you through it. There's lots of legal stuff that can help you - stuff along the lines of the "implied warrant of merchantability" that goes with every sale (ie. the thing has to work for the purpose it is intended to work). Bottom line: if you're going to bring up legal stuff, better know what you're talking about because they'll shoot it down really quickly, and not take too kindly to your request.

 

Why must people dig up old threads?!

After 3 months, an inactive thread should lock itself.

 

So fun to read this, these org's spends a lot to get your money, however had they only viewed customer service as a customer experience center rather than a cost center, cause the issue is- Dell, Hp etc don't like what's written here, they have a lot of layers of managers who use metrics that don't work, lie to their managers etc etc, so it never reaches the ppl that can deal with it. It's a pulverization of responsibility. Sometimes things only happen when an org appears on the TV or newspaper...call centers log something in the system, or pretend they do.. why- metrics are based on numbers of calls and not how happy you are as a customer, so you can see how you can work the system.... they might say it's not the case.. but trust me it is. I am not using HP or Dell as examples, nor do I know exactly how they work today, but I know how it can be fixed. Luckily for me, if I get a laptop from either of these, I would write a small review or bring this up through some channels I probably should not use.. but if I get mad enough I would do so. E.g has your workplace a purchase deal with Dell, well then that's one way to go another is to post your experience on every lap forum out there and on dell's blogs..

My suggestion, if you're really unhappy- write a good thorough review of their customer service.. but here's the piece the resistance.. contact a IT paper, online/ offline.. pretend you are going to purchase a laptop and want to write a review for them, then you do so, but then you follow-up with what's happened.. however you NEED to be the case and no LEXUS and these things, be objective, but you'll give their PR dept a real good run for their money.. now that works! Cause it will be published as a review, but I stress be objective- that's when it hurts...

I am a customer most org's don't want, trust me I cost them more than the money spent if I need to

 

This is on a similar scale of nightmare that I had with Dell, I will never ever buy anything from them again. I have actually been burned 3 times (yes I should have learned the first time, its like getting really drunk and saying I will never even sip a vodka again )

My final nightmare was when they 'accidentally' charged me in Pounds Sterling instead of Euros, totally wiping out all the money in my account.

It took literally 100s of calls to well-meaning but iliterate indians (re-explaining my situation everytime because 'their system was malfunctioning'), many unhelpful dell 'managers', multiple loans from friends&family before after 2 months and threatening legal action I got my money back. I received NO compensation from Dell although the laptop was rather good.

The nightmare before that someone had fruadulantely ordered a laptop with my card but it took me again nearly 2 months of calling to get my money back despite Dell not sending the laptop because it was flagged as fraudulent.. Woe betide any poor bugger who has to contact their fraud department

Sorry to burden you with this but... I really had to write all that down

I am now going with anyone but Dell