Why do people hate Dell ?

Get a business line laptop and you'll get good service. Get a consumer line a service can/will be much worse. Pay peanuts, get monkeys

 

Hp is the worst Western manufacturer. check the link in my signature for the statistics.

 

Pay peanuts, get monkeys?

Let's get one thing straight, their high-end consumer machines are not in anyway 'peanuts' by virtue of price and stature. End of internal monologue.

I agree that there is a double-standard in how they treat business and home customers, the latter being worse, but to attempt justification using an elitist economy argument? Bloody unacceptable.

There is a basic standard for tangible products, and every consumer is entitled to this standard. Lucky that we have proper consumer laws and protections here in Europe, ones that hold Dell accountable for their double-standards and shoddy tactics.

 

ok....so where was what i said different from what you said? If you pay premium you should be able to expect premium. Just don't expect the same, with both quality and service when you pay half that price. Admittedly that line isn't drawn between "business" or "consumer" but more between high-end and low/ mid-end.

It's just that apparently "people" fail to see that their own personal experience doesn't mean that that's how that company typically operates. Now this here sentence is just as wrong as the title of the thread because there is no such thing as "people". "People" don't hate Dell because amongst those same "people" there are some with great experience with Dell and their products and others with terrible stories. As there are with all manufacturers of pretty much any type of product anywhere.

The survey/research the whole thread and title was formed around is also pretty questionable (already discussed that enough) as there are way too many variables which are unknown....as it usually is with these things.
The only reason i'm even posting in this thread is to let people who stumble onto it know that it's not all horror and at least not worse than other manufacturers. Might be pointless but hey, so is the rest of the thread.

 

I see why home users get such low priority. Nothing will make them happy.

I remember Best Buy telling its employees something like 95% of all returns are functioning as normal. It is hard to give exceptional customer service when even perfect service isn't enough to keep a customer satisfied.

 

Going by this logic, not even a single form of study can be considered legit. Seriously. Even scientific hypothesis with a clear-cut goal to prove one point and invalidate the null. You give the right person the right amount of time, and they'll prove that monkeys stand a better chance at finding the cure to cancer, and that vegetables are bad for your health. I digress, however.

I'll get back to that but, I must address a generalisation first.

Yes, of course, we all know exactly how home owners think, and what they do - we have mind-reading powers and ability to profile. . . Oh, and Best Buy are in fact a very cerdible independant academic medium that are dedicated to the honest, objective study of consumer attitudes.[/End Sarcasm]

Anyway, back to the question of personal experience vs. general trend. You say that this cannot be questioned because there are so many variables and people think their personal experience is all experience. They generalise, kinda' like how the above quote 'generalises' all home users. Fancy that this dodgy play of 'subjectivity' cannot swing both ways.

I recommend that you study some of the cases of the M1730 users with 'premium next day warranty'. No, really. Don't just skim through, but if you get the time, study. Use that as a basic concept of a 'sample'. You will find that a 7 out of every 10 people will have had to go through weeks of excuses, dodgy tactics, and borderline lies in order to get any results. Of course, my study is limited to that block, but it is a relevant block no less. A phased-out high-end laptop prone to hardware problems, and resulting in a plethora of home users not getting their premium warranty honoured to reasonable degrees by Dell. This now, isn't generalisation, this is actual pattern. Best Buy didn't vouch for this, Dell -won't- vouch for this, but the general consensus will. As you put it, experience of one is not the experience of all, but in this case, it came very close. For this M1730 base, a majority of people were badly treated, and the premium warranty concept was abused to high bloody heavens! Read up and you'll see each and every conceivable variable and argument discussed and debated amongst the members.

Look, I am a Dell customer. I like their warranty. They've done well with the overall service for a good few years. However, there is no doubt that at the moment, a lot of Europe is stuck in a mess made up of miscommunication and slipshod management. And yes, every company has its fair share of happy and unhappy customers. My contention does not hang on that general view. It's very specific. My reasons are very specific and driven by the analysis of a very specific group of customers. Once again, not a generalisation or personal experience, but the experience of most M1730 users, which does account for some portion of Dell's laptop base. I believe this was a case of bad hardware, and Dell did eventually make up for it by giving out a lot of M17x units as replacement - well done! It's just the middle-management and blundering confusion that made the experience rather perilsome for most, and that's not cool.

 

LOL.....yeah that's some very solid statistics here! To come to that 7/10 ratio you're just assuming that
a) everyone who bought a m17 is posting on NBR
b) everyone with an m17 who is on NBR is posting about their laptop whether their experience is good or bad.

in reality there's a LOT of buyers who aren't on any forum talking about their laptop so YOU can never know what part of the m17 owners is on here. Add to that that typically the people who are posting are exactly the people who are having issues. No issues, no reason to post. This same way of thinking is also why the other survey is crooked. For one, They don't do 'service for all Dell's by a long shot so they can never have absolute numbers on fails or anything, only for the systems they do the servicing for. Add to that the scale of different models they deal with. Like said before, if you compare Dell's whole list of models to Apple, who only have a handfull and for whom it should be MUCH easier to minimize the chance of hardware failure and such, Dell is actually doing pretty good. Apple on the other hand, with only those couple of systems should be at the top, which they aren't.
Also, The more warranty is given by a company, the more service calls you'll see for that company. If there's no warranty (anymore) people often just replace parts themselves or bring it to a local computer shop or just something new. Those will never show up in the test posted earlier. A company like dell where people often get a 3 or 4 year full warratny is VERY likely to see more service calls....more service = more use of service.

This is only the start of why the research posted is crooked, they don't have nearly enough numbers to say anything absolute about the industry as a whole. Indeed you can say that this way they can never do any surveys like this but hey, i'm not the one who asked them to pass judgement on the reliability of all these brands in this huge industry. They are the ones who make it sound like they have enough data to pass this judgement while they should've probably toned it down much more than they did.

 

Ive skimmed though the pages of the thread, and I personally find it amusing as there is a lot that I from personal experience know is the exact opposite here (Norway).

First, it strikes me as odd that anyone would even purchase a Dell computer without a next business day support deal. That is in my opinion the best thing about Dell computers.

I have worked for one of the largest companies in Norway in regards to computer repairing for a good while before I quited due to relocation.

One of the things that amused me in this thread was the fact that many said Dell used a long time on getting their computer fixed. I know for a fact that Dell is actually one of the fastest ones to send out parts, sure sometimes its impossible to get a hold of a part but that is extremely rarely happening, and in the case that happens there is strict rules on what the service technician is supposed to do, and if the part is not delivered in reasonable time (depending on the issue, and the service agreement the customer has) the case is escalated, and usually its sorted right after, if not the customer usually get a new computer.

While with other brands we sometimes had to wait for a month until the correct part arrived, this is especially been an issue with "consumer" HP computers.

So my opinion is that Dell actually do provide a good service, compared to most other companies. Sure they have quite a bunch of "phone support staff" that barely know the up and down of a computer and follow their "relevance lists" from the top to bottom, but so do HP, Toshiba and other companies.

I use Dell laptops myself, in fact I just received a M4400 I ordered and I will keep using them as long as they provide the service I expect. Though I dont expect them to do miracles, but as long as the repair time is reasonable I am satisfied, mainly as I know how much longer I would have to wait on other brands...

Please note that my experiences are from Norway, in other countries the service level of Dell and other companies might be different.

 

dont hate dell, and I'm pretty sure all companies are like this but my warrenty is 2 days up and they wont talk to me at all unless i talk cash

 

http://www.lockergnome.com/blade/20...-mini-9-catches-fire-dell-has-no-explanation/

 

I have dell Studio 3700 . No problem in it since last 8 month. I love Dell.

 

I don't hate Dell (saying it again) Hate is such a strong word..Every time I see the thread title...I'm wishing it could be changed....
to *despise* or something.

This thread has really grown, since it's inception. It's always comes down to personal experience, how you are treated, and in the end how Dell has resolved your issue at that time.

I know I will complain about Dell, about the service I have received at that given time (if bad), and then work to get the issue resoved..and yet find myself continuing to purchase.... lulz.


Cin...

 

You also have to remember that most people don't come to forums to talk about how AWESOME their purchase went. They come to forums to get support for something that's gone wrong.

The vast majority of people that have nothing to complain about aren't on these (or any) forums. They're enjoying their computers

Gotta maintain some perspective here guys and gals.

 

Something that seemingly needs to be said over and over again.
Kade Storm actually built statistics about the m17x without taking this fact into account on the last page.

 

I just had my second delay notice for my Studio 17, which now is suppose to be shipped on 12/30/09 and arrive on 1/4/10. I actually figured out which part is holding the computer up, and it is the "base unit". A little different than the display and wifi shortages they told me previously. I am extremely disappointed in this company, as right now I stand to get my computer 53 days after ordering it. That's not even the worst thing. The worst thing is they continues to tell me the computer was within a few days of being completed that entire time, so as to string me along and prevent me from going to another company.

My internet based courses start 1/5/10 and I cannot take them with my current computer. If there is another delay I am in trouble. I emailed Michael Dell on Friday and have yet to receive a response. I am probably going to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau today and hope that speeds up my order.

 

They say in Business Admin classes that a satisfied person will tell three people but a dissatisfied person will tell ten, so you're right. Personally, I am in a position to recommend computers to a lot of people, and until now have always recommended Dell. So when I've been satisfied with their service, it has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in business for them. I can't see myself supporting them in that way anymore, so they are probably looking at lost revenue. It's calls capitalism.

 

I've had lots of interaction with laptops from both the business and consumer side from many companies because I used to have to support a wide range of them for my job. Dell used to be top notch strictly from a product build/quality perspective back in '03-'04.

Personally, they have precipitiously dropped the ball with their newer systems compared to their competitors. I suspect it has to do with cost cutting measures to keep up with the trend of falling notebook prices. Dell didn't do as good a job and made too many sacrifices.

This doesn't even come close to commenting on support and warranty/defect issues. Dell is definitely worse off here if you compare consumer reports, surveys and studies.

 

I don't really hate Dell so much as I hate Dell Customer Service.

My story:

I try to order a computer off of them using Dell Preferred Account + Credit Card. Everything seems to be fine so I summit my order. Later that day I get an e-mail saying my order is on hold because my credit card would not authorize the charge.

I get on the phone with my Credit Card company and ask them what's the problem? They inform me that a massive order was to be placed on my account and they simply were being cautious. I explain to them I made the purchase and asked how much I was being charged so I could verify everything is ok. To my surprise Dell was trying to summit my entire order onto my credit card. I told my credit card agent to not permit the charge and that I would talk to Dell.

I contact Dell with the number they gave me so I could straighten things out. I figured talking by phone would be better than by doing it live chat. I'm greeted by 20 minutes of on phone commercials telling me "If you want faster service please contact us using live chat!" Over and over.

I finally get through to a Dell agent. His accent is horrid and was very hard to understand but, I was able to explain my situation. He informs me that he can't help and must transfer me. So I once again am greeted by the "If you want faster service please contact us using live chat!"

I get through to another agent. This guys accent was worse than the last ones. But, again I'm ultimately transferred again...If you want faster service please contact us using live chat!"

I get through to a female agent this time and her accent was just unbearable. It sounded nothing to me but, gibberish. So I ask to speak to a manager...he also was unable to speak english so I hung up.

Finally, I decided use live chat since it should be much faster and easier. I get through to an agent very quickly. I explain the situation and I'm told to call Customer Service on the phone. I tell the online agent "I just off the phone with several people who would not stop transferring me around and I could not understand them." I was then told to talk to a manager. I told them I already did that. Guess what the online agent told me? "Just keep asking for someone until you can understand them."

As you can see Dell customer service is horrid! No one knows how to help you so they will keep transferring you until you give up. It doesn't matter how many times you try to get help...you won't get it.

 

Their pc/lappys are good, however i do hate their customer service with passion, it's the worst service I've ever seen, and a few of their laptops are somewhat overpriced.

 

Thank you again for the laugh.

Thank you for the effort. I can't imagine what it took to read through that. PS: Link does not seem to be working.

Many of the Indian staff whom you describe as

were taught English and several other languages from a young age. It's not so much as lacking a fluent command of the language as it is the accent and use of the language. English is spoken differently around the world and grammar and syntax differences are very common.

I actually use web chat fairly often with both HP and Dell. It's my usual way of contacting a company if it's available. They can screw up some stuff on occasion, but have proved very helpful in general.

Vostro 1320 = built in DVD Drive
LG P310 = no built in DVD Drive
This helps with both weight and size.

DDR2 vs DDR3 currently shows little performance difference.

And how much would the Vostro 1320 cost compared to the LG P310?
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5660999&postcount=984
He's offering to Ebay a LG P310 for 1000 GBP, that's approximately 1600 USD.

It was a year ago, incidentally. P310 came out late last year. P300 was out earlier though.

Your dates are somewhat confusing, to say the least. You ordered on 12/04, but canceled on 9/14? And on 9/15 you were told it was shipped, to be delivered on 12/16?

 

I don't hate Dell... I just don't like their current designs on laptops.

They need to barge away from glossy plastics. HP too, but HP has recently gotten better, Dell has gotten worse.

When I went to Best Buy in November to look at laptops, the guy asked me what I was looking for in a laptop. I said it doesn't need to be super fast, but fast enough to handle Flash videos, older games, etc. I also want it to be portable, so maybe under a 15" screen. Decent battery life would be great too. He was about to point me to some laptops until I said that I didn't like glossy plastics either. He looked at me and just said," Almost every company besides maybe Thinkpads use glossy plastic".

This isn't a really rip on Dell, but kind of. While HP has gotten better about using less glossy plastics, with the addition of the DM3 (which I ended up getting) and the Envy series, Dell and other companies have gotten significantly worse about it.

I hate glossy plastics. While yeah it looks great when you take it out of the box and for the first couple days, soon after it looks terrible. Fingerprints everywhere, dust collects everywhere, and it shows every single tiny scratch. Not to mention, it is more expensive to produce.

Dell and other companies need to stop using glossy plastics. If they went back to the matte plastics of 5-10 years ago, the laptop prices would go down and all our laptops wouldn't look like they were soaked in semen after a month of using it.

Oh, I was deciding between a refurbished Thinkpad T400 at about $700 or an AMD HP DM3 at Office Depot for $500. I decided to go with the DM3 because it was significantly cheaper.

 

If the biggest complaint you have about dell is the glossy plastic, then I guess they are doing alright...Me, I care much more about what is on the inside, not the outside. Enjoy your $500 laptop...

 

Agreed 100%. My 4.5 year old Inspiron 6000 with the matte silver finish looks and feels so much sturdier than the glossy lids of today. Plus they aren't fingerprint magnets. I honestly don't know why this glossy lids are so popular.

Why the condescension? I think it's a very valid point.

 

Agreed, i hate glossy. It's meant to give a product a sort of shiny luxury look but to me it only looks cheaper. I loved the brushed metal palmrest and matte lid on my old asus and also the paintjob on the M4400 (though there are definetly better looking laptops) It seems to be a big difference between consumer and business models. Manufacturers think that only business users want matte surfaces and all consumers want is oooooooh SHINEY It'll turn around at some point i hope, modern design (product and other) is turning more and more towards subtleties and simplicity instead of pomposity. It'll take a while untill such trends are seen by most brands but hopefully it will.
It's one reason why Apple is doing so well in that department, they catch on to the developments in the design world much faster than most other manufacturers. Sony does pretty good to but somehow they often make this look much better than they are in the end. I was looking at the FW140 last year and while the design looked great it felt really flimsy somehow....oh well, looks aren't everything, and especially not if you need a workhorse

 

Like I said, it really wasn't a diss on Dell but the PC manufacturers as a whole, including Dell. Dell is a great company and I came really close to buying a 14z, but seeing it in person from someone at the library the glossy plastic just really isn't my thing.

I really love the matte plastics... both kinds.

There was the rough kind, which was popular since the beginning of laptops to about 2001-2002ish, like: http://i.imgur.com/h9XPd.jpg

And the smoother matte, which was popular from 2002ish to 2006ish, like: http://www.antyx.net/up/img/laptop.jpg

Either works fine for me... computers from 13-15 years ago still can look brand new if they are taken care of properly and they were made of the matte plastic. With a glossy plastic laptop it is nearly impossible to keep it from looking new after a month or two.

And oh... I have been enjoying my $500 laptop. Thanks.

 

Hm... there is some interesting discussion taking place within this thread.

I'll admit that I'm a passionate Mac user. That said, I come from a background of using machines powered by Windows operating systems and as such, have experience with both interfaces and the way in which they operate. While I have always insisted on using custom built desktop machines, my sole choice for laptops is Dell. Why? This is because I have yet to experience any sort of technical issue with any Dell machine that I have purchased over the years. Other than a few minor issues that are (and should be) expected with a working piece of hardware, it's been smooth sailing from the start. Just last week, I purchased an Inspiron 1750 for an additional venture of mine. With the exception of a minor speed bump caused by Windows 7, Dell has, once again, proven to be a reliable manufacturer of laptop computers. Granted it has been less than a week since its purchase, however I am not expecting to run into any problems given my experience with the company (and its products) in the past.

In regards to the glossy appearance, I find this to be to my liking (particularly the glossy black scheme). Different strokes, folks. It's more of a matter of personal opinion as opposed to "pure hatred".

 

I think it's rather obvious. This will sound critical and it is. It probably won't be a very popular perspective either but I don't care. I believe it's the truth. The manufacturers are always cutting corners, outsourcing and trying to build their laptops cheaper. At the same time, the consumers are wanting fancy looking hardware. The consumers, most of them, aren't very knowledgeable and cover a wide spectrum of people. Unfortunately, they aren't tech fanatics or pride themselves into learning about their hardware.

You've been in those big box stores and Mama and Papa are buying Tommy or Tammy a laptop and Tammy wants it shiny and pink or at least, looking 'nice.' The manufacturers are only reacting.

That is why you get low quality plastics and shiny hardware. ...IMHO.

 

Definitely true. Just remember, it happens across the board with all manufacturers.

 

Not hating on Dell I can think of a few hint hint Sony are far worse.
Yes use and have own a few Dell's in my time, my experience with Dell support and sale are 1st class. OK so they (Dell) have a few issues past and present with sub-standard design, GPU, COOLING but even with my M1330 XPS I have and still happy with it yes it has the dreaded failing nvidia GPU but yet to r.i.p on me. The things I was not happy with Dell were internal cables were short and one cable was missing for Wifi (N- band) if you went for the led back-lit screen on the XPS M1330 not a problem if you handy at wiring. Then there was the missing or drop off logos on the lids in the early days but was corrected in later shipments. To be fair with Dell they are willing to help but need to teach their call center staff the basic hardware skills in fault finding.
On PC design matters most look nice but lack design in the cooling part be it a laptop or desk top.
Yes I would by Dell again.
On that note Dell get your act together!