I LOVE Dell's Customer Service
Based on a call I just made, I can say that Dell's customer service is excellent.
I have a Latitude D630 laptop running Windows XP which I bought at ABA Techshow 3/19/08 with a three-year warranty. It's been running really slowly, hanging up on shutdown and refushing play audio.
I called Dell reached a live human right away. He told me to run a diagnostic test and asked if the laptop was running hot. I told him the laptop is hotter than a stovetop grill. He said the fan and motherboard were probably not working and would be replaced under the warranty.
He got my sound working by taking me to a driver download page on the Dell site. This guy knew every little detail about my computer so he could give custom answers. The battery wouldn't hold a charge, but it's not covered by the warranty, so he sold me a new 9-cell battery for $165.
They'll send me a box with free shipping. They said I should get it back in a week. With a new motherboard, it'll be like having a new computer!
My next computer will definitely be a Dell.
I have to say that Dell has the worst customer service that I have encountered in a very long time!
I recently made a purchase at Dell.com, only to receive an email a few days later stating that they had encountered 'technical issues' processing the order, and had to cancel my order. The email advised me to return to Dell.com and place a new order.
When I returned to Dell.com, the price that I paid was no longer available. I sent an email to 'Dell customer service', which advertises that they will respond within 24-48 hours. I had still received no response four days later.
I then contacted a Dell customer service agent via online chat. That agent informed me that he did not have the ability to inquire into my problem and suggested that I call the 'customer service' hotline.
I immediately contacted the Dell 'customer service' hotline only to be told that they could not help me, but would have someone call me that evening or the next morning. Two days later, I had still not been contacted.
I then sent an email to the customer advocate at Dell.com. It was returned with a message stating that the mailbox was no longer supported. I then sent an email to two Vice Presidents of the company.
The day after sending the email to the VP's I received an email from the Dell 'customer service' team informing me that they could not help me, and advising me to contact the 'customer service hotline'. The same day, I also received a call from Dell 'customer service' who offered to sell the products to me at the current price, but include free shipping and a $10 discount.
This is insane. I bought two software programs at a promotional price of $19.99 each. I added them to my cart, promptly checked out, and paid for my purchase. I received several order acknowledgments from Dell, all including the order number. A couple of days later, my order was canceled due to a 'technical' problem on THEIR end. When I try to re-place my order, as prescribed in their email, I am asked to pay $79.99 each!
The best that Dell can do is offer me these items for $75.99 each with free shipping? Because of an error on their part! Seriously, who stays in business with operating principals like that?
I have now vowed to take my complaint to the web, and my business elsewhere. This is not the first bad encounter that I have had with Dell, but it will certainly be the last!
I call upon all of you, who work hard for your money and expect an honest transaction when trying to spend it, to boycott Dell. This is not much to ask, after all, there are plenty of computer manufacturers out there that build better products and will appreciate your business!
Is this blog serious or just one of those obnoxious things people post to attract traffic? Dell's customer service is horrible on a legendary scale. Forums and sites are full of testimonials and horror stories about them.
Response from Larry Bodine: I've had a great experience with Dell's customer service. I bought a 3 year warranty, and whenever there's a problem, they diagnose it over the phone and they send me a prepaid box to ship it to them to fix. I get it back in a matter of days. When I upgrade my old Dell laptop, I'm going to get another one.