Disgusted with Dell

In case any readers are browsing the site and wondering where I've gone, let me explain. I'm having to type this on a borrowed PC I'm using after buying a new machine from Dell.

My PC which was about 2 and a half years old was on it's last legs. It's been crumbling, crashing and limping along for ages now and finally went to that great chip breaker in the sky. The only thing to do? Buy a new one!

Great I thought and I managed to convince the other half this was a good idea, it took me a while but there you go. Anyway, Dell have a good reputation, or so I thought, and so I went on and ordered one from Dell.co.uk.

Had I known the problems I would have, I've opted for the MESH one that was the same price and specification.

Five days after I placed the order my new Dell machine arrived. I unpacked it, placed it neatly on the desk and started having a look at Windows Vista. My enjoyment was short lived though and after 1 hour I switched it off to go an errand. Upon coming back and hitting the on button, nothing happened. The power light was flashing an amber colour at me and that was it.

I called Customer Support who after 45 minutes told me that the machine would have to go back. I knew this was probably the case but they wanted me to check various things first.

I explained to them that I wanted a replacement machine and as I didn't have any data stored on it, I had nothing to lose. This was my first slip up - I agreed on a repair rather than a replacement. I should have demanded a new machine due to this one only working for one hour but they convinced me that a repair would be quicker than a replacement as they would have to build the entire replacement. This all happened on a Wednesday night (15 days prior to me writing this.)

They came and picked up the machine on the Friday (13 days ago) and they had told me that by the following Tuesday, my new PC would be back in fully working order. Bullshit!

I phoned them on the Thursday night to complain my machine was still not delivered. Not a problem they said, it would be there tomorrow. I called on the Friday night again and was told Monday. By now I was getting a bit jacked off to say the least.

Monday - still no PC. I complained again and this time got a Customer Services Manager who said that he would look into it and call me back. Give him his due, he did, but only to tell me that it would be delivered on Wednesday. A few moans later and after telling him that I'd never buy from Dell again and that the service I was receiving was terrible, he admitted that they hadn't even received the machine yet!!! Can you believe that!

It turns out, or so the story goes, that it was delivered to the wrong Dell service location and was basically sitting there having a rest. Well it had done a whole hours work after all, hadn't it.

Now the Manager guy seems generally ok, apart from a few small discrepancies in his story about the PC not arriving at the right service centre and he has called to give an update every evening. So far the machine has been repaired and on test for the last two days and finally he has now said that the machine has been sent to the couriers!! YEE-HAW! Why it takes 2 days to test a machine, I'll never know, perhaps another small discrepancy? Maybe?

I did receive a nice call from some lady in Customer Services last night telling me that my problem was of the highest priority and that Dell were really a fabulous company and that I should buy from them again. Yeah right! She's going to send me a small token of appreciation for my patience and inconvience. Great thanks. I've not been able to work properly for two weeks now but what the hell.

Of course, it's never as easy as all that is it.

The Manager guy, this evening now informs me that as I live far away, it'll take 4 days for delivery! What! I order CDs from Hong Kong, which is half way around the world and get them in two days! I'm in the North of Scotland by the way.

So, the latest in this Dell Customer Non-Service Epic is that I have to wait again, this time an additional 4 days for delivery. What's the bets it hasn't left the Service Centre yet? (You'll not get good odds on this, by the way.)

I'm going to post here again on Tuesday with an update. Will my machine is finally home? Not if Dells previous versions of events are anything to go buy.

Not a happy customer!