Complaint Review: DELL - Michael Dell - Round Rock Texas

I am very angry and frustrated with my DELL product, warranty service, employees and how my complaints have been handled.

I bought this DELL Dimension E510 just a couple weeks more than a year ago. At the time of purchase I also bought an extended 4 year IN HOME WARRANTY. Meaning or so I was lead to believe, that DELL would fix my computer if something went wrong with it, IN MY HOME, for the length of said 4 year warranty. Now, every technician I spoke with over the last 2 weeks has reminded me that I am indeed covered until 2010 by said warranty.

I was quite suddenly getting a blue screen with various error messages that would not always go away, even on reboot.

It was no longer letting me do a system restore, or to boot into safe mode to try and determine what the issue was.

Approximately the 3rd of August I telephoned DELL technical support and spoke with a gentleman named Aldrin, extension **** who says he will walk me thru doing a restore, taking the PC back to its factory settings. (this appeared to have solved the problem at that time, though throughout the week to come it began to happen more and more often)

Starting the week of August 13 I began to have the blue screen again, with various error messages. I called DELL technical support numerous times throughout this week. With each call I made, I am promised a solution and promised to be back up and running by that evening. To ensure this, each technician gives me their extension and email address. None returned my call and none of them returned my email.

Apparently I was sent the wrong start up disks by one of the 5 or 6 technicians I spoke to in an effort to resolve this issue.

The technicians were all telling me to borrow a computer, buy some blank CDs and go to the DELL web site and burn the necessary drivers that were needed.

I have major issues with your technicians telling ME to do their work by going to the web site and downloading/burning and then installing the correct drivers.

At no point during these conversations did any of them seem to hear me when I said I do not have access to another computer, they merely continued to repeat, over and over that I needed another PC to access / download / burn these drivers.

Which begs the question, if I do in fact have this IN HOME warranty, why was DELL and its technicians hell bent on having ME do their work for them?

First I was told the problem I had occurs when you turn a PC on and off a lot. (Which is NOT something I do or have ever done with this machine), so the tech then tells me that what happened is because I DON'T turn it off often enough and it corrupted something >which is it<

Now they say it's the Operating system that went bad. Ok, I can deal with that, I realize it happens for reasons unknown. So we do a system restore. Nope, doesnt work. Then, with a DELL technician on the phone, we restore it to FACTORY settings. POOF. problem solved.

Well, for a couple of days it seemed that way. But alas, it crashes again. This time the technician tells me that the hard drive must be bad, so they'll send one of DELLS technicians out to my home to install a new hard drive. He arrives, puts the hard drive in, slips a disk in, and says it'll take about 30 minutes and walks out the door. A technician on the phone tells me he will call me back to help me install the drivers etc. Only thing is, he doesnt. So I call DELL and get a technician on the phone who says she'll walk me thru the process.

3 hours later she discovers, much to my dismay, that the disk that Bradley sent me from DELL does not contain the right drivers. She then asks me to borrow a friends computer and some blank disks, go to the DELL support site and download them, burn them to a CD and install them on MY PC. This started on a Thursday night, late (August 16). I get two drivers downloaded and burned to a CD, only ONE works and it isnt the "right one". She tells me we have to burn another CD. I tell her I dont have anymore disks and she says to go buy some and then call her back. (WHAT!)

Friday August 17 I phone DELL tech support and talk to yet another technician. the 5th or 6th one now. approximately 10am. He walks me through the whole mess again and things still arent working. Apparently I had been sent the wrong disk for my Operating System. But as this technician reminds me, I can borrow a friends computer, buy some blank CDs, go to the DELL web site and burn the right drivers. When I state that I cant do this, that I have no one close to me whose computer I can borrow, he offers to send me the new CD, which his supervisor will have to burn for me. In the blink of an eye he reverts to telling me that I can borrow a friends computer, buy some blank CDs, go to the DELL web site and burn the right drivers to install on my PC. Now I've heard this more times than I care to remember or think about. Each time I have responded with I cant do this, that I have no one close to me whose computer I can borrow. Furthermore, why did I PURCHASE AN IN HOME WARRANTY AT EXTRA COST TO MYSELF if DELL isnt going to honor it? WHY am I being forced, badgered and berated into doing DELLS work for them? I PAID for an extended warranty. but Im not getting any of its benefits.

A technician was so kind as to inform me that I did get a new hard drive. To which I responded.. with what the warranty cost me I could have purchased SEVERAL new hard drives, installed them myself and gone shopping with the money left over!

I was treated rudely by DELL'S technicians. I did the work I PAID TO HAVE DONE. It took two weeks to do what should have been done in a matter of a couple of days.

I asked to speak with a SUPERVISOR, a man named "Raj" who apologizes profusely for this treatment. He says we'll do a 3 way call with a supervisor in tech support. his name was "Kevin" and Raj says we WILL get this solved and get my system up and running. TWO MINUTES into my phone call with "Kevin". "Kevin" says repeatedly that I need to borrow a friends computer, buy some blank CDs, go to the DELL web site and burn the right drivers. I said, NO, I cant. and he continues his little badgering session trying to convince me to get a different PC. more disks and burn the drivers to put onto my PC. At some point RAJ hung up and Kevin was allowed to continue to badger me into borrowing someone elses PC to download needed drivers. After telling Kevin, Bradley, Aldrin, Muhammad, Clifford and some woman whose name I couldnt understand that I do NOT have access to another PC for the 30th time, I just started hanging up the telephone. They were hell bent on ME doing THEIR work. I PAID for an extended warranty and DELL failed to honor it.! That is not right.

THIS ALL BEGS THE QUESTION, what exactly did I purchase when I paid extra for an IN HOME WARRANTY until 2010? I believe there was also something stated in the premiere warranty about guaranteed OVER NIGHT service including weekends. Apparently it wasnt so DELL would fix this issue because obviously they expected ME to do the repairs.

I have owned 3 or 4 DELL computers now. and most of my friends own them as well. BUT, I will never ever own another one. not because they arent good computers. they are. But because of DELLS support system/technicians and the crappy way they treat return customers. I will inform everyone I come in contact with just how DELL treats their customers.

I have the emails of 6 technicians and their supervisors. I have telephone numbers and extensions of the same techs. EVERY SINGLE one of them promised me a call back. or to respond to my email. NOT one of them did. or has since.

WHY did I PAY EXTRA for warranty coverage that DELL doesnt feel they have to honor? Some serious action needs to take place here. the way I was treated is deplorable. there is NO excuse for it. I have a year old computer that I no longer feel confident in using to conduct any of my business. I ask that DELL step up to the plate and remedy this situation.

DELL is required by law to honor its contracts and all provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code.

I have a lemon. Send me lemonade.

Mr DELL doesnt seem to think he or his company have to honor their own warranty...or even listen to customer issues that arise because they dont back up what they sell. They were sure willing to take extra money from me for a bogus extended PREMIER IN HOME WARRANTY though. Mr DELL neeeds to step forward and honor this.

Sheila

Waunakee, Wisconsin

U.S.A.

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