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Dell fraud
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Thats very sad to hear about dell doing business this way. Personally I have had mostly great to good experiences dealing with them. I guess occasionally every company can mess up here or there.
I had such an experience dealing with HP a year ago when my 2 month old laptop was having problems. Sent it in for repairs - things had gotten even worse. Eventually the thing stopped working completely and basically stranded me with their inaction. I was pissed as hell (I wont go into the details), after trying all levels of customer support - I wrote a detailed letter to their CEO(on Saturday) and copied it to all their board members. To make a long story short - a new(upgraded) laptop was wating for me outside the door on monday - before i even heard back from them. It worked...
I suggest u do something similar. One more letter wont hurt.
Best of luck!
I had such an experience dealing with HP a year ago when my 2 month old laptop was having problems. Sent it in for repairs - things had gotten even worse. Eventually the thing stopped working completely and basically stranded me with their inaction. I was pissed as hell (I wont go into the details), after trying all levels of customer support - I wrote a detailed letter to their CEO(on Saturday) and copied it to all their board members. To make a long story short - a new(upgraded) laptop was wating for me outside the door on monday - before i even heard back from them. It worked...
I suggest u do something similar. One more letter wont hurt.
Best of luck!
Slowlearner
Senior member
Call Dell directly at Round Rock:
Dell Inc
1 Dell Way
Round Rock, TX zip code
Phone: (512) 338-4400
and move up as need be
Dell Inc
1 Dell Way
Round Rock, TX zip code
Phone: (512) 338-4400
and move up as need be
before you buy a computer from anyone or even do business with anyone give them a call, personally, I try and not do business with people who answer phones outside the U.S. except the phone company that is, when I'm disputing a long distance charge talking with an operator in india, I mean if it could get anymore freakin absurd I'd die laughing
another place you might look to get this situation fixed is smartcomputer magazine
their editor always seems to get people hooked up with Dell's PR person.
another place you might look to get this situation fixed is smartcomputer magazine
their editor always seems to get people hooked up with Dell's PR person.
Powermoloch
Lifer
Darn, that's a bummer man =/. I got my laptop @ bestbuy, their warranty is the best at a price though. And it's worth it, you might reconsider 😉
imported_Stew
Golden Member
Good.
I know you're annoyed, I would be too, but I don't see where you are getting "fraud" and "criminal" out of this ?
Basically, it doesn't sound like you've ever reached the right person at Dell, or the servicing company. It's true that it is harder to do this than it should be, but that doesn't amount to a crime.
I also don't see how your wife spent 10 hours on the phone, if you mean she called ten times for an hour each, ok, but not 10 hours in one phone call ?
Basically, it doesn't sound like you've ever reached the right person at Dell, or the servicing company. It's true that it is harder to do this than it should be, but that doesn't amount to a crime.
I also don't see how your wife spent 10 hours on the phone, if you mean she called ten times for an hour each, ok, but not 10 hours in one phone call ?
Fraud because they sold me a warranty and did not honor it. I suppose that fraud often implies intention up front to do something wrong, but here's the definition from dictionary.com:
fraud ( P ) Pronunciation Key (frôd)
n.
1. A deception deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain.
2. A piece of trickery; a trick.
3. One that defrauds; a cheat.
4. One who assumes a false pose; an impostor.
We certainly have been cheated. We probably never reached the right person at Dell, but my wife did call many times, and finally felt stymied after the woman who claimed to be the regional coordinator told her that she couldn't talk to anyone else.
About the word "criminal": if this small matter wound up in court, it would surely be treated as a civil matter. However, not honoring one's contracts is still breaking the law, and hence a crime.
The ten hours is my estimate, but a lowball one; she called at least five times and was on hold for hours. I don't know if you've spent time on hold with Dell, but I have. On one call (different system) I spent over three hours getting bounced around only to be disconnected.
I'm not saying the whole company is screwed up, but this is also not the first time I've had trouble with their tech support (and I am an easygoing person).
Could you be anymore prejudiced? If you are talking about not doing business with such companies - u just inlcuded Microsoft, Apple, Dell so on and so forth(and I have restricted myself only to comp related companies.) Oh and you must be making your own CPUs too...
The truth is a lot of phone support outsourced to India is pretty good. They do mess up some times(especially with dell)/ some companies just have bad training or bad policies - can you even comprehend how much they get paid each month for working 10pm to 6 am - ranges from $200 to $300 - this not a lot of money - even in India. Again you get what u pay for... the better companies hire better trained staff - pay them much better too.
I am originally from India(so is the guy I think - who runs this website) - I have been in US for a while - and on multiple occasions have pulled my hair while on phone with any number of customer care ppl - yes based out of US, does that make me say - I will never buy from a company who run CC out of US. NO. I have already posted my experience with HP and they were working out of US(at least till last year).
Again I am not defending anytimes u get bad support - but it will happen occasionally. Similarly dell makes good comps most of the time... and they give good service most of the time - occasionally there will be a bad apple(no pun intended)... will folks stop buyiing from them... I dont think so...
Sorry for going off the topic everyone...
Dell is a strange company. Ordered a 2005FPW last year and it had really bad backlight issues, so I asked for a replacement and they send it out but no return label. The replacement had the same problem and they sent out another one, and no return label for the two they already sent. I called them several times and they always said they'd send the labels in the next replacement. Well, I have 4 of them sitting in my closet.
Firstly I am not prejudiced
Second, phone support outsourced to India is pretty -not- good
or at least that has been my experience
and yes, there are a lot of phone support in the U.S. that aren't good
I should have wrote more locally or something to that effect somewhere I can always talk to someone in person. I shouldn't have wrote India but I find it absurd when disputing a long distance charge that I'm talking to someone long distance.
But that still gives you no right to go around calling me prejudiced
When it is more you that has pre judged me.
And yes Dell will lose repeat customers
I also had a bad experience with Dell in which they put the wrong parts in a computer I ordered (5400RPM HD instead of a 7200RPM one, the wrong video card, etc.)
It literally took me two weeks of 2+ hours on the phone each day to get someone who was willing to do anything. I finally tracked down the number/extension for someone the CEO's office, who gave me a way better machine with the right parts for the same price. Sadly, I've tossed her number, as this was 2+ years ago.
Check the BBB's site, or Jigsaw, for contact info for someone higher up in the company, and keep calling people until you get them to fix it. Local phone numbers are almost always more likely to be useful than 800 numbers. I'd also ask for some sort of compensation for your troubles. Extend the warranty for another year, maybe?
In any case, good luck.
It literally took me two weeks of 2+ hours on the phone each day to get someone who was willing to do anything. I finally tracked down the number/extension for someone the CEO's office, who gave me a way better machine with the right parts for the same price. Sadly, I've tossed her number, as this was 2+ years ago.
Check the BBB's site, or Jigsaw, for contact info for someone higher up in the company, and keep calling people until you get them to fix it. Local phone numbers are almost always more likely to be useful than 800 numbers. I'd also ask for some sort of compensation for your troubles. Extend the warranty for another year, maybe?
In any case, good luck.
OP,
Now that Dell does quite a bit of business with large corporations and the government, their home user customer service does indeed suck.
A couple of recommendations:
1. Call Dell again, explain the situation and ask to speak to someone who can help you. Make sure you get names and employee numbers from everyone you speak with. Eventually you will find someone that will help.
2. E-mail them...explain the situation. Let them respond. You then have some documentation you can work with. Threaten to call the Better Business Bureau if your complaint is not satisfied. Better Business Bureau
3. Start a blog. Detail everything that happens and let Dell know you are making public this issue. Corps don't like others smelling their dirty laundry.
I know this is no fun (I have dealt with Dell before in situation like this), but if you are truly stating your case the way it really happened then I think you will eventually get this resolved if you continue to stick with it.
Of course, if you are rich, siccing legal vampires on the bastards is always fun.
Now that Dell does quite a bit of business with large corporations and the government, their home user customer service does indeed suck.
A couple of recommendations:
1. Call Dell again, explain the situation and ask to speak to someone who can help you. Make sure you get names and employee numbers from everyone you speak with. Eventually you will find someone that will help.
2. E-mail them...explain the situation. Let them respond. You then have some documentation you can work with. Threaten to call the Better Business Bureau if your complaint is not satisfied. Better Business Bureau
3. Start a blog. Detail everything that happens and let Dell know you are making public this issue. Corps don't like others smelling their dirty laundry.
I know this is no fun (I have dealt with Dell before in situation like this), but if you are truly stating your case the way it really happened then I think you will eventually get this resolved if you continue to stick with it.
Of course, if you are rich, siccing legal vampires on the bastards is always fun.
Cheesetogo
Diamond Member
Did they charge you for one or five?
Fixed 🙂 . Actually, I believe that some people have had good warranty coverage, but some have not. BB screwing me over on a laptop warranty is what convinced me to not shop their anymore. I won't get into the details, nobody probably cares to read them, but it was a scam IMO. This was about 4 years ago. About 2 years ago, a friend of mine got the run around on a warranty with their laptop.... different location, different problem, different way of getting screwed, but still a rip off all the same. Then I started reading stories over at bestbuysux.com, and I soon realized that there was a pattern.
Any company will have unhappy customers. Even "the best" warranty will have people who feel they have been screwed. Given BB's large customer base, even a small % would be a large number of people. However, considering my experiences above, and stories I've read, there is a disturbing pattern of lies and deception. As such, I go out of my way to get others to not shop there.
/rant off
OP, this is something I would pursue. You aren't requesting more service after expiration, you are requesting service to fix what was damaged during service while still in warranty. However, I can see why you would feel you've already put in to much time.
spikespiegal
Golden Member
I feel your pain, but.....
(1) You are going to experience incidents like this with most laptops regardless of who makes them; HP, Dell, IBM, Compaq, etc., and they all outsource their service. There are even forums of Apple users screaming about those new portables and the way Apple istreating them about display problems, etc.
(2) Either buy a laptop without a warranty and consider is disposable, or buy the biggest warranty they have. This is otherwise why I don't buy laptops unless it's a critical necessity for somebody's job, and 80% of the time it isn't. Get a cheap desktop for home and work and shove the warranty. End of problem
(4) I've still had less problems with Dell products in terms of reliability and support than other competitors. IBM used to make a more rugged laptop, but not any more.
otispunkmeyer
Lifer
im sure that fact is wrong
daniel1113
Diamond Member
Then it's not a fact... 😛
TheBrain77
Member
i use to do CSR for a major retailer. that being said...
I have a question for the OP.
After the iniitial repair. Did the call for the second job come before or after the expiration of the warranty?
Here is why I am asking. Regardless of company you deal with. The fine print is where you get hammered. Warranties cover an item for a specified time. Generally speaking, companies will repair items under that alotted time that are reported. If you wait 1 day after the warranty is expired, then you are out. This includes items related to a previous repair.
In your case, the laptop was repaired/impaired by a technician. Regardless of your personal dealings(phone call or any other matter). It is your responsibility as a consumer to verify the job before that technician leaves. I am fairly certain either you or your wife signed a work order before he left. It sounds like a ill statement on my part, but consider the possible outcome. I am not saying the situation is your fault, however it would have thwarted any issue with warranty expiration. Perhaps its more of a tip for future issues. Always try the item before you sign any release or work order. It does not matter what company it is. Always try it out. If for any reason it does not meet your expectations on performance. Have it noted or reject the repair and have them do it again. There is nothing wrong with those requests.. Sure you might get a ugly look from the repair person or clerk. But its your item. Your money.
Did the item warranty really expire? Fact is it depends on when you called it in. I know there is an underlying argument that the original problem was not fixed. and that the company is responsible for rectifying the problem. But in a real world stance, that is not going to fly. When you sign a work order, the job is complete. Any other issues are considered a new work order.
That being said.. A good CSR(which i was), would of repaired your laptop. Here is why. If the details you have given are accurate, then a CSR should of read the case details and determined that the original work was incomplete/incompetent. That being the case EVEN if your warranty was expired, the CSR should have the ability to authorize a repair free of charge. This does not mean you can wait a month after expiration and expect service, but if it was requested within a week or two of the expiration date then it would be acceptable. If the original repair was well over a month before the expiration date, then this wouldnt apply. You would have had plenty of time to call it in. Like all things, good service depends on who you deal with. When you deal with this person. How you deal with this person. CSR are people, be kind and courteous. Do not impose or be demanding, unless its absolutely necessary. It doesnt mean you have to bend over backwards to please them. Just show constraint.
Getting a CSR mad can cause this exact problem. CSR's hear nothing but complaints all day long. They can be very vindictive. I once saw a CSR cancel about $3k in warranties without refund on a guy because he got her mad. He was in clear violation of the warranty(commercial use), but we let him slide for years. Bad stuff, but its all in the fine print.
Lastly, I know what a company shoud do isnt always what they do do. Keep up your fight, if the facts are true. then eventually you will reach a person who does care enough to help you.
Good Luck,
-The Brain.
I have a question for the OP.
After the iniitial repair. Did the call for the second job come before or after the expiration of the warranty?
Here is why I am asking. Regardless of company you deal with. The fine print is where you get hammered. Warranties cover an item for a specified time. Generally speaking, companies will repair items under that alotted time that are reported. If you wait 1 day after the warranty is expired, then you are out. This includes items related to a previous repair.
In your case, the laptop was repaired/impaired by a technician. Regardless of your personal dealings(phone call or any other matter). It is your responsibility as a consumer to verify the job before that technician leaves. I am fairly certain either you or your wife signed a work order before he left. It sounds like a ill statement on my part, but consider the possible outcome. I am not saying the situation is your fault, however it would have thwarted any issue with warranty expiration. Perhaps its more of a tip for future issues. Always try the item before you sign any release or work order. It does not matter what company it is. Always try it out. If for any reason it does not meet your expectations on performance. Have it noted or reject the repair and have them do it again. There is nothing wrong with those requests.. Sure you might get a ugly look from the repair person or clerk. But its your item. Your money.
Did the item warranty really expire? Fact is it depends on when you called it in. I know there is an underlying argument that the original problem was not fixed. and that the company is responsible for rectifying the problem. But in a real world stance, that is not going to fly. When you sign a work order, the job is complete. Any other issues are considered a new work order.
That being said.. A good CSR(which i was), would of repaired your laptop. Here is why. If the details you have given are accurate, then a CSR should of read the case details and determined that the original work was incomplete/incompetent. That being the case EVEN if your warranty was expired, the CSR should have the ability to authorize a repair free of charge. This does not mean you can wait a month after expiration and expect service, but if it was requested within a week or two of the expiration date then it would be acceptable. If the original repair was well over a month before the expiration date, then this wouldnt apply. You would have had plenty of time to call it in. Like all things, good service depends on who you deal with. When you deal with this person. How you deal with this person. CSR are people, be kind and courteous. Do not impose or be demanding, unless its absolutely necessary. It doesnt mean you have to bend over backwards to please them. Just show constraint.
Getting a CSR mad can cause this exact problem. CSR's hear nothing but complaints all day long. They can be very vindictive. I once saw a CSR cancel about $3k in warranties without refund on a guy because he got her mad. He was in clear violation of the warranty(commercial use), but we let him slide for years. Bad stuff, but its all in the fine print.
Lastly, I know what a company shoud do isnt always what they do do. Keep up your fight, if the facts are true. then eventually you will reach a person who does care enough to help you.
Good Luck,
-The Brain.
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