*UPDATE* PsychoAndy vs. Dell Computer. *UPDATE*
*FINAL UPDATE 9/12/02*
Got the form letter today. No free stuff. Basic "We value your input and business" crap. Oh well. I tried.
*END FINAL UPDATE*
I called online sales today after tearing through my rolodex. Here are some handy numbers since most of you guys buy online.
Dell Main- 800 999 3355
Mike Ellich x36783. Online Sales Suprivisor- Computer Systems
Jeff Russell x88204. Online Sales Suprivisor- Software and Peripherals.
Thomas Issac x47305. Peripherals Specialist.
Heath Hook x60147. Peripherals Specialist.
Robert Schaack x58336. Servers and Storage.
Demetrius Cunningham x47112. Servers and Storage.
Chris Cordero x34364. Dell Leasing.
Brandy Barton x58337. Dell Financial Services.
Russell is the boss and I spoke with him today. He pulled screenshots and sure enough, there was a 5 unit limit in the fine print. That really raises another issue. If theres a 5 unit limit, how come I can intially order them $15k at a time? Makes negative sense. He said the IT people are working on it.
Russell is Hrevor Toyle's boss. If anyone has problems with online sales CSR's, ask to speak with Russell directly or hang up and then call his extension. All the bull about Hrevor Toyle not having an extension was exactly that. Bull. Russell told me that almost anyone with access to an outside line has an extension, so if they dont want to deal with you directly, go up a rung.
I sent out the letter today. I probably wont see a response this week, but I will make updates as new info comes in.
That said, Dell has beaten me in this battle. However, the fight for hot deals continue. If by chance I ever get a response to the letter, I'll post an update.
Here are some tips for orders, hot deal or otherwise.
1. Get a NAME and call center. Extensions, badge numbers and employee ID's dont hurt as well. Whenever you get connected, get the information up from the person immediately. In case they play phone tag, you can get back to the rep without having to repeat yourself. If you get transferred, try and get the extension for where you are being transferred to.
2. Get an e-mail quote or a fax with from the rep. Might not work 100% of the time, but it cant hurt.
3. Document the entire process. Keep all order acknowlegements and e-mail correspondence. If Michael Dell's office wants to see the stuff, I have it already and can provide it.
4. Harvey advises to get order confirmation as soon as the order is placed. In this case, it would be the acknowledgement they sent me. If you placed a phone order, make sure you get a confirmation number.
5. Try and get a manufacturer part number and dell/vendor sku as well. Check on availability. If the rep tells you they have 500 and then you get an OOS e-mail, raise hell with the person you spoke with.
6. Dont get angry. Unless you mange to speak with the original CSR that F***ed up your order. Otherwise, I do not advise it. Usually it isnt the fault of the CSR that picks up the phone, so pulling a Jerboy on them isnt going to get you anywhere. Well, maybe it will get you on hold. Thats about it.
Thats all I can think of at this time.
Original Post:
over half of this is BS, but it makes for good reading. feel free to use this as an example and insert your experience of the time dell bent you over and gave you the big one.
/start rant
EDITED AS PER ATOT RECCOMENDATION:
August 4, 2002
Michael Dell
Dell Computer Corporation
One Dell Way
Round Rock, Texas 78682
Dear Mr. Dell,
By way of introduction, my name is PsychoAndy of AnandTech, and I represent my firm, PsychoAndy & Associates. We have been engaging in business with your company for a particularly lengthy of amount time. My first Dell experience was purchasing a system in March of 2000. I was very satisfied with my order and proceeded to recommend Dell Computer to all my friends, associates, and most importantly, clients. It is August of 2002 now, and I strongly believe that the level of service and support Dell has once earmarked and made an industry standard has deteriorated beyond all belief. My most recent experiences have given me impetus to buy stock in Bayer AG, rather than Dell.
My firm provides various IT services and our client base ranges from business-to-business sales, to consulting and other services. I would like to share with you experiences that disappoint as well as informs me of the way that Dell now does business. Recently, we had a client who contacted us for an immediate upgrade. The first thing on my to do list was to visit Dell.com to see the products your company offers. After reviewing current promotions, I relayed a proposal to my client, which he accepted. I called Dell sales, and spoke with several representatives. Bruce XXXX, Jack XXXXXXX, and David XXXXX had assured me that an order of 400+ sticks of 256 megabyte PC2100 memory would not be a problem, and would be rather welcome. I proceeded to place several orders at Dell.com the evening of July 25 with overnight freight, and the next morning I received order acknowledgement for all the orders placed. Yet, we did not ever receive order confirmation.
Thursday morning, I checked all our credit balances and our cash accounts and went to great expense and effort to ensure that any attempt by Dell Computer to charge and debit our appropriate accounts would be met with approval. After taking a significant portion out of my morning schedule, all our accounts were set up to receive the debits and charges, however after checking with my banks and credit providers, no debits or charges were made that entire morning.
(I like the end part of this paragraph!)
Thursday afternoon, a Dell representative, Hrevor Toyle (name changed to protect the gulity), greeted my office with a phone call. We exchanged e-mail conversation. To be frank, he advised me of two things impeding my order. There was a 5-piece limit on the memory and purchases for resale were prohibited. I proceeded to advise Hrevor that this new policy was not brought up during the online sale prompts, and that he was obviously in error, as the referenced quantity limits are only pursuant to sales within Dell?s home division, and not small business, where I placed my order. I also proceeded to note that my firm has purchased items specifically for resale before, without incident. Additionally, I stated that our expectations of Dell to honor the order with due diligence as a considerable amount of resources had already been invested to complete the purchase. Hrevor continued to experience an affliction in similar nature to a cranial- rectal inversion and cancelled all our orders while still referencing the obviously erroneous quantity limits and purchase restrictions.
The proceeding day, Friday July 26, my associates attempted to reach customer care. We initially placed our call at 2:30 PM and we were placed on hold. Throughout the length of the call, we were transferred approximately five to six times. We did not reach anyone in a position to look at this situation; we were unable to reach anyone in a management position, nor were we ever connected to Hrevor Toyle even after specifically requesting him. We were simply transferred from department to department, due to what I suspect is a lack of intellect and responsibility. At approximately 4 PM, we e-mailed Hrevor at Hrevor_Toyle@Dell.com, however our inquiries remained unanswered well into the next week. I proceeded to communicate this matter to David XXXXX, and he offered to fulfill the order on Monday. However, after communicating this information to our client, this entire instance had thrown the proverbial wrench through the implementation window. He began accepting bids on the upgrade and I have spent the better part of this entire week trying to patch our business relationship back together. This occurrence has cost my firm well over $90,000 in lost sales and lost productivity, not to mention a severely damaged professional relationship with my client.
This particular instance does not surprise me, as an close associate of mine, AphexII of Aphex Systems (Customer number here) placed an order for a Sony DSC-P9 digital camera that Dell had stated was ?In stock?, however he had waited for over a month for the obviously backordered merchandise to no avail. After several calls to Dell, and after reaching a dead end, he eventually cancelled his order.
(LONGER PARAGRAPH!)
These various instances of commerce, or perhaps I should state: the lack thereof, has forced me to remove Dell Computer from my list of preferred vendors. In fact, at this juncture I am strongly considering the removal of Dell Computer from my list of supplier?s altogether. I am at a crossroads as to whether placing another order after today warrants the inevitable headache and exasperation. With the experience that we have witnessed, I have a commitment and duty to my clients to consider establishing new relationships with HP/Compaq, CDW, and various other vendors to meet their computing needs. After the fifth departmental transfer, I realized that Dell Computer does not offer an adequate service, support, or competent customer service staff to meet our needs, let alone the needs of much smaller volume customers.
(NEW PARAGRAPH HERE!)
If we do decide to continue our business relationship with your company, I expect changes in operation. The way to do business is not the way I have encountered on the week of July 25. A customer, whether they spend $5,000 a year or $50,000 a year, should be able to speak with a representative who knows their job is to assist the customer, and not to play musical phones. If that is not available, someone higher up the supervisory chain should step in and handle the situation accordingly. If that is not a viable option, or your departments lack the supervisory staff to address the deluge of mishandled calls being brought to light, I believe a reorganization of your human resources department is in order. I also demand corporate accountability. If an order is placed and acknowledged as received, it needs to be accounted for and handled properly. Orders should not be swept into the cracks or under the rug as Hrevor Toyle has so efficiently done. Your company?s departments have given my organization the runaround and cancelled all our orders with no stipulations to visible Dell Computer policies. All things considered, this instance was only on the week of July 25. I can hardly imagine what other customers have experienced during the vast amount of orders Dell handles on a yearly basis. Between the ad-lib corporate polices Hrevor Toyle has sent to us and the apparent misinformation being circulated around to my company and Aphex Systems, I am led to believe this is not an isolated incident, but rather corporate policy to pass the buck and let another party handle the problem. These instances are not advantageous to Dell, and are by no means beneficial to my organization and clients.
We have placed orders for well over $30,000 this year with your company. I can presume a part of that business has made Dell Computer the world's leading computer systems company. However, given the circumstances present, I must ask: When does your company expect to start acting like it? Reclusive Dell representatives who cancel orders without intelligence, rhyme, reason, and aforementioned Dell representatives armed with erroneous information have inconvenienced our firm and damaged our reputation in the business community. These egregious business practices have consumed substantial amounts of our valuable resources, have detrimentally influenced my top and bottom lines in the forms of lost sales and productivity, and have also inconvenienced many other prospective customers, business and end user. Although these malfeasances are not your responsibility, and obviously not under your direct administration, I write to you in angst and in hope that similar occurrences can be avoided in the future. Dell Computer is the worlds leading computer company. However, if these ludicrous aberrations of business continue to propagate, I can guarantee that another company will hold that title.
PsychoAndy
Managing Partner, PsychoAndy & Associates
/end edited rant
questions? comments? english majors? bueller? anyone?
*FINAL UPDATE 9/12/02*
Got the form letter today. No free stuff. Basic "We value your input and business" crap. Oh well. I tried.
*END FINAL UPDATE*
I called online sales today after tearing through my rolodex. Here are some handy numbers since most of you guys buy online.
Dell Main- 800 999 3355
Mike Ellich x36783. Online Sales Suprivisor- Computer Systems
Jeff Russell x88204. Online Sales Suprivisor- Software and Peripherals.
Thomas Issac x47305. Peripherals Specialist.
Heath Hook x60147. Peripherals Specialist.
Robert Schaack x58336. Servers and Storage.
Demetrius Cunningham x47112. Servers and Storage.
Chris Cordero x34364. Dell Leasing.
Brandy Barton x58337. Dell Financial Services.
Russell is the boss and I spoke with him today. He pulled screenshots and sure enough, there was a 5 unit limit in the fine print. That really raises another issue. If theres a 5 unit limit, how come I can intially order them $15k at a time? Makes negative sense. He said the IT people are working on it.
Russell is Hrevor Toyle's boss. If anyone has problems with online sales CSR's, ask to speak with Russell directly or hang up and then call his extension. All the bull about Hrevor Toyle not having an extension was exactly that. Bull. Russell told me that almost anyone with access to an outside line has an extension, so if they dont want to deal with you directly, go up a rung.
I sent out the letter today. I probably wont see a response this week, but I will make updates as new info comes in.
That said, Dell has beaten me in this battle. However, the fight for hot deals continue. If by chance I ever get a response to the letter, I'll post an update.
Here are some tips for orders, hot deal or otherwise.
1. Get a NAME and call center. Extensions, badge numbers and employee ID's dont hurt as well. Whenever you get connected, get the information up from the person immediately. In case they play phone tag, you can get back to the rep without having to repeat yourself. If you get transferred, try and get the extension for where you are being transferred to.
2. Get an e-mail quote or a fax with from the rep. Might not work 100% of the time, but it cant hurt.
3. Document the entire process. Keep all order acknowlegements and e-mail correspondence. If Michael Dell's office wants to see the stuff, I have it already and can provide it.
4. Harvey advises to get order confirmation as soon as the order is placed. In this case, it would be the acknowledgement they sent me. If you placed a phone order, make sure you get a confirmation number.
5. Try and get a manufacturer part number and dell/vendor sku as well. Check on availability. If the rep tells you they have 500 and then you get an OOS e-mail, raise hell with the person you spoke with.
6. Dont get angry. Unless you mange to speak with the original CSR that F***ed up your order. Otherwise, I do not advise it. Usually it isnt the fault of the CSR that picks up the phone, so pulling a Jerboy on them isnt going to get you anywhere. Well, maybe it will get you on hold. Thats about it.
Thats all I can think of at this time.
Original Post:
over half of this is BS, but it makes for good reading. feel free to use this as an example and insert your experience of the time dell bent you over and gave you the big one.
/start rant
EDITED AS PER ATOT RECCOMENDATION:
August 4, 2002
Michael Dell
Dell Computer Corporation
One Dell Way
Round Rock, Texas 78682
Dear Mr. Dell,
By way of introduction, my name is PsychoAndy of AnandTech, and I represent my firm, PsychoAndy & Associates. We have been engaging in business with your company for a particularly lengthy of amount time. My first Dell experience was purchasing a system in March of 2000. I was very satisfied with my order and proceeded to recommend Dell Computer to all my friends, associates, and most importantly, clients. It is August of 2002 now, and I strongly believe that the level of service and support Dell has once earmarked and made an industry standard has deteriorated beyond all belief. My most recent experiences have given me impetus to buy stock in Bayer AG, rather than Dell.
My firm provides various IT services and our client base ranges from business-to-business sales, to consulting and other services. I would like to share with you experiences that disappoint as well as informs me of the way that Dell now does business. Recently, we had a client who contacted us for an immediate upgrade. The first thing on my to do list was to visit Dell.com to see the products your company offers. After reviewing current promotions, I relayed a proposal to my client, which he accepted. I called Dell sales, and spoke with several representatives. Bruce XXXX, Jack XXXXXXX, and David XXXXX had assured me that an order of 400+ sticks of 256 megabyte PC2100 memory would not be a problem, and would be rather welcome. I proceeded to place several orders at Dell.com the evening of July 25 with overnight freight, and the next morning I received order acknowledgement for all the orders placed. Yet, we did not ever receive order confirmation.
Thursday morning, I checked all our credit balances and our cash accounts and went to great expense and effort to ensure that any attempt by Dell Computer to charge and debit our appropriate accounts would be met with approval. After taking a significant portion out of my morning schedule, all our accounts were set up to receive the debits and charges, however after checking with my banks and credit providers, no debits or charges were made that entire morning.
(I like the end part of this paragraph!)
Thursday afternoon, a Dell representative, Hrevor Toyle (name changed to protect the gulity), greeted my office with a phone call. We exchanged e-mail conversation. To be frank, he advised me of two things impeding my order. There was a 5-piece limit on the memory and purchases for resale were prohibited. I proceeded to advise Hrevor that this new policy was not brought up during the online sale prompts, and that he was obviously in error, as the referenced quantity limits are only pursuant to sales within Dell?s home division, and not small business, where I placed my order. I also proceeded to note that my firm has purchased items specifically for resale before, without incident. Additionally, I stated that our expectations of Dell to honor the order with due diligence as a considerable amount of resources had already been invested to complete the purchase. Hrevor continued to experience an affliction in similar nature to a cranial- rectal inversion and cancelled all our orders while still referencing the obviously erroneous quantity limits and purchase restrictions.
The proceeding day, Friday July 26, my associates attempted to reach customer care. We initially placed our call at 2:30 PM and we were placed on hold. Throughout the length of the call, we were transferred approximately five to six times. We did not reach anyone in a position to look at this situation; we were unable to reach anyone in a management position, nor were we ever connected to Hrevor Toyle even after specifically requesting him. We were simply transferred from department to department, due to what I suspect is a lack of intellect and responsibility. At approximately 4 PM, we e-mailed Hrevor at Hrevor_Toyle@Dell.com, however our inquiries remained unanswered well into the next week. I proceeded to communicate this matter to David XXXXX, and he offered to fulfill the order on Monday. However, after communicating this information to our client, this entire instance had thrown the proverbial wrench through the implementation window. He began accepting bids on the upgrade and I have spent the better part of this entire week trying to patch our business relationship back together. This occurrence has cost my firm well over $90,000 in lost sales and lost productivity, not to mention a severely damaged professional relationship with my client.
This particular instance does not surprise me, as an close associate of mine, AphexII of Aphex Systems (Customer number here) placed an order for a Sony DSC-P9 digital camera that Dell had stated was ?In stock?, however he had waited for over a month for the obviously backordered merchandise to no avail. After several calls to Dell, and after reaching a dead end, he eventually cancelled his order.
(LONGER PARAGRAPH!)
These various instances of commerce, or perhaps I should state: the lack thereof, has forced me to remove Dell Computer from my list of preferred vendors. In fact, at this juncture I am strongly considering the removal of Dell Computer from my list of supplier?s altogether. I am at a crossroads as to whether placing another order after today warrants the inevitable headache and exasperation. With the experience that we have witnessed, I have a commitment and duty to my clients to consider establishing new relationships with HP/Compaq, CDW, and various other vendors to meet their computing needs. After the fifth departmental transfer, I realized that Dell Computer does not offer an adequate service, support, or competent customer service staff to meet our needs, let alone the needs of much smaller volume customers.
(NEW PARAGRAPH HERE!)
If we do decide to continue our business relationship with your company, I expect changes in operation. The way to do business is not the way I have encountered on the week of July 25. A customer, whether they spend $5,000 a year or $50,000 a year, should be able to speak with a representative who knows their job is to assist the customer, and not to play musical phones. If that is not available, someone higher up the supervisory chain should step in and handle the situation accordingly. If that is not a viable option, or your departments lack the supervisory staff to address the deluge of mishandled calls being brought to light, I believe a reorganization of your human resources department is in order. I also demand corporate accountability. If an order is placed and acknowledged as received, it needs to be accounted for and handled properly. Orders should not be swept into the cracks or under the rug as Hrevor Toyle has so efficiently done. Your company?s departments have given my organization the runaround and cancelled all our orders with no stipulations to visible Dell Computer policies. All things considered, this instance was only on the week of July 25. I can hardly imagine what other customers have experienced during the vast amount of orders Dell handles on a yearly basis. Between the ad-lib corporate polices Hrevor Toyle has sent to us and the apparent misinformation being circulated around to my company and Aphex Systems, I am led to believe this is not an isolated incident, but rather corporate policy to pass the buck and let another party handle the problem. These instances are not advantageous to Dell, and are by no means beneficial to my organization and clients.
We have placed orders for well over $30,000 this year with your company. I can presume a part of that business has made Dell Computer the world's leading computer systems company. However, given the circumstances present, I must ask: When does your company expect to start acting like it? Reclusive Dell representatives who cancel orders without intelligence, rhyme, reason, and aforementioned Dell representatives armed with erroneous information have inconvenienced our firm and damaged our reputation in the business community. These egregious business practices have consumed substantial amounts of our valuable resources, have detrimentally influenced my top and bottom lines in the forms of lost sales and productivity, and have also inconvenienced many other prospective customers, business and end user. Although these malfeasances are not your responsibility, and obviously not under your direct administration, I write to you in angst and in hope that similar occurrences can be avoided in the future. Dell Computer is the worlds leading computer company. However, if these ludicrous aberrations of business continue to propagate, I can guarantee that another company will hold that title.
PsychoAndy
Managing Partner, PsychoAndy & Associates
/end edited rant
questions? comments? english majors? bueller? anyone?
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