Dell Computers

[redcoat]

Has anyone else had problems with Dell? I ordered a desktop from them in May. I then realised that I’d made a mistake and asked to cancel it before it was delivered. Dell Customer Care told me that it would be returned to them and then I’d get a refund.

I got a refund yesterday and so I thought that everything was fine. I then checked my online account and found that my order had not been cancelled. I also found that another order had been placed in my name. It was shipped to my house yesterday. I didn’t make this order! I would not have known about it if I hadn't checked that my real order had been cancelled.

It took me many phone calls and e-mails to try and cancel my order and get a refund. Now I find that my real order is still open on my account and that someone else has made an order on my account and it is shipping to me. The second order is exactly the same as the first. The whole thing is a ‘mare.

[RangerJoe]

Well, if you did not order the second computer and have proof of your cancellation, I would suggest that you ask a lawyer or your equivalent of your attorney general to verify that the computer is a gift. In US law it is, I don't know about UK law.

[demyansk]

Forget the attorney, that will cost you more than the computer. Go to how you paid for the item like a credit card and put a stop from that company on the payment. They have a division that handles these items. Secondly, go above the person you contacted and speak with them. When the order arrives, send back as refused and get confirmation. Keep us up to date

[redcoat]

Thanks for the replies. I complained about the mysterious order in the Dell Community forum. Someone from Dell quickly contacted me and investigated. Apparently the order wasn't an actual order - it was what Dell called a 'credit order.' I was surprised that a credit note (my refund) was marked as an order on my account. Relieved too. My cancelled order isn't marked as cancelled, but I've been told that it is. It was a long struggle getting a refund from the call centre in India - but they quickly changed their pace when I threatened them with what is called a 'small claims court' in the UK. I found that it would only have cost me £185 to make a claim for a refund in my local court.

[RangerJoe]

You probably could also have asked for court costs as well so they could pay those.

[Gilmer]

Keep an eye on that. I have dealt with Dell Business Computer or whatever they call it. The tried all sorts of underhanded stuff and it was a merry mixup, but I eventually got it all straightened out.

[Gandalf]

I quit dealing with Dell over 10 years ago over shoddy products and having to deal with foreign call centers that could not speak intelligible English. It just wasn't worth the hassle/punishment to deal with them.

[redcoat]

I didn’t expect to have to use the small claims court. Just mentioning them got my PayPal refund within a couple of hours. Most people in the customer care department didn’t want to have to deal with a refund. Many of them did not speak or understand English very well. I always ended up being sent to same guy who kept saying that I would get my refund in 5-7 working days … week after week after week. I remember being offered a discount on my PC at one point. If I had to use the court I would almost have certainly won my case. In which case I would probably have got my admin fee back.

[demyansk]

I wouldn't by from Dell, I'll spend more and know I can speak with someone who won't give me the run around.

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: demyansk

I wouldn't by from Dell, I'll spend more and know I can speak with someone who won't give me the run around.

But I need the exercise! [8|]

[balto]

+1 on never buying Dell again due to under-handedness and zero support. I paid to have Adobe Pro pre-installed (not sure, I think it was like $180). After a few months, there was some sort of update and it corrupted Adobe Pro. I contacted Dell and spoke with a 'foreign' person that I could barely understand their English. After about 45 minutes on the phone which they attempted to sell me a DELUXE Service plan, they then said that this was an Adobe problem.

I called Adobe and they said it was a Dell problem. I knew I was going to lose, but I called Dell and they would not help me.

PCs generally are all great nowadays, so it is all about the service for me in the first several months when if something can go wrong, it generally will in that time period.

[JWW]

I've always found that live chat works better -- for me anyway -- when dealing with offshore call centers and techs who may know what they are doing but don't speak English well.

[RangerJoe]

ORIGINAL: balto

+1 on never buying Dell again due to under-handedness and zero support. I paid to have Adobe Pro pre-installed (not sure, I think it was like $180). After a few months, there was some sort of update and it corrupted Adobe Pro. I contacted Dell and spoke with a 'foreign' person that I could barely understand their English. After about 45 minutes on the phone which they attempted to sell me a DELUXE Service plan, they then said that this was an Adobe problem.

I called Adobe and they said it was a Dell problem. I knew I was going to lose, but I called Dell and they would not help me.

PCs generally are all great nowadays, so it is all about the service for me in the first several months when if something can go wrong, it generally will in that time period.

If it was an update, then it probably was a Windows update and that would have been the problem.

[yammahoper]

I bought my first pre made machine from Dell about a year ago. An R8. I had one issue after installing another RAM stick and the BIOS updated, so I had to pull the new RAM, let the computer reboot, which it did instead of just being a grey screen of nothing when turned on. I reinstalled the RAM and no issues since.

For $900 I believe I got a good deal and a quality machine.