Dell Support
Hello readers, I am sure a few DMO players are wondering why I wasn't able to host the DK on the 15th. This reason can be summed up in two words: "Dell Support".
I'll tell the story as best as I can remember it.
October 7th: A normal day, nothing out of the ordinary. I shutdown my computer before going to bed.
October 8th: I wake up a little later due to it being Saturday. I'm looking forward to the weekend! I go watch anime for a while and decide to go turn on my computer. Strangely, I get no video on the monitor. After reconnecting all the plugs and draining the power by holding in the power button and all of that basic stuff, I try again. Still no video. I watch more anime. I try again later, thinking it was a fluke or I imagined that my barely year old computer has already had a part gone bad. Here is where the annoyance begins.
I call Dell Support. 45 minutes later, I get a human on the phone and start telling them my problem. I go through the same steps again and am told to go through various processes like taking out all my cards and memory. One of the steps is to take out all of the parts and turn the computer on. As anyone somewhat familiar with hardware knows a computer without memory gives beep codes. My computer had no beep codes. To me, this says I need a new motherboard; to Dell Support, this says I need a new power supply. Since it's a weekend and that Monday was a holiday, I am told it would be until Wednesday until someone comes out to install the power supply in my computer. I have next day service in my warranty.
I plug up an old computer to get me by until then.
October 12th: The Dell technician arrives at 2pm, replaces the power supply and tries to turn it on as I had before. The same problem as before, no video. I tell the technician about the no beep codes and he asks me if I told support about that. I say yes and he says "Those morons." He picks up the phone and calls Dell Support and they have him walk through the same steps as I had to do the first time. No dice. Support says they will send out another power supply, a motherboard, and new memory. I am told that this will take one to two more days.
October 13th: I receive a call from the technician saying he will be here between 1 and 2.
2:15pm: I call the technician. He says he's running late and won't make it until 3.
3:30pm: I call again. He says he will not be able to make it today and will come tomorrow. *sigh* Another day without a computer.
October 14th: I receive a call from the technician saying that he will be here around 2 to 3. I wait... I call him and he says he'll be here around 4. At around 4:23 he arrives and replaces the parts. I am a bit concerned about the memory replacement as I have two 512mb sticks and wanted to make sure they were the same. He says they are the same and puts them in. At last, video!! The computer boots up and I am able to sign in, but wait..... what are these strage errors being generated by windows. *double clicks My Computer*... Blue screen of death, just wonderful! The technician reboots the computer and I sign in again. No errors and the technician leaves. I check to make sure all of my files are fine and... what's this? More weird random errors and another blue screen of death. AARRGHHH!!
I call Dell Support. I tell them about everything that was just replaced and the problems I am having that I was not having before. I get this really hyper guy that likes to repeat himself by restructing his sentences and then says "Okay?" after each one. Anyway, I am being walked through doing a Repair from the OEM WinXP disc. I have done this a million times, so I'm trying to speed up the process by saying "And press R when I get to the screen?" I am eventually asked if I know what to do once I get there and I say "bootcfg or chkdsk /r right?". At this point he gets really excited at actually talking to someone that knows this and becomes a bit flirty.
The chkdsk starts and I get an all too familiar blue screen of death. I am told that it's a software problem and that one of my options was to talk to software support for a fee or use google and look up the problems myself. I know it's not software, and you know it's not software.
I am placed on hold and over to software support. I am offered the choices of a one time call of $99 or a year subscription for $200. I ask this guy if I will still be billed if it is determined that it's not software. He says no and so I agree to the $99 one time problem fix. I talk to the next person, we go into safe mode, sign on as admin, blah blah blah. Blue screen. He says to reboot and try again and asks if I have an internet connection. I say yes and he asks if I've downloaded any new programs recently. I go through the entire story again and am a bit frustrated. I say: "No, I installed nothing. I don't think this is a spyware or virus problem." I'm instructed to go to the Run line and type in a web address that was given to me. I do and it starts running some anti spyware program I've never seen before. It gives an error during the scan and locks up the computer. After discussion, he tells me it's not a software problem, and that it's in fact a hardware problem. Just to be on the safe side, I ask if I'm going to be charged since it wasn't a software problem. He says: "Yes, the $99 was just to talk to me." I feel like hurting someone at Dell.
I ate while being on hold. I'm starting to get upset about the thought of losing my data. Another 45 minutes later, I'm back on the phone with hardware support.
I get another guy and am told a few steps, I eventually get into Windows and explain nothing is crashing now, but it will crash soon. He says he will call back in 30 minutes to see if anything happened. I take the opportunity to backup some data onto my CD-Rs. This works fine until I step away from my computer during my 7th CD-R and I come back and see an error. I got all of my important folders except one, but I am still worried about that one folder.
By now, I've been on the phone with Dell for over 5 hours and am in tears. An hour later, I get a call back from Dell.
I calm down a bit and talk to the support lady. She's very nice and says that I need to re-install the operating system, but that I might want to try to get the data off by using another computer and slaving the hard drive to it. She says that if re-installing the OS doesn't work then they will send me out a brand new computer. This is the best news I've heard yet!! I say that I can't try to get my data off until Monday, so she sets up an appointment to call me in the morning on Monday.
October 15th: I can't wait until Monday so I go on the weekend to get all of my data saved. The process takes 5 hours to get all of the information and attempting two OS reinstalls (one with full format). Both fail during the install. I'm actually somewhat glad because now I'm excited about getting a new computer! I wait until Monday.
October 17th: I'm ready for the call early in the morning. I wait... no call. 1.5 hours later, I decide it's time to call Dell again and see what happened. I run through the story again with yet another new support person and am told to reinstall the OS again. I do, it fails. He starts to suggest that it's a software problem, then I exploded. I scream at him over how lowsy the support is and how I was told that I would receive a new computer if the OS reinstall failed. The only solution he can give me is to send me a resource CD to run diagnostic on the computer. This is unacceptable. I demand that a new hard drive be sent out to clear up all this "software is the problem" business. After the hard drive showed up as bad, he sent out a hard drive along with the CD shipment.
I wait for the technician to call.
October 18th: No call received. I call the number I was given to check to see if they sent out the stuff. They say the number I gave them doesn't exist.... *screams* I call Dell Support and ask where my shipment is. They say to wait until tomorrow and I will definately receive a call by then.
October 19th: No call received. I call the number again to check if the shipment number is valid. The number still doesn't exist. I call Dell Support. "Where's my shipment?" "You haven't received a call yet? Let me check a few things. ... Tomorrow you should definately receive a call."
October 20th: It's Noon and I have still not received a call. I call to check on the number. The number exists this time and I am told it was only created yesterday. YESTERDAY?!!?!?! What happened to Monday when I actually placed the call!!!!? They say that they will call the technician and have him give me a call. The tech calls and says it will be until tomorrow until he will be out to replace my hard drive.
October 21st: The tech arrives and replaces my hard drive, we do an OS install and it failes the same, even using a different OS disc. He calls Dell Support and they tell him to remove all the cards and the memory. We get beep codes. Then he is instructed to put one memory stick back in. Everything works fine. The OS install, Windows comes up fine, everything is perfect. The tech leaves. I proceed to try each part one at a time to see what's causing the problem. I put the other memory stick back in. Familiar problems reoccur. Whaaat?? They replaced your good memory with bad memory when they replaced it you say? Yes, they did and they enjoyed every minute of it. While my good RAM is floating over back at their place, I'm stuck with the piece of faulty crap they gave me as a GOOD replacement for something that wasn't broken in the first place.
Finally, my CDs arrive. I call Dell Support and I am walked through a diagnostic of the system. Failed memory stacks. Failed memory slot in slot DIMM_1. So I proceed to try every combination of memory to each slot that there possibly is until he decides to send out a memory stick to me. I say to send two memory sticks just in case both are bad. He says: "Because you are such a good customer, we will send out two memory replacements." I am satsified knowing that if they somehow send another faulty memory, at least I'll have two good ones out of the four. Of course, it's Friday now and I have to wait until Monday before anything can happen... sooo...
October 24th: My tech calls and says he cant make it. It will be until tomorrow. My bill comes from the software support. I'm angry, but I just let it slide because I know it's more trouble to persue this than it is to actually just let it go.
October 25th: The tech arrives early with the replacement parts. He says they only sent out one memory stick. What?? They said two! Well it's okay as long as this one works. He puts the memory in, it doesn't fail and everything is fine. Yayyy!!! I finally have my computer back after only 17 days!
I know this is a long read, but thanks to those who stuck to it. I felt I had to express one of the horrors of Dell Support for anyone who wants to purchase a Dell and also to let out my own frustrations. You have been warned.
I'll tell the story as best as I can remember it.
October 7th: A normal day, nothing out of the ordinary. I shutdown my computer before going to bed.
October 8th: I wake up a little later due to it being Saturday. I'm looking forward to the weekend! I go watch anime for a while and decide to go turn on my computer. Strangely, I get no video on the monitor. After reconnecting all the plugs and draining the power by holding in the power button and all of that basic stuff, I try again. Still no video. I watch more anime. I try again later, thinking it was a fluke or I imagined that my barely year old computer has already had a part gone bad. Here is where the annoyance begins.
I call Dell Support. 45 minutes later, I get a human on the phone and start telling them my problem. I go through the same steps again and am told to go through various processes like taking out all my cards and memory. One of the steps is to take out all of the parts and turn the computer on. As anyone somewhat familiar with hardware knows a computer without memory gives beep codes. My computer had no beep codes. To me, this says I need a new motherboard; to Dell Support, this says I need a new power supply. Since it's a weekend and that Monday was a holiday, I am told it would be until Wednesday until someone comes out to install the power supply in my computer. I have next day service in my warranty.
I plug up an old computer to get me by until then.
October 12th: The Dell technician arrives at 2pm, replaces the power supply and tries to turn it on as I had before. The same problem as before, no video. I tell the technician about the no beep codes and he asks me if I told support about that. I say yes and he says "Those morons." He picks up the phone and calls Dell Support and they have him walk through the same steps as I had to do the first time. No dice. Support says they will send out another power supply, a motherboard, and new memory. I am told that this will take one to two more days.
October 13th: I receive a call from the technician saying he will be here between 1 and 2.
2:15pm: I call the technician. He says he's running late and won't make it until 3.
3:30pm: I call again. He says he will not be able to make it today and will come tomorrow. *sigh* Another day without a computer.
October 14th: I receive a call from the technician saying that he will be here around 2 to 3. I wait... I call him and he says he'll be here around 4. At around 4:23 he arrives and replaces the parts. I am a bit concerned about the memory replacement as I have two 512mb sticks and wanted to make sure they were the same. He says they are the same and puts them in. At last, video!! The computer boots up and I am able to sign in, but wait..... what are these strage errors being generated by windows. *double clicks My Computer*... Blue screen of death, just wonderful! The technician reboots the computer and I sign in again. No errors and the technician leaves. I check to make sure all of my files are fine and... what's this? More weird random errors and another blue screen of death. AARRGHHH!!
I call Dell Support. I tell them about everything that was just replaced and the problems I am having that I was not having before. I get this really hyper guy that likes to repeat himself by restructing his sentences and then says "Okay?" after each one. Anyway, I am being walked through doing a Repair from the OEM WinXP disc. I have done this a million times, so I'm trying to speed up the process by saying "And press R when I get to the screen?" I am eventually asked if I know what to do once I get there and I say "bootcfg or chkdsk /r right?". At this point he gets really excited at actually talking to someone that knows this and becomes a bit flirty.
The chkdsk starts and I get an all too familiar blue screen of death. I am told that it's a software problem and that one of my options was to talk to software support for a fee or use google and look up the problems myself. I know it's not software, and you know it's not software.
I am placed on hold and over to software support. I am offered the choices of a one time call of $99 or a year subscription for $200. I ask this guy if I will still be billed if it is determined that it's not software. He says no and so I agree to the $99 one time problem fix. I talk to the next person, we go into safe mode, sign on as admin, blah blah blah. Blue screen. He says to reboot and try again and asks if I have an internet connection. I say yes and he asks if I've downloaded any new programs recently. I go through the entire story again and am a bit frustrated. I say: "No, I installed nothing. I don't think this is a spyware or virus problem." I'm instructed to go to the Run line and type in a web address that was given to me. I do and it starts running some anti spyware program I've never seen before. It gives an error during the scan and locks up the computer. After discussion, he tells me it's not a software problem, and that it's in fact a hardware problem. Just to be on the safe side, I ask if I'm going to be charged since it wasn't a software problem. He says: "Yes, the $99 was just to talk to me." I feel like hurting someone at Dell.
I ate while being on hold. I'm starting to get upset about the thought of losing my data. Another 45 minutes later, I'm back on the phone with hardware support.
I get another guy and am told a few steps, I eventually get into Windows and explain nothing is crashing now, but it will crash soon. He says he will call back in 30 minutes to see if anything happened. I take the opportunity to backup some data onto my CD-Rs. This works fine until I step away from my computer during my 7th CD-R and I come back and see an error. I got all of my important folders except one, but I am still worried about that one folder.
By now, I've been on the phone with Dell for over 5 hours and am in tears. An hour later, I get a call back from Dell.
I calm down a bit and talk to the support lady. She's very nice and says that I need to re-install the operating system, but that I might want to try to get the data off by using another computer and slaving the hard drive to it. She says that if re-installing the OS doesn't work then they will send me out a brand new computer. This is the best news I've heard yet!! I say that I can't try to get my data off until Monday, so she sets up an appointment to call me in the morning on Monday.
October 15th: I can't wait until Monday so I go on the weekend to get all of my data saved. The process takes 5 hours to get all of the information and attempting two OS reinstalls (one with full format). Both fail during the install. I'm actually somewhat glad because now I'm excited about getting a new computer! I wait until Monday.
October 17th: I'm ready for the call early in the morning. I wait... no call. 1.5 hours later, I decide it's time to call Dell again and see what happened. I run through the story again with yet another new support person and am told to reinstall the OS again. I do, it fails. He starts to suggest that it's a software problem, then I exploded. I scream at him over how lowsy the support is and how I was told that I would receive a new computer if the OS reinstall failed. The only solution he can give me is to send me a resource CD to run diagnostic on the computer. This is unacceptable. I demand that a new hard drive be sent out to clear up all this "software is the problem" business. After the hard drive showed up as bad, he sent out a hard drive along with the CD shipment.
I wait for the technician to call.
October 18th: No call received. I call the number I was given to check to see if they sent out the stuff. They say the number I gave them doesn't exist.... *screams* I call Dell Support and ask where my shipment is. They say to wait until tomorrow and I will definately receive a call by then.
October 19th: No call received. I call the number again to check if the shipment number is valid. The number still doesn't exist. I call Dell Support. "Where's my shipment?" "You haven't received a call yet? Let me check a few things. ... Tomorrow you should definately receive a call."
October 20th: It's Noon and I have still not received a call. I call to check on the number. The number exists this time and I am told it was only created yesterday. YESTERDAY?!!?!?! What happened to Monday when I actually placed the call!!!!? They say that they will call the technician and have him give me a call. The tech calls and says it will be until tomorrow until he will be out to replace my hard drive.
October 21st: The tech arrives and replaces my hard drive, we do an OS install and it failes the same, even using a different OS disc. He calls Dell Support and they tell him to remove all the cards and the memory. We get beep codes. Then he is instructed to put one memory stick back in. Everything works fine. The OS install, Windows comes up fine, everything is perfect. The tech leaves. I proceed to try each part one at a time to see what's causing the problem. I put the other memory stick back in. Familiar problems reoccur. Whaaat?? They replaced your good memory with bad memory when they replaced it you say? Yes, they did and they enjoyed every minute of it. While my good RAM is floating over back at their place, I'm stuck with the piece of faulty crap they gave me as a GOOD replacement for something that wasn't broken in the first place.
Finally, my CDs arrive. I call Dell Support and I am walked through a diagnostic of the system. Failed memory stacks. Failed memory slot in slot DIMM_1. So I proceed to try every combination of memory to each slot that there possibly is until he decides to send out a memory stick to me. I say to send two memory sticks just in case both are bad. He says: "Because you are such a good customer, we will send out two memory replacements." I am satsified knowing that if they somehow send another faulty memory, at least I'll have two good ones out of the four. Of course, it's Friday now and I have to wait until Monday before anything can happen... sooo...
October 24th: My tech calls and says he cant make it. It will be until tomorrow. My bill comes from the software support. I'm angry, but I just let it slide because I know it's more trouble to persue this than it is to actually just let it go.
October 25th: The tech arrives early with the replacement parts. He says they only sent out one memory stick. What?? They said two! Well it's okay as long as this one works. He puts the memory in, it doesn't fail and everything is fine. Yayyy!!! I finally have my computer back after only 17 days!
I know this is a long read, but thanks to those who stuck to it. I felt I had to express one of the horrors of Dell Support for anyone who wants to purchase a Dell and also to let out my own frustrations. You have been warned.
Posted by Lufia on Tuesday, October 25, 2005 06:42PM
- 27 comments
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