My adventures with Dell.

[Herodes]

Don't know if you have a Dell machine or is a Dell customer, but apparently at Dell, the ServiceTags are everything, since their entire support system is built around this.

So, what if you don't know your service tag, or can't access it ? Then - you're mostly out of luck it appears..

What a very peciluar way to conduct customer service, it's almost like they want to make it difficult to be a customer.

Well, I had an odd case, an old laptop bought a couple of years ago had it's power adapter break about 6 months ago, and I didn't think of it much, I just used other machines. But for some reason, I wanted to have that laptop up and running again, and the ServiceTag under the machine was worn off, seriously it was just a paper with some glue on it that was attached to the machine, so all the wear and tear from sofa's, bed's, lap's, table's and so on had litterally made it go blank.

One of the geniuses at customer service suggested I booted the machine and found the ServiceTag inside the bios. I started to look for the piece of the power adapter that's supposed to go into the machine, in the hope that I could manually reattach the wires like I'd done many times before until I got tired of it, and just put it on a shelf. However, now the part of the power adapter that plugs into the laptop itself was gone, and I had no idea about where it was, and I had no intention of searching all over the house for this small thing, when I could just easily order a new power adapter. Or so I thought.

Basically I was stonewalled at various points in Dells support organization because of the lacking ServiceTag. It frustrates me quite a lot when entities build systems dealing only with absolutes. Sometimes the odd case comes by when you have to deal with something out of the ordinary, and then it should be dealt with properly and promptly.

So, I still haven't got my power adapter, but I was promised that they would look into it and get back to me, after I told them what I thought of their sucky customer service. One of their reps even hung up on me, so much for professionalism.

I don't get why they don't just make spare parts available through their webshop, so customers can 'self service' themselves.

I'm not looking for sympathy, but if you can shake your head and have a laugh, then this post was worth it.

Edit: And I also tried to e-mail them, to explain the situation in detail, but guess what - to be able to do that through their online support from - you need... yes, you guesses it... the Service Tag!

Edit 2: Ha, got hold of a dude selling power adapters, and I will get one for half of the price Dell's offering. So my money goes to this man and not Dell then.

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[Lethn]

To be honest, serves you right for buying pre-built computers from Dell that you can't tinker with easily yourself laptops are a pain generally though, I tend to stick with desktops.

[Herodes]

To be honest, serves you right for buying pre-built computers from Dell that you can't tinker with easily yourself laptops are a pain generally though, I tend to stick with desktops.

Kind of hard to bring the desktop on a plane

[Blazr]

Kind of hard to bring the desktop on a plane

That's what your iPad/android tablet is for

[Herodes]

Kind of hard to bring the desktop on a plane

That's what your iPad/android tablet is for

ah. ok!

[Herodes]

anyways, I too have experienced this "service tag" crap with Dell (10+ years ago with a Dell desktop) I was lucky enough to have a legible one but it was pretty hard to understand what the Indian woman was talking about. I do definitely agree the customer support they provide absolutely sucks ass. After that experience I have built every Desktop I owned myself and will never buy a pre-built one, I don't see the point in paying more money for an inferior product especially when they offer crap customer service.

I agree with you - making it yourself is not a bad way to go.

[RodeoX]

Sorry to hear about your dealing with Dell.
Dump the concept of a "name brand" computer. they mostly buy the same parts and put them in different cases. If you have a source for used computers, like say a local college, try a clean install. Local is better, as shipping will costs wil ruin the deal. Below is where I go for example:
http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/swap/computers.html

They sell used computers that have been *checked and given a fresh winXP SP2 install. You could also buy some larger memory cheap to update a laptop. That may be all you want, but I would further suggest installing the latest long term support version of Ubuntu instead of XP.
My Thinkpad frickin sings with linux. I don't know when the University bought it, but it must be about 8 years old. I paid about $180 4 years ago. That's 45/year computing cost. lol  When it dies I will just get another one. Then using Ubuntu's cloud backup I can carry on working.

    

[Herodes]

RodeoX: I have various computers, some are selfbuilt, others are branded, surely there are advantages and disadvantages to every scheme, but as you say - the branding itself often adds to the cost.

[Lethn]

The worst stories I have heard are of people who are students at schools/colleges and they can borrow laptops only to discover they've put all sorts of weird shit on them, saw on the news as well about how kids were being spied on too through the webcams and stuff >_< so that's hardly the worst thing that could happen at least lol

[RodeoX]

RodeoX: I have various computers, some are selfbuilt, others are branded, surely there are advantages and disadvantages to every scheme, but as you say - the branding itself often adds to the cost.

Ok, then you know. I just feel for people who go out and buy a Dell because it's a name they recognize. Only to find that Dell has sold them to the bloatware bundle they call free software, and outsourced their tech support to a call center in Duntbotherme-Anymor India. Not that this behavior is limited to Dell or computer manufacturers for that matter.

[Herodes]

The worst stories I have heard are of people who are students at schools/colleges and they can borrow laptops only to discover they've put all sorts of weird shit on them, saw on the news as well about how kids were being spied on too through the webcams and stuff >_< so that's hardly the worst thing that could happen at least lol

That's when it's cool to have a daddy that stripps of everything and installs linux on it.

[johnniewalker]

When my XPS broke I got a Macbook Pro. I was so happy to part with Dell. I can't tell you how many hours I spent on the phone with someone in India.

[Herodes]

When my XPS broke I got a Macbook Pro. I was so happy to part with Dell. I can't tell you how many hours I spent on the phone with someone in India.

Hahaha... the funny thing is that I've now bought a power adapter from someone unrelated to Dell. Also I got the link to the power adapter I needed on Dells's eurpean website from a journalist. And he found it in like 5 mins. But that adapter was 40% more than what I got privately, so I went with the private option.

Dell promised to get back to me yesterday, they didn't do it so far. It remains to be seen if they will even do that. They probably tought, what an angry, difficult customer - we don't give a shit about him. I started out calm and polite, but when they started to go full retard, I could contain it no more.

One of their blokes started asking me about power adapter, and the differences between the connection to the wall socket in Usa and Norway, and if I didn't have the receipt of the laptop that I bought in the US 2-3 years ago with the ServiceTag on it ?

And the poor incompetent chap that hung up on me, probably hung up because he felt overrun or intimitated. First I explained to him that I didn't have a service tag because:

1. The ServiceTag from under the laptop was worn off, litterally.
2. I couldn't get the ServiceTag off the bios screen, because the power adapter was broken.

Then after a few minutes of nonsense-talk, he again said: "But, you can just start the PC, and then press F12..". At that point, I told him that he doesn't understand, and that I already told him that this would not work because of the afforementioned reasons, at this point was it that he hung up on me.

So, instead of the very first rep answering my phone ans just checking their stocks for the correct spare parts, I was redirected from one department to another, and those idiotic verbal messages that was instead of the pause music: "If your internet is gone, please reboot your computer, and try again, if it doesn't work still, do a system restore... yatta yatta". Every redirection was a waste of several long minutes.

But that's probably how it is, the sharpest heads never work on support.