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Very Dissatisfied Dell Customer
Posted Wed June 20, 2007 12:00 pm, by Anthony H. written to Dell Computer Corporation
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I purchased a Dell XPS 400 Media Edition computer in February 2006. I was very excited to receive this computer because I believed Dell manufactured quality products.
Since receiving the computer, I have had several issues with the system, but nothing that I could not handle myself. I even purchased a laptop for my sister because I was so happy with my system. On or about April 25, 2007, I turned on the computer only to discover that nothing appeared on the monitor. I contacted technical support the next day and was transferred to your expired warranty support team because my warranty had expired 2 months prior. After spending several hours on the phone with a tech and $39.00 it was determined that there was a problem with the video card.
Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of money to spend on replacing brand new computer parts so I had to wait more than a month to purchase the video card for $109.00. When I installed the new card, my computer STILL DID NOT WORK!!! I contacted tech support again who told me to take it to a local technician to diagnose the problem. After spending $20.00 for this diagnosis, the local technician advised me that the motherboard, the processor and the memory were bad. He advised me that there had to be an issue with these parts when the computer was manufactured. He also told me that he was repairing 5 other Dell computers with mother board issues. I've also researched complaints about recently purchased Dell computers and discovered several other people who are experiencing this same problem.
I contacted technical support to advise them of the problem, a representative immediately transferred me to a sales agent to give me a quote for these parts. In all, the replacement parts will cost over $600.00. So what this means is, I will unfortunately have to continue paying for a computer that I can't use because I cannot afford to replace these parts and make payments at the same time. I am furious at this point because I feel that I have purchased a $1,500.00 PAPER WEIGHT!!!!! These replacement parts are almost half the price of the entire system. There is no way my computer should have broken down after only 1 YEAR. I do not use it very often, only to occasionally surf the web and type reports for school.
I purchased a Gateway computer in 2000 and had no problems with it. I gave it away because I was purchasing the new Dell computer which I thought would last me for a longer time. As you can tell from this letter, this is not the case. I do not wish to contact the Better Business Bureau or advise my local politicians to conduct an investigation regarding the mounting complaints about Dell's inferior computer systems, I just wish to have my problem resolved or I can return your computer and take my business elsewhere for a refund of my payments to my Dell preferred account.
REPAIR MY COMPUTER AT NO CHARGE OR TAKE THEIR COMPUTER BACK AND REFUND MY PAYMENTS TO MY DELL PREFFERED ACCOUNT!!! I AM EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED!!!
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by scotter Posted Thu August 28, 2008 @ 2:33 AM
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after reading all these complaints with dell i realize they are not a very good company .Simple soultion just take them to small claims court easy to do in my state ny it cost appx 15.00 to file paperwork find out where they might be usually in malls they have a station then u just serve them with papers they never show to court and u get a default judgement so within 30 days u will recieve a check from then they know that most people will not go to these lengts i won 1700.00 just last month very east to do good luck
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by Gino Posted Thu June 21, 2007 @ 11:36 PM
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Tony I seriously doubt any computer company would refund your payments if the warranty is up. Did you read the warranty? They offer xps service for one full year and do offer an extended warranty option. I don't believe warranties are negotiable once they expire. Basically, when making a purchasing decision, you should weigh in the option of an extended warranty for exactly the reasons you mention above. Also warranties work on "time" and not the "amount of use" the computer endures over time. Using it less dosen't extend the warranty.
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by billt Posted Thu June 21, 2007 @ 9:01 PM
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Lets get this straight: You want Dell to repair the computer or take it back and refund your money.
1. Not under warranty. No way anything should be done.
2. The gateway has nothing to do with your dell, and should not have been inserted into your letter.
3. All computer manfacturers use CHEAP LOW BIDDER PARTS.
4. A full diagnosis takes 2 to 4 hours, and costs a minimum of 80.00, if done properly by a trained certified technician.
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by The New and Improved Brenda Posted Thu June 21, 2007 @ 3:14 PM
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Problems can happen with any computer. I'm no fan of Dell either.
I've had problems with my Toshiba laptop. It needed a new motherboard. The techs at Best Buy actually said they had never seen a motherboard so fried. Luckily, I had purchased the extended warranty so it was fixed by Best Buy.
My parents had an old Gateway that had problems before their Dell. They had purchased a longer warranty so it was fixed. Gateway even replaced a keyboard under their warranty!
I don't see how your tech can determine that the parts were defective when the computer was manufactured. Why did they last so long then?
Anyway, my point is that you could have problems on any brand of computer. There isn't one you'll find that is perfect. I have an HP laptop now and haven't had any problems yet, but I realize that these things happen so I purchased a 3 year warranty. It's worth it in my opinion.
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by KamenRiderOsaka Posted Thu June 21, 2007 @ 9:47 AM
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As someone who used to work for the manufacturing line for Dell, I can tell you that computer parts are NOT handled with the care they are supposed to be. The center I worked at built desktops, but I'd be willing to bet that laptops were treated just as poorly. In the prep line, people would drop motherboards, hard drives, etc. left and right. So, this type of complaint does not surprise me. Usually, all computers are tested before they go out, and those that don't pass the BIOS test will get sent back.
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by Lee H. Posted Thu June 21, 2007 @ 12:20 AM
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With all due respect Anthony, I am going to disagree with you on several points.
Now in all honesty, you'll find a lot of people on this website and many others you visit that detest Dell for one reason or another. But, you can find just as many fans of this name brand for entirely different reasons. A lot of this good-brand, bad-brand chatter comes from the same people who argue over Chevy vs. Ford. Really, it is much of the same banter. If you honestly think that finding a group of people that complain about any particular brand, in any market whatsoever, is an indication of a poor brand name, then there are absolutely no good brand names that even exist. That is to say, you can find people that have had poor experiences with any brand, any type of merchandise at any time.
So, with that understood, lets focus on some of the real issues.
Currently there are four large consumer based manufacturers of computers. These brands include Dell, HP, Compaq and Sony. Any of these brands have both satisfied and disgruntled customers.
The one difficult issue with Dell is the lack of local technical support. For the most part, their concept is structured around mail order and over-the-phone technical support. These are definitely negative aspects to their company, but anyone purchasing merchandise from them understands this.
Electronics, for the most part, do not wear. There are exceptions, but I can guarantee to you that no technician could even begin to tell you there must have been something wrong with this unit way back when you purchased it. The best someone in that situation could do is diagnose what was bad, not how it went bad or further details of how it happened. It is possible that the power supply had a problem, damaging other connected components as it went out. It is just as possible that you took some sort of power surge which did damage.
This is what I call a typical ASSUME AND GLOOM letter. It is very typical and the internet is filled with them. The consumer (Anthony) purchases a computer being told full well what the warranty is and how long the merchandise is covered. Warranty coverage has become less and less because the consumer wants the product for less and less. As a result, the manufacturer states that if the consumer is okay with letting them off the hook after a shorter period of time, the price of the equipment will be less. As a result, Anthony was offered, at some additional amount, an extended service guarantee. A warranty which covers additional problems, such as this, should they arise. Anthony made an assumption. He took the extra risk that problems would not face him, at least after the first year and until an arbitrary amount of time that he might expect to replace the system anyway. Make no mistake about it. Anthony said to Dell, upon buying the computer, "I don't care if I happen to be one of the unfortunate individuals that have problems. For this price, I am absolutely letting you off the hook after your warranty expires."
The problem is that Anthony made the assumption and was not honest with himself. Why? Because after he had problems, he now picks up the pen, so to speak, and start the process of complaining. Thus, assume and gloom. And for extra strength in the letter, there's that wonderful phrase attached about the "service guy stating this was a bad product right from the beginning."
My point is, at the time any consumer makes a purchase they should actively understand and be concerned as to what warranty goes along with it. If the manufacturer's warranty isn't good enough, consider competitors and what they offer with similar merchandise. And for heaven's sake, if the merchandise is important enough that you want to make sure it lasts longer than the original manufacturer's warranty, shop around for good retailers that offer reasonable extended warranty packages.
Don't you dare be asinine enough to complain when they won't do something they never guaranteed to begin with. You were given a one-year limited warranty. That was evidently fine enough when you made the purchase. Pay off you account and then buy something different.
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by donno Posted Wed June 20, 2007 @ 5:02 PM
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" I purchased a Dell XPS 400 Media Edition computer in February 2006. I was very excited to receive this computer because I believed Dell manufactured quality products."
I'm sorry. You have discovered your error. I am getting rid of mine asap. Piece of junk.
On another note, I had a 1998 thinkpad that also lasted well for 7 years. I hope you end up with a working machine.
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by Max Power Posted Wed June 20, 2007 @ 4:57 PM
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Your real problem was purchasing a $1500 system to browse the web and type reports, its overkill. Any $300-$400 system can do that very efficiently.
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I agree that it bites when problems arise shortly after the warranty expires; It always makes me wish that I'd gone for the extended warranty. I hope it works out.
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I agree.
by Lee H. Thu June 21, 2007 @ 1:05 PM
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