How is DELL? Service , Product ? (1 Viewer)

[Eric Stuckey]

I guess my subject question ask's it all.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

In the immortal words of the idiot nick who lives across the street from my friend foley, "Dell are good."

 

[Michael Boyd]

I guess they are okay if you can get them to deliver a computer. I had a top of the line 2,2 ghz w/ DVD+RW that was to be delivered by the end of January. I got an email which said it was delayed until the 1st of March. So I called up and asked what the hold up was and of course its the DVD+RW. So I decided maybe I didn't really need that since there is also DVD-R/RW and the format war yet to be won. I cancelled that computer because they said if I didn't order that I'd have it by tomorrow. Well I called today because the stupid thing's not even in production yet and they told me the hold up was the 120gb HD. Its now delayed until Feb 18! Very tiring. Now the GeForce4 is supposed to be out soon and I wonder if I should cancel again.

 

[Brian E]

I've dealt with their support on numerous machines. It's been so, so to plain bad. I guess they are no worse than any other big name companies support that I've dealt with. Its like anything. Sometimes you'll get someone who knows their stuff and other times you'll get someone who doesn't know jack or doesn't care to be helpfull.

 

[AndyVX]

It all just depends on who you get on the phone. Some of the people are very nice and friendly, but some are down-right rude and don't give a shit about you or the problem you are having.

I have a Dell computer as a family computer, and something went seriously wrong with it. After much annoyance and arguing on the phone with Dell, we got a brand-spanking-new computer. This came though, after months of dealing with all the idiots that were rude as can be.

We finally were able to talk with someone that was nice and our problem was solved immediatly. A new computer was sent to us 3 days later.

So, once again, it all depend on which CSR picks up the phone.

 

[Scott Dautel]

I just completed 2 computers orders with Dell. Most people seem to agree with what I found:

Prices - great

Service - good

Tech service if you have trouble - very good

The main problems is that they often delay shipments. My computer took 3 weeks, which seems pretty typical. My brother ordered a laptop and paid extra for next day delivery ... BUT it takes Dell a minimum of 4-5 days to process the order and get the unit out the door. So, even if you order next day, it's still gonna be 5-6 days.

As mentioned above, often there is one component that is on back rder. They'll sit on your order for 2,3,4 weeks ... whatever. Your only option is to cancel. I had to do this on my monitor.

But I love my Dell Dimension ... no problems and easy to add components to. m One tip ... make sure you find out who you specific sales rep is and get their e-mail.

 

[AjayM]

I think for home use they are going to be just average, the problems of backordered machines is semi-common if you are ordering anything that just came out or hasn't been tested with all of the operating systems that Dell offers (they do their own compatibility testing, was a mess when Win2k just came out), or if there is limited supply of parts.

Support is probably the same, it's all going to depend on who you talk to, but don't be afraid to talk to a manager if your call is not being treated properly.

Now as a corporate customer my opinion is much higher, their prices are very competitive, their warranty is great for a corporate customer, support is a breeze to work with (I call them tell them what is wrong and they send me the replacement part), if the support person get's a little wise with me I talk to his manager, if he's not available I call my sales rep to bitch and moan (I only had to do that once).

Andrew

 

[Michael Boyd]

My system actually shipped this morning so hopefully I'll have it tomorrow.

 

[Dan Brecher]

Dell have done me pretty good. Been using one of their machines I had built to spec for about six months now and have not suffered any major harware issues (what PC problems I have are nearly always a result of my stupidity). Although obviously I am speaking for Dell UK here, their customer support is decent.

Their prices are good too, and I'm rather fond of the build quality of their solid desktop tower units (even if the front is a bit plasticy).

Dan (UK)

 

[Jason Merrick]

I love my Dell Inspiron 8100 laptop. It did take a little while to get (~ 2 weeks), but it runs beautifully, and they seem to keep updating the drivers all the time, which is a good thing with a new OS (XP Home).

 

[Duncan Barth]

I've been very happy with Dell, both at home and in the enterprise.

They are pretty well built and are reasonably priced. I recommend Dells to friends who need a computer, but don't want to go through the 'build it yourself' route.

Dell support is quite good compared to some of the other 'big names.' If you know what part is broken, you can quickly get them to just ship out a replacement without hassle.

Obviously, if you need them to talk you through things, the level of competence of the technician you get really depends on who answers the phone, but generally they know what they're doing.

 

[SamC]

Always been very good IMHO.

I have always used Dell @ Home, and being a Systems Administrator at a few companies, decided to use them @ work too. I get the chance to test a lot of systems when we upgrade - we are big enough to ask for demo machines on 1 month trial.

I find that DELL always deliver within the times they specify, and although you can wait a while on the phone (like anywhere) their support & service is usually pretty good.

Build quality is always excellent.

That's me $0.02

 

[Andre F]

I've had a Dell for around three years and it's been a good machine. My first Dell arrived DOA and they were very good about getting me a new one quickly. I'd buy another one and just might in the future.

-Andre F

 

[Peter Gordon]

I've had a Dell 4100 for a year and it is fine. You can get good deals if you are careful at their outlet. The only downside is that some of the components, mb, fans are not standard, so upgrades can be a bit more difficult than a good white box machine which could make a difference for HT.

 

[Eric Stuckey]

Well I got my Dell 4400 on Wednesday.And after a screw up on the order, they shipped it overnight for free. So far I coundt be happier. So thats for all the reply's.

 

[Jon_R]

One tiny correction. Dell doesn't actually update drivers. I mean they may put them on their site for download, but Dell does not actually write drivers. They use companies that supply drivers frequently. Which is a good thing and shows intelligence in choosing components. XP got a warm welcome and thus many drivers have come out quickly.

Still.. I can't use my 4 gig tape backup!

(maybe thats why I got it for $5 from ebay)

Jon

 

[Jason Merrick]

That's true Jon, I didn't mean to imply they were the ones writing the code... But it is nice having a company gather all the driver updates for your particular system and components, verify they work and post them on an oft-updated page. Much easier than searching the web component by component looking for the most current drivers.

I have also found that not all drivers for a given component are necessarily improvements over previous versions. Windows update recently recommended a newer driver for my sound card, but after installing it, I could barely hear anything at all... thanks to Windows XP's driver rollback feature I am back to standard volume with my original driver. I have learned a lesson though, don't install just any driver with your component's name on it, especially when you have Dell doing the testing and research first and providing "validated" downloadable drivers on their own site.

 

[John Besse]

Dell and AlienWare... The only two computer manufactures I would consider purchasing a computer from.