The following is a draft of a letter I am about to mail to Dell. You simply won't believe this:
Subject: Customer Support
Dear Dell Inc.:
I am resending a copy of a letter, which I mail to your company last week, because unbelievably even more things have happened since then.
Enclosed you will find copies of Packing slips, UPS tracking information, The DHL print out of a computer I returned, and just a few of the copies of email exchanges I have had with email support since we received our CPU unit on 08/31/05. The printer arrived on 09/06/05. The monitor had to be picked up at a local UPS facility by us on 09/06/05 since for some reason Dell placed a hold on the delivery.
First, I am more than just a little confused and upset that although I was charged $99.00 shipping and handling fees, nonetheless I had to drive nearly 30 miles round trip to pick up my monitor at a UPS facility. I do not understand why your company requested a hold on delivery. I also spent three days waiting for the monitor to arrive when I noticed that it was in my city according to the UPS tracking information site and I just had not received it yet. I was only after I used the UPS tracking by email did I learn that I had to pick up the package myself.
Frankly, this computer purchase has been a completed frustrating ordeal. This is my third DELL computer. I had only needed to call customer support once previously for one particular problem. This recent purchase has been very different and each time I must deal with customer service by either telephone or email, I just want to scream.
Secondly, it took nearly two and a half days worth of phone calls and emails to get someone to agree to send me just some of the backup media I would need should something happen to my computer. I still have not received some of the software media. When I did receive some of the CD's, (Operating System Restore, Resource CD, and Application CD) the versions on the CD's where not as up-to-date as the versions on my new PC. If you need, I have at least 13 pages of emails if you would like to see them. I have also asked for the Dell Media Experience v. 3 & Sonic, but still have not gotten anyone to commit to sending these thus far. (This part has actually been resolved, but probably have to argue over billing issues. Dell webite states that there is no charge yet I see $32.91 listed on the order number).
This type of support is totally ridiculous since your own web site and your own policy states and I quote Any other CDs (Dell Media Experience, Power DVD, Resource CD, Applications/Backups/Tools CD), can be made available to you upon request through Chat or Email through the rules of the Media Reduction Initiative. I copy and pasted it directly from the Dell.com website.
Shortly after the above ordeal, I just happened to check my order status since the monitor was a.W.O.L. On the Dell.com web site and I noticed two new order numbers with charges next to them that total almost $271.00. I then call customer support once more to inquire about these new order numbers and charges. I spoke to a woman named Annette who assured me that I was not being charged for these orders and that they are simply exchange orders to facilitate the accounting of the CD's. Just to be certain, I email support to make absolutely sure that what I was told via telephone was correct. I received an email that stated that what I was told was correct, yet no one explained the exchange Order Number at all and I did not know exactly what this order is about or why it was placed. Annette never explained why there were exchange orders on my account.
I then received an email for a man named Gerry from customer support that I spoke to who sent me a different service tag for some reason. At this point, I did not know why he gave me this service tag, but his email did not explain so I figured he just sent the wrong service tag or mixed up my conversation with someone else's.
My next problem I had was the Monitor, which had not even been in my possession for a full 24 hours (and I had to pick up myself). It smelled hot and the back and sides were very warm to the touch. It is positioned on my desk in a manner so as where it was not being blocked in anyway. Imagine my excitement when I placed a call to technical support to be told that by seven-day-old computer showed that it had no warranty according to Dell records yet my packing slip states that I have 90 days of technical support. Technical support did not explain this to me at all.
Technical support then informs me that I need to call customer support, which does not open for another 8 hours to transfer ownership. I will admit I yelled the word What twice. The first being when I was told my brand new computer had no warranty and the next being when I was told I had to transfer ownership. Thinking Why in the world would I need to transfer ownership of a brand new computer that was bought and shipped under the same name, address, credit card, etc. As our other Dimension 2400? I never needed to transfer ownership of the other one I just bought last year.
When I tried to use e-chat support for the problem mentioned above I was sent to a web page that told me that e-chat was only for home computer users, which I am. Envision my complete annoyance upon reading something else that has is totally screwed up about this whole thing.
Before you read the next paragraph, Keep in mind I had only had the first monitor for less than twenty four hours.
On 09/07/05, I received another system unexpectedly. I immediately called customer support before anything was opened and was told that I supposedly had reported my computer as defective and the new one had been sent as an exchange. I explained that I never requested an exchange I only asked for back up media. I also asked exactly when this supposed request was made; I never got a real answer concerning the question and some how mysteriously got disconnected.
I then called customer support once more and was transferred to a woman by the name who was very helpful. She had to restore the warranty on the first computer and update the information for it as well. She instructed me to switch the monitors and use the DHL shipping label included to return the second computer I never asked for.
This now explained why I received the email with a different service tag.
I have two theories...
My guess is that UPS contacted your company due to some damage to the box. Why no one would contact me and set up an exchange because UPS contacted him or her is beyond my comprehension. Let alone not contacting the actual customer to inform them of what is going on with his or her account. My other theory is that someone mistakenly typed into his or her computer that I asked for an exchange when I did no such thing.
UPS confirmed that they call Dell concerning damage to the box after a telephone call.
If the email I received had mentioned that an exchange order for a replacement system had been set up I could have tried to stop its shipment since I did not ask for a replacement.
I have major concerns about the status of my account at this time.
Will I have problems getting support for the system I still have since Dell has screwed of this account so much?
As stated prviously, this is my third Dell desktop computer. I recycled a very old Dell OptiPlex with this recent purchase. We purchased our first Dimension 2400 last year. My first Dell, the Dell OptiPlex, was a hand-me-down from a relative. We liked the first one we purchased last year so much that when we saw the advertised special of $299.00 after rebates offer, we decided to purchase another one.
It seems as though I should have stopped with the first.
You may not care very much if I am a very happy customer or not, but I have three teens who will need laptops when thay leave for college. Would you care to guess which company I will not be buying them from?
Please give me some sort of response to this correspondence; I believe I have earned at least that much consideration.
Cordially,
Enclosures
cc
The following are just a few things that have happened since I got done witht the draft of the above letter
P.S. These are the things that have happened since I first sent this letter:
On 09/08, I received a telephone call from technical support, which still claims that I cannot receive the Dell Media Experience CD or the Sonic CD, and there is no such CD. I explained that according to the Dell Community forums, these are available and others are receiving the CD.
In spite of informing the tech rep that according to the DELL community forum these CD's are available, she continued to argue with me on this point.
The tech rep then asked about the computer with the service tag of the computer I returned, seems they can't find my current system's service tag info.
I then explained my conversation 0n 09/07/05 concerning the second system and how I was advised me to: 1) switch the monitor from the new system, which I did not request, and 2) to return the new system. I then informed her that I was told that the warranty was reinstated the on the first system.
This tech rep argued that I should have kept the second system and returned the first.
I repeated my situation once more and asked her to check the case number. When she one again asked why I returned the second system I repeated that I never asked for an exchange. Once I explained that, I had just spent an entire week transferring information to this system and that I had installed software with licensing issues. I was not about to start all over with another computer and have to call each company to ask if I could install the software on another system.
At this point the woman I spoke to in the exchanges dept. Has been the only helpful person. She even jokingly stated that the customer service of sending a replacement monitor even before I had actually requested one was awesome.
09/09/05
Received email from concerning my contact information for the infamous CD's.
09/14/05
Resent email to about CD's and contacted Dell through e-mail support (2 times) and e-chat (1 time) concerning the CD's.
Have a copy of e-chat conversation and emails.
Was inform that here were no CD's at first until I pointed out that the Dell web site forum states that they are in existence and we could have them simply for asking.
09/15/05
Received telephone call from Dell, was told that the CD's would be sent.
I was also told that the order number for my computer had been lost. I explained the exchange computer incident to the representative who called. I also explained that I am concerned that the whole thing was so screwed up now I am concerned that if I should need technical supports help, I will not be able to get it since no one can seem to find my information correctly.
09/15/05
Checked on the order status web site and see the order number xxxx4659. Seem the CD's were not ordered through an exchange order and I am being billed for them.
09/15/05
I received another email from Dell asking about the computer I never asked for. I responded with an email reply explaining that I returned the computer since I never asked for the exchange and that I still have the original computer. I provided the case number concerning this matter.
I also gave them the DHL pick-up reference number of # xxxx390 on my receipt.
I also provided Dell with the date, time and name of the person who signed for the computer when it was delivered back to Dell according to the DHL tracking web site.
Again repeated my concern about the state of my account since no one can seem to find information concerning the first computer and lost my original order information even though I can access it when I login at dell.com?
Chelly
newville, Virginia
U.S.A.
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