customer service

Tracy, please see below. what a nightmare. I agree NEVER Dell again.

March 28, 2009

Michael Dell, COB & CEO
Dell Inc.
One Dell Way
Round Rock, Texas 78682

Ref: My Computer: Service Tag# (removed), Case # (removed), Dell Order# (removed)

Dear Mr. Dell,

I sent the attached letter to you via email on March 20, 2009 approximately 1:30pm. Please allow me to provide you with the response this email generated from your “Corporate Office”. I will use the same chronology format as in the attached email, (You may want to read the March 20 email first, then this).

March 20, 2009- 3pm I received a call from Sudhakar telling me he will send video card and S/W.

March 21, 2009- 8:30am I received a call from Sai Madhukar ext:72-83898. He identified himself as a Dell Corporate Representative and was responding to the attached email that I sent to you. He said a new video card and S/W would be sent out Monday 3/23 for installation on 3/24. He said he would be calling back on 3/25 to talk about the results of the actions to be taken. I thanked him and said that would be fine.

March 22, 2009, 1:07pm I received a call from Sudhakar telling me the video card would be shipping 3/23 and the S/W CD’s would be shipping in 3 to 5 days. I questioned him as to why the CD’s would take so long. The answer was a tap dance.

March 24, 2009, 1pm. Mr. Foster arrived to swap out the video card and cable. This did not fix the problem and the vertical lines were still on the monitor. He called Tech. support and reported and requested a new monitor be shipped as well as his services to do the install. He made a point to tell the Tech. rep that three times, he explained that I was wheelchair bound and could not do the exchange of the monitor.

March 24, 2009, 3:55pm I received a call from Suresh. He told me that he would be sending me a new monitor but I would have to do the exchange, Mr. Foster would not be sent to do it. I told Suresh that I was in a wheelchair and did not have the physical ability to do this. He said “HE UNDERSTOOD” and that I needed to get a neighbor or someone to help me. I LOST IT. Mr. Dell, in the 16 years since I have been diagnosed and 10 years in a wheelchair I have never let anyone or anything be a barrier for me. I have always had a positive, can do attitude. Well, congratulations you and your staff have succeeded to do what no one or thing has done, make me lose it. I told Suresh he could keep the monitor and ended the conversation. Customer Service at its best!!!

March 25, 2009, 8:09am I received a call from a gentlemen named Chris (not the tech in (removed)) telling me Sai was out of the office today and would call me tomorrow, I thanked him.

March 26, 2009, 2:00pm Sai called and after a lengthy conversation made the same offer to ship the monitor as Suresh did above. I thanked him and told him no, thank you. I will live with the faulty monitor as I did not want to pay someone to change it out and to box up the old one and ship it.

So Mr. Dell, hopefully you or someone on your staff will take the time to read and understand my Frustration, Anger and Disappointment, but I have my doubts. In my final paragraph of my attached email I said “It's a very sad and disappointing experience. I thought your company was better than this. You can prove me right or you can prove me wrong.” Well you proved me wrong, your company is not better than the actions that transpired here. I will use all resources available to me in the disabled community as well as twitter, face book, blogs and anyone else who will listen to me about this experience. As for my additional 2year warranty on this product, I seriously doubt I will take advantage of the stress and aggravation that comes with it.

Best Regards

Robert Gill

(Address & email removed)

This letter and attached email was sent via FedEx overnight letter on March 30, 2009, it was delivered March 31, 2009 to the above Texas address.

April 7, 2009, 2:48pm I received a call from Ram in India. He gave me the same story as before. They would NOT send a technician to make the monitor exchange, but he would send the monitor. I told him no thanks. So sad Michael Dell and his American staff do not have the intestinal fortitude to reply to my email or letter direct. They pass it off to their minions in India. This is how Michael Dell treats his DISABLED CUSTOMERS.

March 20, 2009

Michael Dell, COB & CEO
Dell Inc.
One Dell Way
Round Rock, Texas 78682

Ref: My Computer: Service Tag# (removed), Case # (removed)

Dear Mr. Dell,

My name is Robert Gill. I am a 61 year old with Muscular Dystrophy, Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy, and my physical abilities are very limited and I have been confined to a power wheel chair for 10 years. I am writing to you out of Frustration, Anger and Disappointment. Please allow me to explain why.

I purchased my 2nd Dell computer from Dell in February 2008, an Inspiron 530. I did so because I was very impressed with performance and most of all the Customer Service on the first one I purchased in 2003 a Dimension 8300 Series. This 2003 computer is still working and was given to a family member.

As I said above Customer Service was a major deciding factor to purchase another Dell. I purchased the extended warranty knowing that my physical limitations would make it a sensible thing to do. On March 2, 2009 I called your customer service number 800-624-9896. I spoke with an overseas tech. rep. I called to complain of a grinding sound that was intermittent in occurrence and in volume and duration and it only occurred when I took the computer out of sleep mode. I thought it might be the hard drive, but later realized it could have been the fan also. I also told the tech rep that whenever I shut the computer down and restarted it would take 5 min for the computer to reinitialize.

The first thing the Tech. said was for me to shut the computer down and to start removing some cables. I explained to him that I could not do that because of my limitations. He asked me if there was someone who could help to do what he asked. I explained that a caregiver might be able to come over to help. He said OK and to call him and leave a voice mail when the caregiver was available and he would call back in 90 min. I told him NO that was unacceptable; I need to pay a caregiver to be here for 90 min. being paid while I wait for him to call me back? This made no sense; I had a 3 year in home service contract, why should I need to pay someone else. Besides this is obviously a mechanical problem and has nothing to do with connections. This is not the level of service I received on my last Dell computer. This is where the Frustration, Anger and Disappointment begins and gets only worse day after day. I said "fine let it go I will contact Michael Dell to get it resolved”. The tech said to wait he would talk to a supervisor. I spoke then with the supervisor Mr. Jujt who then tried to pressure me into getting the caregiver to come to my house and I repeated my comment that I would leave it to Michael Dell to help fix my problem. He then said he would have a case manager call me in the next 24 hours.

March 3, 2009- I received a call from Mr. Dinesh. He said he understood my problem and would have a hard drive and fan sent out for a Dell Tech to replace on March 5, 2009. He said the replacement hard drive would have all of the Original S/W on it that I purchased with the computer. He told me to backup and save any S/W I installed, I agreed. I thanked him for helping and understanding my situation. He told me to call him back at 800-624-9896 if I needed any assistance.

March 3, 2009- I received an email (the last time I used the computer) from Mr. Kabeel, Rep ID 01166072 informing me of the Case # (removed) and the Dispatch Reference #(removed). His phone extension # 7288160

March 5, 2009- Dell Tech Rep. (name removed), Rep ID (removed), phone # (removed) called me. We agreed to do the repair March 6.

March 5, 2009- I received a call from Mr. Shiu, Dell representative inquiring if I had heard from Mr. (removed). He said I could contact him at 800-624-9896 ext. #7269679. I asked him at this time if I was correct in assuming the replacement hard drive would have all original S/W installed and he said yes it would.

March 6, 2009, 12pm- Mr. (removed) replaced the Hard Drive, Fan and Power Supply. When he attempted to power the system back up it would not initialize. He placed a call to Dell and asked for a new processer. He felt the new power supply took out the processer. He asked them to please make this a priority in shipping. I explained to Mr. (removed) that I was totally lost without my computer; I use it for email and all my news information as well as research and entertainment. When you sit in a wheelchair all day long the computer makes the day pass by much faster. Mr. (removed) thought he would have the parts on Monday 3/9 or no later than Tuesday 3/10.

March 10, 2009-Called Mr. (removed) and asked him if he received the parts. He said NO.

March 10, 2009, 3:42pm called ext # 7288160 and left msg. asking for delivery status. Also asked if I needed to contact Mr. Dell for information.

March 10, 2009, 4:10pm received call from Mr. Pramod. He told me that Mr. (removed) will have the parts on Thursday 3/12.
I asked him why Mr. (removed) did not have the parts on 3/9 or on 3/10. He gave me a song & a dance about it being the weekend. I did not tell Mr. Pramod I was a V.P. of Operations in Silicon Valley prior to being wheelchair bound and was very familiar with Shipping and Receiving.

March 10, 2009, 5:24pm called Mr. Pramod and left voice msg. requesting the tracking number of the shipped parts. No Response.

March 12, 2009, 9:06am called Mr. Pramod again and left message asking for shipping status of parts. No Response.

March 12, 2009, 10am called Mr. Shiu ext # 7269679 and left message asking for parts shipping status. No Response.

March 13, 2009, 9:40am called Mr. (removed) and left message for him to please call me.

March 13, 2009, 10:19am called Mr. Shiu ext # 7269679 and left message asking for parts shipping status. No Response

March 13, 2009, 1:10pm Mr. (removed) returned my call and said he would call Dell to ask where the parts are.

March 13, 2009, 4:45pm Mr. Pramod calls to tell me that the reason I have not received the parts was because the control panel was back ordered. He asked me if I wanted him to ship the Mother Board and Power Supply without the control panel.
This is the REAL ANGRY, FRUSTRATED and DISSAPOINTED part. This is the same individual that on March 10th said the parts would be in Mr. (removed) hand by March 12th. Mr. Pramod LIED to me. I don't remember hearing Mr. (removed) ask for a Control Panel. I told him to ship whatever he had as soon as possible. He said he would ship the parts Sat. March 14th via Fed-Ex overnight for a Monday March 16th delivery. I said OK.

March 16, 2009, 3pm or so. I called Mr. (removed) and asked him if he received the parts.

March 16, 2009, 5:37pm I received a call from Mr. (removed). He told me the parts shipped today the 16th and he would receive them tomorrow March 17th. He said he would make me his first stop after picking up the parts. Fed-Ex tracking # (removed). Well, Mr. Pramod LIED to me again.

March 17, 2009, 1pm. Mr. (removed) arrived to install a new Mother Board and Power Supply. Good news the system powered up. Bad news there was vertical lines across the monitor. But even worse there was no S/W loaded that I had purchased with the computer. No Trend Micro Security, no MS Office 2007 Home & Student and many others.Mr. Shiu and Mr. Dinesh both told me that the original S/W would be loaded on the hard drive.Mr. (removed) called Dell while here and told them of the problem.

March 17, 2009, 5pm. I received a call from Mr. (removed) telling me he ordered a new video card to fix the vertical line problem and a new hard drive with my original S/W installed.

Today March 20, 2009, Noon. I received a call from Mr. (removed) telling me that Dell will do no more, the case is closed.

Mr. Dell, this cannot be the way you want your customers treated or served. Mr. (removed) can attest to everything I have said here, he is a subcontractor for your company and his ID and contact information is above. This needs to be made right and I need to be made whole. You cannot imagine what it is like to be so stressed about this lack of service and being lied to and phone calls not being returned. Yes I am rambling. It's a very sad and disappointing experience. I thought your company was better than this. You can prove me right or you can prove me wrong.

Best Regards

Robert Gill

(Address & email removed)