Dude, you've been screwed by Dell!

[Fixet (imported)]

I almost bought a dell 1 week ago. I configured a vostro 1500 laptap on the website (the Netherlands) Then i called there salesdepartment and asked for a discount, and removing windows vista and other soft/bloatware stuff. So that i basically have a clean laptop with nothing on it. That was possible he told me, and he would make me a tender and email it to me. Several hours later i got the tender and it was like 300 dollars more then the config on the website with windows lol. So that kinda ticked me off, ill never buy a dell now.

[padawna (imported)]

I bought a Dell Inspiron 2500 notebook computer in 2001 but didn't buy the service contract. After a year, something went wrong with the main I/O chip, and the keyboard didn't work any more. The initial warranty had expired. I called for help, and kept getting India. I usually couldn't understand them, sometimes they couldn't understand me. Eventually Dell wouldn't even put a person, instead of an answering machine, on the phone, unless whoever was calling had the service contract. If I had sent the computer in for repairs, they would have charged me $200, just for opening the case and testing the computer. A new mainboard, which would probably have fixed the problem, would have cost me over $200 from Dell, and I would have had to install it myself.

I wouldn't buy another Dell computer.

But... this could have happened to ANY laptop, regardless if it was Dell, IBM, Sony, Toshiba, etc.

I had a contract job over in Qatar a few years back, and I had just purchased a Toshiba (Trashiba more like it). Within a couple of weeks the hard drive died. There were no Toshiba service centers in Doha so they wanted me to take it to any other brand name shop. There happened to be a Dell authorized center there and they set me straight. All they really did was verify it was the drive that had died, then they ordered the drive and under my option I elected to install it myself. Point is, Dell was very quick to help out, and from all the Dell manufactured pc's my dad has purchased, he highly recommends them. Some he has had no problems at all with, one of them Dell quickly sent out a hard drive replacement.

If you dont buy a service contract for a laptop, well, you are just asking for it. You generally dont need it for a desktop, but for a computer that is constantly getting moved around you really should get the extended service, theft/accidental damage.

Kristoff: In regards to not buying Chinese... come on, get real. Are there any consumer electronics made in the US now? 100%? No. Thats like saying all "American" made cars are totally American built. Its just a bunch of BS. My Tacoma is more American built then some of the Big 3 cars.

Some of the purchased I've made from Lenovo were shipped direct from China. They were delivered within 2 days, and the dvd burner I've had to replace was fairly easy to deal with.

[kristoff]

Kristoff: In regards to not buying Chinese... come on, get real. Are there any consumer electronics made in the US now? 100%? No. Thats like saying all "American" made cars are totally American built. Its just a bunch of BS. My Tacoma is more American built then some of the Big 3 cars.

Read the post a little closer....

[padawna (imported)]

Read the post a little closer....

Ok, so you WERE sarcastic.. i get it now

[gunpowdercub (imported)]

My gateway experience...

9 years ago, I bought my first Gateway via phone on the "yourware" program.

The computer could hardly do anything, but when i had problems with it, gateway reps were always there to help out and fix things. Until the laptop fell and the modem dongle broke. So I tried to describe what had broken, and gateway sent me a new modem card and a new dongle. I did not know the name for what actually had broken, you see. Anyway, I called them back, said I did not need the modem card, just the other part, and they agreed to send a call tag. I packed up the extra stuff and waited. And I forgot about it. Then they started calling me at odd hours to tell me my payment was late. I described the situation, and it still took them months to get me a call tag, and by the time they sent their 6th attack dog at me, I'd had enough. Luckily, this was an apparently elderly woman who spoke English, and she actually got me the call tag. But in the meanwhile, Gateway damaged my credit (luckily not by much) and then sold part of their service to AOL.

The computer occasionally had problems, but nothing that couldn't be sorted out. It was old and slow, but worked well for 6 years... until the motherboard fried in 2005.

With my late partner, I did lots of research about getting a new machine. There were things I needed for work, and things I wanted for play. I was all set to buy an HP, I think, when a better gateway went on sale for 25% off at Best Buy, and the specs were better than the HP or any model available in my price range. So I bought Gateway again... and yes, at times I regret my decision. The new puter is more fragile. Two keys are broken. It was supposed to be good for gaming, but within a month, the video card driver needed updating, and I had a devil of a time doing that. Now that it's updated, the game manufacturer tells me it needs a newer driver update, which Gateway does not have on site. Gateway techs are telling me to do a system restore, which will not update the vid card driver... and they don't answer direct questions about getting an updated driver. Will I buy Gateway again? I think not... But I hear complaints from other people about their computers too, so one wonders what TO buy.

[ukeunuch (imported)]

:-\ Gosh IE, you seem to have had a time, I have a Dell myself, and I have very little problem with it, if I do, I dont call service help. I fix it myself, as I often wonder if the technictions on the service sites are actually technictions or are just reading from manuals. I have had numerous computers over 17 years, and from experince. I never use the computers memory for anything other than the programes it came with. I use my trusty external hard drive.

At present I have a Dell inspiron 1300 laptop. I have had it for over a year.When I ordered it. It took two weeks from ordering to arriving on my doorstep- If I need to update I will buy a Dell again.

What I have had 3 of are Sony Vaio, and I whole heartly beg you to not waste your money on them, they may be sleek and very attractive, light and look very good, but they have problems with extrenal software, more so most programmes not made or licensesd by sony, plus, when I took my final Vaio to the tech man as I couldnt work out what was wrong with it, he said if it wasnt for sony vaio's he would go out of business. You ask why I had 3 different ones well before that I had two HP's and there customer service aftercare is the main and only reason I decided to learn about computers.

[Blaise (imported)]

I have read horror stories about all brands of personal computers. I understand that Dell had problems after Michael Dell left the company, but he has now returned. Maybe, that will correct some of the issues. My personal experience has been positive.

For over three years, I owned a Dell 2100, which was a low-end computer from Dell. The telephone sales representative thought that it would handle my photo processing needs. It was not exactly what I needed. Currently, I own and use a Dell DXP051. I bought it about two years ago. I gave the Dell 2100 to a friend and I bought another Dell for my girlfriend—I think it was a DXP051, but I do not recall.

I spent time researching computers before I bought my current one. I wanted a Macintosh, but that brand was beyond my income level. I have used Apple products owned by friends; everyone I know who uses them raves about them. My primary interest in a computer is with using Adobe Photo Elements, word processing, e-mail, reading newspapers, and taking part in groups like this one. I ordered a board to use with simulations, but it came without instructions. I had no idea how to install the thing.

I bought my current computer during the aftermath of the hurricanes that hit Louisiana two years ago. This did cause a delay in delivery. There is an earlier reference to this in the archives.

[Francis (imported)]

:dong::dong:Well, I was never screwed by Dell. I have owned several Dell computers and have never had a problem with any of them apart from running out of capacity to handle Microsoft's ever increasingly complicated software so this is quite a surprise to hear that he was screwing so many people. They had a pretty good help desk but it never occurred to me to ask about extended services. It just never crossed my mind that he might be gay!!

[Sac_mec (imported)]

I felt screwed by Dell. After Christmas and when the VAT was first dropped by 2.5%

(an EU tax), I thought I'd upgrade my old XP laptop which was working very slowly. I went online and configured a new 'Vista' machine. I was asked for an e mail address and password and it seemed so unimportant that I didn't note down what I'd given them. I've never bought a PC and needed to give a password to the builder before.Some days later the new machine arrived. The first mistake was it was Vista and I had also not bought software support and I haven't a clue what the password is. Apparently this is loaded onto the re-config disk they include.I have problems which are still unresolved 4 months later. The technical support team offer no help with software issues and they all had such thick Indian accents that I gave up even phoning. Many Indians speak good English but Dell use Indian staff with very strong accents in my opinion which make it impossible to talk. The laptop works intermittently.Sometimes it loads up, sometimes it refuses to work.. Vista is worse than ME! I paid about £600 and I now use my old laptop reloaded with Ubuntu Linux; phew, wonderful. Would I buy Dell again,without software support and proper advice at the time of purchase NO I would not?

Would I buy in a hurry from a website again, no? What is so strange is that everywhere in the high street you see Dell machines.

(They obviously have a good local IT team included in their support).

[Visionary (imported)]

Due to the popularity boost that Dell got in the late 90's they stopped giving a damn about the product they produced. They have just become another Sony, another company that knows people will buy their crap just because it has their name on it.

For the past two years Sony has been beat out quality wise by Samsung and Panasonic in the Plasma/LCD/LED Television world, yet people still want to buy a Sony Television because it says Sony.

Dell has now been beat out 3 years straight by HP and Mac, and yet people still want to buy a Dell because their name is on it.

JUst some insight an how idiotic majority of Americans are now days. They trust names that know they can sell a piece of shit product just as long as their name is on the product and the box.