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Dell Support

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by andy the it bloke

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I have become very disheartened by the level of support from Dell when I have to make a support call.

We all know the reason for offshoring their call centres is to save money and to give us cheaper computers, but the reality is that a support call now takes 2 to 3 times longer than it used to:
1. Because of the quality of the phone system from wherever I call them. It sounds like the call centre is based under the ocean it's that bad. It also sounds like the hold music is played on an old-fashioned gramaphone.
2. Language difficulties understanding the person on the other end of the phone. I constantly have to ask them to repeat things because I simply cannot understand them, and in return I have to spell out simple words and names for them. I cannot roll out a long paragraph of a scenario to them either, instead I have to use short George Bush style soundbites so they can take in what I'm saying to them.

It makes a support call very, very stressful.

Before you suggest to me don't use them, I would no longer have them as my computer supplier of choice, I'm just the poor IT guy who has to make these calls for my customers. :-(

26 replies

by jaqui

Dell support is non existent.

I had that happen, zip for support, even before they offshored the call centers.

Dell Canada didn't support the specific model laptop, Dell USA wouldn't support it for me, because Dell Canada exists.
so, a dead Dell laptop with zero for support from Dell.
[ power supply circuit in the laptop shorted out, fried half the innards so not worth repairing ]

by oldbag

If you bought the system in the US, then this is a common problem with warranty agreements. Never, ever buy expensive equipment in the states if you live in Canada as this can void the warranty. I know that it appears to be cheaper but this is the problem you avoid if you purchase within Canada.

by ccthompson

I use a local company called TNL Technologies. They build their own brand of PCs on a small basis. They can usually match Dell's prices and if you have problems, you are going to talk to an English speaking person.

I can provide their number if your interested, or maybe there is a local company in your area that does the same thing.

Hope this helps!

by candy

All I can provide is empathy. I've been where you are, made the calls you make, and had the same disheartening experiences.

There were a few calls that I had to make where I had to (rather than enter 1 or whatever number) speak out loud to get through the answering system. My coworkers would crack up as I spoke loudly and clearly, and randomly at least from their perspective - it was an open-air environment, so I didn't have the luxury of closing my door to muffle the noise of sounding like a dolt shouting out the verbal cues. Technical Tourettes, anyone? And that was all -before- I got to speak to a real live human bean.

Then again, I experienced similar support call headaches when dealing with Sony.. HP.. Electrovaya.. Gateway. None of them are a picnic, really.

Just grin'n'bear it, I suppose. And remember.. it could be worse. I'm not sure -how- it could be, exactly, but if I think of something, I'll let you know ;)

by oldbag

Bell Canada now has most of its support staff in India. When you call, the support staff never waver from their appointed script. You can never get through to a supervisor or manager because they are in offices in Canada. I have found this to be a major frustration.

More and more companies are setting up offices overseas. When are they going to realize that customer do no appreciate the problems caused by their cost-cutting measures?

When we purchase Dell systems, we take the GOLD support. When I need help, I am much better treated than the standard support line.

(Edit: typo)

by jamesrl

I signed up the kit for Sympatico DSL a few years back and they sent the modem and software. Now they had to have done the standard check when the signed me up to see if I met the distance requirement. BTW, as a former Norteller(at one time Bell Canada owned 50 % of Nortel), I know exactly where my CO is located, and it is within 2 km.

When I went to install it however, no signal. They told me I was too far from the CO. I assured them I was not. The call centre script readers would not deviate. I signed up with another DSL provider and everything was fine. That DSL provider, BTW has to use the Bell CO.

By the way, for Bell I had another issue where they did some work on the CO and killed my voice line. They restored my voice line and killed my DSL. I got the usual run around and finally in frustration I went to their website and found a customer ombudsman who sorted everything out in a couple of days.

My company has not had a great experience with Indian offshoring, and is going another route. They are building call centres in low cost locations in the US. Some call centres in larger more expensive locations will close. Preferable to India though.

James

by oldbag

I'm glad to hear that your company (since I know them well) abandoned off-shore support. Not only will your customers appreciate it but the support staff that are hired for the remote centres will have a job that they may not have had otherwise.

While I cannot begrudge employment for support centre staff off-shore, companies need to think this through very carefully. A pro for off-shore is cost-saving but I suspect that these companies will find that local support is appreciated and more efficient.

by rhomp20029

My DSL provider was an international company. They contracted with a local company who then contracted the line usage with the telephone company. When I had a problem I had to call the international company who then called the local company. The local company then called the phone company and then passed the message back up the line to the international company who then called me to say that a trouble ticket had been opened up by the central phone office. When the 4th trouble ticket had supposedly been opened up by the central phone office with no results at all, I told them to cancel trouble tickets 1-4 and also cancel my DSL service. I called my local cable provider and got twice the speed for $2.00 more per month connected in 2 days and I only had one number to call for immediate service. I have not looked back since. I also will never recommend that DSL provider for anything at all - ever again.

by rhomp20029

Don't purchase Dell in the first place. Then you won't have to worry about the treatment you will not get from the standard or the GOLD support lines at all. That is a win-win for you and a lose-lose for Dell. Eventually they may figure out that their policies are losing customers right and left and address the problem, but then it may be too late. Too bad!!

by mfierro5

I've been a Dell customer for the last 17 years in Spain and I will continue so. I have been customer of another computer brands over this time (HP, IBM, Compaq) and, by far, the best suppport level has been always from Dell. My experience is in the enterprise market, not in the consumer one, so I don't know if this conclussion could be the same.
During this time, we have got support from Spain, France and Ireland, always in clear, understable flat spanish.

So, whoever who ask me, I recommend Dell. It could not be perfect at some point, but for us that is the exception one, not the rule.

by jdmercha

I was given a phone number for Dell that gets me directly to the level II techs in Austin.

I've not had a problem with Dell support at all. Even still I prefer to use their web chat support when I can.

by kjell_andorsen

Well we have a Dell Premier account and have generally had great experience. In the few instances we've had problems I have the phone number of a guy I used to work with who is now a senior dell tech support manager. It can really help matters

by rhomp20029

That having the name and phone number of a senior Dell tech support manager can really help matters is good for you. The problem is the rest of us do not have this number and the service we get is beyond abysmal. Why then should we or anyone else have to pay more to rely on knowing someone in order to get even minimal service response. You should not have to call in your chips with a friend to get service. For the price Dell is charging you should get that level of service without asking. That you don't speaks volumes about the way Dell looks at their customer base and the way they treat them.

by inkling

Here is some real advice on how you can improve your experience.

First and foremost, what kind of company do you work at? Do you have a Dell sales rep?

If you have a Dell sales rep, explain to him an issue you are having, hell even if it's a fake one. Ask if he can direct you to a number that you don't have to wait 45 minutes for (ask nicely of course). Wait a few days and send him an e-mail saying that his help was invaluable in getting the issue addressed, blah, blah, blah. Ask for his supervisor's e-mail address so you can let the supervisor know how pleased you are with the service. Send the supervisor an e-mail about how wonderful your sales rep is and CC the rep on it.

You will have that sales rep wrapped around your little finger for good. My company buys very little from Dell, but I used the above scenario and my Dell rep calls me from time to time to see if I have any issues and they never include hassling me about whether or not I'm "planning any major purchases", etc.

If I do e-mail him with an issue, I get a phone call in a matter of minutes nine times out of ten.

I had a MOBO issue on something that was out of warranty. The MOBO had some manufacturing issues (transistors if I remember correctly) though so I figured I would give it a shot. I e-mailed my rep at 4:30pm EST and he called me back right away. There was a new mother board waiting for me (shipped from TX) when I got in the next morning at 10:00, free of charge.

I'm always the first to complain all the way up the chain-of-command when I get horrid service, so when I get good service I make sure to send kudos up the chain as well. It has paid off about ten-thousand times over.

Lacking a sales rep...once you do finally get in touch with level 2 tech support, do the same thing I mentioned above for the tech you deal with. I have the e-mail of 3 different Dell techs because I have done that and those guys always know the right people to call.

Having said that, I have always had nothing but wonderful support from Dell. From my personal computer which got fried when our house was struck by lightning (new MOBO, RAM, power supply, CPU, basically everyhing shipped to my house in a few days and I never even had to return the old stuff), to business issues.

Compaq is far and away the worst I have ever dealt with. When I was in the Marine Corps I had to deal with them and I hated every second of it. I rarely got someone that spoke English well, so I would go through tech after tech until I could carry on a conversation with one of them. I would politely but firmly tell them to get me someone that I could understand.

Of course, this was all before I came up with my plan.

by virginiabeachbum

I worked for Dell on Call for a year,and we allways got those same complaints when customer's called in and got to my level (2).
Currently i work for Vonage VoIP advanced supportand it's the same complaint. I just kinda have to take the bitching from them with a smile,,kinda ;).
The world of business today looks at the bottom line unfortunately. So outsourcing is their way of saving money. I could'nt tell you how many times I've had this discussion with customer's.
Also it depends on the technician himself and how capable he is obviously. I gotta wonder about the people across the pond when I see some things they tell people to do to fix the problem.

by drdoolittle2800

I know most of you guys are IT people, but I'm retired from the computer biz and can't get around Dell's terrible (ie nonexistent) service:

Two years ago I bought an XPS with dual 3.4 Ghz XT processors, a top-of-the-line ATI video card, Dell's 24" LCD flat panel and a bunch of gizmos (e.g. dual 250 GB WD HDs with RAID 1, 2 non-RAID IDE HDs, etc). Needless to say, "Level II" service came with it! How exciting...

First call went great. Problem resolved. Real live English speakers even.

This last year my efforts to reach that same group were stymied. I couldn't call until after 5:00 pm. After that I think Dell closes up and goes home for the night. ALL calls must then be routed to China or India. One woman was so bad I couldn't even understand her name, let alone the boilerplate crap she was trying to read from her English manual! She was unintelligible and I speak 3 languages.

Needless to say, never again with Dell. Too late, Michael Dell. You waited too long before climbing back into the pilot's seat. Any company that treats me like this doesn't get repeat business. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Next big computer will be homemade. I can't screw up the service any worse than Dell did. The worst part is, I don't think any other company is doing any better in this day and age of "vaporware" service...

Sad and hopeless in Minnesota :-(

by andy the it bloke

It makes me angry when any multi-national company that has billions of dollars sitting in their bank account feels the need to save money!

It's all very well offering us cheaper computers, but if there's no customer support....

I'd rather have an extra ?20 ($30) slapped onto the cost of the computer in the knowledge that when I need support, that call centre is based much closer to home.

by virginiabeachbum

when you call in say you're working with the advanced team and you've called multiple times. That will get you transferred out of india and the script based knuckleheads right away! ;)

by puternerd451

I have a better tip just tell whoever answers the phone that you have already been talking to the REC or Resolution Expert Center and that your issue was escalated to them. If they cannot find any notes then drop a couple of names like Jeffrey Scully is a big one. He helped me get 35 Optiplex units fixed recently. When Dell Tech Support was going to make me go unit to unit. He also helped me with the laptop of the CEO of my company a month later. I just emailed him again and he helped me. Mark Ward is another good name to use. The other day I called in on a flat panel they Dell wanted me to get another flat panel to try. I told them it was making a bad smell. I ask to be escalated to Jeffrey and I was transfered to his extention after about ten minutes.

by wescrock

... I kind of disagree... For awhile there, the service was bad... But I must say, It is making a comeback since bringing their call centers to Canada.

But yes... A tip...

Just say that "I have already done that" to everything they suggest.... it works

by wayoutinva

I was looking at ordering a new computer for one of the guys i work for..and noticed that on the higher range models they are making a selling point out of "North American Based Support"...I wonder why.........

by jamesrl

My company hasn't closed the centre, but it isn't looking to expand it at all, and it is no longer seen as an alternative to North American centres. Its been restricted to certain functions. Not many people will get them on first call.

My company did a big study and decided that "inshoring" was the way to go - looking for low cost places as opposed to major centres. And they can save money doing that. Even by moving from the big city in one state to a rural location a couple of hundred miles away, their real estate costs, taxes and wages are lower. The staff who can move will keep their existing wage and be able to buy a nicer house.

James

by oldbag

Since I have the unique perspective of being a former support technician and customer, I have some obversations:

An error many companies make is doing away with local support centres, especially when their customer base is extremely specialized. Customers notice the lack of the personal touch. If a support centre concentrates on an assigned customer base, the staff becomes more familiar with their needs and are actually more responsive. Also, customers appreciate talking to a familiar voice. Every once in a while, I encounter a former customer and they still tell me how much they appreciated my assistance. (PS Your direct competition has local support centres.)

Companies with call centres tend to base performance reviews on stats. This creates a lot of presure on the support technician and causes a great deal of frustration on the part of the customer. Techs must get on the next call quickly to keep up the stats and get a good review. It has been noted by several people that I am much more relaxed now that I no longer work in that environment.

Oh, has your company considered opening a support centre in a low-employment area of Canada? Several areas come to mind including the Maritimes and South-Western Ontario?

by systemsgod

I still remember years ago when Dell was far and away the top hardware vendor in the area of customer support and satisfaction. Fact was, nobody was ever fired for buying a Dell in those days.

Fast forward to today, and the last time I had to call Dell for support, it took me 10 minutes on the phone with the support tech just to verify my customer info. When you cant even get past the language barrier (her thick accent was obviously Indian, although, she said her name was "Judy"...), you know the quality of support will suffer.

The truth is that offshoring is just like anything else: you get what you pay for. Yeah, you may save a few bucks, but, is it worth the expense of eroding and alienating your customer base? Is it worth losing repeat business?

Maybe now that Michael Dell is back he will turn things around for them. The first thing he should do is move support back home to Round Rock where it belongs, but, I wouldn't hold your breath on that.

by gnx

I have been dealing with Gateway for about 12 years and have had no major problems with their sales or service. I have had the same sales rep now for about 5 or 6 years. I have dealt with Dell in the past, but was not really satisfied with their service.

by drdoolittle2800

Didn't you find it difficult to get service from a company that closed its doors when they couldn't meet payroll nor pay its vendors?

I know they reorganized under bankruptcy protection, but I would have thought there'd have been some problems with them from the IT perspective? Incredible company if there weren't...

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