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Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

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A new TechRepublic poll asks, “Which big hardware vendor has provided your organization with the best customer service?
HP
Dell
IBM
Sun
Gateway
Apple”

Please tell us which vendor you’ve had the best luck with and share some of your experiences, including success stories and/or horror stories.

Topic

Best HArdware Vendor Service

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

Best hardware service vendor I deal with, is believe it or not, Kodak! I’m in charge of 2 Plasmon jukeboxes, which Kodak services.

A year ago, a picker went out on one of the boxes on a Christmas eve. I called for service. Unfortunetly, they didn’t have the picker unit in town and had to overnight it. Thankfully, I got a call the following Monday morning (Xmas was on a Friday). When ever I need service they are there.

Dell and Gateway

In reply to Best HArdware Vendor Service

We have only Dell (100) and Gateway (150) workstations ( 3 Gateway servers). I am the only tech support person. We stick to these vendors because of the 5-year service/warranty. Gateway’
s tech support is excellent. We switched to Dell because we had to replace 44 hard drives (Maxtor) in one batch of Gateways purchased two years ago. Gateway was very good–they actually sent replacements for the rest of the drives after half of them failed, even though they were currently OK.
I’ve found with either vendor, if you do your part (run the diagnostics you know they will ask you for, etc., before calling), things go pretty well 95% of the time.

dell has been awesome for us

In reply to Dell and Gateway

in the past two years, i have replaced every computer on our network with dell. we have four dell poweredge servers, and a mix of about 70 dell dimension and optiplex desktops. i always purchase the three-year next business day support, except on mission critical boxes, where i go with the 4-hour response level. i have only had to call tech support five times in the past two years. every single time, the phone was answered immediately, and the support person was knowledgeable and efficient. two of the calls were on the 4-hour response boxes. dell had a technician onsite to repair the problem within two hours in both cases. the other three were on next business day boxes. in every case, a replacement part was shipped to me the next morning. i could not be happier with dell’s technical support.

but don’t get me started on their sales and accounting staff. what a nightmare.

gateway gives no support and is clueless

In reply to Dell and Gateway

I don’t know what you do. But gateway I recommend for data entry ONLY and maybe some simple browsing!! any serious development or testing; performance or other, even I hate to admit IBM / Lenovo

Here is 1 issue I with gate way I have over 2,000 users all with workstations and some with laptop as well with all the perfs. dock external LCD etc.. I call gateway about a CRT monitor that is going dark and I need a replacement (monitor 6 months old). I go through the name, address, company maze, then I listen to the support speech; Did you check the cable, did you try it on a working machine all answers were YES, now I am asked for the workstation serial number the monitor came with. If anyone works with more than 5 users for more than a year, things will move around to where they are needed.
So I didn’t know the number requested. in gateways defense they were very nice when they quoted the reasons they could not help.
Thank you for letting me vent,
Davd

I have received excellent service from

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

MSI, Micro Star International. Their mobo’s have worked well for me, and whenever I need information, for instance about which Processor works best with a certain mobo, or for updating a bios, I get it ASAP. They also have a great, and easy to understand and use, website.

HP

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

HP has the best support and ease of setup is unmatched.
What about INTEL??? 24/7 support Internationally, have called a couple of times and they’ve helped when nobody else is awake. Been real life savers!!!

Dell? NOT!

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

A few years back I’d have said Dell; however in today’s marketplace, Dell has fallen victim to “Costs at any expense” just as all the other major players.
First off; call Dell tech support and doubtful you will receive a person who speaks a language you can understand.
Next, Dell now attempts to charge a 15% restocking fee on all returned equipment! For an eCommerce company whose business is nearly all on-line – this is completely ludicrous!
Third, Dell’s business practices have become unethical and morally incorrect whereas it is now obvious they are more about money than about customer satisfaction! Award winning technical support no longer applies to Dell!

Dell still assembles descent equipment, it just stinks having to deal with them!

That’s not my experience

In reply to Dell? NOT!

That’s not been my experience at all. We bought two servers recently to serve as a High Availability cluster. One (the primary) has the Gold Support package and the other (the standby machine) has the regular support. I had a lot of problems setting up the RAID arrays in the primary machine. They were all due to my unfamiliarity with RAID. The Gold support is phenomenal. You talk to a knowledgable tech within minutes and they were excellent. For a critical server, I would highly recommend spending the money…

The other (standby) machine had a failed RAID adapter. Even with the standard support, I was able to get the problem identified and a new adapter sent within a couple of hours. They walked me through the process of diagnostics very well. Not nearly the expertise of the Gold Support, but still very good.

Now, this is strictly relating to server hardware. From what I’ve seen and heard, the consumer end of the hardware *has* suffered, but the competition has degraded, also.

Hank Arnold

I agree, on the consumer side Dell suck

In reply to Dell? NOT!

I have had some pretty bad experiences with Dell UK with my Inspirons. Of particular note was their decision not to support XP on machines launched less than a year before XP hit the shelves. The “F-off” way I was treated led me to decide never to buy from them again. Which is a pity, because their hardware prices are often awsome. I guess you can sell it very cheap if you’re going to ignore lifetime support completely!!

Dell problems

In reply to Dell? NOT!

Have to agree that Dell has really fallen. To add to the list already noted, Dell says free shipping and adds a $29 handling fee, Dell has eye-catching low prices, but it is like buying a car and finding you didn?t ask for the steering wheel upgrade and it will cost extra. To sell more extended warranties Dell now gives only 90-day warranties on some NEW systems. I get 90-day warranties on refurbished equipment.

Dell is a great personal machine NOT a 24/7

In reply to Dell? NOT!

Dell is great when you use it once twice a day email surf etc. but as a business machine we have fried system boards(Many) we have a few Power Edges, they I found not to be any trouble.
The Dell laptops, I can not comment on.

Best Service? Here you go!

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

If you buy Dell and need service you could be talking to Apu in New Deli… if you buy HP and have an issue you could be talking to Rami in Bangladesh. These days all but IBM (tell me if im wrong) farms out service/support to India or some other 3rd world country. Now the caveat… IBM equipment sucks…. so… how well do you speak Indian?

Microsoft is also farming out alot of lower level support issues to Canada, India etc.

As far as Microsoft goes..awhile back I had a cluster server problem and was routed to Canada talking to a nice guy.. but hard to understand…apparently he had moved from Bombay a few months before. I finally said I think its working…called back and asked NOT to be routed OUT OF THE US….Did they listen? NO… I ended up with someone else I couldnt hardly understand. After a few grueling hours and new disk signatures I was back online. Although my brain was scrambled.

Gateway…man, dont EVEN go there
Sun – Have no idea
Apple – youre crazy

🙂
Jim Speed
LCHCS
Clinton, SC

It’s called corporate greed.

In reply to Best Service? Here you go!

You will only get domestic support if you are an enterprise customer. The rest of us are on our own. And, with the possible exception of SUN, all the computer vendors are doing it. At least the ones that make the fortune 500 greed list.

Gateway – Hands down best tech support.

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

They aren’t the biggest PC manufacturer, but in my opinion they have the best tech support and customer service. 99.9 times out of 100 I get my problem solved without being put on hold or being disconnected. I also have a sales rep that will also take care of any issues that may come up. With Dell I’m lucky if I talk to them in the same day I call.

that hasn’t been my experience with gateway

In reply to Gateway – Hands down best tech support.

when i first took my current job as the it manager for our company, one of the first issues i had to deal with was the sales department’s notebook computer that was used for roadtrips. they had purchased the notebook twelve months earlier, and it had been used exactly ten times. several of the keys on the keyboard no longer worked. first i tried to get tech support online, but nobody ever responded. then i attempted to get telephone support, and after spending an hour on hold, i finally got someone to talk to. they said that the notebook was no longer under warranty, and that it would cost a minimum of $150 to have them look at it. i told them that i was an experienced technician and i could replace the keyboard myself if they would just sell one to me but they refused. we decided that it was time to buy a more reliable product.

Gateway sets the standard

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

Competent, fast, and pleasant. Always able to get a live body on the other end. Customer support is the tie breaker between Dell and Gateway.

Investment is the key

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

When purchasing a computer system you need to make a choice, do I buy dirt cheap and with that comes the hassle of dirt cheap support, or do I ?invest? in business class hardware for mission critical initiatives? When purchasing from Dell, I use only the Optiplex and latitude line of systems and stay away from the consumer class dimension and inspirion. I also invest in the Gold level support when purchasing the extended warranty. I have not had any issues with service in the few instances I have needed support. If I do encounter any problem, my sales rep will help me out.
I have the advantage of working in a medium to large company, and I have a assigned person I can call for quotes and customer service issues.

On the small to medium business I consult with on the side, for those who have taken my advice, and purchased the business class line of systems, the level of support is dramatically different then those who bought the consumer grade systems.

Where I live, support for HP/Compaq is still marginal at best.

Apple- I only have 2 vendors who support that line, both are marginal, and the techs have no idea a world outside of MAC exists, so integration is still a pain in the arse.

I have been impressed with IBM, they seemed to have gotten their act together.

Spot on!!

In reply to Investment is the key

I agree 1000% with everything you say. Any corporation/company (small/medium/large) buying a 24/7 critical server who doesn’t get the extended/Gold warrantee deserves everything that happens to them.

As to workstation type hardware, I’m a lot more flexible. I agree about the business/Optiplex hardware. More expandability and options as well as better corporate discounts. As to the warrantee, though, I can easily support the 1-year standard warantee as long as the company has decent internal tech support and/or you can do without the machine for a day or so. Having a spare machine available to replace a failed workstation can easily be justified by the savings on 30-40 workstations with standard vs extended/gold support as well as not losing productivity…..

Hank Arnold

Hot Swaps-

In reply to Spot on!!

Hank you bring up a great point, with the cost of desktop systems and even laptops, you could save a bundle by purchasing a few hot swaps to be used in case you have a problem.

As far as servers go, I lean towards IBM and Dell as a defacto standard.

BEST SERVICE

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

We have around 180 pcs, majority Dell machines.
Dell used to be one of the best in support but now everything if farmed out to India, because when I need help I cannot understand the person on the other side of the phone.
Recently I swithed buying from HP and so far I have nothing but praise for their support people.
It is not easy to have problem on your hands and at the same time not understanding what the other person is saying.
I experienced bad Gateway hardware, expensive Apple hardware and IBM sold their pc business to Chinese company.

HP and IBM

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

I don’t handle server support for my company, but for pc support, I have been very satisfied with HP and IBM.

I agree with other posters who have said that business class machines are the way to go. We insist on it even for computers bought by home users. It makes all the difference.

Same – same. but don’t mention Blackberry

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

All these manufacturers – at least their laptops – are put together (all, or in part) in China by the same company named “Quanta.” See the following URL:

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB111825761813954442-d4x_lQnm5A2GOO1NR6Wi_DBAyys_20050709.html?mod=blogs

or:
http://tinyurl.com/b59nl

As far as I know, all their customer service is outsourced to India; including IBM – in fact, India is the home of IBM’s global center. See:
http://us.rediff.com/money/2005/oct/19ibm.htm

I’ve had both good service and crappy service from all of these vendors. The only one that stands out at all is Dell because when they’re bad, they *really* suck – worse than the others.

One company not mentioned here (until this sentence) is Blackberry (Research In Motion – or RIM). That company has – by far – the absolute worst customer service of any technology company with which I’ve ever dealt. They are horrible! What’s worse, every technician I’ve spoken with at Blackberry/RIM is American.

I’d put them right at the bottom of the customer service pile – right next to Best Buy *shudder*

The Indian folks at least make an effort and treat me with a modicum of respect – even if I can’t understand them half the time.

HP (for Alpha/DEC), DELL for PC / Server

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

At my previous company, we had a couple of Alpha 4100s …which were supported under HP. They always went out of their way to help us out …and their hardware replacement was usually in 4 hours (for a Silver support agreement).

However, with Dell, we opted for the GOLD! Replacement parts usually arrived within an hour or two unless the part had come from the West Coast… then maybe a little longer.

We did have some Gateway desktops, which were absolutely horrible. I’d say out of maybe 150 PC’s, about 75% of them had some sort of hardware issue somewhere down the line.

For our few IBM servers, we had no issues with them or the support as well.

Apple – these guys rock with hardware, SUCK with the OS. I’m a Unix/Linux/Windows guy …and some of the things on the MAC I ended up figuring out on my own …because their support guy “uuuuhhhhh, didn’t know”.

Reply To: Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

In reply to HP (for Alpha/DEC), DELL for PC / Server

I’d have to say Dell has provided us with the best service so far. We deal with them and Gateway and HP and a couple of smaller vendors.

Gateway and HP

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

Dell service stinks. Talk to 5 different techs there about the same problem and you get 5 different answers. The only thing most of their techs seem to know how to do is point and click. If that doesn’t get the answer, sorry.

Gateway service is superb and HP is great.

Reply To: Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

On my country that list change to this:
HP
Toshiba (laptop)
Sony (laptop)
Dell
IBM
Apple
Sun

Reply To: Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

On my country that list change to this:
HP
Toshiba (laptop)
Sony (laptop)
Dell
IBM
Apple
Sun

i would say HP and IBM

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

i would say HP and IBM

they are really have brains at these places and the tech support is very good.

Re : service provider

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

Hi,

I think all IT Hardware service providers are
doing well.They mostly satisfied all the consumers for their help to problem.But in my opinion service.ztronics.com is also a good Hardware service provider.

clevo Repair

The best service I got.

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

Hi I would like to share my experience regarding my laptop. I am living in sheffield and I had bought the laptop from IBM. They are extremely good. But once I have to give my laptop for repair after the warranty period has been over . So I have chosen Laptop repair sheffield .They gave me fully satisfied service with proper follow up.
So people do visit there and give the proper service to your PC and laptops.

Best service for your laptops

In reply to Which computer hardware vendor provides the best service?

Hi I would like to share my experience regarding my laptop. I was living in sheffield and I had bought the laptop from IBM. They are extremely good. But once I had to give my laptop for repair after the warranty period has been over . So I have chosen Laptop repair sheffield .They gave me fully satisfied service with proper follow up.
So people do visit there and give the proper service to your PC and laptops.

[Author]

Replies