T
tech_enthu
Regulars
A friend of mine recently purchased a Dell pc. The story is quite interesting. Just bear with me, it is a bit longish. 1. A model was selected on line from the dell site. Quote was sent by email, and chased by a marketing engineer by regular phone calls.2. Within 3 days of the quote, there was a press ad. and a better model was available.3. Contacted the marketing man for a new quotation, change of options etc. He had to be told ref. no from the ad; he was not able to locate it himself.4. Model selected (about Rs. 38000) and order faxed to Bangalore. (5 sep 07)5. Payment: The marketing man wanted a crossed draft or wanted the credit card number (which obviously was refused). There is no provision to pay on line. After calls and emails, a bank account no. was given for money transfer.6. Now the order was accepted and acknowledged by email. Follow up is to be done by checking the dell site. It has several stages - factory manufacture and dispatch - on transit - receipt at local warehouse - delivery - installation.7. The computer was dispatched from Singapore on 8 sep and was in transit for about 3 weeks. 8. Three days after placing the order, the web site had a model with higher processing power but at a lesser price (by about 4000). Dell’s marketing man became incommunicado, was not answering the phone or replying to emails. Even the group leader was evasive and offered to resolve the issue as soon as possible. 9. Bingo, the higher-end model at lesser price vanished from the web site; the marketing man was not aware of any such model; he insisted that my friend should have made a screen copy of the offer as this kind of web mistakes occur sometimes. 10. There was another equivalent model at a lesser price (7000), but not recommended by the marketing man. When confronted he said that that the model is manufactured in India and when all the taxes are added, it may cost the same. He offered to send a quotation, but never did. End of all communication. 11. No response from Dell India on complaints sent by email. Total silence from all sides; my friend also gave up. 12. Computer delivered on 24/09 by courier. 13. Message from dell on 27/09 that the computer is in transit and expected delivery date is 3/10. 14. After waiting for 3 days, my friend opened the packing, connected everything and powered it up. All documentation was perfect, so powering up was a breeze. Everything was perfect. 15. A service engineer called around 10th oct; when told that the comp is already up, asked whether a visit was necessary. When queried whether dell will refund the installation and commissioning charges (1500), he offered to visit and check everything, as refund is . 16. He visited, checked and signed the commissioning report “Powered up by the customer and everything is fine.” 17. The computer is working well, and my friend is very happy with the hardware and performance. 18. On 26 Oct, late evening, he faced a problem – internet connectivity related, ip address clash – caused by meddling with the settings. When dell tel. assistance was sought, he got this recorded message – This service is available only during normal working hours, Monday to Friday. Please contact on Monday. Moral when dealing with Dell: 1. You must be computer savvy or a total novice to select a model for ordering, as you will not get any help from Dell in selection. 2. After placing the order and making payment, you have to wait and wring your hands. Delivery and installation will happen at Dell’s pleasure. 3. You must have faith in God and prayers and hope that the comp does not break down, especially on Friday evening. I am sorry this has become a long posting. I have tried to condense it as much as I can.
