So I just recently graduated with a degree in computer science finally, and I decided to buy myself an Alienware laptop as a gift to myself using some of the money that family members gave me. Well I placed my order on the 19th of June, was given an estimated delivery of July 3rd. So on the 3rd I get an email saying that it is being delayed and would not arrive until the 15th. So I call and ask why was I not given notification before hand and was given the run around. So now that were getting closer to the 15th I've contacted customer support to check on my order, and was assured that the machine had been built and was being sent to their distribution center to be delivered and I should expect it on Monday. This was on Friday that I was told this, so I check my order status today and still see that its in "processing" so being worried I contact dell again and am told that the machine has not yet been built and that there is a delay and I most likely wont see the machine until the 21st! So I complain that I was told that it has already been built and was told I would have it Monday and so the rep transfers me to someone else who looks and tells me that the machine is being built now and i will have it by the end of the week. What the hell is going on, this is horrible, how can they just lie to me and expect me to be okay with it, this is no way to treat a customer! So I go and look up dell on Reseller Ratings, and see they have a HORRIBLE and I mean horrible rating, a 2.32 for the last 6 months and an overall lifetime rating of 4! I read through a lot of these reviews and see nothing but the same, and now I wonder if I've made a mistake ordering from them. Has anyone else been treated this way by Dell? Should I cancel my order?

Quote: Original post by xDS4Lx
What the hell is going on, this is horrible, how can they just lie to me and expect me to be okay with it, this is no way to treat a customer! So I go and look up dell on Reseller Ratings, and see they have a HORRIBLE and I mean horrible rating, a 2.32 for the last 6 months and an overall lifetime rating of 4! I read through a lot of these reviews and see nothing but the same, and now I wonder if I've made a mistake ordering from them. Has anyone else been treated this way by Dell? Should I cancel my order?

Dell has had atrocious service, and their low-end machines have had abominable quality, for as long as I have interacted with them (a good few years).

Alienware, on the other hand, is an independent subsidiary of Dell, and although I haven't used them myself, I have heard decent things about their service.

Look here:
forum topic

Bad service can have its advantages :)

Many years ago, I ordered a Dell, with a certain person, let's call her X, as sales contact (or whatever you call it). Things went smoothly, no complaints there.

Years later, time for four new computers (me and 3 family members). X was promoted to another division, and couldn't deal with my order. She referred me to another sales person Y. It took 2 weeks for Y to answer my email (asking for an offer for 4 PCs). Turned out the model (cost 1600€ I think) I asked for was discontinued by then. I wanted a pc with a GPU better than an NVidia 8600, and the only availabel model was one which cost 2500€. I tell Y that I'll take the 2500€ model instead, but no response. I contact X again, complaining about Y's silence, X answers immediately by telling she sent an angry mail to X and her boss. Y quickly sends a message with apologies. Problem is that, by then, the 2500€ model suddenly cost 3000€. This process was repeated a few times, and in the end, 2 months later, I had the choice between a 1400€ PC with an 8600, or, the next step up, a 5000+€ PC with 8800GTX-SLI and water cooling and whatnot. Also, we still didn't have a real offer for the three other PCs. I go back to X to complain once more about the absurdity of the situation, and she decides to take over. She made us three exceptional offers; selling us the PCs for the base price, but with many upgrades (4GB RAM, bigger screens, faster CPU, MS Office, ...), resulting in a discount of 30-40% or so.

I ended up building my own PC (something I always wanted to do), but we bought the other three computers at Dell.


And don't get me started on their technical support. That's just abominable. In the end they'll just get their customers to lie about their problems so that they can get the replacement parts they're due.

Quote: Original post by laztrezort
Look here:
forum topic

Yeah it seems customer support has dropped dramatically over the last couple of years even with Dell the man back:
"American consumers rated Apple Computer with the PC industryis highest customer satisfaction scores in the second quarter, while Dell Inc. took a dramatic drop as their customers complained of long-wait times and few answers, a new survey revealed Tuesday."
Personally, I've never cared for them since half the pc's I worked on in the military were Dell and were nothing but headaches support wise.

The funny part is that Dell consumer and business divisions are completely different when it comes to support.

If you are a business (other then small business, they are taken care of by the consumer division) then you will often get amazing support. If you are just an average person, then well, you are pretty much nothing.

theTroll

Welcome to Dell. I work with a guy who worked at Dell and he said the company is a complete mess. I don't have time to go into the horror stories but I made the mistake of ordering a dell 8 or 9 years ago and had the exact same deal you had.

People I work with have ordered alienwares with the exact same experience you had as well. (One guys alienware came unbuilt!!!)

I'm so glad I switched to mac :)

Well they finally shipped my laptop, BUT, they sent it standard ground shipping when I ordered and paid for next business day, so they tell me that once it arrives I can call them and they will refund me the shipping, I'm sure that once I do they are going to give me the run around once again. This will be the last time I every buy Dell no matter how nice the laptop is.

Quote: Original post by xDS4Lx
Well they finally shipped my laptop, BUT, they sent it standard ground shipping when I ordered and paid for next business day, so they tell me that once it arrives I can call them and they will refund me the shipping, I'm sure that once I do they are going to give me the run around once again. This will be the last time I every buy Dell no matter how nice the laptop is.

Personally, I would call them and tell them to cancel your order, and that you will be buying from another company. Honestly, if they can't even get the Shipping right on what you have already paid for, then they have no reason to be in business.

Unfortunately, their policy is that once it goes into "production" you can not cancel, the only way is to refuse delivery and pay a 15% restocking fee. I have filed a complaint with the better business bureau because this is just absolutely ridiculous.