Dell Breaks Customer's New Laptop Remotely, Won't Send Him Replacement
Anthony has been a long-time Dell customer and has shared his positive experiences with friends and family, but that's come to an end thanks to Dell's abysmal customer service. It's been one month since he first received his new Studio 15 Laptop, which worked correctly for 4 days. Since then, he's been on the phone with Dell for a total of 14 hours, he's watched a Dell CSR remotely break his laptop by interrupting the BIOS flash, he's been locked out of the data on his hard drive, and there's still no replacement laptop on the way to him. When he copied us on this email, he added, "All I wanted was the computer that I paid for long ago."
I'd like to begin by saying that, in the past, I have made efforts to speak praise of Dell whenever possible. When a colleague, friend, or relative has asked me for computer purchasing advice, I loudly proclaim, "You can't go wrong with a Dell!"
Dell CSR of the Year hard at work.Unfortunately, I will no longer be able to make such recommendations with confidence. This is a result of the experience I have recently had following a Studio 15 Laptop purchase. I have been appalled and disheartened at the complete lack of competent customer service that I have received with a machine that arrived functioning improperly. As much as I have enjoyed the several Dell machines I have purchased over the years, I doubt that I will make any subsequent purchases from Dell. The following is a brief account of this troubling experience:
- 03/12/2009: Order Dell Studio 1537
- 03/20/2009: Unit delivered
- 03/24/2009: Began noticing that the left side "ctrl" button was sticking and functioning erratically
- 04/04/2009: "Ctrl" button still not function properly
- 04/05/2009: Contact Dell Tech Support in an effort to correct the "ctrl" button issue
- Although the problem was characteristic of a hardware issue, the tech support representative attacked it from the perspective of a software issue. He remotely accessed the machine and reinstalled keyboard drivers without any resolution. He then attempted to flash the computer's BIOS remotely. After a delay in the attempted flash, he shut down the computer before the process had completed. Following this, the computer would not power up again. He instructed me to remove the bottom panel of the machine and swap the memory to no avail. The computer would not power up.
- The representative informed me that this was an issue with the motherboard and that a new one would be sent to me. I stated that this was unacceptable and that I would need a replacement system. Additionally, as the representative had not advised me to back-up my 320 GB hard drive prior to his attempted flash, all of my personal and small business information was rendered inaccessible.
- I was then told that I would be shipped a SATA – USB adaptor to retrieve the hard drive data.
- I was told a replacement system would be expeditiously produced and shipped to me.
- Total time on the phone: 5 hours
- 04/06/2009: I contact Dell Customer support to check on my order status. I am told by two different representatives that no record of the replacement could be found. I am inadvertently hung up on several times. I am finally told that they believe a new unit has been ordered and that I should check back in 24-48 hours on the status. I am told that I will not be notified of status by email or through my Dell online account. Total time on the phone: 3 hours.
Dell CSR taking a break.- 04/07/2009: I contact Dell Customer Support to check on my order status. This call is handled in almost identical fashion as was the previous day's call. After being told by several representatives that no record of a replacement could be found, and having been hung-up on at least twice, I am told that an order seems to have been placed and I should check back in 24-48 hours. Total time on the phone: 2.5 hours.
- 04/08/2009: I track down a number for "Dell Corporate" through an online blog. I contact this number and reach a US Switchboard Operator who checks my order and provides an order number: [redacted]. He tells me that I should receive the replacement unit on 04/16/2009. He also tells me that the SATA to USB adaptor has been ordered. Total time on the phone: 15 minutes.
- 04/09/2009: I check my order number and see that it is in production with an estimated delivery date of 04/16/2009.
- 04/15/2009: I check my order number and find that it is still "In Production" and that the Estimated Delivery Date information is now listed as "Unavailable".
- I contact Customer Service to find out more about my order.
- I am hung up on inadvertently at least 4 times.
- I contact the corporate number and they have no further information available on the replacement unit or the SATA – USB adaptor.
- I am transferred to Customer Service and told that my unit may be back ordered, but that the information is unavailable.
Monument to past CSRs at Dell HQ.- I am told that there is no record of the SATA – USB adaptor ever being ordered.
- I am left without any definitive information on the replacement unit or the adaptor.
- I am passed from Customer Care to Return to Tech Support on multiple occasion, all with no resolution.
- Total time on the phone: 3 hours
At this point I am extremely frustrated and a bit angered. I originally ordered this machine more than a month ago. Today I am left without any computer at all. I have spent nearly 14 hours on the phone with Dell. I have no way of retrieving the data off of the hard drive from the computer that tech support destroyed. When I speak to representatives I am left with a feeling that my issue is unimportant. I would expect, in situations such as these, that a replacement is expedited. Also, I have often been told that, "Another department will have to speak with you about this; I have no record of it". Why would all representatives not be able to see my information?
Anthony says he needs Dell to deal with the following:
- replace the unit immediately ("by week's end");
- send the promised adaptor so he can retrieve the data off his hard drive;
- compensate him for the time and energy he's wasted trying to work in good faith with Dell's "inexcusably poor customer service."
(Photos: Sister72, keystricken, WilsonB, Matti Mattila)
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Comments:
Jesus, a remote bios flash? Are they insane? I mean I have done some dumb things to fix computers but a remote bios flash is just about the riskiest gamble you could take. If there is anything I have patience of steel it's updating a bios because it's all or nothing. If it stalls for a little bit you better have a backup or start backing up.
Dell is the Walmart of computers. I hope you are happy with your purchase. And if your control button is broken...here are 2 tips. A) tell the dell dude to send you a new keyboard....b) go out and buy a new keyboard. See problem solved.
If you want to get a feel for the technical abortion that has become Dell, take a look at what became of their user support forum. It used to be a place where highly knowledgeable users exchanged problems and solutions to problems they faced with their Dell machines. About 6 months ago, Dell decided it was time for a revamp ... and they replaced it with a system that's flaky at best. When it stays up, it's virtually useless. However, most of the time, it's so unstable that anything you submit results in an error screen. They started a thread to solicit feedback, and netted a 4.2% approval rating of the new forum. Yet despite the constructive criticism, they soldiered on with their new foray into the a garbage support forum. Poll results are here:
That is .... if the thing is even up.
Once back in the late '90s I had an issue with a Gateway laptop. They ended up replacing it, and the new one had issues, too. After a tremendous amount of time working out the issues I told them i wanted something for my troubles if they ever wanted me to *consider* buying another Gateway. They asked what type of compensation. I told them cash would be nice. They sent me a check for $200. I haven't bought a Gateway since.
Kind of makes you want to drive to the home of Dell's CEO and throw the laptop through the windshield of his brand-spanking new luxury car, huh?
This is why Dell's in trouble. They built their business on selling decent quality computers at a reasonable price with good service. They've managed to stay price competitive but they've compromised too much on the quality of product and service.
This is what happens when you give your CS people no power or real training and make them subject to the law of metrics. You have a customer that just needed a keyboard replacement ($20 part but likely not something the rep could authorize. And, come on, anyone w/ enough experience with Dell knows their keyboards fail constantly.) The rep tries to fix through software because that's all he can do and turns it into a way more expensive process. The customer gets hung up on repeatedly because CS reps get in trouble if their call times get too long. Now they have to give another laptop to a guy who will be an ex-customer anyway and he's likely steered a few more away from them. Cheaping out on CS is penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Not trying to blame the OP, but has he attempted to re-flash his BIOS? AFAIK, all that is required is a floppy. True, I have never interuppted a BIOS flash, but I can't remember is I have ever heard of someone "bricking" a mobo.
As for the data, I bought a nice little USB to ATA/IDE gadget for 24.00 from NewEgg that had worked miracles, and it's not bad to always have around.
All I'm saying is sometimes you have to try to solve the problem yourself while someone else is figuring it out. I mean, it's not like he can ruin it "more".
my family of 3 currently have 6 computers 5 of which are dells. only time i ever had a problem was with a backorderd processor and when i called and complained it was upgraded and sent out the next day.
Are you a business customer, or residential? I've noticed Business customers get better support from these places.
The only gripe I have with this is his demand for compensation for his trouble. I absolutely hate it when people insist that they be compensated for their time and energy put into a problem. This is the real world; shit happens that you have to deal with. You don't deserve to get "compensated" for everything that happens, regardless of who is at fault. He deserves a new computer and an apology, nothing more. Expecting "compensation" is simply unreasonable in my opinion.
@FigNinja: Yeah, I remember way back when people were touting the line "Dell might have more proprietary components, but they make up for it with their superior service"
Clearly that doesn't seem to be applying anymore. I know dell closed their brand new call center over here (was only like 3 years old) last summer and laid off all 800 employees I think.
Why did he let the CSR do that when it was a hardware problem?
Sometimes, I don't think CSR listen to the other end. They just listen on and off for keywords and then try to solve it from there.
Weird I just referred one of my clients back to Dell to get help restoring his machine back to factory defaults (I'm not allowed to do this since I don't support Windows) and they helped him very quickly and without incident. His two other calls to them for support also went quite smoothly.
@Raekwon: They're probably a business user, and there's more overhead with business users because there's generally someone willing to breathe fire down Dell's throat if something isn't fixed.
@pecan 3.14159265: Dell does work well for business -- at least, they have been fine at the megacorporation and large university where I've dealt with them.
And yet they can't handle consumers. At all. This story is worse than most Dell horror stories I've heard, but pales in comparison to one friend's multi-year effort to be made whole after buying a lemon Alienware.
Here's my problem -- Dell/Alienware is awful. HP/Compaq is awful. If a friend or relative wants to buy a cheap commodity computer from a company they've heard of, is there one you CAN recommend? I have solutions for myself (homebrew and Apple), but no idea what I'd say to my parents. Last time they needed a computer, I sent them to Dell Outlet with the admonishment that they had to consider the new computer disposable. I'm not even sure I'd do that these days.
Did I miss the point where he spoke to a manager?
I've had several Dells over the years and have been generally ok with them, except for the following story.
I bought an Inspiron 600m laptop. After about 8 months in service the display started to darken along the bottom edge (apparently the result of operating heat). Phone tech support asked me to go through a series of obviously useless software-related steps, culminating in the expected request to reinstall the OS.
Fortunately I had a spare hard drive handy. I swapped it in, did an OS restore on it, and was able to continue the process without losing my configuration.
The tech, such as she was, finally conceded it was a hardware problem and sent an onsite tech to replace the display panel. He arrived a couple days later, swapped out the panel, and proudly showed me a system with a bright, undarkened display - but of a significantly lower resolution than before, 1024x768 instead of the upgraded 1440x1050 panel the system was built with.
When I informed him it wasn't right, he had to call some offshore division of Dell service. They told him he had the right panel. I asked to talk to them, and was told arrogantly by the offshore supervisor that there was no record of the machine having any display upgrades. He hinted that I might be trying to scam Dell out of a more expensive panel. Fortunately I had my original order and shipping documents handy, and I showed them to the onsite tech (who was VERY embarrassed by what he was in the middle of). He got back on the line and told this to the offshore supervisor, who did some more checking and eventually was forced to admit that yes, they had sent the wrong panel. There was no apology offered - except by the technician, who after the call was completed apologized profusely for the offshore supervisor's behavior as he was reinstalling the original panel.
A few days later I did get the proper panel installed by another tech, and the system served me well afterward. (It is still in service and now runs Debian Linux.) But since then, if I buy Dell, I will only buy from XPS or Business product lines that have domestic, not offshored, support.
@SpongeSteveSquareDave_GitEmSteveDave: I doubt very much that Anthony's new laptop has a floppy drive. O.K., so there must be a way to flash the BIOS using something other than a floppy, but Anthony says the laptop doesn't even power up anymore. And even if he could flash the BIOS himself, if he did so, Dell might claim that the laptop's problem is his doing.
@Mooshie:
It's not that they don't listen, it's that they refuse to go off-script. The script says do this, I do this regardless of whether or not it makes any sense.
@kexline: I actually really liked the Asus I had a few years ago, but the metal/plastic shell was absolutely terrible. The computer itself was fine, but it was like children pieced together the shell. So I think while Dell makes solid construction, their hardware is bad, their software is terrible, and they don't have anyone who can fix either. I would gladly buy an Asus again if I was ever going to buy a Windows machine, and if they made some kind of effort to make sure the shell of the laptop didn't break apart.
@SpongeSteveSquareDave_GitEmSteveDave: Since the BIOS is what defines how the hardware does "B[asic] I[nput] O[utput] S[ystem]" functions like read a floppy or CD (very VERY few new machines have a floppy, and I haven't seen one on a notebook in years) once the BIOS is toast you're not likely to be able to reflash it without special equipment, if at all.
Dell Home is just terrible. Dell Business on the other hand is an absolute pleasure, at least for our organization and clients. I unfortunately dealt with Dell Home on a "deal" recently; It was the biggest beating of my life. I had planned on submitting it to Consumerist as a warning.
On the other hand the business side of the operation has been nothing but positive. From the Deep Discounts, excellent communication and rock solid support (3am hard drive deliveries FTW) I cannot say enough good things about the Business Division.
Home is an outsourced fustercluck of the highest order. I would advise Dell to fix it or sell it. Stories like this one are all too common and can affect the decision making process with Small Business customers.
@Mooshie: It sounds like it wasn't until the CSR made it a hardware problem. Then when he messed it up, it HAD to be the motherboard. Almost exactly CYA.
@Jack Doyle: They fixed your problem, sent you $200 and you wouldn't go back to them?
I had a gateway and, when I had a problem booting up (the computer was several years old) the CSR stayed on the phone with me for two and a half hours and totally fixed my problem, even though I was no longer under warranty, and he didn't have to help me.
Of course, I have a Mac now.
I also recently had a bad experience with Dell support. I got conflicting (and potentially destructive information) from different techs. I also watched a tech who was lost go to their knowledge base and then tried to install the wrong driver.
I second this statement. Dell Home is utter garbage unless you purchase the extended next business day warranty.
This is the PRIME reason why I started learning how to fix computers. So I wouldn't have to deal with asshats from Dell to get stuff done. When you deal with a customer like me, I've already done all the troubleshooting. Just send me my damn replacement part so I can move on with my life.
Also another reason why the second I get a new Dell machine, I'd completely wipe out the hard drive and install my own operating system. I'm not going to use my laptop with Dell loaded software/settings, I'm going to load it with my own personal OS/settings.
Every issue I've had with a Dell, it's always been hardware based and I'd know which exact part to replace.
I think this whole event should be more motivation for Anthony to start learning the tricks of the trade.
I was trying to decide whether to buy a Mac or a Studio, whether it was worth the extra bucks for the Mac. I was at the Dell site last night figuring out what configuration I wanted.
Dell just lost a sale.
@pecan 3.14159265: I think Dell does OK with businesses because most businesses have their own IT or tech support to deal with computer issues.
@SpongeSteveSquareDave_GitEmSteveDave: Modern fancy motherboards have dual BIOS support, or at least a backup BIOS that can handle a reflash if something goes wrong. However, I wouldn't be surprised if the mobos in commodity machines have no such support, which means a toasted BIOS needs to be replaced or reflashed from a lower level.
Still, it's possible that "would not power up" could be clarified to mean "cannot properly boot", in which case your suggested approach would work. Last I checked a USB floppy drive could be had for $25 on Newegg, and that might do just the trick. Worth a try.
Here is your fix.
Dell doesn't care but if their products overheat to the point of smoking, melting, or shooting sparks you will get A1 service and a NICE upgrade.
"I have no way of retrieving the data off of the hard drive from the computer that tech support destroyed."
(a) Yes, you are really getting shafted, but:
(b) Try not to be such a drama-queen.
(c) Those cables are around 20 dollars at any local electronics store. If data accessibility were as big of a concern as you make out, I'm sure you'd be willing to spend that much.
(d) Also, the tech support didn't destroy your hard drive. If they did, you wouldn't be demanding a cable to get your data off of it.
@post_break: Also, any tech performing a BIOS flash, remote or not, should damn well know better than to stop the update mid-stride. Moron.
@Mooshie: You're totally right. You can talk to support and tell them you rebooted, checked the power supply, ran a memory checker, restored a backup of the boot loader, tried an external monitor, and reattached all your drive cables. They'll still ask you when you last updated your antivirus software.
They've got a script and they stick to it, and that script is geared toward the lowest common denominator. If your problem isn't in the script they're clueless to help. We have to face the sad truth that, for most of us who generally know what we're doing, if we can't fix it, they can't either.
@post_break: Remember, this was done to fix a non-funtioning CTRL key!! Not even remotely BIOS-related. There's serious issues with your tech support people when this is the recommended course of action for such things.
@Ratty: Toshiba until you get the black screen of death that "might" be fixable via bios update IF you are lucky to not have a permanent black screen.
The OP should have returned his laptop at the start before the 30 day grace period was up. It's one of those things you won't get told unless you read the agreement upon purchase. Either they replace the system within 30 days of purchase, or you ask for a refund.
@LegoMan322: Ugh. Yes, he should spend more money to fix a manufacturer's defect four days after receiving the computer.
Although it seems there's some potential for blame-the-consumer here... people seem to get crazy about their PCs... here's a protip for dealing with Dell: If you mention sparks, smoke, "zapping" or anything else that could seem remotely dangerous, they'll immediately replace your system, especially if you've paid for CompleteCare. Just remember that all it takes is a heavily-worn power cable on a laptop to zap you ;).
Dell is the Chevy of computers. Good looks, crap parts, and poor service. My wife's Inspiron 2200 was a typical example of Dell crap.
1) 9 months after purchase: hard drive failure. Tech came out and replaced hard drive. Made no attempt to retrieve data on drive.
2) 16 months after purchase: DVD drive failed. Replace with DELL part from DELL.
3) 23 months after purchase: replacement DVD failed. Write function tested ok, read fail with jitter errors.
4) 37 months after purchase: DC power jack failure. Wasn't going to risk taking a laptop apart(desktop no problem). Took it to a pc shop owned by a friend. He called me the next day and said the jack was NEVER soldered to the motherboard. He soldered it in and it was good to go.
5) 54 months after purchase: Started to get BSOD at random with hardware error. Frequency of BSOD went from 3-4 times a week to 6-9 times per day in about a two week period. Managed to backup hard drive, and 6 days later it will only boot to Windows load screen, then BSOD and repeat. Dell said they do not have a motherboard for it. Found 1 used one for $100 with no guarantee. Forget it.
Now it sits in my office waiting to canibalized...
Block0 of the flash usually contains rudimentary code to checksum the BIOS. If the BIOS is bad, it has just enough smarts to boot a floppy. Or sometimes, enough to be able to start the flash-utility from another bank.
As long as you manage to not interrupt the flash immediately, you might get away with it. Although, on a laptop, it's not likely that this failsafe is in place.
For the adventurous, this could be "fixed" by replacing/reflashing the flash chip. This involves plenty of work, especially if it is soldered to the motherboard (on a laptop this is almost guaranteed).
@astrochimp: Well, one of the things I was slightly confused about is the whole sending a data cable bit. Dell has sent me replacements, and they tell me to keep the harddrive until the new machine comes, and then get my data from it by swapping to the new machine. At that point I decide if I am sending back the old harddrive or just pack the new harddrive in with the dead machine.
Then again, I back up my data regularly, and if needed, I have external enclosures I can use as well (can be found for $5-10 if you're looking).
i gave up on dell 7 years ago after a string of horrendous customer service experiences.
Even cheaper, just hook the drive up to a PC with SATA. You don't need anything special for a laptop SATA drive.
Heck, a USB -> sata converter can be had for as low as $7 from the right places ($9 with power). :-)
@Tuuurd_Ferguson: Well... I mean... technically the keyboard does go through the southbridge into the northbridge to get to the CPU, so... yeah... I got nothing. No way in hell is this BIOS related.
However, I can see why they tried, seeing as laptop keyboards cost $298.
@Zclyh3: It's so much more profitable for them to take care of a business. A business has the potential to buy millions of dollars of equipment. A customer over their lifetime will buy maybe 10 computers (I'm talking average person). If all of their profit margin is eaten up by customer service, it's not worth it.
If they lose a business client because of awful service, that's a very big deal. Unfortunately they don't see losing a single customer as a big deal at all.
@Jason Faulkner: "If you mention sparks, smoke, "zapping" or anything else that could seem remotely dangerous, they'll immediately replace your system, especially if you've paid for CompleteCare."
Your ideas on how to (illegally) defraud major corporations are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
You can (and will) go wrong with a Dell!
This is one of the worst stories I've seen come up here, and it makes me wonder what kind of service Dell is going to offer once enough customers realize how crappy it is. I guess they'll keep on attracting the business sector. I'm working off a Dell right now - I hate it, and I want to take a sledgehammer to it every day.