Goodbye, DELL

Did DELL call yesterday? No. Did I call DELL? Yes. Again. Because I knew Customer Services closes at 5pm, so I called at 4.30pm after sitting here all day waiting for their call.

I was passed around the technical support reception desk like a box of chocolates. 6 times. Until I nearly burst a blood vessel. And finally got transferred to the Customer relations dept, and a lady who authorised the refund. Which will only happen after the laptop is collected. Progress at last.

Oh, she said - is there anything I can do to change your mind? We do not like to lose our customers. I told her that if she had called me back the day I was first promised a call from a Customer Service manager, things may well have been different. They would have retained a customer. However, as no manager had ever called me back, despite daily promises, enough was enough. That she needed to know that there is apparently no Customer Service Department at Dell. Only Tech Support, and that they have no managers. Did she know that? And that managers do not take any calls. Did she know that? And that when you have heard the same thing, read from the same script 6 times in one 50 minute call, you tend to get a little irate. Yes, this call also lasted 50 mins. I will be watching my phone bills to see how it all adds up.

I rest my case. DO NOT BUY A DELL. If you are very, very lucky, it will work, and no doubt you will be happy. If not, however, you are entering what is known on the internet as DELL HELL. (I just googled it now and there are 389,000 entries under Dell Hell.) And before you even consider one, check out the Dell blog, Direct2Dell, and avoid any computer which may have the faulty graphics card. Just read what people are saying.

So maybe this is nearly over. I just want to cry. For my son. For both my sons. And for me too. I hate going to war about things. This time, it was so important that David had something good happen. Given with love, and received with delight. Andrew got his dream computer for him. And it all ended in disaster. As I said before, it mattered. This time, it really mattered and Dell blew more than just the rotten computer. He blew my son's dreams out of the water.

And we still have to find him a computer.

So it is nearly over. I hope. And we can revert back to normal blogging. Whatever that may be. More conversations from the couch, until the consultant returns next Monday. I hope.