Dell Buyers BEWARE!

I thought I'd share my experience purchasing from Dell with fellow POTN'ers. It has been an eye opening experience for me.

In December 2009 I purchased a laptop from Dell. When I received it, there was no OS or supplied software. It was essentially an unusable laptop. I contacted Dell and they stated that Dell could accept the return but would assess a restocking fee. Unfortunately I had to accept this.

After two weeks Dell finally emailed me a UPS return label. On December 21, 2009 Dell received the return. After nearly two months, numerous calls (routed to India), and countless arguments with their horrible outsourced "customer service" reps I finally received a confirmation that they would refund me minus the restocking fee (which is a joke). She stated it would take an additional 48 hours to process the Paypal refund. That was two weeks ago.

I decide I had no choice but to escalate the Paypal claim. Unfortunately, payments to Dell are not covered by Paypal's "Buyer Protection" and I am essentially out the full purchase price. I paid with my Paypal balance and not a CC or bank.

I will now cringe when I see Dell posts here. BTW, when Dell sells photo gear it often never arrives or arrives months later. Hopefully people realize the personal service (though not perfect) you get from places like BH or Adorama are still far better that trying to deal with a horrible company like Dell.

Call your state's Attorney General and ask to speak to someone in the consumer fraud division. They dont necessarily act as an ombudsman in this sort of case, but if you file a complaint it might shake something loose.

Sorry to hear of your problems. I can imagine that dealing with this for 3 months would be very frustrating.

Wouldn't it have been easier just to buy a copy of Windows and load it on the laptop yourself? Windows 7 has been posted on here for under $100, and I would think that you could find an XP CD for less than $50. I also don't understand why the refund would not be credited despite the PayPal claim - if Dell is processing the credit, it should still post to your account (although waiting for two weeks for an electronic credit is ridiculous).

Hope the credit shows up - good luck.

gonzogolf wrote in post #9684537
Call your state's Attorney General and ask to speak to someone in the consumer fraud division. They dont necessarily act as an ombudsman in this sort of case, but if you file a complaint it might shake something loose.

That may be a possibility. I have all supporting documentation (tracking, etc). Unfortunately, they handled everything by phone so it will require my statement of the conversations.

Wow.. very sorry to hear about your experience with them. I hope I don't encounter one like that, so far I have nothing but excellent service and product from them. I actually got my 50D from them and it arrived in two days. (That is the only photo equipment I have bought from them)

smacatl wrote in post #9684543
Sorry to hear of your problems. I can imagine that dealing with this for 3 months would be very frustrating.

Wouldn't it have been easier just to buy a copy of Windows and load it on the laptop yourself? Windows 7 has been posted on here for under $100, and I would think that you could find an XP CD for less than $50. I also don't understand why the refund would not be credited despite the PayPal claim - if Dell is processing the credit, it should still post to your account (although waiting for two weeks for an electronic credit is ridiculous).

Hope the credit shows up - good luck.

Definitely. However, they have the laptop and will not return it to me. I am COMPLETELY out.

PrimeGlass wrote in post #9684552
That may be a possibility. I have all supporting documentation (tracking, etc). Unfortunately, they handled everything by phone so it will require my statement of the conversations.

If you have a record of paying and then sending it back then the pressure is on them for a refund of your purchase price minus the restocking fee. Even though the restocking fee is unfair and unwarranted its probably within their purchase agreement. But a follow up call by someone from the consumer division of the AG might even get them to forgive that.

vitacura wrote in post #9684573
Wow.. very sorry to hear about your experience with them. I hope I don't encounter one like that, so far I have nothing but excellent service and product from them. I actually got my 50D from them and it arrived in two days. (That is the only photo equipment I have bought from them)

I have had pretty good experience with their PCs and monitors in the past. However, this is more of a sign of what happens if support is required. BTW, I was also in the process of buying a $1500 i7 PC built by them. This definitely changed my mind.

I have never seen a Dell computer that can be purchased without an OS. Was this a refurb unit?

It would be interesting to see the "item description" that came with your Dell order.

PrimeGlass wrote in post #9684584
I have had pretty good experience with their PCs and monitors in the past. However, this is more of a sign of what happens if support is required.

True.. One of the small companies I work for has spent over $150k in dell computers/servers etc in the last few years with no negative experiences. But I remember that when you are building systems online there is an option to have customer service support in the USA, kind of stinks that they charge to get service in the US.

Bob_A wrote in post #9684586
I have never seen a Dell computer that can be purchased without an OS. Was this a refurb unit?

It would be interesting to see the "item description" that came with your Dell order.

Yes it was a refurb (actually previously ordered new). They admitted that it "happens" during the refurb process. It stated the OS installed. This is why they agreed to refund. However, they explained that the restocking fee was unavoidable. I wish I had the option to receive the OS and install on my own. However, they are like robots:

"I understand. I apologize. I will assist you"
"I am unable to assist with software. I will assist you.........."
Then they transfer you to another department.

I loved my dell desktop, but when I encountered a problem with it I became so frustrated with Dell tech support that I just went out purchased a copy of windows and nuked the machine and reinstalled the operating system. Thank god I had the skills to do that. I cant imagine being at their mercy again so my next machine will be from somewhere else..

vitacura wrote in post #9684604
True.. One of the small companies I work for has spent over $150k in dell computers/servers etc in the last few years with no negative experiences. But I remember that when you are building systems online there is an option to have customer service support in the USA, kind of stinks that they charge to get service in the US.

It's a Wal Mart era. American service is now a luxury. Even then, plenty of companies provide horrible support right here in the US of A: AT&T and Time Warner come to mind

Dell sucks!

I don't like dell at all.

Weird. I've had so many Dell systems before and have not had any kind of problems such as the OS not being installed. Was there not a recovery CD bundled in the box?