Do not hire nontechnical people for techsupport
Service and Support submitted by jbrogers
02/17/07
This is the main problem with the India call centers - they have no idea what they are doing. They are obviously reading a scripted diagnosing tool and have no personal knowledge of computing issues.
I have both home and business accounts with Dell. When I call in for support on my Business account, I get a good old-fashioned American geek, who instantly understands that I am fairly technical, and doesn't treat me like an idiot.
The Indian call centers, not having knowledge themselves, do not recognize that I know anything, and treat me like an idiot as they read from the diagnosis tool. Yeah, I know the computer is plugged in. Yeah I know that I have internet connectivity. Sheesh.
8986
Forcing Vista On US
Operating Systems, Desktops and Laptops submitted by am39053
02/22/07
There is a story on CNET today about hardware manufacturers only selling their newer models, (both Desk Tops and Notebooks), with Vista. http://news.com.com/Limited+choices+for+Windows+XP+holdouts/2100-1016_3-61612...
HP seems to be one of the biggest offender. It's even reported that Dell is doing this to some extent:
"Dell still offers Windows XP notebooks and desktops, but they can all be found under Dell's Latitude business notebook brand, with the exception of the XPS M1710 with the Blu-ray disc player."
I employ Dell not to follow suite. In addition to many initial documented problems with Vista, many businesses use professional applications, I.E. accounting and tax software, where the manufacturer of these applications have indicated they will not support Vista anytime soon. This is primarily due to the lack of programming resources on the part of these relatively small companies. Dell needs to continue to promote XP machines, both desktop and laptops, equally as they promote Vista machines. Especially their newest machines.
180
Don’t waste my time – I’m certified and a DCSE tech.
Service and Support submitted by mizsteel66
02/26/07
Here is a suggestion for us small business owner techs that don’t purchase “gold or platinum” level support for our in-house desktops. We have or are qualified in-house technical support. We have or hold numerous industry certifications, including Associate DSCE certification status. However our company isn’t big enough to qualify for the warranty parts direct program.
Stop making me deal with a level one or newbie tech, someone who clearly is reading off a screen following step by step and doesn’t really have a good working knowledge of computers. When im helping YOUR tech support, there is clearly an issue here. (US or India based)
If I have already ran through the whole gauntlet of “recommended steps” and can give them the information and errors from dell diagnostics or the DSET reports, please don’t waste my time asking me to do them again or to so stupid steps or asking me stupid questions. “is the computer plugged in?”
You already have a list of DCSE techs, use it and grant them some type of higher access. On our business accounts when we call in, verify who we are and flag our accounts so we can get what we need and move onto our next project.
130
Service Tags / Express Service Tags
Service and Support submitted by lgk_195
02/26/07
I am both a corporate user and a home user of Dell and as such one thing I have found to be most annoying is the Service Tag and Customers service. They are under the impression that everything Dell sells has a Service Tag or Express Service Tag.
I have been told that I could not get support because the item I was calling about did not have a service tag. Please inform your support teams that not all items sold by Dell have service tags. If you don't want to do that then put service tags on all items that you sell.
I am glad to see Dell trying to make the customer happy again since they were number one but have in recent years fell far short of that.
50
Let us choose the OS!
Linux, Sales Strategies, Laptops submitted by icicle
02/20/07
Sometimes I check out the new prices of DELL-Notebooks. In the section OS Selection there is only one opportunity: Windows Vista.
YOU CAN NOT DO THIS!!!
At the moment there is nothing to choose. I choose Linux (Ubuntu)!
So please, please add Linux. I will not buy a notebook and pay extra money for something I will never need. I already found a reseller offering Ubuntu-laptops...
3613
Lets us buy special Ideastorm voting points with real money, and have cash-point backed votes on ideas
IdeaStorm submitted by arclight
02/20/07
Lets us buy special Ideastorm vote points, and use them to place money bids on the best ideas. With special cash votes we could help support Ideastorm and show extra serious support for an idea.
So in addition to seeing the general votes, people could see a how much money a given idea has collected.
In addition, other data about the cash vote would be interesting to see. For example, the average amount of the bid, or the highest single bid.
Also, If thousands bid 10 cents each, an idea could reach into the thousands of dollars. This would provide a interesting comparison to the 'free' votes and help keep idea storm alive (the money spent on cash points could go to hosting costs).
-20
Backend Support Alert Systems
Service and Support submitted by wnichols
03/12/07
I have had many problems with Dell support.
We purchase Dell Gold Technical Support and CompleteCare on everything we purchase. Recently I had a printer that should have been serviced next business day. It ended up taking 6 business days to get fixed for the following reasons (in order)
1) Parts Backordered
2) Parts did not fix
3) second set of parts did not fix
4) New printer, did not fix issue
The issue ended up being that the Dell supllied toner cartridge was bad.
On the first problem where the parts were backordered, there should be a system notfication that is setup so that in the event you are not going to be serviced in the amount of time that your support your purchased dictates you will be. Generate an alert to the customer pro-actively and let them know.
Additionally this system should also notify in the event of a cancellation of an order by an account rep or other person beside the client. Or in the event of a status change of an order in real time.
We have had around 8 - 10 orders in the past year cancelled because our rep put in the wrong payment method, which was not a valid method and it cancelled the order. It was only after logging into our premier area that we saw the order cancelled. Reps should not be able to make mistakes that allow order to fall out of the system, if checks cannot be put in place for that, then clients should be notified of a change to the order that is going to affect the equipment received, the timeframe of it being received if it is later than originally estimated, or the cancellation of an order.
In the past the Dell site would notify us of when an item shipped. It was all too often that we were notified an item had shipped, after we had already received the item.
It costs us in hours, which translates into real dollars to have to call in and see what the status is. Then to get bounced around between queues to get an answer.
70
No matter what Dell does, unless they bring support back home they will fail.
Service and Support submitted by icantseeyou
02/21/07
The simple fact is this...
Years ago we were willing to pay for a computer that didn't look the best and may not have been the best because the support was unbelievably great.
When you have something with the complexity of a computer you need technicians who know what they are doing.
Get rid of the overseas call centers. I don't care what it costs - this company will fail unless the fanatical support comes back.
If Dell announced that all US customer support would be answered and handled in the US, I would become a loyal customer again.
40
Honor your incentives/get better customer support
Service and Support submitted by chibacat
02/19/07
I purchased a Dell XPS, with extended tech service in Sept. 2006 and was told I would receive a $50 gift card. By January 2007 my computer software crapped out. I knew it was the software from the error message I was getting. I called tech support and got someone that had no clue even when I told him what the error message had said. I told him I hadn't downloaded anything from the net. I am NOT a software ( hardware, yes) person but I'm not stupid. I did what he told me to do and by the next day I had to call back as the computer once again gave me nothing but a blue screen after start up. This time it was worse. The guy barely spoke English and I know he had to be reading some silly tech script as his questions and responses were so mechanical. He wasn't listening to what I was saying. This is unacceptable to me. I paid for a service that's unintelligible. Not only was the man impossible to understand ( but I took notes so I will never call them again should I have a similar problem) but he was irritated that this was my second call in 2 days! This type of customer service will definitely drive me away from Dell in the future. I have to wonder if Dell is really interested in keeping it's customers with behavior such as this from tech support. Bring tech support back to the US or use people that actually understand and speak intelligible English.
Secondly when I called Dell customer service to ask where my $50 gift card was...I have YET to receive it.. I was put on hold for 30 minutes, transferred back and forth to the same departments and finally rudely disconnected. I called back and said this was unacceptable and I wanted this taken care of immediately. What I received was this: We don't issue the gift cards, call AMEX. What the heck???!!!! What kind of answer is this? AMEX? I wasn't given a number to call, email contact, nothing just an email stating call AMEX. Well, DELL, it's not MY responsibility to HONOR a gift card you promised me upon purchase and it's not my responsibility to find out why it hasn't been issued. That responsibility is yours DELL. You really need to fix this situation.
89
Standardize and regionalize tech and customer support
Service and Support submitted by digigato
02/21/07
It would be great, for us Dell clients, and for Dell itself, to regionalize and standardize their protocols for customer and tech support to avoid: frustration, time spent on calls, rage and all that feeling mix that usually builds up after a person made a support call.
I have read that people in the US/Canada are quite angry with their current QoS on this topic since they seem to be attended by people in India and all the problems and lack of initiative that Dell personnel (tech. support) usually incur.
What's most amazing is that, in my case, I live, work and use Dell computers in Mexico (my homeland) and when I require support for desktop/laptops or servers, evn thou my initial path is redirected to Panama (or some place in central america) I end up talking with, yeah you won't believe, people in the US!! so, my mind starts to go freak and thinks:
a) Why in all heavens the people that took care of my case in the US cannot be available for the US/Canada clients
b) Why Dell cannot have technical personnel in my country (I mean the guys at Texas and Colorado are just great and I am really in debt with them for helping me out of my server problems) that understand a little bit more about how things are done in Mexico (and I bet every country/geographic area has its own culture and "way of doing things") or, for example, Is Japan also been taken care by people from India??
So, Dell, if you are going to give tech support and want to be part of a globalized world, be it, but do respect your customers and their needs and culture, please, please pretty please.
Btw: I am sorry for any mistakes that my english may have lead to all native english speakers! :D cheers!
240
Bring IT Back To US Shores
Service and Support submitted by 19rocketman67
03/02/07
It's quite obvious that even though Dell outsourced most of it's Service and Support it did no good to the bottom line as far as profits are concerned.
So let's bring Service and Support back to the US and make Dell the great company it use to be.
-40
Include hardware in evaluation of support
Service and Support submitted by hawk
03/01/07
I have had excellent experience with Dell support (business, on-site, next business-day), but unfortunately I had to use them way too much for my last (expensive) laptop. I live in Denmark, by the way, so this may be a local thing...
We are occasionally asked to evaluate the support received, and the contractors are pretty keen on asking us to do that. Apparently they are in for a lot of heat if we skip it.
So far I have been very satisfied with the support, but the hardware was just broken. It is very tempting to give the support a bad evaluation, when it is actually a hardware problem.
So please allow the customers to vent their dissatisfaction with the hardware without blaming it on support.
30
Give Home users USA Tech Support - please!
Service and Support submitted by ray
02/26/07
Give "Home/Small Business" users only USA Tech Support - please!
(I'm a "HOME" user, but in reality a SMALL BUSINESS).
Most of my calls to non-USA Tech Support Centers (ie: India, Philippines, etc) ,
have been an exercise in frustration & desperation.
REASONS:
(applies to most non-USA DELL Tech Support)
-------------------------------------------------------------
1) Most techs are really not as tech savvy as their US-counterparts.
They are just temp workers at super-low pay.
Most simply don't know or could care less about your problem...
2) Most techs just read off prepared scripts like robots,
and are not really interested in solving your problem.
They are just hoping you'll hang up, soon.
3) Most are hard-to-understand because of their thick accents
(I speak 5 languages, yet even I have difficulties understanding what they are saying...)
4) Most just don't have the work-ethos
and professional responsibility, as their US-counterparts.
SUMMARY:
Overall, most non-US tech support personnel I encountered
had a bored, "I just don't care" attitude.
SOLUTION:
Give ALL "Home/Small Business" users (in the US or abroad),
ONLY US Tech Support!
I'm in a long-term project overseas right now.
I want my DELL/USA tech support, back...
Txs DELL. Get better soon. Love ya!
190
Cross-country (US-Canada) technical support
Service and Support submitted by vernwolfe
02/20/07
If a "snowbird" Canadia buys a Dell computer in Canada and winters in the USA, there is no Dell technical support when in the USA. If the Canadian buys a Dell computer in the USA during the winter and takes it to Canada in the summer - again, no technical support in Canada.
Result: these Canadians do not buy Dell computers.
This needs to be fixed - if you want such Canadian business.
126
Support the Technical User
Service and Support submitted by fmccb
03/02/07
Know who I am. I am not the guy who doesn't know where the "any" key is - I'm the guy who can extract the CPU, swap out the power supply, invert the motherboard's battery to reset the PRAM, etc.
When I'm calling for technical support, you should know that I am a 94/100 technical person and I should be immediately connected with someone of equal skill. I shouldn't have to jump through automated support scripts for 45 minutes. Some people need to be asked if the PC is plugged into a 110v plug, but not me. If I'm calling you, it's a really strange problem that I can't fix. Save both you and me an hour of phone time and let me talk to a real smart person who can listed to what I've already tried and then point me in the right direction quickly. Save us both time and money.
If you did that, I'd never buy another computer from anyone else again. I just want someone to "get me", man.
310
Hard Drive Size Disclaimers!
Accessories (Keyboards, etc.) submitted by gtnman
03/13/07
Well, have you ever noticed when you buy a Dell lately, that 40GB hard drive only has 30 GB free on it?
Well what Dell does not tell you is that they create their own little recovery partition that takes up 2-4 GB depending on your install. How about disclaiming this some where during the purchasing process.
50
Dont force people to choose Windows Vista
Operating Systems submitted by gaborlake
03/13/07
When buying a new Dell computer, Windows Vista is the only OS of choice. So far, with all I have seen about Vista, I would rather want to stick with XP, since Microsoft announced that it would support XP even longer than Vista. There is no real reason for having a computer with Vista installed at the moment. So it would be a good thing to still have the option to have Windows XP installed instead.
1110
 track my votes
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