Dear Readers,
Many of you write Summitlake.com about your experience with your Dell computer. Most of you discover the link to my site through Google (or other abstracts). This would not show you that Summitlake.com already has numerous postings on this topic, and even a little-visited bulletin board forum on this topic.
If you want to find out what happened as a result of my own experience with my Inspiron 3800, follow this link:
http://summitlake.com/COMPUTERS_NET/resources/Dell_Customer-Firewall.html
Who or what is Summitlake.com? We are a small, private personal home page that has grown over the years. Opinions and experiences I share are my own. I posted my own personal Dell experience only to warn others of a consumer horror story. We don’t have either the qualifications or resources to act as a consumer clearing house or advice center.
Most of you write in about your experience with a Dell Inspiron. I also get mail about issues with other Dell personal computers, or with Dell Financial. In most cases, Customer Service seems to be the source of the problem.
I can’t diagnose or give advice on the particulars of most of the machine problems sent to me. In general, I recommend:
- If your machine is in warranty, try to get satisfaction through the Customer Service route first.
- Keep your phone calls and letters to Dell professional, factual and as free of emotionally charged issues as you can.
- If your machine is out of warranty but you believe the problem existed when Dell made a service call under warranty, try to get satisfaction through the Customer Service route first.
- If that fails, write Dell headquarters, as I did (see my article).
- Consider contacting the Better Business Bureau. Even if it does not help your case, they compile statistics on everyone like yourself who could not get satisfaction by going through the Dell channels first.
Leading PC magazine surveys continue to show Dell at near #1 in overall customer satisfaction. These magazines don’t usually investigate what happens when things go horribly wrong. It’s a numbers game, so don’t waste too much of your time writing others who already have problems with Dell. There is no magic solution. Warn others by posting to public bulletin boards and forums, alerting computer clubs, and telling friends.
