This is inspired by TimJohn and CageyJames. TimJohn mentioned that those that need the upgrade and didn't get it even after numerous calls should file a class action lawsuit. CageyJames is in CSS hell and his isn't even a technical problem. Maybe a lawsuit will force Dell's hand in addressing their attrocious CSS. I didn't care about my upgrade, it finally got here but I wasn't concerned and I couldn't be bothered calling. BUT that doesn't mean I haven't had terrible run ins with CSS (I was put on hold one time after 40 minutes of being bounced around to hear a recording that the entire department was in a staff meeting for the next hour, then promptly disconnected). I would love to see Dell make their CSS as great as their Ax's especially since I'm foaming at the mouth for a Jukebox ; )

Let's go Aximsite folks make your voices heard. Someone organize and make our dream of great support a reality!!!!

Nice thought, but like most major corporations they'd rather spend $200K on lawyers than on CSR's with IQ's higher than a rock. Actually shouldn't blame them completely...their hands are probably tied by stupid corporate policies.

I love hearing big Presidents of major corps spout platitudes about customer service...because platitudes is usually all they are.

Chris...

Youth & Skill are no match for Age & Treachery !!

 

How come you have been getting the good CSRs? the only ones I have dealt with have IQs no higher than a grain of sand. I have never dealt with such poor customer service.

here's my 2 cents on this . . . were you physically harmed by dell's less than stellar css? are there emotional scares that will cause nightmares until you are 95 years old? we are a lawsuit happy society. spill a cup of hot coffee in your lap - slap a lawsuit on the people who made the coffee. my advice - if enough people are that upset with dell (and i certainly could be one of them) don't buy anything from them. don't recommend them. write a formal letter of complaint and send it to dell, your congressman, your local newspaper. the most immediate effect would be felt by dell by plainly avoiding their products. a class action lawsuit because they have poor css - poppycock, imho.

Harold Nelson, USN, ETC(SS), retired
"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity." - Horace Mann

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away" - George Carlin

  

like attacking someone's pocket book.

I agree with hnelson on this one. I agree that bad customer service sucks but what can you do about it? Go buy some other brand.




People need to stop taking others to court for no good reason.

This is why a bag of peanuts now has a warning "May contain traces of nuts" and why coffee has to have the warning "Warning, contents may be hot". Everyone has to cover their butts for every darn thing..... I think there's a website devoted to these things somewhere. Will have to go find it.

EDIT: Not the one I was thinking of but it's good enough:
http://www.power-of-attorneys.com/st...on.asp?wacky=0

I have used Dell's CSS twice and have been pleased with them both times. So far, so good...

TSB8C - HEY! Where have you been...


Back on topic,
Class Action Lawsuit - Frivelous <sp>
Petition - Worth the trouble maybe?

Chris Leckness, Administrator
Microsoft MVP - Mobile Devices

       

Tech support for practically any computerized gadget, computer, motherboard, cdrom/cdrw is practically non-existant no matter what company you're dealing with. After building computers for ten years I've already figured out on my own that the tech staff at most places is next to worthless. And why is it that way? Because they put legal jargon in their fine print that basically says they are not responsible for anything that doesn't work with their product. Why do they get away with this? Because so far no one's been able to make it financially unviable for them to have this attitude and enough of the time it does work right that the complaints get ignored. You get much more help on a forum like this one than you will ever get from most companies so called "tech support." Sometimes company employees haunt the forums which truly does help them fix the bugs in their products even though they rarely admit such is true!

The "consumer protection" authorities in my state and most others from what I've read, does absolutely nothing about the way computer hardware is sold and not supported. The companies do a fantastic job of convincing the consumer, the protection authorities (who are usually tech-illiterates) and the jurors that the end user is some kind of idiot with the IQ of the average amoeba and so the bad customer service goes on.

I can tell you from experience that Dell seems to be one of the better companies in that they even "try" to offer upgrades and after enough complaining do replace malfunctioning products. I had an experience with Gigabyte (big motherboard manufacturer) a few years agao when I had a AMD 751 based motherboard made by them that was supposed to support a Slot A firebird cpu but it wouldn't work (board did nothing but reboot every few minutes). I sent it in, they tested with a Slot A classic cpu sent it back said it was ok but when I tried to boot it the board was dead as a doornail. I sent it back again and they insisted nothing was wrong and still refused to test with a firebird chip that is technologically different from a classic slot A chip. I talked to the "english as a second language" tech once, he was more interested in politely convincing me that I was an idiot than trying to verify that there was a problem by simply popping a slot A thunderbird on the board and testing it!!!!!! Later I got a different board with the same chipset and it continues to run fine today with that firebird cpu so I know there was nothing wrong with my cpu. It's just this kind of pigheaded stupidity that really frustrates the techies out here, they need to realize that we are not all technoidiots that don't know how to do our own troubleshooting before resorting to sitting on the phone for an hour to be insulted.

Yes, a classaction lawsuit would get their attention at least for a little while but have you seen what kind of "spanking" they get in those? The lawyers get all the money and the consumers get a "coupon" for a few bucks off something new they buy, big deal, I didn't even send in my paperwork for the big MS class action, I would have gotten 40 bucks in coupons for more MS products???? Something wrong there if you ask me. The problem wouldn't have been so bad now if there'd been more action in the beginning when companies first started putting out marginal hardware with no testing before they released it onto the world to cause problems.

law suit.. geez you people will sue for anything these days.

Personally I've never had a problem with their CSS. But I deal with them as part of large company so I am luck to get better than the average Rep.

I have had reasonably good like with Dell customer service. If I get an idiot on the phone, I politely end the call & redial.

I've had multiple Dell computers - desktops, notebooks, Axim.

I must be in the minority. I've always felt Dell support was above average (doesn't necessarily mean "great"). I've always got my questions/problems resolved. Had a couple of drives go bad (one cd, one HD) and I had replacements the following day. Axim support has been okay, not perfect but the problems have been resolved.

On a side note, I recently bought my wife a compaq notebook. I've had to call thier support a few times and it's always a challenge to communicate with the support person in India (but with patience, my problems have been resolved). The last few calls, I have been greeted with the introductory question, "How was your weekend, John". Must be part of a new training agenda to add a personal greeting to the communication. No problem, BUT on a support call late last night I was asked the "weekend question". My thoughts were, "Let's see - it's thursday - my weekend was 4 days ago - I can hardly remember last weekend"

Anyway. . .

Ya the CSS that I have delt they have rerouted my calls to India where, not only can I not understand him, it seem as if he cannot understand me? He asks me for my service code, I tell him and then he says its invalid so I sit on hold while he goes to find my information, then about 15 minutes later he is finally ready to answer my question, but then he finds that its for a different tech support person and transfers me, and the whole process starts back over again, then the 2nd guy transfers me again! What is up with that?? Then they transfer me to the Customer Service department which turns out to be closed and DISCONNECTS MY CALL! SO ALL WAS FOR NOTHING! I just wasted about 1 hour of my life on CSS?! But I think a petition is unrealisitic in the sense that if Dell wants to change it then they will, but if they don't they have a ton of resources to fight with.

MooMooFarm

I also agree that though Dell's CSS may be horrendously bad, a class action lawsuit is probably not a good idea...

a) Because we are a lawsuit happy society as hnelson59 said.

b) Because Dell would simply fight it with lawyers, and then probably make up for the cost later on by cutting corners in other places (in the end possibly causing more headaches for consumers).

c) What would we expect to get out of it? Coupons for free 32mb SD cards or something? It really isn't like they would start giving out free X3s or something to everyone.

In the end the result would probably be a small disclaimer on all of their packaging that reads... "WARNING: Dell Customer Support performance varies, be ready for longer wait times during peak hours."

I think a much more effective method would be to generate bad press on the subject, and to try to make people aware of it. That's the sort of thing that would ultimately leave Dell with little choice but to make changes for fear of losing customers.