My complaint is against Dell Computer, Inc. I’ve been a long time loyal customer of Dell and now I find myself rethinking whether I want to continue to do business with this Company. Recently I had tech call with Dell on my Dimension 4600 Desktop Computer. After a local power failure I was unable to turn my computer back on. The Tech had me go through a series of diagnostic procedures to determine what the problem was. I didn’t mind unplugging and plugging cords, but when I was asked to open the side of the computer I felt uncomfortable with that. In spite of that I did open it and followed the Tech’s instruction of unplugging and plugging small wires inside. In the end he determined I had a bad mother board. When I asked if Dell had any local authorized service centers, I was surprised to find out they did not.

I was told I could purchase the part needed from Dell and they could walk me through the installation or I would have to have it installed on my own. Since I am not a tech person and only know how to operate my computer, I opted to take it out for repair. Instead of purchasing the mother board from Dell I brought it into Geek Squad at Best Buy. They diagnosed it in less than 5 minutes as being my power supply. While they did not have the part, I was referred to a local computer store that did. Before I took it to the store I contacted Dell to see how much the part would be. Not only was it difficult to get through to the proper dept and/or person, I would have to possibly wait seven days to get the part. Then I would have to get it installed on my own. With meant my computer might have been out of commission for well over a week. The next day I took it to the computer store, had it repaired the same day and I was up and running. After this experience with Dell and others I’ve had, I finally decided it was time to divorce myself from Dell Computers.

When I originally purchased the 4600 I had issues that lead to Dell offering me a $75.00 credit toward the purchase of my choice. What I didn’t realize is there was an expiration date and I never had the opportunity to use it. When I tried to get Customer Service to reinstate it, I was told there is no longer a record of the credit in their system. Then there is other tech support calls, speaking to individuals from another country that at times I could not understand. Many times it was obvious to me they were reading a script, and it was a hit or miss as to whether I would get my issue resolved. Finally there is my X5 Axim PDA that had a problem from the onset with the back up battery. For some reason on this particular model the battery did not make proper contact. It took awhile for me to get it resolved, no thanks to Dell.

Over the years after reading the various complaints against Dell that are the same, similar and different than mine, I’m convinced this Company does not care about the consumer much after the warranty has expired. The rating they get from Consumer Reports on tech support year after year is anything but glowing. Now I’m in the market for a Notebook and Dell is not my first choice. I believe the only real way a consumer can send a message to a company that they are not performing is by not buying their products and tell others of your experiences.