Do Not Buy Dell

May 25: My laptop screen starts going white with occasional strips of color. I call Dell and they say it is probably a video card issue and they dispatch a tech to replace the motherboard.

May 28: The tech replaces the motherboard but says that didn't fix the problem. They order a new LCD screen.

June 3: Another tech replaces the LCD screen and discovers that the 5/28 tech did not connect the mouse pad when replacing the motherboard. This tech says that the LCD screen isn't the problem and that need to dispatch a separate tech to replace the motherboard. Again.

I request that they take care of this once and for all instead of doing it piece meal. I insist that they replace the computer, seeing as I paid nearly $2K for it less than one year ago. They say getting a replacement would take 30 days and would likely be a refurb. They recommend sending it into the Dell tech depot. They also swear that the depot will handle it with kid gloves and will send me back a system that is like new.

June 11: I finally get the laptop back and discover that the depot did not reattach the battery correctly and therefore bent one of the leads that connects the battery to the laptop. I call Dell tech support again, for the fourth time and spice up my sob story with a few colorful words. The guys who answers the phone looks at my record, says "Oh Lord" under his breath, and asks me to hold so he can talk to his supervisor.

They offer to do an "exchange," which means that they will replace my crappy computer with another equally crappy one that's been fixed by the geniuses who are not even competent enough to install a battery correctly. Or if I get really lucky there will be no refurbished Latitude D630s available and they have to send me a brand new system.

So Dell is rewarding me for my business by sending me another Dell computer, new or used, and crappy either way. Needless to say I am frustrated and not planning on buying Dell again.

I am also emailing a copy of this to Michael Dell and Mark Jarvis (Chief Marketing Officer).

michael_dell@dell.com
mark_jarvis@dell.com

P.S. Here is a dell hell post from 2005, by a pretty big journalism guy. Three years later, people are still responding with comments. Wake up, Michael Dell.