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My Dell Nightmare!!!
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kymacman
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May 27, 2005, 09:42 PM
 
After what I have gone through today, I vow that I will NEVER buy another Dell computer again. I have a 4th gen. 15" powerbook, and two Dell desktop computers, at my home. One of the Dells had both of its cd/dvd drives quit working. I have a 3 year service contract, so I called, and called, and called, Dell. After five tries, and waiting over 30 minutes on each call, I finally connected with a human being. After much trouble shooting, without success, he finally advised to reinstall the operating system, and see what happens. He then said he would call back tomorrow night.

Well, I don't know how to reinstall the operating system if the cd/dvd drives DON'T WORK!!!

Dell service is a joke. I would rather buy a new computer (from someone else) than go through what I've been through today.

My powerbook is a dream, and looks like a new dual 2.3 powermac may have to be the answer to my problems. Anyone else have similar problems with Dell service? How does Apple compare?

Extremely frustrated in Ky.
     
redoid
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May 27, 2005, 10:03 PM
 
Well with all the stories i read there, it can be either a nightmare or a dream with story with Apple.

Before getting into Apple products, i owned 3 Dells, never had any problems with it. Same with Apple.
its a fact that im dope.
     
discotronic
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May 27, 2005, 10:24 PM
 
Apple's customer service is among the best I have had to deal with. Anytime I have had to call for a hardware issue I have had someone on the other end within 2 minutes. I'm not stretching the facts here

Recently I had some issues with an iMac G5 that I considered a lemon. After the last repair that didn't fix the problem I called and they replaced it with a PowerMac. I didn't have to threaten them in any way. I just told them how upset I was and what I wanted. They made it happen. I have been a good customer for them over the years and they have provided me with a great user experience. The only time I have had a real issue they have done everything possible to make it right.

With my new PowerMac came a bad video card. I called them up this past Tuesday and they told me they where going to send me another one. The time to get the card was supposed to be a week. With the long holiday this weekend, and the fact that I had the PowerMac for under a week, they sent the replacement basically overnight.

I can't speak of Dell's support because fortunately I have never had to deal with them but Apple's can't be beat in my opinion.
     
ZXspectrum
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May 28, 2005, 06:02 AM
 
Apple's customer service was rated No#1

http://www.consumerreports.org/main/...=1116459925734
     
Big Mac
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May 28, 2005, 08:41 AM
 
It's a good thing that Apple's customer service is still rated so highly, because I have been thoroughly unimpressed by their tier one techs. Whether they originate in India or America, they seem to suck and simply be reading off a script (although, to be fair, this view is only based on a few recent experiences). Now tier 2 techs are true Apple people, and they seem to do their job very well.

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Cody Dawg
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May 28, 2005, 09:20 AM
 
I love Apple computer and I ALWAYS buy their extended warranty and they ALWAYS go out of their way to help. That is one of the reasons that I buy Apple computers. The only other company that I have had similar support with is Sony, believe it or not. In fact, my Sony Mavica is 2 years out of warranty and they just offered to fix it for me for free - normal cost is $189. Now THAT is customer service.

Now about Dell?

Here's my thread about the same exact thing: DELL HELL

I HATE DELL COMPUTERS. IF ANYONE READS MY THREAD AND THIS THREAD OR DOES A GOOGLE SEARCH THEY WILL SEE 2,370,000 SIMILAR COMPLAINTS AND SHOULD REALIZE THAT DELL IS NOTHING BUT A COMPANY WILLING TO TAKE YOUR MONEY AND NEVER PROVIDE CUSTOMER SUPPORT.

     
resuna
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May 28, 2005, 06:20 PM
 
2,530,000 similar complaints now...

But 9,610,000 for "apple computer problem"

Perhaps you should try another rhetorical flourish?
レスナ
     
alandail
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May 28, 2005, 06:29 PM
 
of course, it's 42,500,000 responses for "windows problem"
     
Cody Dawg
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May 28, 2005, 06:40 PM
 
14,300,000 for "PC died."

     
Superchicken
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May 28, 2005, 06:42 PM
 
Actually if you enclose it in quotes Dell 3350 Apple 45

I think people just have a lot of problems and a lot of computers on the internet

Either way Apple customer service is great if all you want to do is ship in your machine to get it fixed. I've only really had to deal with them about my iBook and my PowerBook's dead HD. With my iBook the logic board went and they fixed it in two weeks, a bit slow but whatever. It was done, then a month later it went again and I was pretty mad. And I said OK this is frustrating what is my recourse if it fails again? And for the most part even the tier two people were just kinda like well we'd fix it again and we can't tell you when we'd replace it with another unit. Which pissed me off. Eventually we got pretty near the top and at that point they were really good and my iBook got replaced with a 12 inch PowerBook with a $500 difference that we paid (which was a bit frustrating but whatever). That said I was not impressed at all. Though from what I've seen of other customer service people have had to deal with, Apple's was a lot better. I had a friend at school wait several months for LG to fix his DVD drive. So in comparison I think they're probably better. If all you want is for your unit to be fixed in their time frame they'll rarely give you a problem. If you get pissed off when things keep breaking (if they do) they become tougher to be happy with.
But from what I hear Dell is a LOT worse.
     
budster101
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May 28, 2005, 06:43 PM
 
You get'em.

Maybe they should make a mini-long-commerical-spoof on Dell?
Call it:

"A nightmare on Dell Street"?

     
foo2
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May 28, 2005, 06:46 PM
 
Originally Posted by kymacman
After what I have gone through today, I vow that I will NEVER buy another Dell computer again. I have a 4th gen. 15" powerbook, and two Dell desktop computers, at my home. One of the Dells had both of its cd/dvd drives quit working. I have a 3 year service contract, so I called, and called, and called, Dell. After five tries, and waiting over 30 minutes on each call, I finally connected with a human being. After much trouble shooting, without success, he finally advised to reinstall the operating system, and see what happens. He then said he would call back tomorrow night.

Well, I don't know how to reinstall the operating system if the cd/dvd drives DON'T WORK!!!

Dell service is a joke. I would rather buy a new computer (from someone else) than go through what I've been through today.

My powerbook is a dream, and looks like a new dual 2.3 powermac may have to be the answer to my problems. Anyone else have similar problems with Dell service? How does Apple compare?

Extremely frustrated in Ky.

If you put the Windows XP CD into the CDROM drive, then turn on your Dell, and then hit F12 before the OS loads (at the Dell BIOS screen) and then select the CDROM choice, and that should allow your system to boot from CD. If that doesn't work, try again, this time putting the CDROM into the DVD drive.

If that works (don't continue to boot from the CD completely, just see how far you get - for example if you get to a "Press any key to boot from CD" you know the XP CD (and your CDROM and DVDROM drives) are working.

If that's true, you probably have a filter driver issue. If you are able to boot from CD or DVD, and want to fix this (it might take you 3 to 5 minutes) just let me know.
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Superchicken
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May 28, 2005, 06:51 PM
 
By the way the Dual 2.3 is a great solution
     
MichaelNH
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May 28, 2005, 07:09 PM
 
Well if you understood how the tier process works in most companies....... believe it or not there are customers that would call support.... and find out they didn't plug the power plug in for their machine.... or a keyboard cable wasn't connected.... I don't think they need much more than a tier one person for that.... save the real problems for a tier 2... tier 1 can and should read from a script.... easiest way to narrow a problem
     
ThePhoenix
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May 28, 2005, 07:45 PM
 
Dell's support is aka New Delli. Its all outsourced to India. I have no problems with outsourcing. However the ability to understand the people is a necessity. Whatever country you are offering support in you have to provide native speakers in or sufficient translators. Which with Dell you have a 50/50 shoot of understanding the tech.

Dell also is known within the hardware manufacturing and support industry for using parts that do not get certified approval or meet the basic specs to save on cost. For example many of the Dell Inspiron 6000s use USB Controllers that fail to meet the USB spec.

Additionally Dell is known to make their own proprietary parts taht don't meet specs. At my last job we had 8 identical Dells. 3 of which had their power supply die after 15 months. They all had a proprietary connector on them so the only way to get the replacement Power Supply was through Dell at $90 (the standard connector version was $45 in CompUSA but could not be used without rewiring the new box to the old power supply.).

And finally it seems to be standard policy at Dell that if you can't fix the problem within 20 minutes on the phone to tell the customer to reinstall the OS without any direction. I have heard this too many times about Dell giving this order. (Its been 3 times this week just outside of my job as a phone support.

Outside of their tech support I will never forget what Michael Dell had said I believe it was in September of 1997 as Steve Jobs became interim CEO of Apple. Michael Dell declared that if he was to be made CEO of Apple he would liquidate all the assets and give the shareholders back their money as it was wasted otherwise (not that is paraphrased but close to his exact words).

The only good things I have ever heard of Dell support is for their servers. Which is not the case for 99% of users (it also carries a hefty price tag for that type of service)
     
OwlBoy
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May 28, 2005, 08:02 PM
 


mmmm hmmmm.

-Owl
     
Cody Dawg
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May 28, 2005, 08:12 PM
 
     
foo2
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May 28, 2005, 08:12 PM
 
Originally Posted by ThePhoenix
Dell's support is aka New Delli. Its all outsourced to India. I have no problems with outsourcing. However the ability to understand the people is a necessity. Whatever country you are offering support in you have to provide native speakers in or sufficient translators. Which with Dell you have a 50/50 shoot of understanding the tech.

Dell also is known within the hardware manufacturing and support industry for using parts that do not get certified approval or meet the basic specs to save on cost. For example many of the Dell Inspiron 6000s use USB Controllers that fail to meet the USB spec.
OK - I'm curious - how's that? And please, let's not ignore Apple's Mac Mini's woefully bad USB2 speeds compared to the PC's USB2.


Additionally Dell is known to make their own proprietary parts taht don't meet specs. At my last job we had 8 identical Dells. 3 of which had their power supply die after 15 months. They all had a proprietary connector on them so the only way to get the replacement Power Supply was through Dell at $90 (the standard connector version was $45 in CompUSA but could not be used without rewiring the new box to the old power supply.).
That's true. Say, priced an Apple power supply lately? Dell's PSs are cheap in comparison. Be thankful.

And finally it seems to be standard policy at Dell that if you can't fix the problem within 20 minutes on the phone to tell the customer to reinstall the OS without any direction. I have heard this too many times about Dell giving this order. (Its been 3 times this week just outside of my job as a phone support.
Not too unusual for consumer level support. The advantage is you don't need to train the people.

Outside of their tech support I will never forget what Michael Dell had said I believe it was in September of 1997 as Steve Jobs became interim CEO of Apple. Michael Dell declared that if he was to be made CEO of Apple he would liquidate all the assets and give the shareholders back their money as it was wasted otherwise (not that is paraphrased but close to his exact words).

The only good things I have ever heard of Dell support is for their servers. Which is not the case for 99% of users (it also carries a hefty price tag for that type of service)
How much?

You know that MS charges $245 per incident for professional level support (home support is $35 per incident - dirt cheap on both counts)? They're not making $$$ on support. Nobody does.
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May 28, 2005, 08:31 PM
 
resuna

2,530,000 similar complaints now...

But 9,610,000 for "apple computer problem"

Perhaps you should try another rhetorical flourish?
__________________
レスナ
If you include Mac and Exclude ipod there are only 1.5 million hits

If you do the same for Dell you still get nearly as many as before, 2.2 million

Interestingly +dell +ipod +computer +problem returns significantly more hits than +dell +jukebox +computer +problem

Why might that be?
     
SunSeeker
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May 28, 2005, 08:40 PM
 
[QUOTE=SunSeeker]If you include Mac and Exclude ipod there are only 1.5 million hits

If you do the same for Dell you still get nearly as many as before, 2.2 million

Interestingly +dell +ipod +computer +problem returns significantly more hits than +dell +jukebox +computer +problem

Why might that be?

foo2That's true. Say, priced an Apple power supply lately? Dell's PSs are cheap in comparison. Be thankful.
Say, you ever had an Apple power supply go wrong. Sure, it happens, but at a rate of 3 in 8!!!
     
Cody Dawg
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May 28, 2005, 08:40 PM
 
I think that *someone* here is Dell fool - er, Troll.

(Hint: Look at who is defending Dell.)

     
Big Mac
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May 28, 2005, 08:50 PM
 
Originally Posted by MichaelNH
Well if you understood how the tier process works in most companies....... believe it or not there are customers that would call support.... and find out they didn't plug the power plug in for their machine.... or a keyboard cable wasn't connected.... I don't think they need much more than a tier one person for that.... save the real problems for a tier 2... tier 1 can and should read from a script.... easiest way to narrow a problem
I understand the situation, and that's just fine. But for legitimate problems it often takes too long to get to a tier 2 tech. Is there some sort of mystical incantation to recite?

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
ZXspectrum
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May 28, 2005, 10:21 PM
 
Originally Posted by Cody Dawg
I think that *someone* here is Dell fool - er, Troll.

(Hint: Look at who is defending Dell.)

can't concentrate. must have dog
     
foo2
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May 28, 2005, 10:31 PM
 
Originally Posted by Cody Dawg
I think that *someone* here is Dell fool - er, Troll.

(Hint: Look at who is defending Dell.)

Facts are facts. I suspect the OP has a simple filter driver issue, if he can see the CD/DVD drives in the BIOS and via a boot CD - typically this happens if one installs old CDRW burning software into XP - imagine putting Toast 3 into OS X (if you could), or an OS X 10.1-only kext driver into 10.4, and you see the picture.

If he cannot see them in the BIOS and with a boot CD, he has a physical/mechanical problem with his hardware, and it has nothing to do with Windows.
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bradrel
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May 28, 2005, 10:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by kymacman
After what I have gone through today, I vow that I will NEVER buy another Dell computer again. I have a 4th gen. 15" powerbook, and two Dell desktop computers, at my home. One of the Dells had both of its cd/dvd drives quit working. I have a 3 year service contract, so I called, and called, and called, Dell. After five tries, and waiting over 30 minutes on each call, I finally connected with a human being. After much trouble shooting, without success, he finally advised to reinstall the operating system, and see what happens. He then said he would call back tomorrow night.

Well, I don't know how to reinstall the operating system if the cd/dvd drives DON'T WORK!!!

Dell service is a joke. I would rather buy a new computer (from someone else) than go through what I've been through today.

My powerbook is a dream, and looks like a new dual 2.3 powermac may have to be the answer to my problems. Anyone else have similar problems with Dell service? How does Apple compare?

Extremely frustrated in Ky.
agreed, i have also had terrible experiences with Dell and have also vowed to never purchase anything from them again.
     
itguy05
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May 28, 2005, 11:00 PM
 
I've been in IT for a very long time and I could have told you never to buy Dell.

They are the garbage of the PC world. As others have posted: nonstandard parts, nonspec parts, poor service and even poor performance.

There are 50 billion companies that will assemble a PC for you and even give you real choices in configurations (Dell's "options" are pathetic). You will get a better quality and performing system than just about anything from Dell.

Buy anywhere but Dell - you'll be far happier!

That being said, don't get me started on how cheap and what a POS their servers are. Pick one up by an edge sometime and watch the case buckle. Pick an IBM up by a corner and watch the case stay rock solid.... Look inside and you will see a Dell machine that screams "cheap POS" - from small fans to small heatsinks, it all screams CHEAP. Look inside an IBM and you will see something that screams QUALITY.

DELL = GARBAGE. It's just that simple!
     
buffalolee
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May 28, 2005, 11:10 PM
 
A quick solution would be to buy a new DVD-R drive.
     
meelk
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May 28, 2005, 11:16 PM
 
Originally Posted by discotronic
Apple's customer service is among the best I have had to deal with. Anytime I have had to call for a hardware issue I have had someone on the other end within 2 minutes. I'm not stretching the facts here

Recently I had some issues with an iMac G5 that I considered a lemon. After the last repair that didn't fix the problem I called and they replaced it with a PowerMac. I didn't have to threaten them in any way. I just told them how upset I was and what I wanted. They made it happen. I have been a good customer for them over the years and they have provided me with a great user experience. The only time I have had a real issue they have done everything possible to make it right.

With my new PowerMac came a bad video card. I called them up this past Tuesday and they told me they where going to send me another one. The time to get the card was supposed to be a week. With the long holiday this weekend, and the fact that I had the PowerMac for under a week, they sent the replacement basically overnight.

I can't speak of Dell's support because fortunately I have never had to deal with them but Apple's can't be beat in my opinion.

"hey I havent had anything but crap product from Apple recently, but man am I happy about it!"
Did you actually read what you wrote?
     
foo2
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May 28, 2005, 11:18 PM
 
Originally Posted by buffalolee
A quick solution would be to buy a new DVD-R drive.
...if it's a physical problem. But what if it's a software problem - say a filter driver issue? Then a new DVD-R drive also won't work. The fact that both drives died at once suggests power issue, IDE cable issue, or filter driver issue.

The original poster should try that test I outlined to see what happens. Looking in the BIOS to see if the drive is visible is one test that would take just seconds to confirm the problem.
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May 28, 2005, 11:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by meelk
"hey I havent had anything but crap product from Apple recently, but man am I happy about it!"
Did you actually read what you wrote?
The difference is, Apple realized he wasn't happy and moved him to a different computer. They could have continued to add Band-Aids to the problem, but they chose to find a solution that would satisfy the customer.

I've only heard of a small handful of situations where Apple acted inappropriately regarding their customer service IMHO. Generally speaking, the people that complain about Apple's customer service are people that expect brand new hardware 6-12 after their purchase, expect some type of major upgrade (example: my $999 iBook broke, I want a 17" PowerBook for free BECAUSE I PURCHASED APPLECARE!!!]) or feel that Apple hasn't fixed their problem fast enough.
     
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May 28, 2005, 11:55 PM
 
They are the garbage of the PC world. As others have posted: nonstandard parts, nonspec parts, poor service and even poor performance.


mitchell_pgh is absolutely right in the last post (upstairs).
     
CyborgSam
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May 29, 2005, 01:33 AM
 
Macs are my platform of choice, but since I work in IT I use all platforms. IMHO, Dell is still the best PC for most users. Dell's service, like Apple's, can be bad of you get a flake on the phone. A co-worker had no end of grief trying to get her PowerBook fixed under warranty when the hard drive failed.

My sister's Dell's died, I diagnosed it as a failed power supply via phone. She has Dell support. She called, told them the symtoms & what I had said. They showed up the next day, installed a new supply pronto, and all was OK. Couldn't ask for better or faster service. They lived up to their service agreement and warranty.

For ANY business transaction involving service: do NOT tolerate bad service. Call back, ask for supervisors, be assertive (but not abusive) to work you're way up the chain to get what you paid for. Yes, it's a PITA, but getting impatient or pissed off at the folks on the phone gets you nowhere. Remember, they're doing a job, they're people, and like all of us, they don't like being yelled at.

Yea, we shouldn't have to jump through so many hoops, welcome to the new IT...
     
Superchicken
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May 29, 2005, 02:19 AM
 
Originally Posted by CyborgSam
Macs are my platform of choice, but since I work in IT I use all platforms. IMHO, Dell is still the best PC for most users. Dell's service, like Apple's, can be bad of you get a flake on the phone. A co-worker had no end of grief trying to get her PowerBook fixed under warranty when the hard drive failed.

My sister's Dell's died, I diagnosed it as a failed power supply via phone. She has Dell support. She called, told them the symtoms & what I had said. They showed up the next day, installed a new supply pronto, and all was OK. Couldn't ask for better or faster service. They lived up to their service agreement and warranty.

For ANY business transaction involving service: do NOT tolerate bad service. Call back, ask for supervisors, be assertive (but not abusive) to work you're way up the chain to get what you paid for. Yes, it's a PITA, but getting impatient or pissed off at the folks on the phone gets you nowhere. Remember, they're doing a job, they're people, and like all of us, they don't like being yelled at.

Yea, we shouldn't have to jump through so many hoops, welcome to the new IT...
You registered in 2000 and this is your first post!?
     
CyborgSam
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May 29, 2005, 02:37 AM
 
Originally Posted by Superchicken
You registered in 2000 and this is your first post!?
I'd like to say I'm a quiet person, but the opposite is true... I read MacNN every day, but rarely read the forums. Too many places to spout off... To quote Ashleigh Brilliant (author of Pot-Shots comic strip) "How come the demand for my opinions is never as great as the supply?"
     
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May 29, 2005, 03:23 AM
 
Crazy... with the number of stupid comments posted here I don't think I could ever keep my mouth shut
     
Big Mac
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May 29, 2005, 04:27 AM
 
Originally Posted by Superchicken
You registered in 2000 and this is your first post!?
Not only did he register in 2000, he registered in early 2000!

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
ciparis
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May 29, 2005, 05:14 AM
 
Originally Posted by Superchicken
You registered in 2000 and this is your first post!?
Some people are just funny that way

I have on my desk a dual G5, a Powerbook G4, and a dell inspiron XPS Gen2 17" laptop. The XPS has its own support group (staffed in the US and only in the US), and it came with an amazing (6800 Ultra) video card and a 4 year even-if-you-break-it next-day on-site warranty. Which is good since it's already needed service, but I digress...

If you have to buy a PC, Dell can be a compelling value (especially some of the special deals they run often... my laptop was 45% off for 2k total, for the fastest gaming laptop on the planet). Their build quality is spotty in some areas, and of course there is no design and material use in the PC world comparable to Apple's, let alone from Dell (though the XPS line at least tries). If Apple could keep up on hardware features I wouldn't own a PC laptop. Maybe they just don't take gamers into account often enough.

MS support call story of the week: I called on Friday to get help with an IIS hanging problem on Small Biz Server 2003. After working with me for about an hour and getting the problem solved, they reversed the $245 fee. Free support from MS for a server product that came with a Dell server... whodathunkit.
     
ciparis
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May 29, 2005, 05:23 AM
 
Originally Posted by itguy05

That being said, don't get me started on how cheap and what a POS their servers are. Pick one up by an edge sometime and watch the case buckle. Pick an IBM up by a corner and watch the case stay rock solid.... Look inside and you will see a Dell machine that screams "cheap POS" - from small fans to small heatsinks, it all screams CHEAP. Look inside an IBM and you will see something that screams QUALITY.
We bought a dual Xeon Dell Poweredge 2800 server that had a shipping weight of 130 pounds. I can assure you it does not flex. Why'd' we buy a Dell? It was on sale, and for the price I couldn't have built anything remotely comparable using wholesale parts and assembling it myself. They are willing to lose money to gain new customers with their occasional massive discount sales.
     
Eriamjh
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May 29, 2005, 08:42 AM
 
Just tell Dell that you reinstalled the system and the CD still doesn't work.

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oyno
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May 29, 2005, 09:08 AM
 
Originally Posted by SunSeeker
If you do the same for Dell you still get nearly as many as before, 2.2 million

Interestingly +dell +ipod +computer +problem returns significantly more hits than +dell +jukebox +computer +problem
Why might that be?
This form of research is absolutely pointless unless all computer makers had exactly the same market share, so please stop it.
     
Cadaver
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May 29, 2005, 09:14 AM
 
With Dell's volume, they could really do some damage to the general PC industry if they straighten out their customer service. It really is a nightmare the way it is now.

I've owned one Dell machine, but this was many years ago when a service call would get you a native English speaker who knew what they were doing. Now, its a whole nother story.

Here's an example:
About 18 months ago, a co-worker bought a Dell workstation, and the system included a USB keyboard and a two button/wheel USB mouse with a short cord (like Apple's; designed to plug in to the keyboard, not the back of the machine). Anway, I was interested in aquiring said mouse for myself simply because of the nice short cord. Anyway, since his machine had come with "premiere" support, I call posing as him (with his permission) and his machine's tag number. I say the mouse has gone bad and that I need another. "OK," they say and agree to send out a new one, no charge. "Cool," I thought.
Wrong. Four days later a two-button, non-wheel, PS-2 mouse with a six foot cord shows up. Hmmm. I call back, and attempt to get it straighened out. Well, to make a long story short, after taking with no less than 8 (yes, eight) different people across various divisions (consumer sales, business sales, service request, parts/peripherals, etc.) it turns out that Dell has no separate part number for this particular mouse with the short cord. The only way anyone could see how to get one was by buying a whole machine and adding a certain keyboard/mouse package. There was NO WAY to get JUST the mouse as a replacement part. None. The closest they could find was your typical Logitech-made, Dell-branded two button wheelie mouse with a standard long 6 foot cord.
Now, while some of Apple's parts are also not available for resale, it IS possible to get anything replaced. Apparently not with Dell. Certain parts are apparently NOT identical-part replaceable. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
(Yeah, I know I could have cracked open any mouse and cut/resoldered the cord myself just as easily, but that's not the point of the story.)

Anyway, while Dell machines look sooo tempting (for PC users) because of their low price points, I have to kick myself every time I even think about buying one (I require a real PC for certain work-related items).
     
Aussie Bruce
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May 29, 2005, 09:20 AM
 
Positive note - this should work to solve the DELL problem.
I agree that XP is crap but no need to reinstall.
Go the ControlPanels->System->DeviceManager
and DELETE the drivers for the CD/DVD and the controller as well.
Close and reboot and let Windoze recover the devices itself. They are very standard drivers and built into the system. You will need to reboot twice. Its yet another well known bug in XP and I have seen it before.
By the way this note comes from my PMAC2.5DP/1.5G/250G - Windoze is the day job.






Well, I don't know how to reinstall the operating system if the cd/dvd drives DON'T WORK!!!

Dell service is a joke. I would rather buy a new computer (from someone else) than go through what I've been through today.

My powerbook is a dream, and looks like a new dual 2.3 powermac may have to be the answer to my problems. Anyone else have similar problems with Dell service? How does Apple compare?

Extremely frustrated in Ky.[/QUOTE]
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chris v
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May 29, 2005, 09:53 AM
 
Originally Posted by kymacman
My powerbook is a dream, and looks like a new dual 2.3 powermac may have to be the answer to my problems. Anyone else have similar problems with Dell service? How does Apple compare?
I have had absolutely ZERO problems with Dell since I purchased my Powermac Dual 2.0 G5.

When a true genius appears in the world you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him. -- Jonathan Swift.
     
foo2
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May 29, 2005, 10:08 AM
 
Originally Posted by Cadaver
With Dell's volume, they could really do some damage to the general PC industry if they straighten out their customer service. It really is a nightmare the way it is now.

I've owned one Dell machine, but this was many years ago when a service call would get you a native English speaker who knew what they were doing. Now, its a whole nother story.

Here's an example:
About 18 months ago, a co-worker bought a Dell workstation, and the system included a USB keyboard and a two button/wheel USB mouse with a short cord (like Apple's; designed to plug in to the keyboard, not the back of the machine). Anway, I was interested in aquiring said mouse for myself simply because of the nice short cord. Anyway, since his machine had come with "premiere" support, I call posing as him (with his permission) and his machine's tag number. I say the mouse has gone bad and that I need another. "OK," they say and agree to send out a new one, no charge. "Cool," I thought.
Wrong. Four days later a two-button, non-wheel, PS-2 mouse with a six foot cord shows up. Hmmm. I call back, and attempt to get it straighened out. Well, to make a long story short, after taking with no less than 8 (yes, eight) different people across various divisions (consumer sales, business sales, service request, parts/peripherals, etc.) it turns out that Dell has no separate part number for this particular mouse with the short cord. The only way anyone could see how to get one was by buying a whole machine and adding a certain keyboard/mouse package. There was NO WAY to get JUST the mouse as a replacement part. None. The closest they could find was your typical Logitech-made, Dell-branded two button wheelie mouse with a standard long 6 foot cord.
Now, while some of Apple's parts are also not available for resale, it IS possible to get anything replaced. Apparently not with Dell. Certain parts are apparently NOT identical-part replaceable. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
(Yeah, I know I could have cracked open any mouse and cut/resoldered the cord myself just as easily, but that's not the point of the story.)

Anyway, while Dell machines look sooo tempting (for PC users) because of their low price points, I have to kick myself every time I even think about buying one (I require a real PC for certain work-related items).


....and you believed them? C'mon. Take a look at the parts list on the invoice when you order a Dell - every item, including the manual and the mousepad, is on there and has a tracking number. How do you think they track what gets put into your box? Most likely the customer service people you spoke with didn't know how the build process works very well; other scenarios abound, but rest assured that with all of Dell's JIT sophistication, they've got a way to track everything.
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effgee
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May 29, 2005, 10:10 AM
 
time to whip out the good'ole dell poster ...



.
     
discotronic
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May 29, 2005, 10:28 AM
 
Originally Posted by meelk
"hey I havent had anything but crap product from Apple recently, but man am I happy about it!"
Did you actually read what you wrote?
I know exactly what I said. How many Macs have you owned? I have owned a Mac since the early 90's. I am usually on an (at most) 2 year upgrade cycle. The only system I have had a real problem with in all those years has been the iMac G5. After going through the regular repairs that didn't solve the issue, Apple replaced the system. Am I happy I bought a lemon? No. Did Apple step up to the plate and make it right? Yes.

A video card problem is a minor issue. If a bad video card makes a PowerMac a crap product you should just stop using computers right now.

Also, I still think you are a troll. I remember you from a couple months back. You are only "interested in OSX and not Apple hardware". Go home to MS troll.
     
foo2
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May 29, 2005, 10:51 AM
 
Originally Posted by discotronic
I know exactly what I said. How many Macs have you owned? I have owned a Mac since the early 90's. I am usually on an (at most) 2 year upgrade cycle. The only system I have had a real problem with in all those years has been the iMac G5. After going through the regular repairs that didn't solve the issue, Apple replaced the system. Am I happy I bought a lemon? No. Did Apple step up to the plate and make it right? Yes.

A video card problem is a minor issue. If a bad video card makes a PowerMac a crap product you should just stop using computers right now.

Also, I still think you are a troll. I remember you from a couple months back. You are only "interested in OSX and not Apple hardware". Go home to MS troll.
Why would that make him a troll? Apple's got a good OS and wraps it around, for the most part, pretty lousy hardware. C'mon - $1500 for a dual 1.8 with nVidia 5200 graphics? That's a $50 graphics card in a $1500 computer! Powerbooks aren't as bad - I got mine for about $1000 and it has a GF52002Go in it, which isn't bad compared to that pricerange on the PC, but it's still just got a fairly slow G4/1.33 in there. It's just not that competitive, hardware-wise, with the PC market. The reason I run it is because I like MacOS, not because I like the hardware.

A friend just bought an Acer laptop. $600 at CompUSA, after rebates, 512MB CeleronM 1.3, 40GB, DVD/CDRW. It has a *BEAUTIFUL* 15.4" widescreen 1280x800 or somesuch screen with "Crystalview", which is their name for the extra brightness and the film on the laptop to give it that amazing look (Sony and a few other vendors have this too - it's a night-and-day difference in video quality). Comparing that $600 laptop to my little 12.1" PB's screen is pretty sad; the PB's screen is nothing special at all, and brightness, even when maxxed, is pretty low. And she paid 40% *less* money to get all that.

But this runs MacOS.

Just the facts....
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ghporter
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May 29, 2005, 10:52 AM
 
Dell's market share is huge, and they market to people who have trouble tying their shoes-or even closing the velcro straps on their shoes. So Dell gets a LOT of tech support calls from morons, which means they need to handle really stupid questions all the time. That requires a ton of first level tech support drones-who don't have to be any smarter than the moron customers, because the drones have a script! Sending their first level support to India was the STUPIDEST thing Dell could have done, and their business customers explained that to them very quickly. They are in the process of pulling their consumer support back to the U.S., but it's taking them time to do it.

And don't go slinging mud at Dell for non-standard hardware without heaping a huge portion on HP/Compaq for using non-standard hardware AND non-standard interfaces AND cramming so much crap into crappy cases that look like they're DESIGNED to hurt you that you can't do anything with them. Dell has no monopoly on non-standard in the PC world. Oh, don't forget eMachines, either. Or Gateway. The whole PC market is going for custom parts-except for the "build it yourself" crowd. Big PC makers are (rather logically) making it harder for the consumer to upgrade the motherboard in his/her computer so they can sell the consumer newer computers. It makes business sense.

And motherboards don't just go out most of the time. If they fail, they fail mostly during the warranty period, so non-standard motherboards are NOT a maintenance issue-they're an upgrade issue. I had planned to use a Dell case to build a DVR with, because they are very small and compact. Since I can't because of their proprietary motherboard (integrated video just doesn't go along with my thoughts for a DVR) I've changed direction and I'm looking at a micro-ATX based system now. No big deal.

Apple's market share is much smaller, so Apple can provide better service with far fewer people. And it is NOT that Macs break statistically less often than Dells, but when you factor in the market share, Dell will have quantitatively more failures. Macs are built of parts that are similar to just about every other computer maker's parts, so there will be hardware failures, even in the best Mac. The OS helps avoid conflict and software failures, but doesn't prevent all of them.

It is, however the ATTITUDE of Apple's tech support people that gives them the advantage. They LIKE Macs, they LIKE Apple in general, and they appear to LIKE helping people. THAT is the key! Apple hires people who like what they do, where Dell just hires bodies. When you have that many calls to handle daily, you're going to have to be less discriminating in who you hire.

P.S., I've never had any problems with Dell. Or Apple.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
discotronic
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May 29, 2005, 11:05 AM
 
Originally Posted by foo2
Why would that make him a troll?
What makes him a troll is other comments he has made.

I'm not going to say that the price of Apple's hardware is priced low because it isn't. I use both a PC and a Mac. Apple's hardware is priced for the most part top dollar. I was in the market for a monitor recently. I looked at the 20" ACD but I just couldn't see paying the price. I found some coupons for the Dell 2005FPW 20" monitor. It is just as good, IMO, as the Apple 20". I paid $430 total for it plus I have a 3 year warranty.

I have found Apple's hardware to be top notch for the most part. Some people's experience will be different than others. Overall, their support for their hardware makes them one of the best in the business.

Like you have already stated though. If it isn't a Mac it won't run OSX (emulators excluded)
     
SunSeeker
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May 29, 2005, 11:09 AM
 
Originally Posted by oyno
This form of research is absolutely pointless unless all computer makers had exactly the same market share, so please stop it.
I am pretty sure that is the point I was trying to make.
     
 
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