Pretty Fed up with Dell!

Ok, I've always been a fan of Dell. I've never spoken with the tech support over the phone, but I've contacted the regular customer service over emails several times and was satified with my level of service.

But, now, I'm completely fed up. I bought my laptop a few months ago for internet surfing and email. Since school was coming up, I figured it would be a nice purchase. Well, I just wasted $700 and more if you count the wireless router (from Linksys, though.), the speakers, Mp3 player and extra mouse. I can't connect to the internet at all. I call Dell's tech service and we are on the phone for 2-3 hours. Finally they place the blame solely on my Linksys rounter, which is working fine with all the other computers mind you. So, I call up Linksys, who sits with me for another 2 hours changing configuration and such. Of course, they blame Dell. I call Dell back and they offer me "upper level tech support" for $75/incident or $200 a year. You have to be crazy!

I just woke up that morning and couldn't pull up any webpages even though the laptop says it has a full connection. It does it at home and at all the hotspots I visit. I'm not the only one with this problem - just look at the Inspiron 1150 Network Forum. After changing configs, downloading drivers and taking it to two actual computer tech friends of mine as well as a few guys who tried to help over IMs and forums, I still cannot connect. Like I said, what a waste. I have a really expensive paper weight on my hands.


Oh, now that i'm finished my rant. Thanks for reading. I really want to send this computer back. I have internet classes this semester and I'd like the convience of taking them at home like a normal person would, not at my school's campus. That really just defeats the purpose. I bought this computer back in May or June and I don't think they would take it back.
Next time I'm going to save my money and build that gaming machine I wanted. It'll have all the bells and whistles, plus I'll be able to surf and do my homework on it. Then if something fails, I can blame myself and maybe have it working again by now.

Anyone have any advice for me.

Sorry about all the agravation you are going throu...I have a Dell desktop, but till now I have been lucky enough that everything is working fine, and I never had to talk with tech support (that can reck the tuffest man's sanity).

Hope you can get everything straightned out. Maybe you could try the consumer alert websits ( I dont have the link right now, but im sure if you google it it will pop up really fast).

Maybe if you return your Dell you can get a Toshiba instead, my husband has one and they are awsome, of course they are more expensive, but even the refurnished ones are pretty good...

Good luck

They provide the most garbage laptops that can be humanly created. There PCs are troublesome and unreliable, from experiance, and tech support is terrible. This isn't the first anti-dell rant in the forum. Problems are usually unfixable without dishing out $200+.

If you want a good laptop, get a Toshiba, they specialize in them or a HP. Never get a Dell or an IBM.

Yeah guys - I can symphathise. I used to have a Dell. It was better than OK, but then those canny little games wizards decided that 500k SDRAM was no longer good enough for their games.

I them purchased a Packard-Bell. Not 3 bad, but only 'cause I stuck 2 x 256M chips on it and a new graphics card - the GForce 5600. Gave me lots of zoom for games but storage was a bummer - only 40Gb.

Now, I have an all signing all, dancing Advent Pentium 4, a 2.4 Gig speed, 2 x 200 Gb hard drives. Does the job.

BUT I have noticed a few times, that it crashes on vertain FPS games. On contacting Microcrap (via that very stupid error report) they say they are unable to assist me, as it's probably the game's driver.

DUH! I thought the driver was Direct X 9b/c which, correct me if I'm wrong, is a Microcrap device.

Well, I can't return it. Its about 4 or so months old. I wish they could buy it back or something, I this point I'm willing to take a $200 loss and say I "rented" the computer for the last 4 months. But I dont' think that'll do. The people I've talk to say its more software than hardware, so the warrenty I have is useless. Bah, I think I'm going to sell it on Craig's list and buy a new one.

Originally posted by GoldEagle
If you want a good laptop, get a Toshiba, they specialize in them or a HP. Never get a Dell or an IBM.

Mate I'm working with computers for 15 years and can tell ya that this is not true. You can also buy crappy Toshiba or HP. Those notebooks on market are anyway basically built in 3 factories around Taiwan. If you're lucky you can have
your DELL notebook without problems for 5 years or unlucky and your HP won't start after you leave the shop.

And for the DELL, they're not engineering anything, they just sell things with their logo (Printers - Lexmark, LCDs - LG, Storages - EMC, etc., etc.)

Originally posted by Shaione
Finally they place the blame solely on my Linksys rounter, which is working fine with all the other computers mind you.
I'm not the only one with this problem - just look at the Inspiron 1150 Network Forum.

Then the problem is in the DELL notebook exactly in the wireless card. Try another PCMCIA wireless card, or use USB wireless adapter. Just don't sell your notebook or buy another - because of this problem.


[edit on 2005-9-7 by zer69]

You're not alone buddy

Keep fighting the good fight

I got my dell, great piece of machine, better then what you have for more then 65% less.

2.53ghz Proc
512meg ddr2 3200ram
200gig+80gig HD
DvD burner
cool vid card, plays HL2 perfectly
network card
all for less then 250.

Originally posted by Jestaman
I got my dell, great piece of machine, better then what you have for more then 65% less.

2.53ghz Proc
512meg ddr2 3200ram
200gig+80gig HD
DvD burner
cool vid card, plays HL2 perfectly
network card
all for less then 250.

Not to be snippy, but what was the point or that post? That's not helping me any. Very good for you.

I have had Dell computers for years. My family ownes I think 9 dell computers.
We have never had any problems.

EXCEPT- this spring, I went to use my laptop with a Linksys router, and they won't communicate. The connection is on and off, nobody can figure out why.

It is only a problem with linksys routers, I think something about the two companies isn't compatable. Sort of like how if 5 years ago you installed MSN and AOL on the same computer it would crash. (on all 4 computers I tried it with, haven't dont it since)

Seeing this thread makes me happy it's not just me going crazy, this is a problem for somebody else too.