What Do I Buy

Please: laptop warranty advise: Managing cost

jeff00seattle — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:43:50 GMT

I am planning to get a Studio 15 laptop, and I have read that it is a must to get an extended warranty.

However, looking at a Dell 3-year extended warranty nearly increases the laptop purchase cost by 50%!! A lot more than what I was planning on spending.

When is a 3-year manufacturer warranty worth it? I read the following article and as a general rule of thumb you shouldn't pay for a warranty that costs 25% or more than the value of the notebook because after that point you're overpaying and wasting your money. http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3066

What is the best approach in managing my cost of this purchase, but at the same time protect my investment?

Thanks

Jeff in Seattle

WARNING: Worst Ordering Experience of My Life

davidxs — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:51:46 GMT

I am unbelievably frustrated with my Dell ordering experience and would advise anyone to consider other options. I placed an order for a laptop in October. I was informed last week that delivery would be delayed. Fine. Then when I went to check on the order status, I found the order was canceled although no one had notified me, or told me why. After an hour of phone time Saturday, Nov. 21, I was told the order was canceled because of some part not being available but no one could explain why I was not informed. They said they could replace the order, as the part was no longer a problem. The order was replaced Nov. 21. I asked for, and never received, email confirmation. I was given an order number. When I checked the next day on the order status, I was told THAT order was canceled. No explanation. Another hour on the phone. No one could help me or explain. Finally, someone provided yet a NEW order number. But it's missing several of the parts of the original order, and the scheduled delivery date is three weeks later than what I was told the day before. No one at Dell, apparently, is available to check on or explain this.

What a way to treat customers! What a sorry excuse for customer service. I had been warned about Dell. "Don't order from them," I was told. "You'll be in Dell Hell." I should have listened. They were right. I'm in Dell Hell, and I don't like it.

My RAM has only about 256MB and wanted to upgrade into 2GB...

xzvinniezx — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:01:55 GMT

Hiies, my computer is a Dell Dimension 3100....

My RAM is a...

[By SiSoftware Sandra]

Nanya NT256T64UH4A0FY-37 256MB DIMM DDR2 PC2-4300U DDR2-534 (4-4-4-12 3-16-4-2)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[By CPU-Z]

Type -> DDR2

Channel -> Single

Size -> 256MBytes

DRAM Frequency -> 266.0 MHz

FSB:DRAM -> 3:4

CAS# Latency (CL) -> 4.0 clocks

RAS# tp CAS# Delay (tRCD) -> 4 clocks

RAS# Precharge (tRP) -> 4 clocks

Cycle Time (tRAS) 12 clocks

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

so this is all i have, but i wanted to upgrade to 2GB... So what is the RAM type of 2GB should i buy?

any ideas?

thanks,

Vinnie

Dell outlet: How can I view more than 10 items at a time?

evigil — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:36:13 GMT

When shopping at the Dell outlet, the default (only?) view only shows ten items per page. This means having to load dozens of pages to see all the listings for any given product.

Is there a way to view more than 10 listings at a time? Ideally, I'd love to be able to view ALL the listings at once for a particular product. But even 50 or 100 at a time would be nice.

The filters are helpful, but I can be flexible on specific features, especially those that I can upgrade myself. Seeing all the options at once would make that much easier.

Thank you.

What's the highest W Power Supply for Optiplex GX 270 280

ulyssescpt — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:24:21 GMT

Hi,

I've never been good with electricity. I have no idea what's an amp or volt or watts. Or how many volts make an amp or watts. Or how many amps for how many volts.. etc.

I have Optiplex GX 270 and GX 280. What is the highest power supply I can install in it? I think they come with 250W. I'm hoping to upgrade it to 450W or 500W. But I don't have it on hand. What I do have on hand is a 350W. So what is the highest power supply I can get for them?

I hate forums because I can never find the answer to my questions, so I end up having to start a new post to get my answers. So sorry to any admin or moderators if I'm starting a new post for an old question.

Please post your answer here. If I can't find your replies to my post, and if the answer is certain, please email me at ulyssescpt@yahoo.com

Alex

We need a DFS forum...

Teach09 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:11:40 GMT

If Dell and DFS are truly different entities then Dell needs to distance itself as far a possible from these folks. Just got my letter so DFS could violate the spirit of the law raising interest rates on preexisting balances. After buying two desktop systems and a lcd tv, as well as a few peripherals--guess what--25% increase in interest rate. I have NEVER been late, ALWAYS paid more than minimum, and right now my balance is about (just over) 50% of my credit line-thousands below my limit. So why the ginormous rate increase went the Fed rate is near 0? American business--succeeding to fail--again.

Laptop suggestions?

poprockets — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:41:00 GMT

Can anyone suggest a laptop for casual gaming, student friendly and something that doesn't have a clitchy or overly sensitive mouse. I presently have the E1505 and it's a shame to have to replace it.

Thanks.

New computer and HDTV

mattvaill — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:59:02 GMT

Hi all,

I will be upgrading to a new computer (Inspiron 537 most likely) and will eventually be getting an HDTV that will serve both as my monitor and big screen to play blue rays. I've been going through the items in customizing my PC and would like to know what I need in terms of a video card and appropriate TV so the two can connect and work effectively. Are there any special adapters I need in the video card? Anything specific to the TV connections?

Before I get the new TV, I will be using my old CRT monitor for the time being. I just want the switch to the HDTV to be as smooth as I can make it.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

-Matt

California residents: Dell overcharges for e-Waste fee in some cases, so be careful

Mike Rubin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:54:31 GMT

I've been trying to buy a laptop from Dell but noted that, if I choose an "edge to edge" color preference, the California EPA fee in my shopping cart goes from $16 per unit to $32. The state fee for notebooks is $16 per unit. However, I could not get the charge to change to the proper amount despite my deleting and reconfiguring shopping cart configurations, so I called Phone Sales and spoke to an agent there. The agent told me this was the correct fee.

It is not. Per the Board of Equalization's FAQ's for retailers who collect the fee:

How much is the fee?

The fee is based upon the viewable size of the video display, measured diagonally.

Viewable screen size, measured diagonally	Fee 1/1/2005– 12/31/2008	Fee As of 1/1/2009
Greater than 4 inches but less than 15 inches	$6	$8
Greater than or equal to 15 inches but less than 35 inches	$8	$16
Greater than or equal to 35 inches	$10	$25

Note there is no $32 fee prescribed for any screen size. If you are a California resident: Be careful. You are likely to be overcharged. The proper amount is $16.

Help! Which laptop do i need to buy???

aussie pom — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:12:20 GMT

Firstly, this is the second time i have tried to post this message. It was removed as "Your post contains language that we believe to be harassing, unlawful, or otherwise objectionable".

I am not sure why?? anyway, second time lucky, here goes.....

Having never owned a laptop before, i have no idea what would be the best one for my requirements. I was hoping to get some advice from the Dell community as to which would be my best option. I would be using the laptop for business and personal uses.

For business, I just have a basic accounting software package, Word and Excel, plus internet access. For personal use, GPS mapping software, internet, email, web cam (if possible), music, photos. I don't think i need anything to involved, but with the variety available, i

t is a bit confusing. I would also be travelling overseas and would need to use it in the UK for business and personal purposes. Thanks very much and i appreciate any feedback :)

TRYING to buy an XT2

Lon Beme — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:47:03 GMT

So I put the configuration together, and it came up with compatibility issues.

-The Operating System (WIN 7 Pro 32) you have selected supports a maximum of 4 GB Memory. Please change your memory selection to 4 GBs or less or your Operating System.

......I understand that 7 (32 bit) will only ACCESS 4, but since they dont sell 4 (only 2,3,and 5) I selected 4. From other pc's I know that it just wont see the extra...and I'm ok w/ that

- The Optical Drive (Media Base/Slice) you have selected is not available with the Operating System selected. Please change one of the selected options.

.....But other here have stated it does work - Your Mobile Broadband (Verizon) selection is not compatible with the Operating System you have selected. Please click on the links to update your selection.

The sales rep (and his manager) said sorry, we can't sell it this way. They did come up with a "solution" that they'd sell it w/ VISTA PRO 64 bit and they I can upgrade to Win 7 Pro 32 bit

What do you guys think? thanks for any help!

Dell just lost another customer

VeryVeryDisappointed — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:01:45 GMT

After fruitless attempts to get an explanation for the delay in receiving my order, after promises that my order had been upgraded to "rush" status, and after hours wasted being transferred and put on hold at the call centre, I have finally given up. After years of buying Dell products for myself and others I am reluctantly going to switch brands.

I placed my order on October 4th. After waiting for 5 1/2 weeks, I managed to extract a written promise from Sales Support that my order would be cancelled on November 20th if I hadn't received my order. On November 18th I received notification that my "rush" order had finally been shipped -- by ground. I won't get my order for another 7-10 days and that is just too late.

Much as I was looking forward to my new desktop and monitor, I simply refuse to reward Dell with my money after such abysmal service. I would have waited had I been kept updated on the status of my order, or if an alternative part was suggested to expedite production, or if a faster shipment for my "rush" order had been offered.

Yesterday, I e-mailed the Sales Support contact and his supervisor to advise them that I won't take delivery of the computer. Not surprisingly, I haven't received a reply.

Just to be on the safe side, I cancelled my credit card. I'm curious to see how long it takes someone from Dell to finally acknowledge my existence when they try to bill me for my order...

Is there any english-speaking person working for Dell?

SkullFaerie — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:24:16 GMT

And if so, could someone please supply me with their email address or contact number? I would be very thankful....

Delays in delivery

mpotnis — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:14:57 GMT

Is there any delay for XPS1645 delivery?

Corporate Office Address/Contact

mandy7581 — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 06:20:46 GMT

Hello! Does anyone know the corporate office mailing address or phone number? It would also help to have a specific contact to write to. My husband and I have spent nine hours either talking to Dell employees or waiting for their phone calls (which usually don't come) and I really need another venue to try to voice my concerns with our order. Thank you!

6 Weeks for delivery is not acceptable!

vancityguy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:46:00 GMT

On Oct 27, 2009 I spent the time to check thru many Dell laptops/notebooks and decided on the Studio XPS 16. I filled in my personal info and credit card and read the terms and conditions. I read that email will be sent that contains the shipping info. And so, once the order was placed, I received the email confirming the order and the 'estimated" shipment date which is December 7, 2009! <explicit removed>?!? Why can't that information be made obvious during the order process if it's obviously a known back order in the works? So tomorrow, I'm calling to cancel this order and take my business elsewhere. I'm on my 2nd dell in my office and we have many others also in use. I've grown accustom to using Dell's web site for ordering notebooks, but if this is the new service level that my purchases have been awarded ... well ... there are other vendors out there who will want to make a sale with delivery dates much less that this experience has been.

Precision T3400 Processor Upgrade

pebee — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:50:40 GMT

Although Dell does not seem to encourage upgrading cpu's after purchase, is it possible to upgrade the Precision T3400 from an Intel™ Core®2 Duo E4300 processor to a more powerful CPU?

Is the process of upgrading the T3400 cpu differnt than upgrading a cpu on most motherboards?

What other cpu's will work with the T3400 motherboard?

Many thanks in advance,

Current configuration:

T3400 with Intel™ Core®2 Duo E4300

1 gb memory

160 gb hdd

Windows XP sp2

E1505 replacements

poprockets — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:20:17 GMT

I have a 3 year old Inspiron E1505 and the warranty expired a few months ago. I damaged my LCD screen and I'm not sure if I should buy the replacement screen and warranty or a new laptop. Both the warranty + LCD screen will cost as much a new Inspiron 15 or studio. I have enjoyed working and gaming on the E1505, can anyone suggest laptops similar to my original one.

My only requirements are more asthetic such as a 15" or more on the screen size, ability to game and media requirements and ofcourse price wise hopefully less than $800. Are there any laptops out there that have the media buttons on the outside like the E1505? I don't know why, but I've become so accustomed them.

Laptop vs. Desktop

7star4u — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:07:16 GMT

I just got my first PC. It is a used, bulky PC from 2002. It has a limited memory too, only 256 MB of RAM.

I plan to buy a laptop when I receive my back-pay in a few months. I was wondering what is missing in a laptop? Where is there room for the hard drive? Do the laptops have as much memory as their full-size counterparts? What about netbooks? How do they have a CD Drive or a HD? Something must be missing in these lightweight machines that they're not telling the public. They must also be expensive to repair. What's the story?

Telemarketing to cost future sales

ThinkPad4me — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:25:49 GMT

Anyone else getting annoying hang up calls from Dell telemarketers (800-847-4045) trying to sell extended warranties? They call at all times of the day and hang up. Now that I have found out who they are, it has cost Dell any future sales with me.

Dell Dimension 4700 motherboard

dustynuget — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:19:30 GMT

Dell cannot provide me with a suitable replacement for the original motherboard in my '05 Dimension 4700. What is a compar

able substitute, and where would I start looking?

Another unhappy XPS 1645 i7 Customer

TheZlog — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:03:10 GMT

I'm on my FOURTH order since 10/10/09. I've been delayed and canceled three times. Add me to the list of people who would abandon Dell in a heartbeat if they wern't the only ones offering what I am looking for in a Laptop.

I'm going to be more surprised if my order actually makes it to my doorstep then I would be if it gets canceled again.

I've spent 10.5 hours on the cell phone with dell reps lieing to me according to my AT&T bill.

Only after sending several e-mails to Michael Dell (which is not actually read by him obviously) and filing a BBB complaint did I get contacted by some one who admitted to me that there was a problem with all orders played before Nov 2nd. They disagreed that I was owed any type of discount or compensation despite my $180 cell phone bill from overages.

Although I'm willing to bet that my post wont be on here for long, those that do read it should check out the forums at notebook review. Theres over 2000 posts of ticked off people that Dell has mistreated and lied to.

Is the Dell Inspiron 14 available without Windows 7 pre-installed?

the.simpleton — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:38:48 GMT

I'm interested in buying the Dell Inspiron 14 laptop which is priced at around Rs.30,700 including Windows 7 Home Basic pre-installed. But I already have a genuine Disc of Home Premium with me so I don't want to pay the additional Rs.5000 as the OS cost. Is this particular laptop available without Windows 7? Can I get it for around Rs.25000-26000? Please advice me on this regard...

Studio 1555 Noisey DVD (Dell Reliabiltiy. what is the real number?)

Ian_b — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:34:55 GMT

I have just recieved my Studio 1555. Have a number of issues:

1. Faulty System

2. Poor Customer Services at Dell

3. Non delivry of bag.

..............................

1. Can anyone tell me if it is true that Dell has 2-10% of systems fail on them within 2 years.

I have just recieved my Dell Studio 1555, have issues and been told I should extend my Warrenty to next service day cover (extra £139-) to ensure reliability. Figures I was quoted ranged from 2-10% of failure if dell systems within two years. Is this true?

Issues are:

a. Noisy DVD player. When playing back DVD, very intrusive.

b. Keyboard not so fitted on leftside

c. Poor fitting cover under laptop.

2. Customer Service: Have phoned Dell (about 6 times, thier Service Centre is annoying hard to reach). finally their engineer is coming to repair my 6 day old system.

3. Missing Bag

Was meant to be delivered weeks ago. Website and Customer services are have not answered any of my questions yet. Had to phone the sales rep and email 3 times before any type of response. Still not sure when it will arrive.

Would I buy dell again. Not sure the savings are true savings after factoring in the hassle of time to call the service centre, and threat of machine failure. anyone else can advise?

DO NOT BUY DELL

simonpollard — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:05:03 GMT

There are plenty of other options with better customer service and products.

Try Medion in Europe - good quality, good price and good support

NEVER USE A COMPANY WHO USES INDIA FOR CHEAP AND POINTLESS CALL CENTRES

FUNNY HOW THE BUSINESS SIDE USES UK OR IRELAND CALL CENTRES.

GOT A COMPLAINT? GET THE BRACKNELL, UK RECEPTION PHONE NUMBER FROM INDIA - WILL TAKE PERSISTENCE BUT IS WORTH IT - BOMBARD GIRL ON RECEPTION WITH CALLS - THE VIBE WILL SOON GET THROUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dell Inspiron 11z Delayed

RyanRyan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:13:17 GMT

I would just like to post this as a warning to anyone considering buying a Dell. There have been constant reports of Dell delays, but I was hoping they would not prove true for the Inspiron 11z. Sadly, they are.

I ordered my 11z on October 22nd with a delivery date estimate of November 3rd (with overnight shipping). On November 2nd I received an email stating my delivery was delayed until November 9th. That was the last email I received. Since then my order has been delayed to November 16th, then November 23rd, and both times was nearly cancelled because I was not notified and apparently I had to approve the delays. Today (11/16) my order was "changed" (read: cancelled) by Dell and I have a new order with an order date of 11/16, and a delivery date of December 4th. I have absolutely no reason to believe I will get this order by then. This is already 6 weeks after my initial order.

Unfortunately I do not want to cancel my order because I have already purchased accessories specifically for this computer. At least it isn't my primary computer so I'm not in desperate need of it, so I'll just have to wait it out. I have no problem with Dell products, they are usually great, but the service is awful. In any event, if you are considering ordering a computer and need it any time in the next, say, 2-3 months (don't forget the Holiday season is starting now), don't order a Dell.

Customer Care ONLY for happy people ????!!!! Studio XPS16 > Do NOT buy !

CHABABA — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:19:09 GMT

I cannot believe this !

I've ordered my laptop on Sept. 28th, they promised a delivery one week later.

After one week I have received a mail saying that the delivery was reported on October 23rd (almost one month !). Subsequently, I have changed all my trips planned as i needed the laptop for that !

Today, October 22nd, when I check my delivery status I read that my order was placed on priority and that it will be delivered on ... NOVEMBER 23rd !!!!!!!! almost two months ????!!!!!

When I call the customer care, the (courageous) lady repeats that my order is on Production and when I start firmly asking for an explication she just hang on the phone. Easy, no ?

My advice to anyone who needs his delivery on time : DO NOT BUY FROM DELL !!!

(let's see if admin are more courageous than customer care and publish this message...)

Need Help With Buying A Laptop for SecondLife.

Ash2009 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:17:47 GMT

Yea im new at the whole Laptop browsing, I always used a Desktop, But now im getti na laptop and i dont kow which one to get,I play the virtual world SecondLife,Which Laptop do u think is best for playing Secondlife,and That meets the SecondLife Requirements, http://secondlife.com/support/sysreqs.php

I dont want to get the wrong laptop that has nothing to do with the requirements and end up wasitng my money,and end up not being able to play secondlife,which i love.So any Recommandations would be nice

Send a Netbook or Notebook with a student to study abroad?

jkpalmer52 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:24:33 GMT

Would you send a student abroad with a netbook or a notebook? Basic requirements are word processing, spreadsheets and presentations as well as email and skype / aim chatting.

Wow. Just wow. I really liked Dell. This is saddening.

stimpy77 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:09:07 GMT

I'm trying to figure out if I should be extremely mad. But I'm really very sad, and amazed. And annoyed.

I always admired Dell, especially for some of their higher-end laptops and some of the innovations they’ve made. And I always figured that made-to-order meant made-upon-order, moderately efficiently, considering how long they’ve been in business and how successful they’ve been as the #1 PC vendor in the world. McDonald’s wouldn’t survive, after all, if their food took an hour to prepare.

I placed an initial order way back in early September, taking advantage of my Dell Financing available credit, but splitting my payment between Dell Financial and a credit card. The order was submitted online and received, and all was well, but that night/morning I received an e-mail saying that the order had been "rejected". Excuse me? I wasn't sure what to think. I called them up to find out what was going on. Half an hour later, after getting forwarded over and over again, I was finally told that I placed my order with one cent ($0.01) more than my available credit with Dell Financial. Huh?!! The order form figured that bit out. If that's what happened, it wasn't my doing, it was the order form. Anyway, I cancelled that order, after repeating my order number and security information at least five more times.

A week or two later, in the latter half of September, I placed another order, for the same computer (the Studio XPS 16 with the Intel i7), and this time while splitting payments I made very sure I was very careful to round down the Dell Financing part by $10 (for example $1259 would become $1250), so that there would be no "one penny" too much being overcharged like last time, with the rest on my credit card. I submitted that order, it was received and accepted. That night I got another rejection e-mail, and a day or two after that I received a phone call from a Dell customer service rep saying that my order had been declined because too much was charged on my Dell Financing account again. I asked how much had been charged on it. He quoted a number that was waaay over what I had manually entered on the order form, and I knew it couldn't have been a mistake on my part because it wasn't rounded down, and I triple checked while producing that order that it was rounded down.

I stayed on the phone with that customer service rep to be sure that this order was fixed. But they had to produce another order (cancelling the original order) and make another charge to another credit card because they couldn't make an instant release on the card they already charged. I registered a complaint with him and by the time the call was finished I'd been talking with him for a good 45 minutes or so. Then I went online and saw that the new order was not accessible to my profile's order history. I sent an e-mail to that same CS rep and he assisted me on how to merge that order with my online profile. Kudos to that fella.

So now that my order was associated with my online profile--it was now the end of September--I could not get a delivery date, as it was listed as N/A. I e-mailed the same rep again about that, and received no reply, but then the next time I checked the delivery estimate was showing up as end of October, a FULL MONTH out, which I thought was absolutely ridiculous, but survivable. I am, fortunately, getting by with my existing non-Dell gear, I was just looking forward to using the newer hardware which I had already "paid" for.

Well, that estimated delivery date came and went. When I looked online shortly before that date, I was shocked to see that it had been bumped out to around November 7--another week and a half out!! What gives?!

So I waited on that. If you look at the calendar, it's November 9. And what does my order status say?

Oh, apparently I'm only just getting started!! My order was CANCELLED AND REMADE ("Changed"), without my permission or involvement, with a new order date (not mine!) of 10/29/2009 and a new estimated delivery date of December 2, 2009. The order status is also no longer "In Production", it has been rolled back to "Order Processing" which means it's waiting for payment, and it's been there for a week. (Guess who's not placing any bets I'll get my September order by Christmas?!) No explanation. I think I could maintain some sanity if Dell would just say that critical parts were backordered. But they don't show me anything like that. No e-mails, either. Just *shrug* "Changed". As if they'll ship it when they feel like it.

Had this been an oddball personal experience, I would have a bit of hope that this will "just work itself out", but after scouring these forums both here and elsewhere for similar testimonies, I'm realizing that this seems to be standard practice with Dell.

Questions about Dell 11z

smcooper — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:25:06 GMT

Hi! I'm new, and I have a two questions about this Dell product. Can anyone help me out? :)

1) When will Broadband be available with the Dell 11z? What about a Solid State hard drive? Will they be available at all with this laptop in the near future?

2) Does anyone have any idea when the holiday sale promotions will be available?

Thanks for your patience, and I look forward to answers! :)

Delays expected, but be flexible

Wist — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:41:06 GMT

I tried to locate an obvious way to provide feedback to customer support through the order status area, but I couldnt' find it, so I'm sharing my story here.

Overview
My PC order has been pushed back twice, and is now overlapping with a time when I will not be available to receive delivery of it, so I called Cusotmer Service.

Timeline
I placed an order for an Alienware in mid October -- the first weekend that the Windows 7 boxes were available to order. Anticipated delivery on (or before!) November 12.
On November 7, I checked the web site for order status and saw the date had change to Nov 19
On November 9, I received an email about it
On November 13, I logged into the site to see if there were further changes and there was a big red 11/19/2009 that attracted my eye. That block of text explained that I had to *accept* the new shipment date. Both the November 7 status update and the November 9 email said nothing about it.
November 14, I checked the order status page and I saw that the date is now Nov 30
I called customer support because I am travelling on November 30.

I asked the following if they could tell me an estimated shipment date so that I could potentially to faster shipping
They could not tell me the shipment date (but *can* display delivery date?), and I was told that due to security I cannot change my shipment option... "security"?

I also just read on the FAQ that I can't cancel an order -- if I don't receive my desktop, my options are .. maybe:
- hope it's get rescheduled again so I can .. not accept the new date?
- completely cancel the order and re-place it (the FAQ says you can't cancel an order in production)
- refuse the charge on my credit card
- hope it doesn't get stolen

The customer service rep on the phone made it clear that I have no options and makes it look like I am privileged to be able to order from Dell.

I am now actually wanting to be able to delay an order FURTHER once it's been pushed back already...

Feedback on Customer Service Call
- the customer representative did not really listen to my calm questions. He was too intent on telling me that my order was important and is being processed
- the rep also tried to get me off of the phone, and almost hung up on me when I was asking questions trying to determine if I had any better options
- I really feel that a company, regardless of size, should have at least limited flexibility when handling delays.

Feedback email notification of delay
- add text to make it clear that the customer needs to take action (i.e., confirm acceptance of the new delivery date)

M4400 second internal hard drive

markdmumy — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:03:09 GMT

I was just recently ordered an M4400 to replace my D810. I rarely used my optical drive on my D810 and bought a harddrive enclosure and drive to use instead. I have quite a few ATA and SATA 2.5" drives (100-250GB) laying around and was looking for a drive enclosure for the M4400 that would allow me to carry 2 internal drives. I am a road warrior and am trying to keep down the amount of extras that I carry. I don't want external drives, I have enough of those and don't like carrying them all over the world.

Does a drive enclosure exist for the M4400 yet that is just the enclosure without a drive? If so, does anyone have a part number for it?

Thanks

hi.. All

Kanagu — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:13:32 GMT

Hi friends... Am planing to buy a laptop next month.

My amount range is 35K to 45K.

Purpose - Mechanical Software like Autocad,UG,Pro E,Ansys,Catia + Net

Which modle i can prefer.

DELL- no service, no product, no solution, no shame... but they'll gladly have the money.

SkullFaerie — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:58:57 GMT

A while ago, I ordered my new laptop, in good faith, lulled in by the nice, friendly- looking Dell website, and the comparatively low price.

Everything went fine, and I watched contently while my order went through the five phases, happy at how fast it made it to delivery phase. A bit surprised that there was no call from Syncreon after a few days, but well, we all know how carriers can be, they will probably just show up on the delivery day.

Of course not.

The delivery day passed, and, slightly worried, I emailed customer service- no reply.

So I rang them up, and after a serious while on hold, I was finally transferred to some lady, who seemed very uninterested, and who declared, my order had been cancelled, because apparently, my bank had placed a security hold on the payment.

Puzzled, I went to check this.

Turns out, the random (and decidedly rude, almost shouting- way to treat your customers) lady, whose name is unknown, had either no clue what she was saying, or just flat-out lied to me. A look at my bank statement clearly revealed that Dell had taken the full amount out of my funds, over a week ago.

Confused, I rang customer service again, and asked to speak with the management of the rude lady. Obviously the person on the phone was not very fluent in the english language, for he simply transferred my call to the next available person in the also not english speaking callcentre.

I let him know that Dell had taken my money, processed my order, and now seemingly does not want to ship the system to me. Rude lady had told me, they had called it back, but clearly rude lady can not be trusted.

The man, completely at a loss of how to do what he is paid to do, managed to instruct me to "initiate a chargeback". So, essentially, Dell makes a mistake, takes my money, does not give me my laptop, and can not even be bothered to refund my money to me? A chargeback, from Visa, can only be performed after 28 days, which, clearly is massively inconveniencing.

So I wrote a letter of complaint. This was met with nice, hollow words of apology, and I was assured that this "is not indicative of the quality service Dell is capable of providing". I was however, again just simply advised to initiate a chargeback.

Obviously dissatisfied, I replied. They should, if they are really capable of providing quality service, either refund my money, like any proper company would do, or locate my system and send it to me, as they already have the money.

The reply? None.

Clearly, the mistake is on the side of Dell- so why not apologize, and make it right? What happened to the "quality service"? I see none. I see the worst service and the worst customer experience I have had to put up with in my entire life.

(In addition to that, I'm also waiting for a notebook sleeve. Two weeks ago, after the delivery went wrong, I was promised it within 3-5 days. About 4 days ago, I was again promised the same. So far no sleeve)

I will clearly get my money back one way or the other, but I find, it would be in the interest of Dell as well, to solve this in a less unpleasant way than forcing me to take action.

No company before has turned out to be such a disappointment- I am almost willing to use the word "scam", as Dell. As someone who really liked the brand, I am deeply put off....

CRAZY SLOW SERVICE FROM DELL

dweakley — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:49:26 GMT

WHAT TO BUY??? Right now, nothing if you want it before the end of the year.

I ordered a 1.5 TB USB HDD on October 29th.

It was supposed to be delivered on Monday, November 16th.

Today is Friday, November 13th and I got an email from Dell stating the order has a new delivery date of January, 26th 2010!!!

What is going on at Dell that they can't even ship a pre-boxed hard drive on time?

Too much of the "run a lean inventory" mentality.

This is going to upset folks and chase off many, many customers.

Consequently, I cancelled my order for the HDD letting them know 3 months is a ridiculous wait.

In how much time i7 quad core Processor in New Dell Studio 17 in INDIA

eramardeepsingh — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:02:02 GMT

Hello Friends I am also waiting for the new i7 processor with studio 17. I am from INDIA. I am also intrested to buy this type of laptop for the graphics designing and image processing purpose. Can anybody help me about the launching of New studio 17 model. I had also called to the DELL INDIA customer care many times, but nobody gives the proper answer for this model. Can any body help me by providing the Launching date and its price. this info require urgently. please help help help....................................................................help help.......................................

My DELL has spend more time at customer care workshope than in my hands !!

Vincent.V — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:42:54 GMT

Deception

This is the best word I found to summarize my opinion on DELL. My English isn’t perfect (I'm french...yes... I know what you’re thinking...), so, would you please excuse my poor vocabulary. Here is the translation of an evaluation I made in French about an Inspiron MINI 10, and that I “tried” (you’ll understand later) to post on the mini10 product French page, one week ago :

“I bought a mini10 on April, and today is the 3^rd time it go away for repair. Reading the previous evaluations, it seams that I unfortunately bought a defective specimen, inexplicable statistical anomaly, since the 2 last crashes concerned the motherboard, which the technical customer care was quick to change. I’m not soothsayer, but I guess they will change this poor motherboard again. If I do the bill, between the times when the computer freezes or crashes (randomly), the moment when it’s on my desk waiting to be repairs, the moments when it’s at the workshop and the necessary availability for the carrier recovers and re-deliver the PC, I could use the computer a few days in the last 6 months. So I do not consider to have made a good placement buying a DELL Inspiron mini 10, and no, I will not recommend it to my friends.

Nevertheless, I have to said that customer care have been quite reactive, even if their repairs have not been up the evidence. I thought about buying another PC for my home, I firstly thought about DELL, but now, I reviewed my position and think seriously about Apple. Will DELL regain my confidence? Will they publish this evaluation without censure? Many questions which answer are not obvious.”

As you can guess, DELL hasn’t published my evaluation on their commercial mini10 evaluation pages (till now). I haven’t yet recover my unfortunate mini10 from the workshop, and I wonder if it’s a bad or a good thing. I’m afraid of a 4th crashes, and I realize I haven't many options to pass through that. I am really disappointed by DELL. As Chababa said on his post (http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19300108.aspx) : “let's see if admin are more courageous than customer care and publish this message...”.

SLOW service

chuckb42 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:25:48 GMT

I ordered a Studio XPS 16, i7, RGBLED screen on September 29, 2009 and the EDD was Oct 28th. I though, what? but in the past Dell has overstated the delivery date, so I didn't worry much. On Oct 16th I called Customer Support ( I bought this through the EPP division) and spoke to (name withheld). He told me he could cancel my order and re-enter it with EXPEDITED shipping and get it to me by Oct 23rd, yay! He also said he would call me back later that day or on Monday the 19th to verify the expedited order.

After no callback from (name withheld), on Oct 20th I called and spoke to (another name withheld) and she said she would expedite the order. I could not figure out it if had been expedited by (1st name withheld) or not. Sigh...At that time the EDD was Nov 6, 2009.

On Friday Oct 23rd I got a call (left as a voice mail) from someone at Dell who's name I could not decipher, saying there was some sort of delay with my build. The core i7 processor was the problem and he would send me an email with details. (NO email has arrived as of today Oct 26th.) I called on the 23rd in the eveing to check on why I did not get an email. The Customer Service rep checked into it and could not really determine the problem with my order. He left a message for the gentleman who had called me earlier in the day and I was told I would get a callback from him within an hour. So now it is 2+days later and NO callback.

The EDD is now Nov 9. I called (first name withheld) and left him a lenghty VM stating I expect a callback to update me on what is going on.

WHEN will I get my laptop??? and dangit, WHEN will customer support become SUPPORT??? Sigh....

Chuck

P.S. I had to update this as we are not allowed to give CS names in posts. Also the original thead that I posted this to of complaints was deleted.

I click the link from Airmiles website, I got a "Page not found" in Dell

sowenzhang — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:55:16 GMT

It used to work. That's how I made purchase from Dell before. But now the page seems to be gone. can I still trust the system that I can still be rewarded miles from the purchase even the link from airmiles lead me to a page "not found"?

thanks

Graphics Upgrade

kibbokift — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:18:49 GMT

Hi Everyone.

This is my first post on the forums, My question is I have a Dimension E520 I want to upgrade my graphics card.

Current setup:- 4GB Ram

E8400 cpu @3.00ghz

NVidia 7300le graphics card

Stock 305watt psu

Thanks

Need to update my Memory on Dimension 4600i

LouiseB — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:08:41 GMT

I need to know what memory to buy for my desktop computer, I want to upgrade to 1GB of memory and am not sure what to order

Studio 17 now with i7-processor, but why no wireless option with n-standard anymore?

jasuly — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:42:49 GMT

Hi,

finally the notebook studio 17 is available with i7-820QM processor and 1920x1080 display which is very nice, but at the same time I really wonder why since today there is no more wireless connection option with "n-standard" availlable anymore (just "Dell Wireless 1397-mini card (802.11 b/g)"). Yesterday there was still "Intel WiFi Link 5100 mini card (802.11 a/b/g/n, 1 x 2)" available. What about adding these option again?

should i get vostro 430?

foulblade — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:06:59 GMT

if i plan to buy a vostro 430 with the i7-870 processor and 6gb RAM and with the Nvidia GeForce GTS 240 graphics card will it b able to play most of the newer games and even some released in the future? I'm just worried since its like a business computer so any help would be much appreciated.

Backing up with Imaging

jalyons — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:52:30 GMT

I have a Dell XPS 210 running Vista, and the Backup/Restore Center doesn't work very well (if at all) for backing up the entire HD. I've read that imaging is by far the best and easiest way to back up your HD...that way if you need to reformat, you can get the system back to exactly the way it was. What I'm wondering is which usb hard drive would be the best for my computer? They say some already come with imaging software, but I can't find any that do and wouldn't know if they were good hard drives. This is pretty much out of my league, and I'd sure appreciate any opinions and/or advice.

Number Pad

Mom252 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:59:57 GMT

Okay I am looking for what lap tops have a the number pad right on them to the right... yes I know you can plug in one, but I really want to be portable with out extras. Which ones have them and is there an easy way to look them up

A desktop that can stand horizontally on its side and have good graphics card

Quartzite — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:24:02 GMT

I need a desktop that can stand horizontally on its side and have good graphics card. The studio slimline does not have good graphics card. The studio mini-tower have ATI Radeon HD 4850 but it doesn't look like it can stand horizontally.

What should I do?

Thanks.

upgrade options for a C521 slim case

jayem6 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:04:15 GMT

could someone advise on upgrade options for the C521, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, couldnt find any help on dell site. Thanks in advance.

Endless delays and excuses for an expensive purchase. Where is the customer service? Alienware Area 51 ALX

SeanRHCE — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:48:41 GMT

--== posting this in a more accurate place =) ==--

Hello Reader,

I’ve been ordering Dell computers/servers/cabinets/storage personally and professionally for awhile now. I used to enjoy the Dell experience but now I’m afraid I can no longer say that.

In September I placed an order for a high end Dell XPS fully loaded with a new monitor. The combined price at checkout was over 7,000$. Knowing Dell service with my laptops, and pervious desktops I didn’t mind spending a substantial amount of money with them. This order was supposed to be shipped to me for the first week of October but it was DELAYED.

Called Dell to see what the hold up was and found out it was waiting on parts. The system was in “HIGH DEMAND”. Every time I called Dell would say that something else was delayed. Customer support was being extremely rude and told me I wasn’t “being understanding” of their delays. How could I be understanding when the I placed the order in September and now it wasn’t expected to be shipped till November.

Trying to expedite my shipment I asked if I could purchase another computer or change parts. Each time I asked I was shutdown and told there is nothing that can be done. I was even told I couldn’t cancel the order and would have to wait to receive it. Once I receive the order I can ship it back. (Are you kidding me?) I asked to speak to a manager and I was rejected. I asked for the customer service representative’s name and he wouldn’t give it to me. (Frustrating)

When November came and no status updates were received I called Dell to find out what was going on. Now the order was on hold indefinitely. Now magically I can change my order. I was sent off to sales and had to deal with yet another person.

They CANCELED my order and promised me that my new machine would be delivered within 16 days. Now my order for the Alienware Area 51 ALX isn’t expected to be here till the middle of DECEMBER! What is going on here?? The sales representative told me that this is just what the online page is showing not what is really happening.

I was assured that he sent an email for a "rush order" but because its a high end system, it’ll take time. Funny I can order servers that cost 100,000$ and higher they’ll arrive quicker then this.

I called Dell once again and they say my order won’t be shipped till the end of the first week of December. Can someone please help me?? Managers, customer service reps don’t call or respond to emails. They are fine with taking my money but following through.

Any help would be appreciated!!!!

Upgrading my Dell XPS 400

Fngan — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:17:33 GMT

Hey, guys im thinking about upgrading my xps 400, to a new case, a new motherboard and heatsink fan but im thinking about useing the same HD,CD drive, GPU, PSU, etc, but im not sure if i will have to install windows xp again. And if i do im not sure how to because i dont have the Cd, my xps 400 never came with one, it was pre-installed and i only have the product key not the CD. The motherboard im getting is similar to my mobo right now an intel 945 chipset but my new mobo is a gigabyte motherboard, heres the link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128058