Small Business Advice

Small Business here looking for new laptop but I need some help!

4jimmyd — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:35:10 GMT

I know it all depends on what I need my laptop to do but which laptop would be the best for the basics. Now I do need this to run videos good for me. My business is for a web site company on-line but I'm the person that will do presentation using webinars, power points, and other stuff. Which should I start looking at? Vostro, Latitude, Inspiron, Studio Laptops or Studio XPS Laptops.

Thanks for your help!!

Jim

Has Dell made a conscious decision to try not to deal directly with its business customers?

Tankeray — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:33:13 GMT

I've been a happy Dell business and home customer for many years, yet recent changes in support methods are now forcing me to question whether I should continue to do business with Dell.

Example: When we contact our business account rep about purchases, problems, etc, we rarely receive a response within a week's time. Often, it takes several weeks before a response is returned (if at all), and generally only if we have made several attempts. So, we thought surely it has to be our specific rep... Not so. We have also tried contacting customer support directly to ask for help with purchase problems, contract issues, and even to help to complete purchases...all seem to have similar results. I even contacted customer support and asked that a support supervisor contact me back to address these concerns...I NEVER received a response back.

So now I'm left to wonder...has Dell made a decision to cut back on costs by making every attempt to no longer deal with its business customers directly? We pay our bills, we buy systems regularly (both workstations and servers), and I have no answer to their apparent lack understanding as to how this lack of communication will affect its customers. Is it that Dell is no longer worried about keeping customers? Maybe Dell no longer worries that business customers will actually buy their products elsewhere?

I honestly have no answer. Since there is apparently no ability to communicate with Dell at this time, we are now beginning to investigate other product lines. Unfortunate, but certainly not a decision I'm afraid to make if necessary. Has anyone else experienced this recently?

Customer Complaint

gefishy — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:47:32 GMT

This post has been edited to remove identifying information of myself or anybody related to this matter. Where that information once existed I used an (*).

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

Today, I sent a message to ****** whom I have seen expressing interest in hearing customer issues if they exist. I appreciate his interest and have sent him a concern of mine which I felt needed to be handled correctly. I am only creating this thread to encourage those who have issues to specifically, and calmly, write them out and send them to people like ******. In my experience, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" and if enough people have a concern with particular issues, they may get resolved. For your review and comment, I am pasting the letter I wrote below. I put an (*) in place of personal information that ****** received which is not needed for the context of this message. I hope you all have better experiences than I recently did.

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

Hello ******,

Firstly, if you need it my order number is: ***-***-***

I have been looking through the forums and so far I have seen your name come up on several complaint threads. It appears that you are at least willing to listen to a customer concern, and I appreciate the opportunity to voice it.

On Sunday of this week, I went to plug in my laptop only to find that the charger was not working. I noticed that the adapter was receiving power (as indicated by the green light on the block) but was not transferring power to my machine. This had me concerned as this is the machine I use for work and I have a significant amount of money invested in it. All told the laptop carries information that is worth significantly more than the laptop and possibly even the condo I live in.

I back up my laptop regularly for just such an occasion however I have not backed it up in a week, normally I do it on Sunday nights... therefore the most current information on some large customers I was working on is not available along with credit applications and other sensitive documents.

I called Dell to determine where I could pick up a charger locally so I would not have to wait for delivery. After being told that these accessories are not sold in stores (though Dell laptops are sold at Best Buy and Wal-Mart I believe) I decided to place an order. While I was on the phone, I used my wife's laptop to look up pricing for the specific product code I needed (for a Dell Latitude D830) and found used adapters online for as low as $30.00. I have no problem with a used part considering it appears a brand new one only makes it through about a year’s worth of wear and tear. For this reason, there is no point in my spending the $90+ plus shipping to have the part from Dell directly. After a long conversation, I was told I could get a refurbished part for $30.00 after informing them I needed it quickly I also paid a $10.99 express shipping charge. I asked numerous times and was assured the part would be there no later than Tuesday 11/17.

It is currently the 20th and I have still not received my part.

I received a call today saying the part was back-ordered and would be delivered on or before the 30th. I was transferred to somebody who's only job was to tell me what the recording told me (that is literally what he said), transferred to customer service, transferred to pre-shipping (who told me they could not help me without the order number), transferred back to customer services operator, transferred back to sales where I was finally able to speak with ***** (ID#:*****) who repeated the previous message. I informed ***** that waiting was simply not an option as every day without this machine costs me time and money in lost productivity let alone opportunity costs due to delayed processing of credit applications and pricing quotes. ***** told me that the part would not be available until the 30th and I would need to wait, to which I repeated I can't wait and if I need to I can either A) cancel my order or B) get a different part (non-refurbished) which may be available sooner; however I did feel I needed to pay the express shipping since clearly it had not been handled quickly.

To be fair, I understand that express shipping is charged the day it is delivered and does not in any way affect how quickly they process the order. I would not have gotten express shipping (nor would I have placed the order) had I been told I would not receive the part on the 17^th. I am not trying to blame ***** or even Dell for this issue. The blame resides in a sales department who promised something they could not deliver. In my industry, that not only costs me a sale but can cost me money if the customer buys other services and chooses to discontinue purchasing. In this case, I did cancel my order (as she was unable to assist me further, and told me that nobody else would either) which on the surface is only worth $30.00. My company buys several computers and laptops through Dell. We are one of the largest heavy lube and fuel distributors in the state of Wisconsin and spend a significant amount of money on IT related expenses.

I do not mean to insult your intelligence, nor do I mean to attack you. I understand this situation is not your fault nor is it your concern what happens to me or my company. I hate to ever complain, I always tip well even with bad service (much to my wife's dismay), am in general a kind person, and I treat every interaction (personal or professional) with kindness, honesty, and respect. Unfortunately, I have noticed that in these situations "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" and know that if I do not speak up, along with others who have had this kind of interaction, nothing will be done to fix it.

Every computer I have purchased, personally and professionally, has been with Dell. The computers have been incredibly reliable and even though I have paid more here than I could have elsewhere, I have been happy with the service I receive and the quality of the product. At this point however, Dell has disappointed me thoroughly. Had this been my personal computer, this would be a non-issue and I would have been patient, however I did make it clear several times that I needed the part as quickly as possible and yet here I sit without the part. Had I known there was even a chance that the part would have been back-ordered, I would have ordered the part online through Amazon and I would not have blamed Dell for their inability to help me. In what I can only assume was desperation to make a sale I was promised something that was not delivered and this failure has cost myself and my company time and money.

Normally, I am a proponent of capitalism. To that end, I understand that there is value to a company who can effectively outsource and create a similar or greater quality product at a cheaper price. I do not like to see work leave this country however I am willing to accept that if it means that our society is forced to become more competitive or better in the global marketplace. In this scenario however having Dell's sales and support shipped offshore has at least in part caused a dramatic decrease in the quality of the service I receive along with my general confidence that the person I am talking to is knowledgeable and can help me fully. The days where I could talk to one person (maybe their supervisor if approval was needed) are gone. Instead I am left transferring and holding through a system of increasing bureaucracy and inefficiency. All told I was transferred a total of five times today before I was able to discover there was no resolution to be had. The people who answer the phones have no authority whatsoever nor do they seem to concern themselves with seeking customer satisfaction. In my opinion if Dell wished to save money with no concern over customer satisfaction, which is what this situation appears to stem from, they could have switched to an entirely automated system. Customers would receive the current system that is outsourced, including the waste of time and lack of satisfaction received, without the veil of concern for a positive customer experience or quality service.

Rest assured, this will not come up again. My wife has a competing laptop which works very well and they seem to have decent support along with the ability to get parts and service locally. In the future, I will be purchasing all of my personal computers through *****. I can not speak for my company's purchasing decisions however they will be receiving my full report on this issue for their review. They can then make an informed decision as to the amount of risk they are willing to take.

At this point, normally there would be a request for restitution (either in the form of a free part, gift card, other show of regret) but I do not require that nor do I think it would make a difference (though I, like other customers, would not turn it down). The point of this incredibly long message was to satisfy my own mind that at least somebody at Dell still cared or at the very least would receive knowledge of this. I hope that someday Dell decides to relocate customer service and sales to a domestic location and/or refocus their business to quality and swift customer service with the goal of hiring capable individuals who will treat their customers with the same respect I treat mine. When that day comes, I may again purchase my electronics with Dell.

If you took the time to read the entirety of this message, I thank you. I am glad there are still some caring individuals in this once well respected company. I do not have the false hope that this will make a difference. I do hope that before I make my next purchasing decision something is done that will make me feel better about purchasing again with a company that I, my family, and my company have done so much business with and that I once trusted and respected.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

****** ****

(If you would like to contact me, feel free to e-mail me at ***********@*****.com as I do not give my business e-mail out to those who are not my clients or doing business with me at a professional level. If you need a response, that address is linked to my ********** and as a result I check it regularly and will respond quickly.)

office xp pro with publisher 2002

kathycasto — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:59:54 GMT

Ii am having problems and i am not sure what to do I would appreciate any help

i am trying to make a customer invoice it asks me to put in my shop name and i do that and when i x out of it it comes up as a compile error loading dll can anyone help me i uninstalled and reinstalled and that did not work either I tried going to the dell site and see what come on my computer but it wont tell me please if anyone can help i will give them remote access to my computer i need help cause i do not know what i am doing

kathy

Show 1 - Working Your Way Through the Current Climate

DELL-Kara K — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:14:50 GMT

What questions would you ask a financial expert about running a small business in the current economic situation?

Signage for Retail Store

RBCS — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:07:56 GMT

I recently opened a small computer sales and repair services company. I am a registered Dell partner and also am registered with Logitech and others. I am trying to figure out how to go about obtaining signage for the retail space. I have been to other stores in the area and they have posters, signs, etc from manufacturers. Any one have any suggestions on how to obtain any of this ? Thanks for your time.

Poor Dell Customer Service...Incomplete order and cannot get it straightened out!

DrDavidL — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:32:58 GMT

I ordered 2 Opti 360 minitower computers, 2 flat screen monitors and 3 latitude laptop computers on 9/22/09. I received the order on 9/24/09 but the DVD drivers and asscoaiated software were not installed in the mini-towers.

I have been round and round with the Order Processing Team. I have called and emailed on a daily basis but her last correspondence was a week ago. They are either unwilling or unable to resolve this issue.

I purchased an external DVD driver at extra cost to me so my IT specialist could install needed software. I could wait no longer and had to get my new office up to speed.

My next option is to stop payment on the computers.

Needless to say I will avoid Dell in the future and my recommendation to other small businesses will be the same.

One of my posts has been deleted due to using the name of the Dell employee that has been ignoring my requests.

Suggestion Dell. Stop deleting posts and solve customer problems.

DO NOT GET A DELL!!!

any clue how to become a dell certified field tech?

doug comer — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:04:52 GMT

10 years ago I was certified by dell to work on replacing parts under warranty for dell. I haven't done that in a while however since relocating I have been working on a lot of dells. I was wondering if there is still a way to become a certified tech for dell so that I can do warranty in home repairs. The Indian aspect of dells call centers has no clue. Boy I miss the american based call centers.

Respectfully,

Doug Comer

DELL NOT SMALL BUSINESS FRIENDLY

Wendy_Matos — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:52:57 GMT

This is just a follow-up,

Well, I tried with Mr. Robert P...to get this verification problem fixed but that didn't help much. He said that someone would call me but of course, no one ever did. then, here we go, how about I received a bill today from DELL seeking payment for a darn product I never even received since the verification department still has the account on hold. How about this, I tried to call customer care to see why I am being billed for a product that I never got and they said, get this, that they had limited access and therefore could not give me any information. hah, what a joke. this is definately incredible. I am calling the BBB to make my complaint now. This is absolutely insane. DELL could not verify my business but yet Staples, Bestbuy, and Lowes could. Are you serious!

Please, I mean Please, do not buy from DELL. There are so many vendors, great vendors that will give you the business credit you need without all the hassle and aggravation you get from DELL. It 's really just not worth it. Before even trying for credit, please lookup DELL CANT VERIFY BUSINESS under google and see all the reviews of people that have had the same problems if not worse with DELL. They actually have an "F" status under the BBB. Please! Do yourself the favor. Read the reviews first!

Show 2 - Small Business Advice for the Current Economy

DELL-Kara K — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:55:09 GMT

What types of adjustments are you making for your small business to deal with the current economy?

CommunitySBNetwork

DELL-Gina Q — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:35:35 GMT

This thread contains comments to "CommunitySBNetwork" from embedding this forum at http://cmscontent.dell.com/sites/content/fragments/en/Pages/CommunitySBNetwork.aspx.

How to save money and become greener this year

DELL-Kara K — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:01:02 GMT

In this week's episode of Small Business Advice TV, experts discuss how to be economically friendly and focus on the bottom line at the same time.

What is one thing would you change about how you manage your small business to be greener and save money?

FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)

DELL-Robert P — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:13:43 GMT

Small Business Advice: The purpose of this board is for Small Business professionals to exchange information, best tips and advice.

Performance and Security
Dell Security Center
Security Tools
Safe Practices
PC Security Help and Support
Virus and Spyware support board

Dell Small Business Resources

Dell Small Business Sales
Dell Factory Outlet: Refurbished and Previously Ordered New computers
Electronics, software, and Accessories
Where is my order?
Dell Small Business 360: An excellent resource offering ideas, technology solutions, and inductry specific information for small business owners

If you have a question about a specific order, please send a private message to one of our mods. We may not have the tools available to fix your order, but we will know someone here who does.

How to post and getting around in the new community

DELL-Robert P — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:09:56 GMT

Want to learn more about how to use our new community site? From how to post or use the tag cloud, we have helpful documentation in our ‘how to’ wiki. Follow this link:

http://en.community.dell.com/wikis/tutorials/default.aspx?tid=38a752d5-165e-4ba4-8176-f93484550056&top=38a752d5-165e-4ba4-8176-f93484550056

* Post your Desktop PC issue on the applicable Desktop forum board
Audio
General Hardware
Video

* Post your Disk Drives (HDD, CD/DVD, Blu-ray) issue on the Disk Drives forum board

* Post your Laptop issue on the applicable Laptop forum board
Audio
General Hardware
Video

* Post your Peripherals (MP3 Player, Monitor, PDA Axim, Printer, TV, Projector, Scanner) issue on the applicable forum board
There are six boards on the left to choose from-
MP3 Players (DJ/DJ Ditty)
Monitors
PDA (Axim)
Printers
Projectors
TV

* Post your Networking, Internet, Wireless issue on this forum board

* Post your Virus & Spyware issue on this forum board

* Post your Software and Operating issue on this forum board
There are three boards on the left to choose from-
Linux
Microsoft OS
Productivity Software

*Post your Small Business best practices, advice, and share with other Small Businesses here