Dell Customer Service

This will be a long post, but it is kind of interesting.

Last week, I ordered a Dell desktop computer. I got a good deal and have enjoyed good customer service in the past. Well, the same was not meant to be.

The computer I ordered was a Dimension E520. The one option I had to choose was a sound card. The options are below (NOTE that there is only one X-Fi sound card).

At the top of that section, there is a link titled "Help Me Choose." When you click on that link, the following page pops up:

If you look at this picture, the first column (in green) is for an X-Fi XtremeMusic sound card and looking down the column, you'll see a check-mark next to the bottom item (IEEE 1394 Port, which I highlighted). So it would mean that the X-Fi XtremeMusic sound card comes with a IEEE 1394 port.

Now, when I got the computer and opened it up, I could not find the IEEE 1394 (often called FireWire) port. So I went on Dell's website and went into a chat with a service technician. During the middle of the chat, he called me on my cell phone (a number I had given him earlier in the chat) and talked with me for several minutes while we remained on the chat session (NOTE: the number he called from was 1-800-289-3755). He sent me a link for the manual for a X-Fi sound card. Nowhere in this manual does it contain information about a FireWire port. However, I sent him the link of the 2nd picture above which shows that the port should be included. He eventually changed his view and said that I needed to contact Customer Care (customer service) to get the part and he gave me a phone number to call.

I called the number and was told that the call center was closed. So I went back online and was able to get into a chat with a Customer Care representative. After looking over the issue, this person informed me that I had to talk with Technical Support to get the correct part.

At this point, I started getting upset because I was getting the run-around. Nonetheless, I went back into a chat with another tech support person. This person informed me that I had not ordered a FireWire card. I agreed, but said the reason for this (since I wanted this port) was because the soundcard was supposed to come with the FireWire port. He proceeded to tell me that the card comes in many types and that the type I ordered did not come with a FireWire port. I told him that since the page said it came with a FireWire port, that I should be entitled to a card with that port (regardless of whether it was connected to the soundcard). He asked if I confirmed this information with the Sales representative, to which I said no because I ordered it online. He told me that according to my invoice (which I have included below this paragraph), I did not order a card with the FireWire port.

Now, if you look at the first picture above, there is only one card that is named X-Fi available for this system, and if the invoice says "X-Fi PCI Sound Card," it must mean the one listed (X-Fi XtremeMusic). His reply was that the computer was not ordered to the link I sent. (I'll attach the chat conversations from the three different people in a later post).

Now I was extremely upset, so I asked for him to have a manager call me. And he replied that at chat support, they do not have the facility to call back. Now, I had gotten a call from another tech support person about an hour prior to this, so I knew this wasn't a policy.

Needless to say, I am extremely dissatisfied with the service I received. If the web page is a typo, it is a typo on their part. They should comply with the information that the page stated, regardless of whether it is correct or not.