Dell - Customer Service At Its Very Worst

Hi, my name is Ed... This post is about my ongoing issues around my recent laptop purchase from Dell.

Please comment and share this around as much as you please. I'd love to hear of your similar stories and any tips on how to resolve this.

Day 1 (29/6/14) - The day it all began

I purchase a laptop for my girlfriend because I'm a great bloke! £611 of love. I got a discount code which can only be used one time and try to complete the purchase using Paypal. Their site gives me a load of errors and never allowed me to go to the next screen to confirm the purchase and give the last few details. I change my payment method to debit card and try again but this time i get a huge error that prevents me from going backwards or forwards and have no option but to close the browser. I load it up again and try to pay by debit card and this time it works, using the one time only promotional code.

Day 2 (30/6/14) - A simple request ignored

I check my emails to find I have 2 emails confirming the order. My bank balance had only taken 1 payment so i figured maybe everything is OK.

Later in the day I check my account again to find I had had 2 payments taken. One from paypal and one from my debit card. Both payment amounts are the discounted £611 option. 

On noticing the duplication I emailed through to their customer care team. I emailed them advising of their mistake advised them I do not want 2 laptops and want the 2nd order to be cancelled. 

Day 3 (1/7/14) - Blissfully unaware of the troubles to come

I believe the laptops arrived on this day whilst I was at work.

07/01/2014 08:31:38PM

Agent (Amit_Kumar_Sharday): "you can email UKI_Customer_Care@Dell.com"

I had received no reply from the email sent the day before, so I went online to chat to one of their online advisers. They advised I email the same email I had emailed the day before. I sent a 2nd email with a similar message to another Dell email address where I had a pre-sales query replied to, hoping for a quick response again.

Day 4 (2/7/14) - Looking at all methods of contact. Is anyone there?

No reply from any of the 3 emails sent so far. So I decided (after emailing and using their online chat facility) to call them and hope to at least make some progress. On the call the adviser (Joseph) from their care team raised a complaint case upon my request and advised me that a collection would be arranged on Monday (7/7/14). I asked for a direct number for him or his department. He instead promise profusely that he would email me and keep me updated.

I also asked about a refund and he logically suggested that after collection they can arrange a refund which takes 7-10 days. After protesting the time to refund he advises me that maybe it can be done within 3 days and he will push for this.

Day 9 (7/7/14) - A wasted summers day at home

My girlfriend waits in for the whole day for collection upon my request. No one turns up. I have not had any message from Joseph or the customer care team that the delivery will not happen.

Day 10 (8/7/14) - Meeting Joseph

I call again, and get to speak to Joseph again. He offers no reason why he did not keep me updated as promised, nor did he apologise for not keeping to his word. Quite frankly I find this rude and unprofessional. He advises that there was an issue with my order and that he would deal with their technical department and promises again to update me within 1 day. I am still waiting for a confirmed date for collection at this point. 

After this phone call I went online as I was not happy at all with the service and the lack of progress being made. On the dell site they have a complaints link where you can fill in a form and the site promises you a response within 24 hours. I get email confirmation and a reference that confirms that my complaint has been lodged.

Day 11 (9/7/14) - Realising Joseph is a douche

I call again and get told by a new adviser that Joseph's refund request had been cancelled and he didn't know why. He advised me that they still had an issue with their systems and advised me that I will get an update in the next day or so as soon as they had fixed their issue.

As of this point Dell had not contacted me once. I have not yet received a response to any of the 3 emails sent in the first few days. I have not had a reply from the complaint form that promises to contact me within 24 hours. I had not been updated by phone or email as promised by Joseph from the customer care team. I had not heard back from anyone at Dell. 11 days in and I am still doing all the chasing. Am I being taken seriously? It doesn't feel like it.

So today I decide to try a new way of contacting Dell, desperate to get enough attention so that I might actually be told whats happening. So I take to twitter and contact @DellCares who quickly ask me what the problem is and I explain. They ask I delete the tweets and direct message them. Fair enough. They responded at least. Compared to every other contact in the last 11 days this is the first reply I had got. Over the moon! Over the next 24 hours I get a few replies to my messages. They advise they will try and arrange a collection and advise that a refund may take up to 15 days. Not quite as quick as first promised by Joseph, but still, a possible end.

Day 12 (10/7/14) - Taking to the twittersphere

I get a tweet advising me that they will arrange collection on Tuesday 15/7/14.

Day 13 (11/7/14) - Bad service out of the blue

I get a text out of the blue from a Ken regarding my duplicated order, advising that "return of your duplicate order will not happen today as the request encountered an error - Ken". Firstly I had no idea that they had tried to arrange a collection for this day. No one would have been home anyway. And clearly the technical issue is not resolved. Still no word of when the collection will actually happen. Not a word about when I may get my money back.

Day 14 (12/7/14) - Twitter Grand Slam

I tweet back to advise Tuesday is not suitable for collection and that Monday or Thursday of this week is suitable.

Over the next few days the tweets are as follows:

We will check what can be done about the collections. Waiting for an update from Joseph about previous order cancellation. ^MS

14h

Hi, any news on the collection and the refund? Been 2 full weeks since dell were aware of mistake

13h

Sorry for the delay in resolution. We are working with the respective team and will update you as soon as we get a reply. ^TM

6h

Hi Ed, there seems to be an issue with the orders. I'm working with the finance team on having this resolved. This may take some time. ^RH

On day 16 they tell me it may take 'some time'... fucking brilliant!

Day 17 (15/7/14) - Singing "If I had a hammer" in my angry voice

Well. Day 17. No collection. No date for a collection. No refund. No date for a refund. Instead a message saying it may take 'some time' to resolve THEIR technical issue.

So... apparent calling a courier is beyond their capability. The discussion around a refund is typically avoided as they clearly need a return to happen before they will consider such a thing.

So right now I am holding one of their laptops in my house without any suitable insurance cover for it. I sure as hell don't want such responsibility. They have failed to update me numerous times. They have failed to arrange collection twice. They have failed to respond to an online complaint. Their twitter team, who have at least kept me updated, have also been unable to make the slightest bit of progress to resolving the matter.

I have been without £611.11, to be exact, for 2 and a half weeks now. I don't know about your finances, but this leaves me with not enough money to pay all my bills this month. Let alone have spare money to enjoy myself with on a month I was expecting to be able to. I have had to borrow money to ensure my bills are paid and to ensure I can afford travel to work. Not the enjoyable start to the summer I had wished for.

Today I got some legal advise on what options I have and found out more information about what happens if I need to take Dell to court. I hope it doesn't come to such a measure, but its nice to know my options. Today is the day I have decided to publish this blog post with a view to pushing Dell to take this matter seriously and to find a way of resolving this quickly.

If I worked for Dell, I'd call a courier by using a telephone and ask them to collect a laptop. I'd ask the accounts team to credit a customer for the cost of the laptop and a compensation amount to cover this poor customer for his experience and wasted time and costs in dealing with the matter.


Day 18 (16/7/14) - Maybe I'm working for the wrong company?

Today, I thought I'd try my luck at calling their phone line and asking to speak to a manager. Working in a call centre for a large company myself, I knew this was likely to prove a waste of time and effort. I called their main number and chose option 5 for 'non-technical queries' to be told at 4.38pm that I am calling out of hours! Starting to really wish I worked for Dell. I'd love to be out of work by 4.30 every day.

So instead i send a few more tweets as at least they reply there. Mostly with pointless replies with no content or help. I got a response saying they are hoping to have an update tomorrow. I cant help but be optimistic! My first update in nearly 3 weeks! Is it Christmas already? Hopes are running high.

Day 29 (27/7/14) - The end is nowhere to be seen

So I have been trying my best to be patient. Waiting around for them to update me. So for I have had a bunch of twitter messages from Dell. As you will see, absolutely no progress has been made.

Jul 15

We understand your situation, we have escalated and emailed the respective team to work on this case on priority. ^TM

Jul 15

As your systems appear incapable of doing simple tasks shall i post the laptop to you? Happy to on the basis u send me a cheque to cover it

Jul 15

We're not denying any refund. We're not able to create the it as there is an issue on the account that has to 1/2

Jul 15

2/2 be rectified. Please bear with us. ^RH

Jul 15

I have waited nearly 3 weeks. It's simple enough to send a courier and a cheque. Your problem, not mine.

Jul 15

Can I ask what you have done to escalate this?

Jul 15

Courier or cheque is not an options. ^RH

Jul 16

Can I ask what you have done to escalate this situation?

Jul 16

Hi, the incident is submitted to the internal teams. I should have an update on it by tomorrow. ^RH

Jul 17

Any update today chaps? I'd like to go buy me a pair of trainers today but you have all my shopping money

Jul 17

No update Ed. I should have an update for you by Monday. ^RH

Jul 21

Dear dell. I'd love an update today. The other day I got wet because you have my money and I couldn't afford an umbrella.

Jul 21

Ed we are working on it. We will let you know in sometime. please bear with us. ^SG

Jul 21

But you said there would be an update? As if some progress may be being made... feels as though nothing is happening

Jul 21

I know providing an explanation does not assist in answering you, nor does it assist with the level of disappointment you 1/2

Jul 21

2/2 must feel in regards to this entire experience. Will update you soon on this. ^RH

Jul 23

Out of 10, how likely is it I will get my money back in the next month?

Jul 23

Hi Ed, we still haven't got an update from the concerned team. We will update you by end of today. Thanks ^PR

Jul 23

Hi Ed, it is taking more time than expected. Will update you soon. ^RH

Please please pleas leave your comments on the situation below. Have you had similar issues with companies before? What would you do in my situation?

Come back soon to see how things unfold.