A Dell order and return experience
On 7/31, I placed an order for a Dell S2409W 24-inch Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor, a new model from Dell which has a 16:9 display ratio and runs about $350. I needed an external display for my MacBook Pro, because it’s getting cumbersome to edit photos on a 15″ screen.
On 8/21 (three weeks later), it finally arrived. After connecting it to my Mac, I discovered it just didn’t have the display quality I needed, and started thinking about returning it.
A couple of days later, after I tested it and calibrated it as much as I could, I filed a request for a Return Authorization on Dell’s website. I had to fill out a form with all of the order information and with my address (which I had to enter twice), because the website isn’t designed to pre-populate the fields based on the information already present in your account. There is a way to log in, which promises to pull that information for you, but even if you do log in, nothing gets pulled. You can’t just go to an order and click on a Return option.
I got an automated confirmation right away which assured me they are “working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to answer customer inquiries”, and that I could expect a response in “24 hours or less”.
Their response did not arrive within 24 hours. When it did, it said they are “unable to process a return authorization for the order,” and to “please contact Dell Consumer Customer Care at 800-624-9897.” I called them.
I was greeted by the Dell phone robot, and followed the various prompts to navigate the menus, until it was satisfied and passed me off to a real person. That’s when the fun really began.
Rep 1 (Indian): “Could I have the order number? What is your name? How can I help you?”
Me: “I’d like to return that order.”
Rep 1: Okay, let me connect you to someone that can help.”
Rep 2 (Indian): “Could I have the order number? What is your name? How can I help you?”
Me: “I’d like to return that order.”
Rep 2: “Okay, let me connect you to someone that can help.”
Rep 3 (Indian): “Could I have the order number? What is your name? How can I help you?”
Me: “I’d like to return that order.”
Rep 3: “Okay, let me connect you to someone that can help.”
Rep 4 (American): “Could I have the order number? What is your name? How can I help you?”
Me: “I’d like to return that order.”
Rep 4: “Why?”
Me: “Display quality is not satisfactory when connected to a Mac.”
Rep 4: “Have you tried to adjust it?”
Me: “Yes, but it just won’t display colors the way they need to be displayed.”
Rep 4: “Do you have a video card?”
Me: [Couldn't believe what I'd just heard... Pause] “Of course, otherwise my computer wouldn’t work.” [Which is true -- to my knowledge, you need either a graphics card or an embedded graphics chip to display video with a normal computer, and besides, they don't ship Macs without some sort of video cards.] “Look, I just want to return the order…”
Rep 4: “Okay, I wanted to make sure, because you’ll be charged a 15% restocking fee.”
[Then she got to work on processing the Return Authorization and issued it to me.]
I spent 19:06 minutes on the phone to get the Return Authorization, and had to go through all of that stuff listed above. I’m not counting the time spent digging on the Dell website to submit the web request, which obviously didn’t come to anything.
You would think:
- Dell would want to make it less onerous for its customers to get their business done when they deal with them over the phone.
- It’d take less than four people to get to the right person.
- I wouldn’t have to speak to three Indian reps at some call center in India, then get transferred to an American rep somewhere here in the States, before someone could address the reason for my call.
- Someone who processes RMAs wouldn’t try to troubleshoot a product, especially when I’m not interested, and when they don’t know how a computer works.
- Dell would have a way to pass the order number and customer name from rep to rep, so I wouldn’t have to say them over and over and over.
You’d be right to think all those things. Unfortunately, every time I interact with Dell, I see that they still don’t have their act together. They’re too big, disorganized, they don’t treat their customers properly, and they make it a hassle to deal with the company. As for their design philosophy, it’s practically non-existent, unless making ugly stuff counts — except for their recent Studio laptops and Studio Hybrid desktops. Is it any wonder they’re not doing so well?
And what’s up with the 15% restocking fee? I thought the industry “standard” was 14%.
(6 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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[...] A Dell order and return experience by Raoul Pop [...]
Pingback — August 27, 2008 @ 2:59 am
Hi Raoul
Thanks for the post and information about your Dell order and return experience. As you know, part of our “modus operandi” is to listen, learn and improve, and I want to assure you that we heard you and are following up on the various issues you raised.
I hope that perhaps that demonstrates that we do get it as we strive to improve and make our business even better, especially in terms of direct relationships with our customers, like you.
Perhaps I am being overly sensitive; however, your conclusion that we “do not have our act together,” in comparison to “Thank you Apple” after all you went through with your iMac http://raoulpop.com/2007/12/27/our-imacs-busted-again/ is a little surprising to me. Did Apple respond to your blog post and all those concerns along the way in any direct way?
That being said, www.Dell.com is one of the oldest global e-commerce sites on the web that has gone through many upgrades. You are correct. Certain aspects of our website do not live up to today’s standards (prepopulated forms). I can tell you that logging into your account is supposed to pre-populate your name and email address. However, as a result of your post, we are now looking at pulling more information from saved shipping profiles. Whether that happens immediately or as part the many future planned upgrades to that site, I cannot be sure. But, we heard you and got it.
Clearly, we failed to meet our 24 hour service level agreement, and the number of call transfers is surprising. I have not yet ascertained why these occurred, and have contacted you for some additional information. But we dropped the ball. Corrective action is being taken on this front.
As for the restocking fee. These are common for “customers who change their mind” but not for products that may be flawed. Doing a little photography myself and understanding issues of color calibration, if the monitor from us was not calibrating properly, I understand the implications that has for your photography. As a result we are waiving the restocking fee.
By the way, I think your comment about “making ugly stuff” merits reconsideration too, especially in terms of the new design of the studio line, the hybrid (which you seem to grudgingly note). I would also include some of the xps line, including the XPS One (PC magazine called it the industry leader in its field and an Imac killer) and especially the new Latitudes.
We are garnering more design accoldaes and third party endorsements for design everyday, while delivering new levels of computing power with personalization that are leading the market. We continue to build anew and renew, again thanks to feedback and constructive relationships with customers. Stay tuned for more.
We really appreciate your feedback and thanks again for the pointers about things to fix. We hear you and acted and will continue to act. I hope perhaps someday you might think of Dell as a company that is, in fact, getting its act together,constantly striving to do better.
Comment — August 27, 2008 @ 3:08 pm
Richard, I appreciate the long and thoughtful comment, and also the actions you took as a result of hearing my case. Let me answer a few of the points you made:
- It’s true, Apple did not respond in any way, shape or form to my posts about our iMac’s repair experiences. Perhaps they read it, perhaps they didn’t. I don’t know. The thing is, I didn’t expect to hear from them, nor did I expect to hear from you. I doubt I’d have heard from anyone at Dell regarding this if Thomas Hawk hadn’t made you aware of it. [reference]
- Really glad to hear that the Dell website may be improved based on my feedback! I also hope that the phone support will be made more efficient.
- I don’t mind the fact that the online answer was received later than 24 hours, as much as I mind the fact that I filled out a return authorization online, and it was rejected without an explanation, which made it necessary for me to call about the same issue later.
- I said it before, and I’ll say it again. (I also said this in my post, and I’m sorry that I did not make it clearer.) I don’t mind the restocking fee. I minded that it was 15% instead of the usual 14%, and wondered why. That’s all. I don’t want special treatment. I just want responsive interaction.
- As for the “ugly stuff”, let’s face it, Dell’s been making some pretty ugly computers these last several years. The older Dell computers were ugly and loud. Yes, you have been making great progress in the last 12-18 months. I didn’t “begrudgingly” admit the Studio line was well-designed, and I don’t know why it came off like that in the post. If you were to ask my close friends, you’d find out that I praised the design of the Studio line to them, and was genuinely surprised to see Dell finally come back with great designs after all the criticisms they’d received over the years.
- I appreciate your response, and the fact that you took the time to look at my case in such detail. It was unexpected and very welcome.
TH, thank you very much for pointing my post out to Richard!
Comment — August 27, 2008 @ 3:25 pm
Raoul
To get through all of our searches takes some time, so sometimes we run behind….but Yes you would have had a response without Thomas Hawke. Our listening and learning in the blogs is not based on who you know, its based on what you write
Comment — August 27, 2008 @ 3:28 pm
[...] S2409W won’t work for me, and I will have to return it. Updated 8/26/08: You can read about my Dell return experience if [...]
Pingback — August 27, 2008 @ 11:56 pm
I had the same exact experience from Dell when then sent me the wrong model monitor. All I wanted was and exchange and it took 4 people and multiple call backs. I even got put through to a supervisor who put me on eternal hold.
I will only by Dell products through Costco because Costco will take the products back with no problem.
Comment — September 10, 2008 @ 12:14 pm
Hey Rauol
Nice review,
it sure stinks when big companies become disorganized. Well at least you got a response from dell.
Granted sometime ago, Dell used to make sweet computers, I am not too sure about the current computers.
In 2004, my older sister used to have a used dell desktop, which served her about two years, till it met its maker. which is not bad, the computer she brought off was a nurse who moved out of community.
Dell laptops are doable, as my for my acer laptop it crapped out on me long time ago, so I’m stuck, even tho I was told my warranty didn’t cover, which i ended up paying for repairs, which is still crappy.
some companies make cheap products
cheap products not yet rated.
anyways raoul be cool
ps dell should sell their laptops in our community
Comment — September 11, 2008 @ 10:24 am
Hi Barry
Appreciate the feedback and we have been making a lot of changes in the last two years to up our game on all fronts:design, usability, quality and more. We are not perfect but we are hard at work at constantly getting better, as well as listening and learning. Stay tuned for more coming.
Maybe the community where you want the new dell laptops sold should be submitted to www.ideastorm.com….and then get all your friends to vot for it too
Comment — September 11, 2008 @ 5:09 pm
Will do Richard
Well Rauol,
Its impractical for companies such as Dell to hire computer illiterates. I kept note of several companies. Personally I think they should end that practice.
But it might be due to trimming cost, while trying to skim the wealth, who knows what goes on behind the screen.
They sure know how to bleed an average user financially.
As my previous comment cheap products not yet rated. I meant it as a satirical remark for several laptops, I had observed. Not as an insult to anyone.
Besides you need a sense of humour to get you by
from personal experience.
Companies tend to treat their customers like used toilet paper.
Decent computers are hard to come by, I’m sure that you had run into several issues along the way.
anyways stay cool
Comment — September 15, 2008 @ 1:02 am
I recently orderecd an XPS laptop from Dell, it was top of the range and price was on extreme high end. when the laptop arrived after a delay in delivery, it DID NOT function. The laptop would crash on start up and I never managed to make it run smoothly. I followed limited information on Dell website to resolve the issue. In addition, the machine has a constant clicking noise from within the laptop.
I have tried and tried but even the sales person who was forever on phone to place the order now claims never there. I sent emails, spent hours on phone and faxed letters but for NO RESPOONSE from DELL. as if the Dell has gone to Den.
I want to return the laptop as it is within seven days and exercise my legal right under the distance selling. The tinely silence from Dell staff is thoroughly disappointing because I would have recommended the laptop to my public sector client if the laptop had functioned and support was available. Instead I am spending my time on these websites from my daughter’s Sont laptop which functions very well.
Can someone advise what should I do?
Comment — October 21, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
Kashif, I’d say that laptop needs to be returned right away. It sounds like it has a hard drive failure from the clicking sounds it makes. Call Dell and ask for an RMA ASAP.
Comment — October 22, 2008 @ 6:22 pm