Comments on: Dell’s useless customer “service” http://stilgherrian.com/internet/dells-useless-customer-service/ All publication is a political act. All communication is propaganda. All art is pornography. All business is personal. All hail Eris. Vive les poissons rouges sauvages! Sat, 19 May 2012 21:24:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Don http://stilgherrian.com/internet/dells-useless-customer-service/#comment-25093 Don Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:10:12 +0000 http://stilgherrian.com/?p=2210#comment-25093 If you are frustrated like me about getting nowhere with the overseas customer service department of Dell try contacting someone higher up the chain. In Australia call 13 33 55, choose option 4 and put in 5553. A lovely man named Charles should be able to help. If you are frustrated like me about getting nowhere with the overseas customer service department of Dell try contacting someone higher up the chain. In Australia call 13 33 55, choose option 4 and put in 5553. A lovely man named Charles should be able to help.

]]> By: Stilgherrian · How Dell fixed my monitor order http://stilgherrian.com/internet/dells-useless-customer-service/#comment-14222 Stilgherrian · How Dell fixed my monitor order Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:26:23 +0000 http://stilgherrian.com/?p=2210#comment-14222 [...] week I posted a long, angry piece describing how Dell screwed up an important order. Well, important to me. Pissily tiny to them. Within hours I received a phone call from Winston [...] [...] week I posted a long, angry piece describing how Dell screwed up an important order. Well, important to me. Pissily tiny to them. Within hours I received a phone call from Winston [...]

]]> By: Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/internet/dells-useless-customer-service/#comment-14192 Stilgherrian Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:57:36 +0000 http://stilgherrian.com/?p=2210#comment-14192 The Dell monitors arrived today, the Dell guy phoned and explained, and I'll publish their "on the record" words tomorrow morning. The Dell monitors arrived today, the Dell guy phoned and explained, and I’ll publish their “on the record” words tomorrow morning.

]]> By: Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/internet/dells-useless-customer-service/#comment-14123 Stilgherrian Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:52:13 +0000 http://stilgherrian.com/?p=2210#comment-14123 This afternoon I got a call from Dell's "ANZ Purchase Experience Manager" (now there's a title!) who is following up this problem. Apparently Dell watches Twitter and/or blogs. Independently of that, an email arrived saying that the monitors are scheduled for delivery on 8 October. Looking back at what I wrote this morning, I can see a typo in one phone number I gave: "+61 2 407 623 600" instead of "+61 407 623 600". <em>Mea culpa.</em> Still, this shouldn't have delayed the order. <ol><li>I believe (until someone proves otherwise) that I'd put my correct phone numbers on the original order, and they're in my email signature and on every website associated with me.</li> <li>A local call centre (as opposed to Bangalore, where I'm told this Dell call centre is located) would've had the local knowledge of phone number formats to spot my obvious mistake.</li></ol> All that said, Mr Dell Spokesman said that bounces to Export Control happen within 5 <em>hours</em>, not 5 days, and that they usually work more efficiently than this. I agree. How could Dell have achieved their successes if their service was usually this shoddy? I will report as things progress... <strong>@Stephen Stockwell:</strong> The Department of Information Retrieval, as in that truly wond'rous Terry Gilliam film <em>Brazil</em>, is an apt link. In <em>Brazil</em> a dead fly lodged in a printer caused "Buttle" to become "Tuttle" (or was it the other way around?), and the wrong man was arrested, tortured and killed. In any workflow system, mistakes can cascade into disaster if those systems aren't designed well. That could be what's happened here. This afternoon I got a call from Dell’s “ANZ Purchase Experience Manager” (now there’s a title!) who is following up this problem. Apparently Dell watches Twitter and/or blogs. Independently of that, an email arrived saying that the monitors are scheduled for delivery on 8 October.

Looking back at what I wrote this morning, I can see a typo in one phone number I gave: “+61 2 407 623 600″ instead of “+61 407 623 600″. Mea culpa. Still, this shouldn’t have delayed the order.

  1. I believe (until someone proves otherwise) that I’d put my correct phone numbers on the original order, and they’re in my email signature and on every website associated with me.
  2. A local call centre (as opposed to Bangalore, where I’m told this Dell call centre is located) would’ve had the local knowledge of phone number formats to spot my obvious mistake.

All that said, Mr Dell Spokesman said that bounces to Export Control happen within 5 hours, not 5 days, and that they usually work more efficiently than this. I agree. How could Dell have achieved their successes if their service was usually this shoddy?

I will report as things progress…

@Stephen Stockwell: The Department of Information Retrieval, as in that truly wond’rous Terry Gilliam film Brazil, is an apt link. In Brazil a dead fly lodged in a printer caused “Buttle” to become “Tuttle” (or was it the other way around?), and the wrong man was arrested, tortured and killed. In any workflow system, mistakes can cascade into disaster if those systems aren’t designed well. That could be what’s happened here.

]]> By: Stephen Stockwell http://stilgherrian.com/internet/dells-useless-customer-service/#comment-14117 Stephen Stockwell Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:39:58 +0000 http://stilgherrian.com/?p=2210#comment-14117 Dell = Department of Information Retrieval ?? Dell = Department of Information Retrieval ??

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