Ordered the Inspiron B130 for around $550 shipped

Received box, it sat for over a week before being opened.
Pulled it out of the box, DOA. No power, no lights, no anything.

Called Dell, ran thru all the retarded steps, then was put on hold. Call was disconnected

Called Dell a second time, told i was being transfered to customer care, call was disconnected.

Called Dell a third time, was put on hold, call was disconnected. This time they actually called back and informed me that customer care is only open 9-8 central and to call back then.

Called back today, Dell refuses to give a refund because its outside of their 21 day window. Even if they would give a refund, they wouldn't refund the initial shipping charge and would charge a "restocking fee".

Computer was puchased with an American Express. How does the chargeback process work? Since the system is dead and they refuse to give a refund I would assume it would be a valid chargeback. How does it work though, seeing as how I have their computer and they will want it back. Anyone have any experience with this process?

[Edited on December 19, 2005 at 2:47 PM. Reason : ]

12/19/2005 2:46:24 PM

1. Should have emailed first.
2. Your fault for not reading their terms and conditions about returns.
3. You can get a replacement.

12/19/2005 2:48:25 PM

Get a replacement. You still have a warranty.

[Edited on December 19, 2005 at 2:52 PM. Reason : spelling]

12/19/2005 2:51:51 PM

Quote :

"Should have emailed first."

how would this have helped?

12/19/2005 3:15:48 PM

Dell customer service sucks ass. Bought some Dell's and thoroughly regretted it when I had to call in.

12/19/2005 3:17:16 PM

It would have helped you by not making you wait for operators in the busy holiday season. Also, if you don't like to call them up you could have used the online chat thing. Everything else is basically your own fault. I wouldn't blame Dell.

12/19/2005 3:18:37 PM

it took you 21 days to make 4 calls?

12/19/2005 3:21:21 PM

Last time I bought a Dell during Tax Free weekend, and I had to wait 1hr and 30mins to connect to their Tax Department, then spend 30mins explaining. Then I had to call back cause the Lady Rep. screwed it up, and wait another 1hr on hold.

Reason I had to call was because they fucked up Eastern Standard Time zone, and Mountain Standard Time zone.

12/19/2005 3:24:20 PM

Quote :

"I wouldn't blame Dell."

the main thing i'm blaming dell for is selling me a product that doesn't work, then refusing to give me a refund on it. i also blame them for horrible customer support including 3 disconnected calls but i understand thats the nature of the beast.

Quote :

"it took you 21 days to make 4 calls?"

my customer was out of town on business when they received the product, upon their return the product was opened and found to be defective. The 21 day policy is 21 days from invoice date, not from received date.


anyone have any information on chargebacks?

12/19/2005 3:51:55 PM

call and YELL

after reasonable communication has failed i've found this to be an effective method when dealing with dell customer support

12/19/2005 4:08:14 PM

How is that different from buying a defective GPS receiver at Best Buy and then demanding 100% money back after more than 30 days?

12/19/2005 4:14:55 PM

^ Trying to disregard you love for Windows and all, Best Buy WOULD MOST DEFINITELY GIVE YOU A REFUND FOR A BROKEN PRODUCT.

If he just decided he didn't like it after that 30 day window, he's outta luck. But if he bought it at BB and it's broken, they'd give him a refund.

12/19/2005 4:19:20 PM

Quote :

"How is that different from buying a defective GPS receiver at Best Buy and then demanding 100% money back after more than 30 days?"

i would argue that the 21 day policy is unfair, considering the different purchase model Dell has vs Best Buy (shipping a product vs walk in and buy).

Quote :

"call and YELL"

i can't really stoop to that level, and I doubt it would be that effective. I would hope that my order history filled with over 40 system purchases over the last few years would help a bit, but so far it hasn't.

12/19/2005 4:19:35 PM

Trust me you won't get a refund for a broken product at Best Buy after 30 days.

15 days for computers

[Edited on December 19, 2005 at 4:23 PM. Reason : .]

12/19/2005 4:20:46 PM

Quote :

"But if he bought it at BB and it's broken, they'd give him a refund."

theyd probably replace it

[Edited on December 19, 2005 at 4:24 PM. Reason : if you complained a lot, just pointing out you wont get a refund]

12/19/2005 4:21:29 PM

^ Indeed they might, and honestly Dell needs to replace his broken computer.

12/19/2005 4:21:57 PM

As I read it, I don't think he's interested in a replacement.

12/19/2005 4:22:41 PM

Quote :

"15 days for computers"

fucking dumb as dog shit moron. It is 14days not 15.

12/19/2005 4:27:25 PM

whatever Arab mujahiddein I was off by a day. Did you wet your panties? jehadi

12/19/2005 4:27:51 PM

Oh, well then this is an easy solution.

1. Get a replacement computer.
2. Call Dell and request a refund since your new computer is within that "14 day window" or however long it is.
3. Accept nothing less than a UPS truck at your door to return it for a refund.
4...Profit!

12/19/2005 4:30:34 PM

^^its funny cause i'm not muslim. jokes on you, idiot

12/19/2005 4:36:51 PM

oh did you change your religion?

12/19/2005 4:37:21 PM

Quote :

"hatever Arab mujahiddein I was off by a day. Did you wet your panties? jehadi"

hahhaa..i'm muslim and i thought it was pretty funny...

12/19/2005 4:56:42 PM

You're the peaceful Muslim.

12/19/2005 4:57:10 PM

if you call being born a Christian and still am a Christian 'changing religion' then yes, yes i did.

12/19/2005 5:09:43 PM

yea because you have Christian roots.


OUT OF TECH TALK

12/19/2005 5:10:26 PM

how are you born a christian?

never mind, who cares

12/19/2005 5:13:38 PM

yelling works wonders...but wait until you've reached the third manager or so

when I've been through more than two phone calls, I immediately say "let me talk to your manager" when the rep picks up. then I ask for the next manager right away. by the time someone tells me there is no higher manager, I ask for the number for the company's VP of Marketing/HR. at that point, I get what I want

I might be a dick, but I don't take shit from people when it's not my fault.

12/19/2005 5:13:44 PM

7 key words to know:
I'd like to speak to your manager.

7 more:
I'd like to have this case escalated.

12/19/2005 5:15:02 PM

These seven words are pretty nice too:

Fine, I'll just go get a ThinkPad.

12/19/2005 5:30:19 PM

That's not going to work if you are a Dell reseller though.

12/19/2005 6:22:53 PM

hahahah

12/19/2005 6:23:28 PM

Quote :

"yea because you have Christian roots. OUT OF TECH TALK "

yeah, i do have Christian roots...GG for stating the obvious...


OUT OF TECH TALK, BITCH

12/19/2005 6:25:05 PM

What's your name. I mean real name. Real name used by your folks in middleArabland.

Sam McInteheida-bin-Anthony-AlMujahidi?

[Edited on December 19, 2005 at 6:27 PM. Reason : .]

12/19/2005 6:26:33 PM

lol not even close...my name is actually a Christian name...along with everyone in my family....and no i'm not talking about imidiate family, i'm talking about distant relatives too....so no, no one in my family is called Ahmed, Mohammed, Said, Gargs, or any other name like that.

its not even funny how dumb you are, you just keep trying to pull the 'arab' card and it doesn't work....

[Edited on December 19, 2005 at 6:33 PM. Reason : but don't stop, its amusing to laugh at your ignorance]

12/19/2005 6:32:38 PM

synapse, did you purchase this through Dell Home or Dell Small Business? I've heard horror stories about Home and nothing but praise for Small Business customer service.

I don't have American Express so I can't say anything official. I myself would dispute the charges and tell your credit card company they sold you a defective product and refuse to fix it. Also verify if its 21 days from purchase date, 21 days from ship date, or 21 days from delivery date. I would tell them to kiss my ass if it was anything other than delivery date.

12/19/2005 6:48:59 PM

Dell isn't refusing to fix it, from what he said.

12/19/2005 6:49:47 PM

dell is sketchy

they pulled the same shit with a camera...well not the same but similar
basically they charged my CC without shipping me anything
i had to call to ask where it was...they charged me AGAIN when they actually shipped it so i withheld payment

12/19/2005 6:51:56 PM

Quote :

"I've heard horror stories about Home and nothing but praise for Small Business customer service."

yeah this is dell home

Quote :

"I would tell them to kiss my ass if it was anything other than delivery date. "

i think its ship date, i know its not delivery date.

Quote :

"Dell isn't refusing to fix it, from what he said."

their first offer was to fix, but who the hell wants a brand new computer with a motherboard repair. that would be like buying a brand new car which was totalled and fixed.

12/19/2005 7:09:50 PM

look, the world isn't perfect, you will have good experiences and bad experiences with the same company. I bought one thing from dell (a 24" monitor) and i had a great experience...

12/19/2005 7:12:27 PM

^^You get a repair guy to come out on site to fix it. Pull the microwave trick on it to ensure it's total demise. They guy will come out, and just pick it up and get you a brand new machine.

In the future, since you have ordered so much from them, you should really get a solution provider account. That gives you a human contact outside of their end-user customer support, who can actually get things done quickly.

And it's definitely your fault in this instance, if you were purchasing for a client, you should have checked the system as soon as it arrived, not left it to the client to do so.

12/19/2005 7:18:51 PM

Quote :

"And it's definitely your fault in this instance, if you were purchasing for a client, you should have checked the system as soon as it arrived, not left it to the client to do so."

I definitely think this is clutch. It's pretty lame they have windows on when you have to have checked things out by though, or it needs to be extended to 60 days.

12/19/2005 7:52:21 PM

I completely understand why they have the limits they do.

There is absolutely no responsible reason you cannot check a system for DOA within 21 days of invoice.

12/19/2005 8:09:47 PM

wow, they never called back. imagine that.

12/20/2005 5:45:24 PM

Quote :

"Trying to disregard you love for Windows and all, Best Buy WOULD MOST DEFINITELY GIVE YOU A REFUND FOR A BROKEN PRODUCT. If he just decided he didn't like it after that 30 day window, he's outta luck. But if he bought it at BB and it's broken, they'd give him a refund. "

I can say from personal experience that Best Buy will not give you a refund for a broken product after 30 days. After 30 days, you have to take up DOA products with the manufacturer.

12/21/2005 11:48:36 AM

1) All merchants that have a contract with Visa are obligated to observe Visa's return policy which is 30 days on non shipped items, 90days for shipped items UNLESS it specifically said that in the online sale where the merchant is still required to give you a working product if that's what they sold you. I DONT know what American Express's contract says but I would call them up.

2) I guarantee AM will stand on your side with this one. Dell sent me a scratched up new server when I ordered a new server. We used AM's Business account to purchase it. Long story short, Dell didn't want to replace it so I said... okay I'll call American Express and have them chargeback you the charges. They INSTANTLY sent out a box and I got my new one in 4 days.

3) Call Dell up again... tell the CS rep that you want to speak to a supervisor. Just say "Look, this is my issue. I've exhausted all other resources and I'm coming to you in good faith to correct something you guys did wrong. If I'm unable to resolve this in THIS phone call, I will be calling AM immediately for a chargeback". 99.999% of the time they will work with you and resolve this issue.

12/21/2005 12:39:24 PM

Just suck it up and take the replacement. What does it matter if the original board was DOA, the new one is a whole new board, it's not like they're just taking the old board and making some changes to it.

12/21/2005 1:08:24 PM

they say theyre sending out a replacement laptop, could take up to 7-10 business days.
of course one of the elevendy billion people i spoke with promised it overnight shipped, oh well.
they've drained the fight out of me if i continue to do any business with Dell then i'll have to have an "upgraded" account, with better tech support.

what types of accounts can i establish at Dell given all the purchases i've made over the last few years? Noen mentioned a Solution Provider account, and I've been send emails offering me a "Dell Preferred Customer Account" Anyone have either of these accounts? Is Tech Support / Customer Care any more responsive?

[Edited on December 21, 2005 at 4:17 PM. Reason : ]

12/21/2005 4:16:06 PM

I had an issue with a dell product I bought.

Called them.

A new one was in the mail by the time I hung up.

12/21/2005 4:45:54 PM

Yea usually if you have a LEGITIMATE concern, it gets addressed asap.

I bought a desktop and they erroneously installed an Nvdia GeForce 6800 instead of the Ultra, and charged me for the lower end 6800. I called them up and said they made an error. They offered to ship the Ultra to me the next day and take $100 off the price because it was their fault.

12/21/2005 5:12:52 PM