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Wednesday, October 19, 2005
The Horrors of Dell Logistics
Four weeks ago I ordered a computer from Dell, and they accidentally delivered two of them. The good news is that the one computer I unpacked and which I am using to play works perfectly. The bad news is that Dell hasn't managed yet to take the other computer back.
First I agreed on a date with them to come and take the computer. I took a day off work and stayed home all day, but they didn't come. Then I called them again, and they agreed to come on another day on an evening, so I wouldn't have to take a day off. That we tried twice, but Dell didn't come on either of those evenings. Then they called me to tell me that their logistics is unable to come in the evening, but offered to come one afternoon. I took a half-day off yesterday, and guess who didn't show up. I called them again, and they are now trying to sort out things with their logistics before trying again.
Well, it is a bit annoying, and the huge box is taking up space in my appartment. But on the positive side they didn't even try to charge me for the second computer, and if they did I would just contest the charge with my credit card company. So it is their money sitting unproductively in my hallway. If this takes much longer, by the time they get the computer back, they will be unable to disassemble it and sell the components in the next computer, because they will be outdated.
The funny thing is that if I think where to buy the next computer in 2 years or so, I would probably choose Dell again. Dell logistics and customer service might be horribly bad, but if I built the computer myself and it didn't work, I would have no customer service at all. And the other alternative, buying the computer in a shop to which you can bring it when it doesn't work, means higher prices and less choice. I really like the way you can assemble your own computer on the Dell website. Of course in 2 years time there might be some competition for Dell over here in Europe, but right now I have a lot less options than if I lived in the USA. And I'm not sure if the customer service of other mail-order computer companies is much better.
- posted by Tobold @ 9:37 AM Permanent Link
Comments:
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Sadly, I haven't the money at the moment, otherwise I would offer to buy it from you for a somewhat reduced price AND drive all the way to you and pick it up... of course combined with a nice weekend visit to Brussels.
# posted by 
: 19/10/05 11:00
: 19/10/05 11:00
but if I built the computer myself and it didn't work, I would have no customer service at all
I wouldnt say that is entirely true. As already stated previously, I've been building my own machines for some time. I always buy my parts from a specialist retailer. Once, I built a machine with a pard of SATA Hard Disks in a RAID 0 config...but windows installed very slow, and after a while I concluded one of the hard drives was non functional. I called the shop, spoke to their technical support, and he agreed that the disk must be duff and organised a replacement.
Whilst you don't have support on the machine as a whole, you still have warranties for every part you buy. And if you buy from a shop with a good after sales service (check that out in advance), then you really shouldn't have any problems in getting parts returned.
What you do need though is confidence that you can build a PC from the ground up, and have the technical knowledge (google is your friend) to put the right components together. If that scares you, then building your own is probably not for you. I for one don't find it that hard to get to grips with it :).
Dell are a safe bet for buying a ready made machine, as their not likely to go belly up and leave you with no support at all (not that Dell seems to have great support as it is). There are loads of small companies that make gaming machines (like Alienware), but some of them might not be here next year, and sometimes you seem to be paying way more that your ought to be (Alienware again? :P).
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I wouldnt say that is entirely true. As already stated previously, I've been building my own machines for some time. I always buy my parts from a specialist retailer. Once, I built a machine with a pard of SATA Hard Disks in a RAID 0 config...but windows installed very slow, and after a while I concluded one of the hard drives was non functional. I called the shop, spoke to their technical support, and he agreed that the disk must be duff and organised a replacement.
Whilst you don't have support on the machine as a whole, you still have warranties for every part you buy. And if you buy from a shop with a good after sales service (check that out in advance), then you really shouldn't have any problems in getting parts returned.
What you do need though is confidence that you can build a PC from the ground up, and have the technical knowledge (google is your friend) to put the right components together. If that scares you, then building your own is probably not for you. I for one don't find it that hard to get to grips with it :).
Dell are a safe bet for buying a ready made machine, as their not likely to go belly up and leave you with no support at all (not that Dell seems to have great support as it is). There are loads of small companies that make gaming machines (like Alienware), but some of them might not be here next year, and sometimes you seem to be paying way more that your ought to be (Alienware again? :P).
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