5/12/08 - UPDATE - I’m happy and proud to announce that Dell monitors the blogosphere like no other company today!  I received numerous phone calls and email follow ups from Natalie (customer_advocate@dell.com) notifying me that they have removed all outstanding balances and the Indian call center harassment will be stopped.  Dell has taken user generated complaints and questions to an extreme level by creating Dell Conversations.  I’m very pleased at the outcome of my situation with Dell, but regardless, I shouldn’t have had to blog about it to get a resolution.  Nevertheless, I will continue to do business with Dell because I’m so impressed with their embracing attitude towards the internet and blogs.

Original complaint message:

I recently purchased a Dell CPU, 30-inch flat screen monitor, mouse, keyboard, and other accessories; totaling nearly $3000. This is probably a lot more than the average Dell customer spends; and the level of customer service sucks - that is if you hate dealing with someone in India that could care less about your situation. Below is the copy of the invoice that I receive every month, and the last letter that I have written Dell regarding my purchase:

I’m upset because Dell is outsourcing their finance collections and using Indian labor to relentlessly pound their customers with telephone calls. They are also screwing with my credit by reporting my late payment. These Indians are rather smart as well; they call with blocked telephone numbers, an 800 type looking number, and overseas numbers, in order to make it look like a different call (they do this because people like me pick up and hang up, or never answer). If you read the letter above, you will see that I returned my unopened purchases but Dell is trying to collect on the shipping charges. I was fully prepared to accept delivery of the goods I ordered, but FEDEX was unwilling to attempt to ship to me again, and Dell was completely worthless and could do nothing to insure I received the shipment. So kill me, I’m at the office busting my ass for my clients and unable to take receipt of a $3K purchase, so take the effort and bring it to my residence one more time.

The next telephone call I receive from an outsourced Indian doing debt collections, I will record and post on this website for the world to see. Hopefully, Dell will start treating it’s customers with more respect and Dell’s market value wont look the way that it does. Please comment on this post if you have experienced similar problems.

I don’t hate Dell, I think they make a reasonably good product, for a good price; and I just recently purchased another laptop from them. But this Dell Preferred Finance account has been a horrible experience. The reason they have the Preferred account option is that they want to make additional money by allowing you to borrow from them, and you can’t dispute this with your credit card. Otherwise, VISA would have already been notified and I would have won the dispute for the shipping charges. If Dell rectifies this situation, I will certainly report on it and recommend my readers to purchase Dell products; but till that happens, DON’T PURCHASE FROM DELL SUCKS.