Double standards at Dell?

[Steveb]

On the 6th I order two machines from Dell, they're overdue by a bit now so on the 20th I called customer support. Spoke to an Indian chap who did his best but first couldn't understand my accent (have I been here that long?) and then couldn't work out what the problem was. I asked to speak to a supervisor who explained the systems were delayed in processing and would be due on or around 27th, would I like to cancel?

Then she said, hang on, your a business customer (bought them thru the shop account) so transfered me, to a lady in Cork. She took the details and said she'd call back. She did and said they'd be dispatch tomorrow (yesterday).

Yesterday she called and said they'd been dispatched. She just called again to say they were out for delivery and due with me in two hours. She said she'd call again at 5pm to make sure they've arrived.

Now I understand that to big companies "corporate" customers are important (even it seems poxy bike shops in basements in Belfast!), and I realise I might be an isolated case, but c'mon, that is some difference between consumer and corporate customer care. From this experience you'd have to question if Dell give a toss about the consumer side of the business.

[keyserni]

I think loyalty between consumer and business clients is very different. Dell realise that time is money if they do a good job for you now more likely than not you'll use them again (just a generalisation of businesses not strictly speaking yours). Businesses are legacy customers and they also tend to keep their computers longer before changing. Now saying that it could also be that it's a multi-national corporation and the two branches are run by different people in different countries one just happens to be very good in their job and the other doesn't.

[jimjam]

Maybe it's just me but I've noticed double standards for business customers everywhere, not just at dell. For example when I was a vodafone business customer I got several phones replaced no questions asked rather than have to worry about warranty faff etc etc......Jessops and PC world business customers are actually looked after instead of being treated like dirt.

If dell treat business customers better then, you as a business should be glad you don't have to some foreigner with an incomprhensible accent 3000 miles away. Virtually every large company seems to have customer care based in india or some other far flung hole.

[suspectmonkey]

I had a similar problem with goods not being delivered from Dell, only I made the mistake of trying their online chat helpdesk. If you think their call centre has a poor grasp of English you should try the online service! The person at the end of the online chat ended up just dissappearing after a lengthy period of incoherent waffle. Phoned instead, went through the their call centre a few thousdand miles away and had exactly the same problem with no one understanding the simple problem that my goods had not been delivered.

Now I've no idea how, but I either came across or was given the number for Dell in Ireland and I think it may have been the service centre in Cork. They had me sorted out in no time, and also phoned me the next day to check I had received the goods. The service was so much better I could have easily forgotten it was the same company I was dealing with. What do you need to setup a business account with the likes of Dell anyway? VAT registered?

Still a great source of amusement to me is when I walk through Tesco or PC World and see Dell machines on the shelves. Cant help but recall their advertising of a few years ago when they proudly proclaimed that "You wont find Dell in the shops!" :)

[barry_kellett99]

You guys can understand the cork accent?

[Farry]

lol. thats what you get for buying a Dell.