Hanging Up On Dell?

[regic]

Want to complain on Dell's website about its customer service? Too late - the Customer Support Forums, operational until last Friday, have been shut down, apparently to try to quell bad publicity there about Dell products and especially after-care service.

While all the other equipment forums are still working - last time we looked - the areas where you could vent your anger or delight about Mikey Boy's company were shut with a peremptory notice saying that "The Customer Service boards on the Dell Community Forum will be retiring at 3:30pm this Friday, July 8th

full story:

http://www.theregister.com/2005/07/11/de...r_support/

[mandy]

Gripes about tech support are on the rise, and the PC king is scrambling to upgrade

All tech companies have some unhappy customers, of course, but recent surveys suggest the ranks of frustrated Dell Inc. owners are growing.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/con...tm?chan=tc

[mandy]

Update: Dell Computer's customer service problems aren't limited to the USA.

The on-line retailer of computers, software and IT services cooperated with the OFT and has agreed to improve the transparency of its agreements with consumers and to take steps to address the OFT's concerns, including separating terms applicable to consumers from terms relevant to business customers only and changing terms that potentially:

    * limited liability for negligence to the price of the product
    * excluded liability for consequential loss arising out of breach of contract
    * excluded liability for oral representations not confirmed in writing, and
    * required the consumer to notify Dell of any errors in its confirmation of the consumer's order immediately.

full article: http://www.theregister.com/2006/07/08/dell_oft/

ps. yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of Dell shuttering its customer support forums in an attempt to silence rising complaints.