My expectations from a PC Manufacturer and an Open Letter to Dell

To whom it may concern:

I am a buyer of new technologies.
I talk to my friends about the new items I buy, and I am an early adopter.
I am your customer.

I only ask for a few things:
QUALITY
I expect a product that does what it claims. If the product does not live up to its claim, I expect it to be repaired or some solution/remedy found. I am your voice to other early adopters.

RESPECT
I expect to be treated properly and have my concerns addressed, when I call for support, assistance, or guidance. I do not wish to be treated as if I am inconveniencing your staff. I am your customer.

RESOLUTION
If I cannot get resolution to an issue, I expect to be given a suggestion of a next step. There is always something that can be done. If you cannot do anything, you will only lose a customer. I am your bottom line.

If you can do these three things, I will be your customer. If you fail one of these, I am forgiving... to a point.

______________________


Dear DELL(DELL.COM):
I have given you many chances to provide me with a working Mini 9 computer. You continue to delay, so now I no longer trust in your ability to ship me a working computer.

Because of this loss of trust, I have requested a refund of the original purchase price, to be told that it is not possible. I fully intend to return the non-working machine, but that is not sufficient. It IS possible for a company of your size to give a refund to a customer, but you have chosen not to provide that courtesy.

At this point, I, your customer, have been left out in the cold. I have no one that I can call for assistance. I have spoken to every possible person within your company that I could reach. I even asked if there was anyone else that I could talk to, and was told that there was no one else.

I was not provided technical support and each time my computer was returned to you for repair, it was returned to me in the exact same condition: NON-WORKING.

I was not provided customer support, but was made to feel that I was inconveniencing your staff. Support means that you help. I was not offered any help for my situation, only more delays.

To this point, I have not been given any satisfactory solution to my problem, and continue to wait for a computer that will evidently never come.

Your new customers are getting their machines faster than me. Placing a Dell Mini 9 in a shopping cart on your site shows that it will ship in 2-3 weeks. I have been waiting for over a month (10/27 - 12/2).

I now basically have been told by your company that I have no choice in the matter. I HAVE to be your customer, because I didn't ask for my refund before 21 days were up. I now have to sit back and wait for my machine, and just keep it, knowing that if it ever has another issue, I will have to go through this process AGAIN.

Thank you for forcing me to participate in the charade you call support. I appreciate that you stand behind your product so well, that no matter what a customer thinks of it, they are stuck with it... No alternative.

No recourse...

Remember:
I am your voice to other early adopters.
I am your customer.
I am your bottom line.

Well, at least I was your customer.

--Craig Collinson