Hi Eric, The local "homebrew" integrator has something to gain by pleasing me: more clients. Especially where I work: a nonprofit with a 10,000 person/week audience. I am the lone guy, and when people ask me where to buy a computer... I send them over to my local vendor. I always tell them: "You *might* pay $50-$100 more, but when something goes wrong you won't spend hours on the phone with dumb tech support people." Anyone who's ever called Dell for tech support knows they won't accept "this CD-ROM drive doesn't read my discs anymore" as a reason for warranty replacement. No... you see, you must first remove all third-party software and bring the system to "factory specs" before they'll even begin to "help with the troubleshooting process." That's a joke. What's worse: ever get the part within 24 hours, as their warranty promises? My local guy offers to hand-deliver parts within a couple hours!!! -Jeremy p.s. great site! thank you! Jeremy, Thanks for your comments on the previous letters. This underscores that choice is good. I personally like the additional personal attention and agree 100% with your assertion that Dell tech support is somewhat difficult to manage. As for ever getting Dell parts within 24 hours. In the last 5 years with many, many calls under my belt, I have received parts once within the 24 hours as their warranty “promises.” So, I can actually say it worked.....once! (out of 30+ tries at three different companies). I’ve also had to wait over a week more than a few times....despite paying for the 3 year next day service warranty. What I want to know is, if you didn’t pay for 3 year next day service, how long would it take to get those parts? I was much too afraid not to pay for their extended next day service warranty to ever find out. Eric Svetcov Please send your comments and questions to letters@IThell.com. |