DELL Computers are hot (long rant)
-
I've always had good experiences with AW's tech support. Come to think of it, I really haven't had any bad experiences with AW at all. :)
If dreams are like movies Then memories are films about ghosts You can never escape You can only move south down the coast
Hey Mrs. Potter, don't cry...
David Stone wrote:
I've always had good experiences with AW's tech support. Come to think of it, I really haven't had any bad experiences with AW at all.
I have but it is rare. The primary reason that they wanted me to test the drives is because drive damage is listed as user-damage and not covered. This is where alienware tech support under rare circumstances has failed. If a drive fails, it is because you mistreated the laptop even if it was DOA. It is up to you to prove that it was not caused by user mistreatment before they will talk to you about it. A few people have had that issue, but drive failure is rare enough that the vast majority do not so overall AW's tech ratings are high. I am waiting for the new Centrino Duo's so I can finally run my software on a lighter laptop. :doh: _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
-
David Stone wrote:
I've always had good experiences with AW's tech support. Come to think of it, I really haven't had any bad experiences with AW at all.
I have but it is rare. The primary reason that they wanted me to test the drives is because drive damage is listed as user-damage and not covered. This is where alienware tech support under rare circumstances has failed. If a drive fails, it is because you mistreated the laptop even if it was DOA. It is up to you to prove that it was not caused by user mistreatment before they will talk to you about it. A few people have had that issue, but drive failure is rare enough that the vast majority do not so overall AW's tech ratings are high. I am waiting for the new Centrino Duo's so I can finally run my software on a lighter laptop. :doh: _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
Jeffry J. Brickley wrote:
I am waiting for the new Centrino Duo's so I can finally run my software on a lighter laptop.
Seriously. These things are sooo heavy.
If dreams are like movies Then memories are films about ghosts You can never escape You can only move south down the coast
Hey Mrs. Potter, don't cry...
-
Thanks for your support brother ;P - point well made and eloquently! And yes, more often than not, on a techies forum, you will get guys whining about their hardware (and it is not like they can talk about their sexual life here in the Lounge with Chris's kid sister reading and everything. What sexual life anyway? We're techies!) I buy the concept of the local shop for a butcher or groceries but up to now, I did not think it would be relevant for computers. For any large applicance, a car, for instance, you would have it fixed by the manufacturer. Unless you have that great little artist of a garage next door(let us stop the metaphore there). And if they said they would fix your car for the next day, you would want it the next day. Does not seem to be a *wild expectation*... I did not think that mail order had to go with bad service quality... I honestly thought that dell was a safe business choice! Wrong! I 'll suck it up (and whine some more though)
BadJerry wrote:
I buy the concept of the local shop for a butcher or groceries but up to now, I did not think it would be relevant for computers.
Oh heavens! you are missing out. My home computer was purchased piecemeal from a local shop. They do their own service, assuming you buy from them. I slowly over a long period of time replace my cobbled together system with their parts. When something breaks, they give me full credit for a swap, if I want to upgrade I even get trade-in value on my hardware. People jump for my used-parts because I don't overclock (though I do abuse on usage shhh). When I upgrade there are half a dozen people clammering for my used parts so I tend to get really good credit on trade-ins. They do sell complete systems, I just never had the money years ago. Now I have one by default because all the parts were bought from them. They did the big upgrade last year for 0 labor because I was the first to make the jump to the new technology, they used my system to train the techs and learn the dual cores. The first time 'round it cost a little more than shopping Newegg for parts, but between service and trade-in I have more than made up the difference in costs by added value. _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
-
Thanks for your support brother ;P - point well made and eloquently! And yes, more often than not, on a techies forum, you will get guys whining about their hardware (and it is not like they can talk about their sexual life here in the Lounge with Chris's kid sister reading and everything. What sexual life anyway? We're techies!) I buy the concept of the local shop for a butcher or groceries but up to now, I did not think it would be relevant for computers. For any large applicance, a car, for instance, you would have it fixed by the manufacturer. Unless you have that great little artist of a garage next door(let us stop the metaphore there). And if they said they would fix your car for the next day, you would want it the next day. Does not seem to be a *wild expectation*... I did not think that mail order had to go with bad service quality... I honestly thought that dell was a safe business choice! Wrong! I 'll suck it up (and whine some more though)
Not directed primarily at you, just society in general that is becoming increasingly more demanding about low prices but not realistic about what they are going to get that goes with that. Of course the local computer shop. There are at least a dozen even within a half hour drive of the small town I live near. They build a system from components right there, if a component fails they replace it right there, if their service sucks you take your box to the next guy and he does the same thing. Most have excellent service, the reliability of component build "clone" computers these days is as far as I can tell zero difference from "name brand" pc's as long as you have a reputable local shop that fixes what they sell it's in their interest to sell good quality stuff. We bought a Dell laptop for our business just recently, it was the cheapest deal we could find, we bought it because we wanted the cheapest and it's in a role for testing where we don't care if it blows up and takes a while to fix. Dell was a good match for that. On the other hand we also bought a tech support web forum server this summer. A critical peice of equipment that must never be down for any length of time, we bought it at a local computer dealer who operates out of his apartment. He provides excellent service and if we can't get him to fix it for any reason we can go to any of a dozen other places that sell the same components. My down time is limited to a very short drive, maybe a restore from backup in a worse case scenario. Either way I have a *lot* more confidence in the local guys than any company no matter how much they market that they have the best service, they just can't. I did computer repair and support for years, we worked out of local shops and also had contracts to do support for compaq, HP etc. We could fix a pc we built in minutes, a compaq or an HP back then we had to wait for paperwork, big cities thosuands of miles away were involved, everything too longer and was more hassle. That's just the way it is, the bigger the company the less quickly they move.
-
Unfortunately I only have one colleague with a dell - and, as you know, his PC is not more usable than mine. And apparently the dells HDs are not compatible with other laptops!
BadJerry wrote:
dells HDs are not compatible with other laptops!
I can't imagine that being true. There is usually a small adaptor that fits on the HD pins. These adaptors are specific to the laptop. Dell usually uses completely standard comodity parts.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
-
BadJerry wrote:
dells HDs are not compatible with other laptops!
I can't imagine that being true. There is usually a small adaptor that fits on the HD pins. These adaptors are specific to the laptop. Dell usually uses completely standard comodity parts.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
andy brummer wrote:
I can't imagine that being true. There is usually a small adaptor that fits on the HD pins. These adaptors are specific to the laptop. Dell usually uses completely standard comodity parts.
For some things anyway. I know older ones used a proprietary power supply, not sure if they still do. It looked like an ATX and used the same sockets with a different pinout. IF you didn't realize it when making a replacement you'd smoke the mobo and psu when you turned them on. Newer desktops have the mobo on the opposite side of the case so you can't swap the mobo into a different case.
-
andy brummer wrote:
I can't imagine that being true. There is usually a small adaptor that fits on the HD pins. These adaptors are specific to the laptop. Dell usually uses completely standard comodity parts.
For some things anyway. I know older ones used a proprietary power supply, not sure if they still do. It looked like an ATX and used the same sockets with a different pinout. IF you didn't realize it when making a replacement you'd smoke the mobo and psu when you turned them on. Newer desktops have the mobo on the opposite side of the case so you can't swap the mobo into a different case.
Must have been a really old system. I worked in Dell Tech support in '97 and all the desktops were standard at that point as well as earlier. The Dimensions were all intel motherboards so they really were standard. The Optis all had card risers so you couldn't swap a regular montherborad in the chassis anyway. All the customizations were done to make the cases eaiser to troubleshoot and work on not really for lockin. Back when I worked there they really did stand behind the product and tech support. Of course things could have changed since then, plus laptop and server components will always be less standard then desktop components.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
-
Not directed primarily at you, just society in general that is becoming increasingly more demanding about low prices but not realistic about what they are going to get that goes with that. Of course the local computer shop. There are at least a dozen even within a half hour drive of the small town I live near. They build a system from components right there, if a component fails they replace it right there, if their service sucks you take your box to the next guy and he does the same thing. Most have excellent service, the reliability of component build "clone" computers these days is as far as I can tell zero difference from "name brand" pc's as long as you have a reputable local shop that fixes what they sell it's in their interest to sell good quality stuff. We bought a Dell laptop for our business just recently, it was the cheapest deal we could find, we bought it because we wanted the cheapest and it's in a role for testing where we don't care if it blows up and takes a while to fix. Dell was a good match for that. On the other hand we also bought a tech support web forum server this summer. A critical peice of equipment that must never be down for any length of time, we bought it at a local computer dealer who operates out of his apartment. He provides excellent service and if we can't get him to fix it for any reason we can go to any of a dozen other places that sell the same components. My down time is limited to a very short drive, maybe a restore from backup in a worse case scenario. Either way I have a *lot* more confidence in the local guys than any company no matter how much they market that they have the best service, they just can't. I did computer repair and support for years, we worked out of local shops and also had contracts to do support for compaq, HP etc. We could fix a pc we built in minutes, a compaq or an HP back then we had to wait for paperwork, big cities thosuands of miles away were involved, everything too longer and was more hassle. That's just the way it is, the bigger the company the less quickly they move.
I'm on the verge of buying a laptop from Dell, but now I'm having second thoughts. I agree with your statements on the local PC shops, and I have bought PCs through them before w/o any problems, but I think it's much easier for them to build desktops than laptops. Anyone can build a desktop - all the components are already sitting on their shelf. But when it comes to a laptop, you pretty much get what they already have on hand which in my experience hasn't been much. That means no upgraded screen resolution, video card, wifi, cpu, etc. Sure they may have some upgrade options for memory and cd/dvd burners, but I don't think a local shop can offer as many configurations as Dell has.
-
Must have been a really old system. I worked in Dell Tech support in '97 and all the desktops were standard at that point as well as earlier. The Dimensions were all intel motherboards so they really were standard. The Optis all had card risers so you couldn't swap a regular montherborad in the chassis anyway. All the customizations were done to make the cases eaiser to troubleshoot and work on not really for lockin. Back when I worked there they really did stand behind the product and tech support. Of course things could have changed since then, plus laptop and server components will always be less standard then desktop components.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
andy brummer wrote:
Must have been a really old system. I worked in Dell Tech support in '97 and all the desktops were standard at that point as well as earlier. The Dimensions were all intel motherboards so they really were standard. The Optis all had card risers so you couldn't swap a regular montherborad in the chassis anyway. All the customizations were done to make the cases eaiser to troubleshoot and work on not really for lockin.
One of the fake atx systems I've seen is a ~10yo p1. The 2nd is a p3-550 from mid99. The p1 was a home box, the p3 a (then) high end optiplex with a riser. I've multimetered the p1 and know it;s not just nonstandard wire colorings, the p3's a work box so I haven't but it's colors are all wrong for a standard connector. Both're 20pin atx style psus. Both the 6 pin extra (an AT style header used to provide extra 3.3/5v power for older atx systems) and 20 pin main connectors don't use the standard pinout. The sockets themselves are standard, so unless you're forwarned or very observant you wouldn't know the difference unless disaster struck.
-
andy brummer wrote:
Must have been a really old system. I worked in Dell Tech support in '97 and all the desktops were standard at that point as well as earlier. The Dimensions were all intel motherboards so they really were standard. The Optis all had card risers so you couldn't swap a regular montherborad in the chassis anyway. All the customizations were done to make the cases eaiser to troubleshoot and work on not really for lockin.
One of the fake atx systems I've seen is a ~10yo p1. The 2nd is a p3-550 from mid99. The p1 was a home box, the p3 a (then) high end optiplex with a riser. I've multimetered the p1 and know it;s not just nonstandard wire colorings, the p3's a work box so I haven't but it's colors are all wrong for a standard connector. Both're 20pin atx style psus. Both the 6 pin extra (an AT style header used to provide extra 3.3/5v power for older atx systems) and 20 pin main connectors don't use the standard pinout. The sockets themselves are standard, so unless you're forwarned or very observant you wouldn't know the difference unless disaster struck.
Wow, I never would have suspected. I did get an AMD K6 motherboard to replace a Dell motherboard that failed once, but that was a long time ago, but i think it only ran with the older style power connectors even though both motherboard and powersupply had both. Having a non-standard powersupply isn't anywhere near as bad as the boot partition that old Compaq's used to have, and the Optiplexes did have a gaurantee to work with any standard accessory. I spent plenty of multi-hour calls with customers getting all their add-on crap working because of that part of the contract. I've never bought a major brand desktop for myself, and probably never will especially with companies like newegg. I've bought both Dell and HP laptops. The only problem I had was with the Dell, and both cases were due to it getting wet. The first time I knew exactly what to say to get a keyboard shipped directly to me without depot service. The second time it was out of warranty and I bought a refurbished motherboard on ebay.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
-
I would trade losing against Italy not to lose against England. I am in the process of learning humility (a very long process) but from what I saw on Saturday, I find it unlikely that Wales had a chance... but may the better team win!
BadJerry wrote:
would trade losing against Italy not to lose against England
I love the sentiment :-D I wish I could say I was sorry about Sunday, but I still can't get the grin off my face Graham
-
I'm on the verge of buying a laptop from Dell, but now I'm having second thoughts. I agree with your statements on the local PC shops, and I have bought PCs through them before w/o any problems, but I think it's much easier for them to build desktops than laptops. Anyone can build a desktop - all the components are already sitting on their shelf. But when it comes to a laptop, you pretty much get what they already have on hand which in my experience hasn't been much. That means no upgraded screen resolution, video card, wifi, cpu, etc. Sure they may have some upgrade options for memory and cd/dvd burners, but I don't think a local shop can offer as many configurations as Dell has.
mgama wrote:
but I don't think a local shop can offer as many configurations as Dell has
Well you never know until you check, when we bought a laptop recently we checked with the local computer shops and they had all kinds of configurations, either way you're likely waiting for something to be shipped so no harm in checking. We bought a dell because to be frank we didn't care if it blew up we just needed the cheapest laptop we could find that would support a cellular modem card for testing purposes.
-
This is a bad week… First, France lost to Scotland at rugby on Sunday… if you live abroad, or worse in England, you tend to get the Mickey taken out of you in these cases, especially if you had been bragging about winning the Grand Slam for a whole month – as I unwisely did. But Monday my week was to turn for the worse. My Dell TM laptop did not start. No power, no green light, no nothing. No backup for some time and a very late project. My colleague has the same computer. I tried his charger and his battery but nothing. The computer is a year old but fortunately, we have an extended warranty. Next day service and all of that. So I confidently call the DELL technical support. I get through to Ralph. Ralph – probably not his real name – is a nice guy. He feels for my problem. He is trying to help with his English that’s as average as mine. I do everything he says, responding mechanically to all of his questions by “No… still no green light”. I mention that my colleague has the same computer. Ralph has a bright idea! Why not try my charger on my colleague’s DELL computer? Fantastic idea because we did find out what was causing the problem. My charger was dysfunctional – in a big way, the psycho-killer of all chargers! It burns out computers you use them with. So when I plugged my colleague’s computer, an acrid smell filled the room. A smell of burnt dreams and cremated deadlines. Needless to say I am livid… less than my colleague though… he feels murderous! Ralph the DELL guy is slightly embarrassed. He wants to speak to his supervisor. He leaves me on hold for 5 minutes for what I think must be some serious insight into what his career is going to be. Ralph picks the phone back up and says he will send someone tomorrow to our office to salvage our computers. I ask to speak to his supervisor as I expect something better than that. I make sure the supervisor – Arundel - was absolutely aware of what had happened. Arundel is very aware but unapologetic. His English is good and he is in a hurry. He tells me that Ralph had followed procedures (what?) and that I would get someone the next day to fix the machines. I tried to explain that the circumstances were out of the ordinary, for the least, and therefore I would be grateful if he could send someone right away – I actually beg him. He refuses – and asks me not to beg anymore, as it is embarrassing for him. I ask to speak to his supervisor. He promises I will receive a call from Customer Satisfaction right away. By then it is noon. I
-
Wow, I never would have suspected. I did get an AMD K6 motherboard to replace a Dell motherboard that failed once, but that was a long time ago, but i think it only ran with the older style power connectors even though both motherboard and powersupply had both. Having a non-standard powersupply isn't anywhere near as bad as the boot partition that old Compaq's used to have, and the Optiplexes did have a gaurantee to work with any standard accessory. I spent plenty of multi-hour calls with customers getting all their add-on crap working because of that part of the contract. I've never bought a major brand desktop for myself, and probably never will especially with companies like newegg. I've bought both Dell and HP laptops. The only problem I had was with the Dell, and both cases were due to it getting wet. The first time I knew exactly what to say to get a keyboard shipped directly to me without depot service. The second time it was out of warranty and I bought a refurbished motherboard on ebay.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
andy brummer wrote:
Having a non-standard powersupply isn't anywhere near as bad as the boot partition that old Compaq's used to have, and the Optiplexes did have a gaurantee to work with any standard accessory.
What's the compaq boot thing? My parents have a compaq p3-900 that I was able to upgrade from me to 2k without difficulty. Power supplies generally don't count as 'accessories' though. Assuming they've got enough extra wattage to run them it's generally not something that needs replaced. Which didn't stop a number of clone shops from discovering the psu problem the hard way by smoking thier customers mobo.
andy brummer wrote:
I've never bought a major brand desktop for myself, and probably never will especially with companies like newegg.
Same here. Oem desktops are for the luser friends/family members you don't want to do tech support for.
-
andy brummer wrote:
Having a non-standard powersupply isn't anywhere near as bad as the boot partition that old Compaq's used to have, and the Optiplexes did have a gaurantee to work with any standard accessory.
What's the compaq boot thing? My parents have a compaq p3-900 that I was able to upgrade from me to 2k without difficulty. Power supplies generally don't count as 'accessories' though. Assuming they've got enough extra wattage to run them it's generally not something that needs replaced. Which didn't stop a number of clone shops from discovering the psu problem the hard way by smoking thier customers mobo.
andy brummer wrote:
I've never bought a major brand desktop for myself, and probably never will especially with companies like newegg.
Same here. Oem desktops are for the luser friends/family members you don't want to do tech support for.
dan neely wrote:
What's the compaq boot thing?
This is going back a while to the x86 and pentium days, but they had a proprietary bios that required a compaq formated hard drive. I knew plenty of people that had to buy drives from compaq because of drive failures. They quit doing that when competition customers got irate.