Dell are a leading maker of pc's and laptops however they couldn't deliver a baby it seems to me. I've waited 2 weeks now for delivery of a CDRW and there's still no sign of it. The component only has to travel 16 miles from the factory, which means an average journey of roughly a mile a day. There's still no sign of it and dell refuse to return my calls. The Dell corporation were quick enough to charge my credit card and it seems that once they got their filthy lucre they lost interest in me.
This isn't the first time I've experienced delivery problems with the multinational. I ordered a laptop and they sent it halfway round Ireland, before delivering it to me well behind the projected delivery date. The logistics department I imagine must consist of 2 chimps sittiing in a shed, picking lice off each other and pointing delivery drivers in the rough direction of where they should be going. Every time I ring I'm fobbed off with broken promises of a return call to explain the delay. The standard operating policy of dell seems to me to be, failed delivery dates, and broken promises.
My tale of woe begins on August 1, with a call to dell taken by sales rep Anita O Toole and the placing of an order for a cdrw. The price is stated as E383 and delivery is promised in 3-4 days - great stuff, everyone's a winner.
August 8 and still no sign of the device, I ring dell and speak to customer service . They tell me that they can't see what the hold up is, but I'll have it in 3-4 days. A sinister pattern emerges.
August 14 and still I can't burn a few cd's as I've no burner I ring dell in the morning (9am) and customer service (no name) tell me that it's going into production and that they can't give me a delivery date. I'm stunned. I ask when they planned to contact me and tell me this and am told, that's the job of the sales department. The girl promises to investigate. I do a bit of whining but am fobbed off by promises of being contacted with an explanation.
4pm and no contact from dell. I ring again and speak to Janette, who says she'll contact the sales manager about my case, and then puts me onto customer service so i can repeat my story and hear the same lame excuses as to why they've let me down. More promises of a phone call. More promises broken.
August 15 and I'm getting fairly fed up at this stage. I could have gotten a blueprint off the net and made the device myself. Another phone call to dell and the same excuses after repeating my story again. If I had a CDRW I could record myself on it to play repeatedly to dell staff each time I phone them. The only way I'm sure that dell staffs haven't done this is that there is a different voice on the phone each time. The excuses sound scripted but at least I'm getting them live. Again no joy. I bitch about no cd player and no one phoning me back. We're sorry sir. It's not in production yet sir. I can't say why sir, I'll get someone to ring you sir. The usual excuses but there still not coming across with the CDRW and as I write this still no phone call. I ring again at 4pm and go from Joanne to Lorraine Kelly to Rita Flanagan to Anita O Toole who all say I should be on to a different department and I'm bounced round dell like a rubber ball in what is nearly an hour on the phone with no joy from anyone.
The phone rings at 5pm and i nearly have a heart attack as there's a person from Dell on the line. Jane Arigho gives me excuses and promises me a call with an explanation by 12 noon on Monday what the delay is. I'm sure that this is to stop me ringing and is merely a stalling procedure, however I'm sure the ball is rolling now and I'll get my CDRW. This illusion is shattered when by 12 noon on Monday I've not heard from her. Another liar working for dell direct.
12.05 and I ring again and Patrick Hilary tells me the product was down for delivery that day. I'm skeptical as I've heard all kinds of rubbish from dell employees but when i get home there's a card there from Interlink saying that they attempted delivery.
Tuesday morning I ring Interlink about getting my purchase. I'm in work and won't be home until 10 in the evening. I ask can I send a taxi or courier to collect it as I need it the next day. They tell me they need authorization from dell to release it. I contact dell at 11am and speak to Sinead at ext# 4807. I tell her the story and that I have to have the CDRW today. She says she'll try and get a special delivery, as I can't send a taxi, as the driver has to have ID. I point out that taxi drivers all carry photo ID in their cars and I use the same taxi driver to run errands for me on a regular basis. Sinead is to ring me back with a yes or no on delivery. My patience is running out and I give an ultimatum that I'll cancel the order if they refuse to deliver it. I never hear from her again.
I ring dell for the final time at 12.30 and speak to Aisling. She tells me that they won't deliver the device that day that Wednesday is the earliest they can come across. I'm left with no option other than to cancel the order. Dell have messed me around enough. Considering it had taken almost 3 weeks to produce the CDRW I thought they would have been flexible enough to help me out and get it delivered that day. I wouldn't recommend anyone doing business with dell. The whole procedure was an ordeal. I would be stunned if the staff there could produce even a lump of shite. Even if they did they'd lie about what it was. I hope I never have to deal with them again.
The moral of the story is: dell are brutal - have nothing to do with them.
I hope there as quick to refund my credit card.
