A Rant

Some background first.

Five years or so ago, I bought a new laptop. As I always do, I bought an Alienware, top of the line, and because I’m always on the road, I include the top of the line, repair on site, warranty. Not that has ever stopped them from trying to talk me into mailing in my laptop for whatever was wrong, but that’s another rant.

Because it was reaching the end of its warranty, and 5 years if when I buy my new laptop, I was in the fortunate position of being able to mail it in to Dell for the repair this time (the battery no longer charged) it was mailed, I was on the road, I didn’t worry about it.

Early this week, someone called me and left a message I could barely understand. It was from Dell, something about the motherboard and I had to pay something, couldn’t make out the number they wanted me to call. I deleted it because normally, Dell also emails me updates to repairs.

Only, this time I didn’t get anything in my email.

So I call Dell.

Tell the automated system why, give it my express number (I’ll give Dell this, their automated answering system is top notch) and I get transferred to Dell technical services and the fun starts, because after explaining everything, I’m not at the right technical services. I get transferred, explain about getting the message again, that my laptop is in for repairs. I am told they need to investigate and disconnect me.

I call back, go through the automated system. Get someone different and have to explain everything again, because whoever I spoke with before never left notes on my account. And I’m on hold while they investigate. When they come back, they tell me that yes, I have to pay 200$ or so dollar (my version of it) before they’re replace the motherboard and the other piece that’s defective.

When I tell them that no. I don’t have to pay because I have top of the line warranty, I am told that no— no, what I have only covers software, and this is a hardware problem. So, I ask them what was it when Dell sent a technician to my house to fix my laptop a few weeks before then? A generous gift from Dell?

They put me on hold again while they investigate. They come back saying that I was correct, and that the charge will be canceled and the repair go forward.

Then I ask him. “How come, the information on my warranty wasn’t something you had access to?”

Instead of answering me, he told me how he had explained that my warranty covered the repair and that it was going to happen without me having to pay.

When I pointed out that wasn’t the question I asked. He literally repeated the previous explanation word for word.

And that the problem is with outsourcing tech support elsewhere (I’m not going to mention where. You’ve called tech support before; you know where it is).

The Script.

See, something most people might not realize is that when I called Dell Technical services, I wasn’t not put in contact with a Dell company in that other, cheaper, country. I was put in contact with someone who does tech support for multiple different company. Possible more than a dozen, which means they can’t know how Dell works. How their product function and how their actual technical services should operate.

All they know is the script they were provided with. And because it’s all they know. When the person calling them forces them off the script, they have no idea what to do, even when the question is simply “why didn’t you know something”. To which the answer could be “because I wasn’t told.” But they don’t know to say that, because all they have is the script.

It took me ten minutes to finally get him to stop repeating it and listen to me when I told him he needed to tell Dell this wasn’t working. And I had to interrupt him over and over when he tried to restart the script multiple time.

When I was done, he again tried to get back to the script, and I told him no. this is where you end the call. Seems he had a script for that, because he asked me if I wasn’t to leave comment with his manager. I say no, because I’ve already said all I had to say.

And the script strikes again, because he tells me to hold while he transfers me.

I consider hanging up.

I really do. I mean I have nothing good to say at this point. And my parents raised me to not say anything if I don’t have something good to say. But I’d told him I didn’t need to speak to his manager. He still transferred me.

So I decided, he really wanted me to give my honest opinion of the call, so I did.

Not that it did any good, because once I was done, the “manager” started on the exact same script about how the repair department had been told I didn’t have to for the repair and it was going to proceed. I mean they were word for word the same thing the rep said.

To which I told them they were really giving Dell a bad reputation by not knowing when to get off the script and simply take note of what was say and pass it along.

And they told me they weren’t working off a script.

If I hadn’t been driving, I’d have head-desked.

Instead, I laughed and told them that in that case they were doing an even worse job then I thought because they sound like they are working off a script.

Oh, and before someone says I’m just bashing customer service reps. I have years of experience as a CSR. I did returns for a computer’s part distributors; I works at a credit card company taking calls from people who were late paying their bills.

I know how proper customer services is supposed to go.

So after fighting with said “manager” (I’m pretty sure they were just the rep one desk over) to get them off the script I finally got to get them to end the call.

And it’s not over.

Two days later, I get a call from the repair department, informing me they can’t proceed with the repair until I’ve paid 200$ or so.

I no longer feel the need to be nice. I just say no.

When he acts surprised, I tell him to check with his CSR department, that I’ll hold. He comes back saying that I don’t have to pay and starts on the script again about how it’s been resolved.

I terminated the call at that point. I had enough of the script to last me the rest of my life.

Or at least until the next time I have to call Dell technical support.

And that’s it for now, so I’ll see you on the next one.

Posted using PostyBirb