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The moderated message boards, which allowed Dell customers to post and reply to questions about general order support, rebate status, warranty information or invoice questions, were shut down July 8. The company notified customers of the change on Monday with a posted message that referred customers to Dell's Order Status Web site or its online chat feature that promises to link consumers with a Dell Customer Care representative.
Longtime contributors such as "Rick," who also runs a site called Rickmktg.com, expressed sadness at the changes.
"For those of us that have spent the past few years on these forums, we know the tens of thousands of people that the moderators have helped," Rick said in a post this week. "Shutting down the Customer Service (non technical) forums will only further the belief that Dell is focusing on business customers and doesn't care about the consumer."
A forum community assistant known as Mark said he also feels for the many moderators who spent hours monitoring the sites for customers in need of help.
"It is very disconcerting that we will lose access to the wonderful support that these individuals have supplied throughout the years," he said.
Even the moderators themselves said they were saddened by the news. Dell's "Chandler," who was selected as the first moderator of the customer service board, when it was originally known as WebTalk, in 1997, said he was proud of his Customer Care boards' reputation for being "the place where our customers could go to have their problems solved."
Dell spokeswoman Jennifer Davis said the closure was necessary because many of the issues that cropped up on the boards were of the type that should be addressed only by authorized Dell representatives and not other customers. Many of the answers, she said, required access to customers' personal information.
The No. 1 computer maker said how-to questions, preventative maintenance issues and other nontechnical concerns are better handled through other Dell Community Forum boards that cover the company's home and home office systems, consumer electronics and financial services.
"What this was all about was determining that we had channels that were better suited to handle these order-support type inquiries, and then we could move the presales and Dell financials services that used to be housed under Customer Care over to general boards," Davis said, noting that the company has spent nearly the last two years revamping its online customer service.
As to rumblings that Dell is cutting back on its forums to squelch any negative postings, Davis said moderators remove offensive language but leave even the most critical messages to stand intact. They're even archived.
A quick search for the word "horrible" on the presales board turned up 63 responses. A query for the words "rude technician" gathered 96 results, while a search for the phrase "bad service" came back with 9,044 hits.
See more CNET content tagged:
Dell, message board, customer service, forum
I think something else is happening internally--some kind of money move, as most business decisions relate to. Perhaps they find that the cost of keeping the board up is more than hiring a few off-shore centers to take the information.
Maybe they will try again with moving the business accounts overseas to save money....
I verified this with a person representing himself as the Finance Manager. I didn't get his name because I could never figure out how to spell it.
Where can a person buy Dell printer ink from a retail store?
More importantly, it was not as you described. It was VERY professional and using the search feature (not a great search, but an OK one), getting answers to questions was quick and easy.
I purchased a 700m recently and had a ticking HDD. I quickly and easily found out through Dell's own forums that I was merely one of hundreds (perhaps thousands) with a truly faulty hard drive. More importantly, I found that Dell was denying the issue, despite the numerous complaints and HD failures.
Which led me to E-Bay instead of Dell to correct the problem. I purchased a new, bigger drive, and have been happy ever since. The old drive? I didn't waste my time thinking the clicking was normal and have to go through the nightmare that many others did. Why? Because of the forum. Just the last in a long list of instances where Dell's forums have been incredibly helpful, even incredibly quick when I ask a new question.
I sold my Dell stock a month ago after ordering two systems for a friend of the family. No recovery or driver CDs (you have to burn them yourself), much lower warranty services (including default warranty length for most of their systems), and the fact that BOTH systems came with dead optical drives. After getting the issues corrected (much pain), I sold my stock.
Did I mention I used to work for Dell and quit? I hated how the customers were viewed and treated.
Dell is making all the same moves Packard Bell, HP, Compaq and the others made that allowed Dell to get to the top in the first place.
They lost my money, and this faulty laptop will be the last system I purchase from them until I see more of the old Dell, and less of this ?lets save 20 cents on every system by not including the recovery CDs ? which will also screw our non-technical customers into thinking their computer is 'dead' and they have to buy a new one in a year when their Windows craps out!? - ?But doesn't our default warranty last a year?? - ?Right, we'll have to reduce that too.?
I stayed with Dell for their ONLINE support and services (including the forum). Now that reason is gone, I'll just buy the components and make it myself.
-C
They called my site "DellTalk". It's actually www.rickmktg.com, and provides support for hundreds each week.
It would have been nice had Cnet asked permission...
Thank you for the clarification. The article has been corrected.
Michael.
We are a business customer and a few years ago when I saw them entering the low cost budget computer market I knew this was going to be trouble. A little cut here and there has relegated Dell to no better than it's rivals in he consumer arena.
Even on the business side it has gone down hill. One example is that we have a defective KVM switchbox so one of our operators called for service with the KVM serial number only to be told that they need the serial number of the server it was ordered with. So we still haven't gotten service on it. Hunting down one serial number out of several hundred servers is not an easy task.
Fred
Go Outsourcing!
T ;^)
Thats why I did not buy a dell pruduct when I upgraded my Dell
I really can't think of any other response to this?
Make your money Mikey- on the backs of those who have lost their jobs here, in the US, as you pad your bank account ever more. Oh yeah, & take advantage of the poor in India, as well. Great guy, eh?
Here's the reality of tech support these days:
http://www.microchp.org/shockwave/tech.swf
It'd be even funnier if it weren't so painfully true,
T
Current state of comput. Still sitting in my house unrepaired
with no communication with Dell at all now. Last I heard after
filling out the email survey was a big apology and a promise ?to
call back tomorrow with further instructions?. That was on
February 3rd. Still no return phone call.
Dell computers: VERY POOR
Dell Service: Non existant. See letter below
Proof: The last phone call to Dell Software Support had this
interesting tid bit. The Canadian lady to whom I spoke confided
in me that she also had been trying to get HER computer
replaced as it also did not work. SHE HAD BEEN TRYING FOR 3
WEEKS TO GET RESOLUTION. IF SHE CAN?T GET RESOLUTION AS
A DELL EMPLOYEE WHAT CHANCE DO I HAVE AS A MERE
CUSTOMER.
As you read the below letter please know that in addition to this
horror show I have and I put this in cruel quotes ?next day in
home service?.
February 2, 2006
Mr. Michael Dell
Dell Inc.
One Dell Way
Round Rock Texas 78682
RE: Service Tag CZD 3561
Express Service Code 28259685865
Please note that my account address is : xxxxxxxxxxxx Tiburon
CA 94920
Dear Mr. Dell
I have purchased over the years many computers from Dell both
for myself and for my businesses. My latest computer, an
Inspiron 700 m, has caused much anxiety and has caused me to
waste literally scores of hours on the phone with tech support.
A synopsis:
I called hardware tech support with a minor problem. My
computer would not read an Internet connection. Within an hour
the hardware tech had the computer blue screened. A computer
that worked fine, other than the Internet.
I spent 10 1/2 hours with tech support that day trying to fix
their screw-up. This was followed by a dozen or more sessions
and countless hours trying to fix the blue screen error. I even
was charged $99 for software to try and fix your hardware tech?s
goof.
After exhausting all possible remedies and spending on the
order of 50 or 60 hours on the phone I was instructed to send
the computer back for its 4th MOTHER BOARD.
Please be aware that I was promised when sending the 700 m in
for its third motherboard, that should it need another board they
would give me a new computer.
Needless to say they did not honor the promise to replace the
computer.
Today I opened the box that was supposed to arrive with my 700
m that was to have had a 4th motherboard installed as well as
work done on the BIOS. According to the paperwork it was
supposed to have undergone extensive testing.
To my lack of surprise the computer still will not boot up and
had the exact same error message displayed before the repair.
What I would like: A full refund for my purchase price of this
dog and a refund of the $99 you had the audacity to charge me
for error of your own hardware tech.
As a quid pro quo I will not bill you for the $31,500 of my time
spent with inept techs and on hold.
Rick Hxxxxxxxx DDS
rjh/ms
Dell drops the ball by teaming up with an irresponsible carrier. DHL is just rotton. I cancelled my order and told them to send it back. I will not accept this kind of ill-service. There are many other fine computers out there.
- DELL-NEED I SAY MORE!
- by NJWITCH January 31, 2008 10:45 AM PST
- The problems I am experiencing and have experinced with Dell led me to investigate other consumers complaints. I wonder why the US Attorney Generals' office has not step up to the plate and forced Dell to return everyones' money for unfair trade bordering on fraud business practices. The fact that New York State has a dedicated website to Dell complaints should send off of a few bells and whistles. I forwarded my complaint to Washington,D.C. after I received a phone call from Katherine Davis from Dell, in reponse to my letter sent to Michael Dell. Surpise, more waste of my time!
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