Delphi Handbooks Collection


Delphi XE Handbook


Delphi 2010 Handbook


July 15, 2011

Micheal Dell, Can You Fix This?

Had a big issue with a Dell order, wrote to Michael... and it was fixed!

A couple of days ago I posted the following to my Google+ account:

Dell nonsense: My computer has been shipped, there is a problem with the invoice they cannot fix (my company VAT is missing, the order was done "by a Dell representative" under my company name and company account -- but as a private order), so I'll have to return the computer, ask for a reimbursement, and place a new identical order. 
In the process, they'll have to manufacture another computer, and get rid of mine (it was a very peculiar configuration). Are they crazy or what? Might seriously look around for alternatives at this point..

You can read the post and the 35+ comments in the thread at https://plus.google.com/109099686252303180605/posts/WVtto4Qisqx. Needless to say my opinion of Dell was very low at this point.

After that, since the computer actually arrived, I called again and they told me I had to return it and place a new order. What a mess. I decided it was well worth to complain with the boss, so I wrote to Michael Dell, given I had seen posts claiming you could actually use his email:

from Marco Cantu'
to Michael@dell.com
date Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 4:31 PM
subject Great computers, messed up management

Know you're busy, guess you'd never see this email anyway I'm keeping
this short.

Live in Italy. Ordered a computer through a Dell representative, as I
needed a non standard configuration.
After 2 weeks, got my PC. But they mismanaged my company data, invoice
is wrong. Seems an easy issue.

Instead, I'll have to send the computer back, get a refund, place a
new order... and you'll have to build another computer to my specs. I
think this is total nonsense, I'm loosing time on the process... but
you're loosing money... and might also loose a customer, if I can find
a similar computer from HP or Lenovo.

Sorry to have bothered, I bought Dell computers in the past, this is
very upsetting.

--
-Marco Cantù, Wintech Italia Srl
www.marcocantu.com, www.wintech-italia.it

Now les than 24 hours after that email, I received a reply. Not from Micheal in person, no, but from a Dell representative in France with the title of "CSMB EMEA Executive Escalation". She wrote me (in a quite correct Italian, here I'm translating back to English):

Mr Cantu,
I'm following up your email to Michael Dell.
If you can leave me a phone number where I can call you, since I'm getting no reply.

I replied to the email, and she called me minutes later, telling me she had looked to the situation (finding the original order, given my email, I guess), she would cancel my request to return the computer, and add my company VAT ID to the invoice, emailing the PDF of the invoice early next week. In fact, she told me, the invoice is already under your company name, so it cannot be considered to a sale to a private person. Exactly what I had told them before.

Well, so do I unpack the computer and try it out or do I wait for the correct invoice? It's Friday, have a busy week end, will probably do it on Monday anyway... and I also got a Mac Mini to play with today, but that's another story!

 





 

3 Comments

Micheal Dell, Can You Fix This? 

It's good to see a story like this sometimes.  There
are way too many of the other kind...
Comment by Mason Wheeler [http://tech.turbu-rpg.com] on July 15, 17:59

Micheal Dell, Can You Fix This? 

 My brother works for Dell in New Zealand, and when I had a 
support case fall through the cracks, he suggested I email Michael 
Dell. Apparently that email address is monitored by his executive 
team and, like you, I found that using it effected a workable 
solution for me, which the traditional support channels had failed to 
do.
Comment by David Clegg [http://www.twitter.com/delphijunkie] on July 16, 04:38

Micheal Dell, Can You Fix This? 

I always wonder why too often to see a basic right 
fulfilled one has to call in the "Mighty Powers". 
There's always something really wrong in that. It is 
a medioeval concept of rights, not a modern one. 
People has no equal rights, they have the ones 
the "Lord" gives them on his own decision.
If it could be done once you call in the gods, why 
couldn't it be done without? It looks always noone 
wants (or has) the responsibility to take decision 
such this, until someone much "higher" takes it. Pure 
stupidity, because it leads to angry customers and 
returned items. But in too many corporate cultures it 
looks is more importanto to avoid any responsibility 
than getting the company working properly - even if 
one day it means one may say goodbye to its job.
I would have sent back the item and asked for a full 
refund, and bought another elsewhere.
Comment by Luigi on July 17, 18:24


Post Your Comment

Click here for posting your feedback to this blog.

There are currently 0 pending (unapproved) messages.