Prospective DELL buyers: BEWARE!! Should you decide to buy a Dell, and if
you have any problems or questions, you'll embark on an unprecedented trip
around the entire country of India. I bought a Dell in February of 2003. I
wanted to add a TV card to it, and had some problems. I spent hours on the
phone being transferred from one technician to another, all throughout
India. They are very friendly people and speak fair English, but when you
have a technical problem and need concise information....forget it. The
phone calls kept coming back to the same people. They didn't have a clue
what they were doing and kept sending me in circles. Because of that, I
swore I'd never buy another Dell. And oh yeah, to this day I still haven't
gotten my $100 rebate. I gave up. Every time I'd call and check on it,
they had a different excuse, and that was after being on hold for a minimum
of 30 minutes. The last time I called they told me that they'd send it if
the salesperson would verify my purchase. He was the only one that could
authorize it. He won't return my phone calls or emails. His name is Jarrod
Draw.

My close friend decided to buy a new computer, and she insisted on a Dell.
I had heard that Dell had gotten away from their previous policies, so I
didn't fight her very much on it. WRONG!!! They delivered her computer
yesterday (1/21/04). I told her that I would remove the hard drive from her
old computer and install it in her new Dell so she could transfer all her
data, and then use it as a backup storage device. When I opened the new
Dell, I found that they have configured it so that you can't add a second
hard drive. There is a special bracket that is needed. OK, it's a little
disheartening, but I can live with it. So I called Dell this morning for
her, and guess where I went?? Yep, India! 3 out 4 sentences that the
technician spoke to me, I had to ask him to repeat. In the end, after
countless attempts to try to make him understand what I needed, he told me
that they can't sell me the bracket, that it comes as a kit with a new hard
drive. In other words, I have to buy the second hard drive from Dell. Dell
has fallen victim to the same policy that hurt Gateway several years ago.
The bottom line here is that when you buy a Dell, its still theirs. It's
not yours. You can't add what YOU want. You have to ADD what they allow,
and apparently you have to buy it from them. About 6 months ago, Gateway
sent me a letter (I was a former Gateway customer), and told me that they
have changed their policy regarding these matters, and that when you buy a
Gateway, it's yours once again and not theirs. So I will definitely
consider Gateway the next time I buy, as well as recommending to friends NOT
to buy a Dell.