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Monday May 11, 2009
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 As a retired civil engineer and quarry administrator, my father is a typical user: savvy enough to deal with some technical issues, but unwilling to rip apart his PC to solve the problem. In other words, a perfect customer for Best Buy's Geek Squad.
But Dad faced a problem about a year after he purchased his PC: who handles a support call? When the power supply failed, Geek Squad took the case. But after Microsoft asked for the license key for his copy of Office that he had misplaced, the headaches began.
The process was typical: without clear, defined responsibilities for support, Dell support tried to hand off the problem to Best Buy's Geek Squad, who blamed Microsoft and Dell, respectively. Dad's currently stuck in a he-said, she-said situation that seemed to have no hope of resolving itself, until today.
The ray of hope? A change in Dell's public support policy, which the company put in place Friday night. Dell finally took charge and tried to create a process by which Dell-Best Buy customers could finally find some resolution.
"Dell has been selling systems at Best Buy for over a year now and to say that there has been some confusion on support is putting it mildly," Todd S., a Dell blogger, wrote late Friday. "Many Dell customers... were bounced around between Dell and Geek Squad when looking for support on their systems. There were many times were both Dell Techs and Best Buy's Geek Squad members were confused over which company was to provide the limited hardware warranty and tech support on these systems so I can imagine how frustrating it must have been for our customers."
"Thankfully, that's all ended," Todd S. wrote. The Dell post provides a complicated list of who handles what. Basically, however, Dell seems to have made the choice of which organization handles support your choice, not theirs. There's one important caveat, though: Dell advises that users register their Best Buy systems with Dell as quickly as possible, by visiting Dell's registration site soon after the purchase or by calling 1-800-624-9896. For customers purchasing a stand-alone Dell monitor from Best Buy you will need the PPID number for support, found on a sticker on the back of the monitor.
On a personal note, I'm not sure that this will do anything to solve my father's problem; Dell calls out media replacement as its own responsibility, but its support page only identifies OS replacement, not applications.
As always, time will be the ultimate arbiter of how this solution will work.
Here's my question, though: will this new support relationship simply transform Dell/Geek Squad support calls from a "hot potato" into a silo? In other words, will users have to choose Dell or Geek Squad to see a problem through? What I don't see in the post is any indication that a user will be able to effectively switch horses mid-stream: the ability to transfer support tickets from one organization to the other, or for any sort of collaborative support environment. As always, please post your experiences (both under the new and old system) below; it may be that you can help each other out.
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May 11, 2009 3:31 PM
that is why you don't buy a dell computer they are junk with cheap power supplies and most are non standard
May 11, 2009 4:55 PM
DO NOT BUY DELL. THEY SUCK AND ESPECIALLY CUSTOMER SUPPORT.
May 11, 2009 7:20 PM
Good reason never to shop at BestBuy. Geek squad is a waste of money. It sounds like both Dell and Geek Squad prefer arguing instead of helping customers.
May 11, 2009 8:13 PM
Thanks! I am in the market for a 15# laptop, and the Dell rep never called me back when I got close to a deal. Ripping America off to pay for Windows XP, and giving you Vista to load on your own at a later date, is all a racket. Vista has been a failure of sorts and we all know it. My Windows 2001XP works fine with updates on my desktop. I see no reason why they would want to charge for Windows & Vista cost buried in the initial cost.
Mr. Dell needs to get more involved to save his name and his product. Give me Windows XP and I will load Vista when it works right.
May 11, 2009 8:15 PM
Thanks! I am in the market for a 15# laptop, and the Dell rep never called me back when I got close to a deal. Ripping America off to pay for Windows XP, and giving you Vista to load on your own at a later date, is all a racket. Vista has been a failure of sorts and we all know it. My Windows 2001XP works fine with updates on my desktop. I see no reason why they would want to charge for Windows & Vista cost buried in the initial cost.
Mr. Dell needs to get more involved to save his name and his product. Give me Windows XP and I will load Vista when it works right.
May 11, 2009 9:38 PM
I bought my Dell five years ago and had problems with the keyboard I thought , anyway Mark in India couldn't help and after three weeks of not being able to use the PC I talked to someone in Texas and he told me in five seconds what was wrong, I set it up on the wrong English..changed to US English and problem solved
May 11, 2009 9:52 PM
I bought my desk top in 04' bought my laptop in 09' not one prob @ all except I will delete that vista thing and go with XP, later dudes.
May 11, 2009 10:03 PM
Customer support for units purchased has never been the responsibility of the retail establishment at which you purchased the item. It is the responsibility of the manufacturer. (Are you going to call Costco for tech support on the Dell you bought there?) Manufacturers' Warranties are backed by the manufacturer (seems obvious, doesn't it?). If you bought an extended warranty from Best Buy, then they should cover your hardware - but no one covers software, and for obvious reasons, no one covers you for loosing stuff (product keys are usually labled "Don't Loose This" or "Keep in a safe place" for a reason). That's on you. And before you ask, I am a former Best Buy employee - if anyone would want to trash Best Buy it would be me.
May 12, 2009 12:30 AM
I have the same concern as the parent of 5 kids when it comes to computers and service plans. Our youngest is finally leaving the fold this month with graduation weeks away. Every child before her got all the basic tools to compete with the world for survival: laptop, scanner, printer, cell phone, ipod and free tech support and supplies from Dad (paper, ink jet cartridges, etc are simply a phone call away - "Daddy..."). They are all on their own after that to study to their hearts content without the distractions or headaches of their systems breaking down. I know how tough they can be on their gear so when it came time to send something in for repair the question was...do I take it back to the store or their tech support (since I got the 3 year plan) or do I contact the manufacturer since it's within the first year? We discovered with the second child the mistake of going back to the store tech support...5 months later and a more sympathetic store tech support manager, we got a replacement system (better than his original) from the store in exchange for his old broken one. Problem resolved at the lowest level. What should have been done was one of two options: (1) Contact the manufacturer directly FIRST; or (2) Use the store tech support as the middle man to contact the manufacturer for you. The later never happens as the store tech support attempts to muddle around and fix the problem. After our experience, we discovered that it's always MANUFACTURER FIRST and store second...when the first year runs out, then go to store tech support...if they can't fix the problem after that then they will gladly refund your money for the purchase price of the laptop minus any costs they have incurred while servicing your computer after the manufacturer's warranty expires. Yeah, right!
May 12, 2009 1:29 AM
Dell has no support. Get real. Indians who can,t speak english, Constant hangups and missdirections in support calls. Just call them and try to get support before you waste your money.
May 12, 2009 1:54 AM
I purchased a Dell laptop about 15 months ago through Best Buy. Problems which I identified as coming from the startup program developed. The Geek Squad was never able to resolve the issue. Dell refused to discuss the problem with me, stating that I had to go to Best Buy for resolution. I am out of warrenty now but wrote Best Buy customer swervice appealing to them for help. Well over a month has passed with no response. I am working around the problem by going into hibernate rather that totally shutting down. Unless I have a satisfactory resolution to this problem, I will not purchase from Dell of Best Buy again.
May 12, 2009 5:15 AM
My experience with Dell has been very positive. I have purchased 3 computers directly from Dell, the last two laptops in '06 and '07. I have had no hardware problems with them or complaints about their support. When one laptop's OS was corrupted, they guided me through the restore. I have called them for various problems and they are able to link up to my computer and operate it remotely, thereby quickly troubleshooting without a thousand questions and replies. The only whine I have is about the cost of a new battery.
Yes, speaking with foreign techs takes patience at times. I am sure they are working with troubleshooting protocols which they must follow, causing seemingly repetitive steps.
May 12, 2009 7:07 AM
At least one of you has touched on dealing with overseas tech support. I'm happy to report that AT&T, my Internet provider, says anyone calling on them may always request a U.S.-based technician. Handy to know if you get connected to "non-American English" speakers. Which is often the case, and usually solves zero - after all, that 'tech' is almost always just reading stuff off a script. My Gateway of 7 years "took the journey" this past March. The replacement was bought at an independent local dealer. A mom and pop computer store, if you like. In short, the deal went slick as goose grease, tech support is over the phone, or in person: the shop is less than 2 miles away, and I saved $100 and change versus the Big Box store for very minor differences in units.
May 12, 2009 7:33 AM
Frank's comment about "Mom & Pop" computer stores was spot on. Here in Fayetteville, GA, you can buy a laptop/desktop at Best Buy, Office Depot, or Staples....but try and get RELIABLE customer service from any of them!
I am currently studying at college for Network Systems Administration, part of the program is CompTIA A+ certification; a national standard recognized in the computer industry that the person working on your computer is CERTIFIED to repair it, much like the ASC certification that auto mechanics have. Out of the three retailers mentioned, only Best Buy/GeekSquad requires their technicians to have A+ certification! (The other two, use a "diagnostic program" to try and determine whats wrong) BUT, having dealt with GeekSquad in the past, many of their "technicians" assume that the problem with your computer is software or user related - if its a hardware issue (i.e motherboard, peripheral devices or memory).....guess where they will send you AFTER charging you a hefty "diagnostic fee"?
Yep....down the street to that "Mom & Pop" computer store that DOES perform hardware repairs!
Another cavet; when you bring your computer to a "Mom & Pop" computer store for repair...ask them what their certifications are. There are too many "shade tree" computer mechanics out there with NO cerifications...and you will definately get what you paid for....and many of those shade tree computer mechanics DO NOT use new parts - they recycle parts from their "stock", i.e. the junk bin!
As with anything you spend you hard earned dollars on, it is best to do your research first. And when you find a good "Mom & Pop" computer store, patronize it and spread the word - word of mouth is STILL the best form of advertising!
May 12, 2009 8:35 AM
Eric's last paragraph is great advice! I found such a dealer and have recommended them to folks in the market for PCs. Lake City, FL has at least 4 independent computer shops. But I have dealt only with one. Which happens to be a small chain operation with other stores in surrounding counties. Apparently, this is how they can compete with the Big Store. Folks, get to know your local merchants. Keep your money in your hometown! This creates jobs!
May 12, 2009 10:53 AM
My helpful hint is to not buy a proprietary PC from these types of stores. The salesman sell PC's without true knowledge of it. Go to any one of them and ask if the motherboard supports dual channel memory for faster speeds, which is common today, but cheap PC's from Dell, Compaq etc, won't give you that type of motherboard in low grade PC's to save money, and I guarantee you they don't even know what that is. If you ask if the PC can be upgraded down the line, they will tell you yes, when in fact, the mobo may not allow higher amounts of RAM, The PC case may not support more hard drives, or the power supply is too weak to allow hooking up any more devices, so if you replace the original power supply because you want to scrap the crappy onboard video and use a real graphics card, you would void the warranty.They only know Core 2 duo, hard drive space.
Geek Squad in general are the most under knowledged approved repair people in the industry. At one time they were not even degreed in A+, which is simple knowledge of how to replace hardware, how it works and to replace a processor correctly. I work with a former Geek Squad employee, who is in our IT department, and I run circles around him. When talking with him about making a clone of a drive as backup to boot from, he refers to it as backing up your files and wiping the drive clean and starting over. He doesn't even know how to apply thermal paste to to a processor, he's never done it... idiot.
If you don't want to build your own PC and also save money by not paying extra for someone like Dell or a store to do it for you,go to a PC mom and pop shop, where there's a guy or gal that will talk shop with you. You can tell a difference because they will be in tune with the hardware and new graphics cards and will tailor what you want based on what you can spend. Also the warranty would be clear as day, the manufacturer of the PC, monitor, etc, would be responsible so you don't have to worry about these games companies play with you.
May 12, 2009 12:37 PM
I don't think it much matters from whom one purchases a Dell. Dell computers are trash these days and Dell won't stand behind what they sell. I bought a Studio XPS 1340 about a month ago and it has been nothing but trouble. The wireless card burned up three days after the unit was delivered. The machine runs hot as a firecracker. No way one can use it on their lap. Battery life sucks! I get barely more than two hours out of the optional larger battery. Vista is pure crap on a Dell -- very unstable and hang prone. You can't convince me that Vista is an improvement on XP. Obviously Billy Boy brought out Vista as a "revenue opportunity." But what the hell? Doesn't all his money go to charity these days. The bottom line: Folks will be smart to steer clear of a Dell computer irrespective of the seller -- Dell Direct or other.
May 18, 2009 9:22 AM
I've recently discovered there is a good chance one party (either Dell or Best Buy) is repackaging slightly-used Dells and selling them as new at Best Buy stores.
We bought a Dell at Best Buy back in October. When the thing finally broke this weekend, we called Dell tech support to find out our Dell was registered to a guy half way across the country. It had been registered about a month before we purchased it "new". Dell refused to help as we we're the owner of the laptop. Best Buy said, "not our problem, call Dell or Geek Squad can fix the computer for $130."
After a lot of complaining, Dell finally offered to transfer ownership of the laptop, although they are making us wait 48 hours for the transfer to complete before they will provide tech support. Can't help but feel we got "taken" buying a supposedly new computer that was really just a previous return.
May 22, 2009 6:31 PM
I bought an XPS laptop in January 08 and have had nothing but trouble with it. I bought the warranty and everytime I call for help it is a hassle and I feel like I am on trial for a horrible crime. They have the worst customer service I have ever dealt with. Today I called because my computer would not power up after I tried a new power cord and battery and spent two hours talking to five different people before they suggested sending someone out to look at it. I am a student and cannot afford a new computer and want others to be aware of this problem with dell products and service.