Dell responds to latest capacitor-related fallout, ignores the whole lying to consumers part
By Tim Stevens 
posted July 2nd 2010 9:09AM
posted July 2nd 2010 9:09AM
The "capacitor plague" issue of the early 2000's has started to resurface, not thanks to another batch of bogus orange-hued electrolytes popping free, but this time thanks to the release of documents relating to a three year-old Dell lawsuit. As we reported earlier this week, those docs show that Dell asked customer service reps to deny there was any problem with their motherboards, telling them to pretend they'd never heard about the issue and to "emphasize uncertainty." Now, Dell is responding to the latest flare up -- sort of.A post on the Direct2Dell blog reiterates that this was an industry-wide issue, which it was, but more or less ignores the crux of this latest report: those internal memos telling CSRs to play stupid while corporate IT departments panicked as OptiPlex desktops died left and right. (Boxes manufactured during those troublesome years would ultimately achieve an amazing 97 percent failure rate.) Dell also points out that AIT, the company that raised this particular lawsuit, was improperly using its OptiPlex machines as servers and not as mere desktops. That sounds an awful lot like sour grapes to us -- or should we say sour electrolytes?
I currently work at a school district that has a lot of the SX280 units. We have a TON of them that have died from bad caps. We nicknamed it the Amber Light of Death. Thankfully we have an extended warranty on them, so it doesn't cost us anything to replace the boards. But I usually don't go a week without replacing one or two of these things.
All: Just wanted to say something regarding the reported 97% failure rate... it's not true.
Many customers who bought systems with Nichicon capacitors during the 2003 - 2005 timeframe did not experience an issue. In other words, the overall failure rate of systems with Nichicon capacitors was dramatically lower than what's being reported.
To their credit, though, weren't they the first to declare the nVidia chipset issue about a year or two ago that all the other vendors denied for a long time?
Michael Dell must have grown up with Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon as his mentor. Lying to the world and feigning innocence. "I have done nothing wrong." His failing company is his comeuppance for lying to innocent customers.
Although your article points out the Direct2Dell blog recent response ignores the crux of report about "lying to customers", I am suprised to see a few posts here defending Dell'a actions, saying it "was 20 years ago" and now their changed ! According to the NY Times article "Suit Over Faulty Computers Highlights Dell’s Decline" on 28/6/2010, the faulty PCs and Dell's attempt to cover-up were sold between 2003 and 2005, i.e 5 to 7 years ago. Your article highlights the fact the Direct2Dell blog response THIS MONTH also covers-up the fact the evidence proves Dell systematically misled customers.
Unaware at the time of Dell's bad reputation, while in the UK in late 2006, I ordered an Inspiron 640m/E1405 to use in Brazil for 2+ years. As it was my first time buying a computer without first able to see and try one in a shop, I mentioned my concerns to the Account Mgr about 'having to trust a mail order manufacturer without a shopfront to visit in case anything went wrong. He assured me no cause to worry and gave me all the bumf about superior Dell quality, both in the computer, and in customer service, saying that Dell will provide me with a '2 Year onsite N.B.D. International Warranty'. I went through that in detail with him. He said for any warranty issues I just need to phone the 0800 number for Dell Brazil and the notebook would be repaired the next day. I said I wanted a notebook both for business and much multimedia, photography, films, also watching TV (via USB Tuner). He recommended a number of custom upgrades, including enhanced 1440x900 screen and the fastest Core2Duo they had. I said I would like to first trial the notebook on a sailing yacht on a reggata to France before leaving the UK, for which I bought their 12/240V power adapter.
The Notebook arrived late, missing 3 different delivery dates (they advised me to be at home 3 times, yet didn't tell me of the cancellations) and the marine trial. I then discovered Dell's order tracking didn't work. When it arrived it was clear there was a problem with the 'enhanced screen'. All shadow scenes rendered black, viewing angle insufficient for 2 people to view at same time. Although my Account Mgr, who previously said he could be my sole point of contact, and given blow by blow emails/phonecalls of the missed deliveries, then said I should write a complaint to 'Customer Service' and I would be compensated for the inconvenience & lost time. I did that using the URL he sent me, and asked for the screen to be fixed. The points in my complaint were not addressed. Although I had agreed with my Account Mgr a suitable amount of compensation for the 3 miss-advised delivery dates, never received it. I sent him many emailed reminders about lack of response to my complaint and no repair of the Notebook. Horrific. In one of many fruitless phonecalls, I was told Dell 'had deleted my complaint because they had lost my contact details'! Dell had over 1 month to repair the 'new' Notebook in the UK before I left for Brazil but failed to do so. After arriving in Brazil I contacted Dell-Brazil who said my 'International Warranty' doesn't work in Brazil; I had been miss-informed, that I should take up the complaint/compensation issues with Dell-India or Dell HQ in US. I soon found other problems: the DVD-Writer would not write to DVD-+RW disks; the Notebook would often run very slowly (despite upgraded CPU) and ran much hotter than I had expected, negating my planned use to log marine data, rendering the 12V adapter u/s. I lost a lot of data when The HDD failed prematurely, which I had to replace at my cost as Dell wouldn't respond to my repeated requests for warranty service. Just before the 2 year 'warranty ' expired I returned to UK on brief visit. I emailed my Account Mgr asking they repair the Notebook in the UK. No reply. I saw his introductory letter with contact email of his manager. Emailed his manager. Got 'out-of-office' replies giving email of his co-manager. Resent complaint & request for service to him - still only autoreplies.
During the whole of the "2Year International Warranty" period I NEVER received any service whatsoever.
Last September I saw a news item Dell had been fined $4M by the NY Attorney General for denying customers warranty service, 'deceptive and illegal practices', many other customer service failings and generally defrauding the customer. NYAG setup a fund to compensate NY residents. Dell's The Order compensates only US customers, but Dell's overseas customers subject to the same advertising and fraudulent practices. Digging further, I came across a 'Dell Hell' article by a Jeff Jarvis in Business Week in 2005 listing Dell's failure to address complaints. His blog said his article resulted in a meeting with Michael Dell, and assurances Dell will fix the issues by creating their own 'true blog' called Direct2Dell, headed by a Lionel Menchaca.
I read a number of +ve interviews by Lionel on the issues raised in 'Dell Hell'. Lionel said now with the Dell blog "Customers really are in control". I put my complaint to him, initially offering an opportunity to resolve it with a dm before attempting to post it publicly online (I saw some negative posts claiming Dell blog not a 'true blog', 'censored to give an illusion Dell wanted to help resolve customer problems'). He replied positively within hours saying he will help, asking for my Service TAG. Although my complaint told him Dell Brazil advised me they can't repair my Notebook, I was surprised to next be contacted by Dell-Brazil. After some delay, they reconfirmed they had no facility for repairing my Notebook. I emailed Lionel this response a number of times over 2 months but no reply.
So much for his "Customers really are in control"
I then tried posting a copy of the dm complaint in 'Direct2Dell', but it was censored. Tried posting a simple reminder to Lionel asking him to respond, but no response.
I again returned to UK for short visit, emailed Lionel of the fact, that Dell UK should now do the repairs. No reply. Asked Dell UK, for a contact phone for Lionel, also for details of Dell's complaint escalation path, but no one seemed to know it.
I clicked on your link to Dell's Direct2Dell response and see Lionel wrote:
"..our company's continued success is based on a common theme-putting customers at the heart of everything we do. We're proud of our recent strides in service..." "We welcome your comments here". That, and Lionel's statements about the ethos of Direct2Dell do not accord with his lack of response to my complaint following the re-advice Dell-Brazil say they are not equiped to repair Inspiron notebooks.
Lionel is Dell's 'Chief Blogger'. His blog on 1/7/2010 claims "Dell did not knowingly ship faulty.." [PC's). -implication being, its more serious if Dell know a faulty product has been shipped. Lionel now knows my notebook was shipped with a faulty screen, a DVD-Writer not meeting the advertised spec, Warranty Service mis-sold - yet has not put my complaint about these facts at the heart of what he does, apparently prefers to look away.
In one interview, I seem to remember he admitted Dell's attempts to 'surpress public complaints' was wrong. Yet blogs claim Lionel's own Direct2Dell continues to do that, Engadget article 1st Dec 2009 about overheating Notebooks,"...Dell has started censoring some posts including a link to a PDF created by now banned user Tinkerdude describing the problem in detail". Has Dell reformed on Dell Hell ? The evidence points otherwise.
I have champagne on ice, waiting for the demise of this horrible company.
Charge, excuse me gouge, customers with ridiculous prices then cut them loose with incredibly rude and poor customer service.
here are some examples of the "award winning" customer service.
Repeated hang ups
Laughed at
failed to deliver on their word.
Never called back when they said they would.
Never buying a product from this pathetic company again.