Beware of the Dell Technical Support Scam

 

(c) 2016

Some scam artists have gotten my unlisted phone number. The good news is I was well aware of the scam before the calls. I am getting annoyed because each time they call from the different phone number so I now have a long list of blocked numbers in my Contacts.

They cater to stereotypes by using people with an Indian accent to say your computer is sending error messages to Dell. 

The problem is Dell never calls customers for this purpose. Of course, it helps if you don't or never owned a Dell. However, recent articles indicate some people are finding the caller knows the details of their computer, information never made public outside Dell's databases. So...

Do not fall for this scam.  Do not give them any payment or other personal information.

Do tell them not to call you again and to take your number out of the system.

Here are a couple of good articles:

    Latest tech support scam stokes concerns Dell customer data was breached. Link1

    Beware virus scam phone call. Link2
 
"Dell will not make such calls to customers stating that system is infected by virus and this could be a global scam."

Review of Dell Inspiron 15R Laptop with Intel Core i7

Stay away from this Dell product. Don’t buy any Dell extended warranties - worst customer service experience I had in 30 years of computing!
 

Summary:

The hard drive on my five-month old Dell Inspiron 15 R laptop crashed. Dell returned it to me with the wrong operating system, corrupt drivers, and less than half the original applications - missing both Dell and Microsoft royalty software. Instead of Dell taking it back and fixing it on their time, since August 29^th, I spent almost a week’s worth of my time on the phone while Dell staff tried to reinstall and/or repair software and drivers.  Tragically, as of 10/29/12, I still do not have back ALL the functionality I paid for.

Detail:

I spent several months looking for the right hardware/software combination to meet my personal and home-business needs. In March 2012, Costco offered the perfect match in the Dell Inspiron 15R with Windows 7 Professional, Intel Core i7, and Microsoft Office 2010. Although it cost almost $1,000 USD, everything I needed was pre-installed.

The Inspiron 15R worked perfectly until mid-August when the hard drive began to fail. Although it was an inconvenience, I wasn’t worried because the laptop was well within both the Costco and Dell warranty periods. Little did I know then that my Dell Support nightmare was just beginning.

Hurdle 1. The “replacement” hard drive had the wrong operating system! After debating with Dell’s Tier 2 technical support for 20 minutes, I finally got to a supervisor. He strong-armed me into staying on the phone while he installed Windows 7 remotely and applied multi-dozens of related software updates. Three hours later, I went to bed leaving him to finish it up himself.

 Hurdle 2. Before leaving for work the next morning, I tried to create a system recovery CD only to find Dell DataSafe Local Backup was missing.  It only took Dell’s Tier 2 technical support 20 minutes to install this remotely.

 Hurdle 3. As soon as I got home, I booted up the laptop to find the flash screen still suspiciously looked like Home Office. Indeed, it was. Madder than a wet hen, I called Dell’s Tier 2 technical support for the third time. It was ugly. The first tech hung up on me. I hung up on the second tech. The third tech listened to me re-explain my dilemma and after another 15-minute debate, he finally put me through to a supervisor. Again I was strong-armed into staying on the phone for hours while this guy redid what the other guy supposedly did the night before.

Hurdle 4. With Windows 7 Professional finally installed, I tried to do my normal computing only to find the keyboard acted like it had epilepsy. The left lower corner was loose too. I knew it had to be the Dell Depot staff because it was fine before.  A fourth call to Dell’s Tier 2 technical support revealed the Touchpad driver was corrupt. But, of course, he couldn’t tighten the loose keyboard remotely so I had to act the Tim the Toolman Taylor.

Hurdle 5 and counting. As time passes, I keep finding the software that was not re-installed at Dell Depot. Each time I call, Dell Technical Support's solution is to wipe out everything I have on there and start over.  To date, Dell "wiped out" my computer four times. Two weeks ago another tech wanted to wipe it out a fifth time but I refused.  

I argued with them each time to take the whole laptop back and make it right on their time but they would not. Their staff time might be cheap, but mine is not. I keep asking for some compensation for weeks of lost productivity and time I could have spent building my business, but no. They refused.

 

Until this experience I was pro Dell. Now, I will run away from Dell products as fast as I can.