Regarding the U2410, I just got one. It's a beautiful monitor, but Dell's customer is a total waste of time. I had a minor problem while trying to install it and made the fatal mistake of callin them for assistance. I feel it is my obligation to share the experience, hopefully to spare others the frustration. BTW, I finally resolved the problem using Google. Seems others experienced the same customer excuses.
Mr. Michael Dell
Dell Corp
319 East Parmer Lane,
Austin, TX 78701
Dear Mr. Dell
I recently received a Dell U2410 24 LCD monitor. I believe it's relevant that I explain that I work in the consumer electronics industry for the past 30 years. My technical knowledge is considerably better than many customers who contact your company, and during my tenure I've also been involved in several Customer Satisfaction projects. I also believe it's absolutely crucial for people in your position to be notified about situations such as I have experienced.
I installed the monitor and proceeded to install the monitor driver and color profile into my PC using the Windows XP OS. My PC is not a Dell, for which I am now very grateful. Normally this is done from the CD that is provided with the monitor. To my surprise, no drivers were provided on the CD that came with the monitor so I looked to your web site. The file the web site eventually allowed me to download was a driver installer, not the drivers I needed. After searching for another 30 minutes I eventually found the drivers, but not in any executable file format that would automatically install the drivers as every other manufacturer provides. No instructions were provided. Oh, and the installer previously mentioned, it had nothing to do with this issue.
With no instructions how to manually install the drivers I decided to call your Technical Support line - what a waste of time. In the 2 (two) hours I was on the phone I spoke to eight (8) people (in India), during which I was disconnected 5 (five) times. Each time I was transferred none of the call details were forwarded so I was forced to explain the story over and over, eight times. For the first hour they kept asking me for a service express number which I later found out monitors do not have! Have these people ever seen a Dell monitor? They also insisted I give them the Dell order number for which I explained, eight (8) times, that I did not have because I received it as a gift. I was asked, how do we know you legally purchased it from Dell? Is Dell serious - accusing a customer of buying stolen merchandise? I did offer the model number and serial number, for which I was told, Would not adequately identify the product. - what a joke! Each person focused on a reason why they could not assist me, rather than simply explaining the manual installation procedure that later took only 45 seconds, no thanks to Dell. The reasons I was told they could not assist me included:
I didn't have the Service Express Number
I could not provide a Dell order number
I was not using a Dell PC
Their drivers were only suitable for use in a Dell PC
My PC was not compatible with the Dell U2410 monitor
Mr. Dell, are you aware of how these people represent your company? How much is 2 hours of wasted phone time is costing you? How often is this happening and most important, how many customers are you loosing? You can start that list with my name - Dell, never again! The technical incompetence of these scripted agents is simply inexcusable. We've all read and heard the jokes about offshore technical support. Now, I realize these aren't jokes, these are likely real life experiences of people of tried to contact Dell for technical assistance! About one year ago the company I work for switched PC vendors from Dell to a more expensive brand. In a cost conscious economy many employees wonder why such a decision was made - now I realize why.
It's really a shame that Dell has decided to remove the customer from customer service and customer satisfaction. I can't imagine what would happen if I needed warranty service.
