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Thumbs Down on Dell's Support

I recently bought a Dell PC because of its strong reputation for customer service and technical support. But I've had to call four times, waiting over 45 minutes on each call. The last time, the wait was over an hour, so I finally gave up. Dell's Resolution Advisor software supposedly enables contact with support via e-mail or even chat with reps. It didn't work.

When I finally spoke with a technician about my monitor's digital display problems, he tried to convince me I should settle for the analog display instead because, he said, Dell doesn't really support digital even though it sells it.

I rate Dell's as the worst technical support in my 15 years' experience with PCs.

Jeff Bayless, Chicago

Thumbs Up on Its Service

A woman in February's Consumer Watch complained about Dell's customer service when she wanted to return a new PC. As a Dell customer, my experience has been totally different from hers.

When I had to return my subwoofer for replacement, not only did Dell send a new one the next day, but the company also included a prepaid shipping document, so I did not have to pay anything for shipping. And when I had to return an NIC card to Dell, I received a replacement by overnight delivery, again with return shipping. (With another vendor, by contrast, I had to pay for return shipping when I wanted a replacement monitor.) In my experience, Dell offers superior customer service.

Mathew Daniel, Bellerose, New York

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