Top-of-the-line tech help applications within the trade for years has been the ProSupport program from Dell, which routinely solutions inside 10 seconds and presents wonderful techs who really attempt to assist. They’ve married that effort with a next-day onsite restore providing (delivered by Unisys), which can be spectacular.
However no program is ideal. The issue with these mixed companies is that when issues get screwed up, it is next-to-impossible to establish the place the fault lies. That disclaimer now absolutely disclaimed and that caveat all caveated, let me share the story of my newest tech help nightmare surrounding a Dell laptop computer.
It began with the laptop computer’s incapacity to deal with Skype and Zoom calls, with each the microphone and the audio system failing. (That is particularly problematic on this pandemic-forced, remote-work world.) After toying round with it for a number of hours—together with plenty of restarts and switched cables and completely different headsets—I reached out to Dell Professional and rapidly linked.
We each initially suspected an audio driver drawback (and, finally, that turned out to be exactly the issue), however testing and updating drivers did not work. We finally discovered that Microsoft had overwritten a Dell driver (thanks, Redmond!), although preliminary exams prompt all drivers have been right and up-to-date.
After a number of in depth exams later, the conclusion from Dell was that the motherboard wanted to get replaced. I am not wild about changing a motherboard, however I agreed and the tech was scheduled to do the deed the subsequent day.
By the best way, having a tech go to through the days of COVID-19 shouldn’t be straightforward. We arrange a desk for him to work proper by a basement backdoor, in order that he can be in as little of the home as doable. He did his work meticulously, changed the motherboard, reassembled all the things — and the audio drawback was nonetheless there.
A couple of extra calls to tech help and extra drivers changed and the issue was resolved, proving the motherboard swap was an costly waste of time. It was all coated by Dell, so it was their expense, not mine.
For a couple of week, all appeared wonderful. However I then unintentionally found that the machine had in some way misplaced half its RAM, going from 128GB (wanted for lots of audio enhancing) to 64GB. Again on the telephone to Dell. The laptop computer particularly says that two RAM slots are empty and that it solely has 64GB. Dell rapidly concludes that the visiting tech had apparently forgotten to place among the RAM chips again into the machine.
Formally, yeah, perhaps. However I used to be watching the tech somewhat fastidiously — from a six-foot distance — and did not see something leftover when he put the machine again collectively. Until he palmed the costly chips and stored them — unlikely, however doable — this did not make numerous sense. Nonetheless, Dell despatched one other tech to put in the lacking RAM.
That is when issues obtained bizarre. The Dell tech help locations the go to into the system and tells me I am going to get a affirmation electronic mail inside about an hour. Sounds good. Solely nothing nothing arrived for a number of hours. I referred to as again and was advised that the request in some way did not take (I used to be by no means advised something past {that a} glitch occurred). They may put one other request in, however they already missed the cutoff time. No drawback. Ready one other day is okay.
Once more, nothing is obtained for hours. The subsequent day, an electronic mail is available in, nevertheless it merely stories an appointment was cancelled. It is not till late that night that an electronic mail confirms {that a} tech is coming.
Type of. The subsequent morning, an electronic mail tells me that the tech for that day has been cancelled. Earlier than I’ve an opportunity to name, the tech exhibits up. I present him the e-mail that he was cancelled and he shrugs. His look means that this isn’t the primary time he is seen this occur.
Irrespective of. He checks the machine and appears on the similar display that Dell and I noticed — the one that claims 64GB — and concludes it’s actually 128GB however in some way references 64GB twice. The tech calls his headquarters they usually appear to agree. He reassembles the machine and I present him the display once more and level to the empty slots. Additionally, I level that it (earlier than the final go to) had explicitly mentioned 128GB.
I requested him as well it into diagnostics mode (which he did earlier than) and I pointed to the world the place it mentioned two slots have been empty. He appeared confused. He referred to as his man again once more they usually determined to open the laptop computer once more and look extra deeply. He then discovered the 2 empty slots. When he added new RAM into these slots, the system did certainly present 128GB, because it had earlier than the prior go to.
The subsequent day, I obtain one other electronic mail, telling me that one other tech is slated to return the subsequent day. Baffled, I attempted to cancel the go to. The cancellation took and the matter appeared to wrap.
Though this seems to be a Unisys glitch — or, extra exactly, a collection of Unisys glitches — I can not let Dell fully off the hook. How intently are they managing their subcontractor/associate? On condition that these individuals are going to be seen as representatives of Dell, they should watch extra intently.