Getting Money Back...

[Leon]

I have heard multiple comments from NBR members saying that they got money (around $200) off their delayed Dell orders. I have been waiting for my Dell Inspiron 1520 since July 6, and it was recently delayed to August 28. How do I get some money off my order? Any tips on persuading the Dell Customer Service?

Thanks,
Leon

[mtylerjr]

Just explain that the delay frustrates you, and that unless they give you $200 off you will cancel. Thats what I did.

But only do that if you are willing to cancel. Because they can read your mind, and tell if you are lying.

I was willing to cancel, out of frustration.

[blahdude84]

or attempt a downgrade... they usually offer coupons for that too... (to prevent u from downgrading a part)

[Leon]

Is calling more effective than online chat, or not?

Leon

[mtylerjr]

Calling is best - they cant as easily just give you a few canned paragraphs of text and blow you off.

[StacyLynn624]

I did a chat earlier this week. It was the biggest waist of time. Although, so is the phone.

[mcaj007]

I did a chat earlier this week. It was the biggest waist of time. Although, so is the phone.

You ought to be a loner if you think that the phone is a "waist", i mean *waste*, of time

[Les]

Its not so much of getting money back as it is getting add ons for your inconvenience. Ill take the time to explain a bit, which will be a sort of preface for a similar topic, when my systems arrive.

Dell understands there are alot of mistakes and delays that hurts them to an extent and you must believe they have ok'd upgrades and to a certain extent, further discounts.

I have found that the greatest success lies in someone on customer support who is closer to you and during business hours. That is not to say the deals cant be found online in foreign Dell markets that service dell Canada and USA.

Next, when you call, approach it from an angle that you are frustrated, which you are, but never never demean them.

There are several cancelled orders that have regret here because people cancelled in the moment rather than sitting back and thinking things out.

In my experience through several years and just under a hundred purchases with Dell, warranties are the easiest free upgrade. Always try for complete care. Next in line seems to be cheaper things such as soundbaster or bluetooth followed by Vista upgrades. Remember, a gratis Ultimate upgrade is 180 bucks in your pocket.

For those who dont think Ultimate is worthwhile, it is the only Vista edition that allows full system backups, an extremely valuable tool.

Bags have been a popular throw in lately but I find that processor and ram upgrades are the most difficult followed only by monster graphics adapters in desktop systems.

I have seen others who have gained discounts on accessories (the best being a 24" Dell monitor for 299). I almost puked because i helped him with this but he deserved it greatly trust me.

I guess in closing, I will pass on something a very close friend at Dell said to me once, "You never know unless you ask right?". Also, yes they keep records of every conversation you have with them. they know if there dealing with a genuinely upset person or a jerk...

If you plan on ever dealing with Dell again, you dont want to be marked...

Can I also ask...Leave a comment at the end of the post so it bumps it to the top for the next guy to easily find again.

[HappyFunBall]

^^^ Now THAT has to be one of the most helpful posts EVER, thank you!
(EDIT) Can you explain why the closer reps are more helpful? From my experience and what some have said, reps in India can be very nice and accomodating as well.

Just to add something for even those who have not experienced a delay yet I'll summarize some other things I've seen in other threads: complaining about GDDR2 instead of GDDR3 in the 8600 and getting concession coupons, credit for Vista Basic (Vostro users), the free IR remote, webcam add-on, free next-day shipping, and getting a free 6-cell battery after complaining about the 9-cell sticking out after receiving it. I don't know how successful people have been in getting these things, but I'm planning on giving it a try.

[Les]

With respect to CSRs close vs far, I find that the closer CSR's have a bit more empathy for our situations because they can relate through demographics and understanding our background geographically.

There appears to be several threads here that express difficulties with dealing with CSRs that dont understand our situations because of the geographical distance; many say that they just scoff at the idea of a comp.

Myself, my success has been solely through those closest to me. I have no difficulty whatsoever 'shopping CSR's'.

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