Just a quick post about the smallprint when ordering online or anywhere else for that matter. Firstly, a big to DELL for acting correctly and paying me substantial compensation without having to go to court. I paid for a system from Dell Outlet on the basis of small-print on their shipping & delivery page. It stated that units listed in their stockroom have already been fully tested to ensure they are ready for immediate shipment once payment has been received. I interpreted this as meaning that once I had paid for an order, my system would be shipped and would arrive within 7 working days (whilst acknowledging there could be a delay under exceptional circumstances). I required the system for a deadline and would not have placed the order if the above was not in the small-print. Dell were unfortunately unable to complete the order as my product failed quality control testing after I had placed the order. Cut a very long story short as it took me few months to get through to the right guy (a manager). Dell management agreed last week that the information on their website was misleading and that it could be contrary to legislation and therefore unlawful. I received payment in to my account today. I would like to thank Dell management for the courteous manner in which they dealt with my complaint. I have just checked their website and confirmed that marketing has now made changes to the wording. Again to DELL!!! Moral: Always check the small-print
I wouldn´t be so happy after spending "a few months to get through to the right guy". Besides, this case shows problems with quality control. I have seen many complaints in the Dell forum recently (one example: persistent problems with USB 3.0 ports, which seem to remain unsolved many months after they were first reported).
You are missing the point. When I spoke to them I told them that despite making excellent laptops it is hard to recommend them if they cannot process orders properly and improve the customer experience. They agreed with me. So, I've only ever bought two laptops off them. Both purchased over the last two years. Both orders error-strewn on the part of the Dell. Both times received compensation totalling the price of one laptop. in effect, I got "two for one". So although they made mistakes, they did look after me. And it only took about 15 bucks in phone calls total to get compensation. Like I said, the moral is to read the small-print, be polite, stick to your guns and Dell respond professionally. Well done Dell, I say. I hope they reflect and improve their procedures. But at the end of the day, they could not offered me better customer service. I can recommend them. I can still say they make high quality laptops. I can also say from my experience that they do know how to look after their customers and resolve issues.
I don't think Robin's missing the point at all. I'm not doing business with a firm that processes "error strewn" orders and then takes months to straighten out. I don't care if I ultimately get refunded more than 100%.
Robin missed the point and then I followed his example by allowing myself to be dragged off-topic. The point of original post was the small-print. The value of compensation, or time taken is irrelevant. My intention was to highlight the importance of reading small-print before placing any order. The small-print, whether part of the official Terms of Sale or not becomes incorporated within the sales contract between the vendor and customer. Any subsequent failure to comply with the small-print, by either vendor or customer, constitutes a breach of contract. Wanted to make people aware. Apologies if I did not that clear in my original post.
Cozumel - Sorry about that - we did drag you off topic didn't we? It's just that seeing the word "Dell" brings back many memories - all bad - relating to defective products, inept product support etc. And I haven't dealt with Dell in 8 years. I hope your experience with them is better than mine. Thanks for the insight concerning the small print issue. Len
Better still, not to have any small print at all. In the country where I live, the government is promoting legislation to ban all small print in contracts with financial "institutions" and with cellular-phone service providers. I also checked the Dell "Terms of Sale" that apply if I buy a computer in this country from the Dell web site. There isn´t any small print (or, depending on the point of view, all print is small).