FW: Dell Support a Long, Windy Road to Now

Please use Email User as my e-mail address (NOT Email User) !

Please use the below as my entry into complaints.com (instead of my prior "Dell Support a Long, Windy Road..." e-mails) -- also being sure to use Email User at my e-mail address (not Email User).

The below contains three corrections . . .

* Removes mention of "conexant.com" in the text and

* 10 lines from the bottom fixed from "PCI Ports" to "Ports".

* 5 lines from the bottom fixed from "factory" to "factory"

Thanks,

Alyse Simon

_____

From: Alyse Simon

Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 2:27 PM

To: 'DHS_On-Line_Order'

Cc: Email User'

Subject: RE: Dell Support a Long, Windy Road to Now

Subject: I meant:

Dell Support a Long, Windy Road to Nowhere

And, Dell, this was case # 139556265.

-- Alyse

_____

From: Alyse Simon

Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 2:23 PM

To: 'DHS_On-Line_Order'

Cc: Email User'

Subject: Dell Support a Long, Windy Road to Now

Dear Dell and complaints.com --

Below is an example of Dell's "support" in my trying to get an answer to various questions that have come up after my recent XPS 400 purchase. In the below online chat, I'm trying to get an answer to a simple question: "Is Dell's XPS 400 system (with XP Pro installed) supposed to list "Ports" in the Device Manager or not?"

In trying to solve various computer problems with my new XPS 400, a computer-savvy friend noticed that I had no "Ports" category of listing in my Device Manager whatsoever, indicative of a possible clue to my possibly-ports-related symptoms.

And even at the end of this chat, the bottom line is that Indira is likely wrong that it's OK that my XPS 400 computer is currently showing NO "Ports" category of listing in my Device Manager.

Alyse Simon

"Service" tag GK1FCB1

_____

From: Alyse Simon

Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 11:01 AM

To: Email User'

Cc: Alyse Simon; 'Email User'

Subject: Ports Chat with Dell Rep

9:56:14 AM System Welcome Alyse Simon ...

9:56:14 AM System Connecting to server. Please wait...

9:56:14 AM System Thank you for using Dell Chat, a representative will be with you soon.

9:56:14 AM System http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/chat/en/techchat_backup_media?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

9:56:19 AM System You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat

9:56:19 AM System Connected with Indira_01107075

9:56:25 AM Indira_01107075 Thank you for contacting Dell XPS premium support. My name is Indira Tumuluri and rep id is 107075. May I have your telephone number, along with the area code?

9:56:46 AM You 858-530-2727 home, 858-713-3208 work.

9:57:02 AM Indira_01107075 Thank you.

9:57:21 AM You Email User has not responded. It's been about a week. Please answer:

9:58:15 AM You Are Dell's XPS 400 systems (with XP Pro installed) supposed to list "Ports" in the Device Manager or not? Please (1) Look this up, (2) Tell me the source of your answer, and (3) Let me know the answer. Thanks.

9:58:16 AM Indira_01107075 I really aplozise for the inconvenience Alyse, I will definitely resolve the issue for you.

9:58:50 AM Indira_01107075 Please give me a moment to pull up your account information. Meanwhile, I would like to inform you that you might get an invitation to participate in a survey at the end of this session. You will be asked to rate our interaction on a scale of 1 to 9 with 9 being very satisfied, and 1 being not satisfied. In order to participate in the survey, you must close the chat by selecting the "Exit" button. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

9:59:32 AM Indira_01107075 Could you please tell me what ports are you referring to, the USB?

10:01:00 AM You All I know is that when I was having problem after problem with my recently-purchased Dell XPS 400, my friend noticed NO LISTING in Device Manager that says "Ports." Is that right or not? No more answering questions with questions, please.

10:04:21 AM Indira_01107075 Well, Alyse the depends on the hardware which you connect to the computer, if you could tell me what exactly you are trying to do and why do you need the ports in the device manager, I will be able to answer your questions, I really apologize for the inconvenience.

10:06:21 AM Indira_01107075 Well in the device manager you will not see anything which says exclusively ports.

10:06:25 AM You With NO hardware added to my computer after I bought it. Answer at this round of simply trying to find out whether the FACTORY INSTALLED DELL XPS 400 COMES WITH A PORTS LISTING OR NOT. Simple question!

10:07:17 AM You Good, there you finally answered it: Dell's Factory Installed XPS 400 System does not come with a listing in Device Manager that says Ports. Now please answer my original other question: What is your source of this information? Meaning, where did you look to find this out?

10:07:54 AM Indira_01107075 http://screenshotsforwindows.com/wxp/system3devmgr1.php

10:08:12 AM Indira_01107075 Please open that link, this is the device manager window, which any computer will have.

10:09:34 AM You Your screen grab listing DOES show a "Ports" listing -- see it? What is this a screen grab OF?

10:09:59 AM Indira_01107075 Well, if you have any printers connected, you will see LPT ports.

10:10:03 AM Indira_01107075 For the printers.

10:11:54 AM Indira_01107075 Are you with me Alyse?

10:11:56 AM You My GOD ! I already told you -- with NO HARDWARE attached, will I see a Ports listing? Show me a screen grab of the DELL FACTORY XPS 400 Device Manager. I asked you the source of your statement that the XPS 400 comes with no Ports listing.

10:12:51 AM You And don't veer off into what problems am I having, please.

10:14:39 AM You And by "Ports" listing, I mean a top-level item simply called "Ports" like you see in your submitted screen grab.

10:15:48 AM Indira_01107075 Well, Alyse, I see that you were having an issue with the printer, and that was resolved by changing the printer properties, am I correct?

10:16:27 AM You NO MORE QUESTIONS TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS! I WILL NOT PAY FOR MY DELL "SUPPORT" IF YOU KEEP FAILING TO ANSWER MY SIMPLE QUESTION!

10:16:30 AM Indira_01107075 Are you still having issues with the printer, so that is why you are worried about the ports in the device manager, am I correct?

10:17:23 AM You I SAID NO MORE FREAKIN' ANSWERING QUESTIONS WITH QUESTIONS. Relay me to someone who truly knows the original Dell XPS 400 Device Manager listing if you don't know, which you seem to be covering up for.

10:18:04 AM Indira_01107075 Well, you should be having a LPT port listing in the device manager.

10:20:30 AM You Now you have changed your answer. Look above -- you said: Well in the device manager you will not see anything which says exclusively ports." NOW you're saying I "should" have an LPT port listing, which IMPLIES that I SHOULD have a top-level "Ports" listing that I'm asking you about. Please, like I've been asking all along, send me a screen grab of the DELL XPS 400 DEVICE MANAGER FACTORY-INSTALLED WINDOW and the link you got it from, or manual, or whatever source of info you're getting this ever-changing info from.

10:22:40 AM You PS -- I'm saving this conversation for posterity -- and to submit to Dell -- since it typifies the ROUNAROUND I get in terms of info.

10:25:26 AM Indira_01107075 Alyse Simon, XPS 400 device manager(factory installed) will show all the hardware parts installed on the computer.

10:25:55 AM Indira_01107075 If you have LPT port on your computer then it will definitely show up the same in the device manager of the computer.

10:27:03 AM Indira_01107075 XPS 400 does not have LPT port by default on the computer, but if you have a PCI card on the Computer, then it will definitely show up in the device manager of the computer.

10:28:54 AM Indira_01107075 The specifications of the XPS 400 are present on this web page.

10:28:59 AM Indira_01107075 http://www.support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps400/sm/specs.htm#wp1053343

10:29:33 AM You You say "If I have a PCI card on the computer." You don't KNOW if my computer came with a PCI card? To remind you, I am asking you how the computer came AS-BUILT, with NO ADDITIONS by ME. You can't look that up? Maybe this link you just sent me will tell me my answer. That would be refreshing. Hold on and I'll look and see.

10:31:02 AM You To recap:

10:31:43 AM Indira_01107075 Alyse Simon, the computer was not shipped with an LPT PCI card.

10:33:26 AM Indira_01107075 So if you want LPT port listed on your computer you have to get an LPT PCI card so that you can get that listed in the device manager.

10:34:12 AM Indira_01107075 If you would have ordered for that card from the Factory then the Factory image Device manager Would have shown the Ports in the computer,Since you have not ordered it is not showing up there.

10:36:48 AM Indira_01107075 You can get a parallel port pci card if you want to connect your printer to the computer, because the old printers require parallel or serial ports, which will not be available on the XPS 400.

10:37:01 AM You First, to answer my question about whether the as-shipped XPS 400 came with a Ports listing in Device manager, you said "Well, Alyse the depends on the hardware which you connect to the computer." Which makes no sense, since I asked about as-is, not what I connected, if that's even what you meant. THEN you said "Well in the device manager you will not see anything which says exclusively ports. THEN you said "If you have LPT port on your computer then it will definitely show up the same in the device manager of the computer" and stated I do not have an LPT Port and that therefore my XPS 400 will NOT show a "Ports" listing (though you specifically state LPT ports listing, even though I am asking simply if there should be any "Ports" top-level folder-type listing). You're veering off now into stating what I need to do to GET an "LPT port" listing in my Device Manager, plus more info. IS THE FOLLOWING YOUR FINAL ANSWER?

10:37:32 AM You There is NO "Ports" listing in the XPS 400 Device Manager as-built state? AGAIN, I ask you for the SOURCE of your statement -- a screen grab, a manual extract, anything!

10:40:08 AM Indira_01107075 Well, the web page which I have sent you will explain what is the hard ware is installed on your computer, and a XPS 400 computer, as the XPS 400 does not include any parallel ports, you will not see any LPT ports in the device manager, an the source of my answer is the web page which I have sent you.

10:41:09 AM Indira_01107075 And my initial answer as I said it depends on the hardware you have installed means, if you have installed a LPT pci card, then you will have the ports listed in the device manager.

10:42:01 AM Indira_01107075 If you have not installed any hardware in the computer, then as per the web page I have sent you which will give you the specifications of the XPS 400, will tell you that XPS 400 does not ship with any LPT ports.

10:42:12 AM Indira_01107075 You need to order it if you want.

10:42:43 AM Indira_01107075 If you want to connect a printer which has a parallel port printer, then you have 2 options.

10:44:09 AM Indira_01107075 You can get a dongle which can convert the parallel port to a usb port and connect that to a usb port on the computer or you can get a LPT PCI card and install it on the computer.

10:44:27 AM You If I understand you correctly, the following link tells me what is installed on the "basic" XPS 400 computer, which is what I got, since I ordered no "LPT PCI Card." And, since I ordered no "LPT PCI Card," I will have no "Ports" listing, even a blank, empty folder for "Ports" in my Device Manager? If this is your answer, it sure took a long, winding time to tell me that. And NO I don't want to order another thing from Dell. If anything, I'll be RETURNING things!

10:45:43 AM You http://www.support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps400/sm/specs.htm#wp1053343

10:46:05 AM Indira_01107075 Well, you got it Alyse, I was telling that as you have not ordered a LPT pci card you will not see any ports listed in the device manager.

10:46:53 AM Indira_01107075 Is there any other DELL hardware related issue that I may assist you with?

10:52:25 AM Indira_01107075 Ports option will be present, only if you install any hardware.

10:52:48 AM Indira_01107075 Like LPT cards or any other pci card.

10:53:44 AM Indira_01107075 Well, as we do not have any inbuilt or pci card, that is the reason that we are not able to see ports in device manger on your computer.

10:54:22 AM Indira_01107075 If you need a LPT port, as I said you need to install a pci card for that.

10:55:30 AM Indira_01107075 Are you with me Alyse?

10:55:50 AM You Yes, you were telling me that I didn't order an LPT PCI card, but you said only that this would be a reason why "LPT PCI Card" would not show up as a Ports listing -- NOT that a lack of LPT PCI card is a reason for a plain vanilla "Ports" placeholder folder to not exist at all. Customers would appreciate your being LOTS more specific. Even now, you're saying that the "Ports" option will be present only if 'you install' any hardware. What you really mean is "The Ports option will be present only if DELL OR I INSTALL any hardware that is above and beyond the "basic XPS 400" hardware. The "basic XPS 400" hardware is on that link above, and it does not include an LPT PCI Card or any OTHER hardware for that matter that would create a "Ports" category of listing.

10:57:05 AM Indira_01107075 Well, you are correct Alyse.

10:57:10 AM You So, after all this discussion, if I understand you right:

10:58:11 AM You The following link shows the "basic" XPS 400" contents -- meaning the contents WITHOUT any hardware that I'd have to be charged extra for. http://www.support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps400/sm/specs.htm#wp1053343

10:59:22 AM You And, the "basic XPS 400" does NOT come factory-installed with any hardware that would result in a "Ports" listing in my Device Manager. That's what you meant all along by your "it matters what's installed on your computer" answer.

10:59:55 AM Indira_01107075 Well, yes Alyse, you are correct.

11:00:26 AM Indira_01107075 Is there any other DELL hardware related issue that I may assist you with?

11:00:27 AM You Hallelujah! GOODBYE.

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