Dell Dimension 4550 - data migration software didn't work correctly - Dell finally agreed to send service technician under 2 year contract that includes on-site service - then technician didn't show up for appointment

Complaints.com received the following on March 25, 2003:

From: Leslie Tresun [Email User]

RE: Dell Dimension 4550 - data migration software didn't work correctly - Dell finally agreed to send service technician under 2 year contract that includes on-site service - then technician didn't show up for appointment

I recently purchased a Dell Dimension 4550. Last week I set it up and used the data migration software you can purchase with the computer to move all my files. Everything seemed fine...for a few hours. I attempted to change the color scheme and the computer went haywire. If I try to open anything, I just get giant icons and random green and black screens.

Drop down menus (and most text) are impossible to read because the font has been reduced to literally probably a 1-2 point font, if that. I spent four completely futile hours on the phone with Dell technical support. Among other things, they had me open up the computer and remove the video card on two different occasions. (Seems to me that I shouldn't be messing around inside the machine when I have no clue what I'm doing.) One tech. tried to blame it on a virus even though I had not downloaded anything or opened any attachments in the few short hours the computer actually functioned.

I was bounced back and forth between hardware and software technical support, all to no avail. They told me to wipe out the hard drive and restore the original factory settings, which I refused to do because once I thought the new machine worked, I cleaned off my files from the old one. One tech. told me that it would be simple to back up my data -- I just needed to remove the hard drives from both the new & old computers, temporarily replace the old computer's hard drive with the one from the new machine, back up the data, replace both hard drives, restore the new hard drive to its factory settings and voila, problem solved. At that point, I believe the words "Are you crazy? I'm the CUSTOMER, not the technician" emanated from my mouth. I demanded that they send a service technician out, which they repeatedly refused to do, despite the fact that I purchased a 2-year contract that includes on-site service. The service contract is a sham for me. After speaking to various supervisors and telling them they had two options: 1) get a technician to my house; or 2) give me my money back, they agreed to send a tech. out.

I had a service call appointment today with a window from 9:30am - 1pm. No one showed up, so I called Dell to find out why. I gave the woman my address in CALIFORNIA and was asked if perhaps the service appointment time given to me was for the Central time zone. I asked why I would possibly be given an appointment using Central Time when I live in the Pacific time zone. This just gets more bizarre by the minute. They could not provide me an explanation as to why the tech. has neither showed up nor called. I was promised a direct call from the technician. I'm still waiting.