Dell Financial Services- Cashed "missing check"

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on November 8, 2002:

From: RE: Dell Financial Services- Cashed "missing check" I have contacted Dell Financial Services three times in the past three weeks to try to correct a mistake DFS made. They cashed my Oct. 02 payment, did not credit it to my account, and then called me daily at work to harass me that I have skipped a payment.

You can not speak to the same Dell rep twice, you are subjected to a maze of phone menus, not one Dell Rep was helpful in resolving this matter, and I was forced to order copies of my cashed Dell checks to prove that I had been paying them. This has cost me considerable time and effort and to date this matter is still not resolved. I filed a complaint with the BBB and would never suggest buying a Dell to anyone. I have never ever been handled by such incompetent employees.

Please see my correspondence below:

FAX:

I was contacted on Friday, October 25th by a Melissa from the Dell Payment Center. She informed me that my account was in default due to two missed payments. I was surprised as Dell Financial had been cashing my checks. It was then determined that what was considered “late” was an October payment of $48.55 and the November payment of $48.55. The first red flag is that the November payment was not due until November 10th. How could that payment be late on October 25th? I was transferred from the payment center to the “customer care” in corporate center. It was here that I spoke to Andrea, who informed me that she would “research” where the missing cashed check disappeared to.

I then had to call my bank, Wells Fargo, and incurred a fee to get a copy of the cashed check numbered 640, in the amount of $48.55 to Dell, dated 9/30/02. This check was the October payment to Dell. After calling my bank, I called back to the Dell Financial center, and I was promptly transferred to a Jared who informed me that he only helped customers with questions up to 30 days after purchasing their Dell computer. Imagine my surprise at the totally incompetent customer service I was receiving. I was then transferred to an operator who transferred me back to the Dell Financial Center. I asked to speak to Andrea, they would not transfer me, in fact said it was impossible.

So again, two and half hours into this mistake made by Dell, I had to explain what happened. I was given a mailing address to mail a written complaint and then I discovered that Andrea was indeed in the same office. So at the end, it was up to me, the customer, to prove that I was indeed paying my monthly invoice to Dell. I have now received the copy of the cashed check that Dell has accused me of not paying. You will note that it is made out to Dell Financial Services, in the amount of $48.55, dated 9/30/02, and numbered 640. The back copy is fuzzy, but it clearly states “Deposit only- Bank of America” with numerous numbers.

I hope this will finally clear Dell’s mistake of cashing then misplacing my payment to them. At one point, it was said that my payment might have been credited to my mothers account, Simone Adona. She has the same mailing address and same last name as I do. This has caused me great inconvenience because your company has made a mistake. I spent three hours of my time AT WORK to try and sort this out. I would appreciate a call once this fax is received and would like to inquire about what compensation Dell Computers gives when they make a mistake. Letter: I would like to express my extreme disappointment with Dell’s Customer Service. Please see the attached fax and copy of cashed checks that explains why I am so unhappy with Dell. When I asked one of your Dell Financial Center Managers about compensation, she said that my late fees would be taken off. However, the late fees incurred were not due to my paying late but instead because Dell has misplaced my payment once they cashed my check. Nowhere was the payment noted or credited to my account, however the monies were deducted from my account on time.

I have wasted too much of my time already on this mistake by Dell. When Dell believed that I owed them money, they were calling my work everyday. When Dell is responsible for correcting their mistake, I have not heard from an employee for two weeks. I have been treated in a rude and disrespectful manner by your employees {the manager I dealt with today is named Danette}. I am hoping that the person that finally reads this letter will contact me and get this situation settled. My only regret is deciding to purchase from Dell. Customer Service goes a long way and it takes very little to destroy customer loyalty.

Comment On This

This happened to me also, in May of 2008. Despite the fact that I had faxed in a copy of my cancelled check, the collections department called FOUR TIMES PER DAY until I spent hours on the phone to get the issue escalated.

The collections department speaks almost no english, and is not able to escalate or notate these problems.