Choice of having XP or Vista
Operating Systems, Sales Strategies submitted by jesseberk
05/23/07
I think now that there is an option to have either Windows Vista or Windows XP installed on your machine; it should be open to not just American industry but Worldwide. I would like to have a choice in buying my OS. Especially when I am not from America. Everyone meaning worldwide customers should have that choice also.
510
6 major issues to be fixed by Dell
Dell, Sales Strategies, Service and Support submitted by jervis961
02/17/07
Dell became a top company by providing choice and customer service to a customer that wasn't available at the time but has since fallen behind the pack in these areas. Needing a translator when calling customer support is unnacceptable and other companies are rapidly passing Dell in technology advancements. While this site is a good start, many things need to be changed for Dell to become the market leader again.
1. Customer support needs to be in well spoken English and with employees who are allowed to do more than just read from a script. If they are speaking with a computer savvy customer the rep should be allowed to deviate from the script as long as they don't go outside the relm of normal policy.
2. Better options: Other companies offer high end components in small computers but Dell only supplies intel video processors in its 14" laptop. Dell needs to allow customers to get the size computer they need but with options from low cost through the high end so they can get a computer that is "Purely you".
3. Less forced options: I hate that I am paying for and XPS with internet security when I don't need it because I already have a subsciption that will transfer over or AOL is installed when I know I don't need it. They need to add an option of none of the above to all the added software sections.
4. Better pricing: Why is it over $200 to upgrade from 1 GB of 533 MHZ ram to 2 GB of 677 MHZ RAM? I can go to Crucial.com and get the 2GB 677MHZ kit for under $200. Upgrading with Dell after you own is even worse at over $300 this is crazy.
5. Custom Dell website: Customers want to feel special why not make a MYDELL website that when you log in you get a site designed the way you want it. If you aren't interested in the small business site it gets removed, you don't like to go thru the accessories sections when customizing a system so you don't see that section. Click on customer support and a list of your computer pops up asking which one you need help with and only shows the options for that system.
6. Customer loyalty rewards: I have bought 6 Dell systems over the last few years, why can't I get better customer service or pricing due to my loyalty to the company?
6925
Pre installed software
Software submitted by vaughnhart
05/22/07
My idea is to make a list of software options available and allow us to choose exactly what we want on our system. Provide the list and a clear description of what each software choice provides. Just like we choose amount of memory, size of hard drive, etc.
590
What Dell Needs to do to be # 1 again ..
Dell submitted by lindahewitt
02/17/07
Dell used to be #1 when it came to hardware configuration, engineering, customer support and documentation. In fact for years, Dell's technical documentation won national awards in every category that it entered in. I am not a hardware geek, but the documentation was so good that it make me want to get a Dell and do the hardware work. Now that is real marketing.
Dell's customer support was out of Round Rock and it was A+. As a result of Dell excellence in hardware, engineering, customer support and documentation, I never had a problem recommending Dell to family, friends, associates and clients. But that was in 1994-1999.
Dell needs to return to its high quality roots, if it wants to be #1 again.
It also needs to eliminate some of its deceptive advertising, where customers pay for a premium tech support warranty for "next business day" support, only to discover that the term "next business day support" is defined completely differently by Dell. BTW, my BSOD problem occurred on a 5 month old brand new computer.
Let the customer control what software is loaded on their new computer, so that it could be no OS, OS only or OS & Microsoft Office.
Set up the C partition to only contain the operating system and nothing else. Redirect all data files to the D partition for data files and set up the e partition for programs.
Then if the user gets a BSOD or Dell's tech support says that the OS needs to be re-installed, the OS can be re-installed without affecting anything else. Yes, I know that the programs will need to be re-installed but the user will not have lost any data. In this regard, all customers should receive a CD (or DVD) with their operating system on it, just in case they have to re-install it for some reason. In fact, I think that every computer should come with 2 hard drives, so that data files and programs are completely separate from the OS hard drive. In short, make the process as easy and simple for the customer as possible.
In the case of BSODs, why not develop some prepared documentation, which explains that a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) can be caused by malfunctioning hardware, the operating system or software applications, which is what makes trouble shooting so very difficult. Based on my experience and substantial research, most of the time the cause of BSODs are poorly written software. So, why not emphasize the importance of backing up before installing new hardware or software. Backup restoration should ALWAYS be tested.
If Dell wants to be # 1 and I know that Dell does, then why not deal with only those vendors that have the best products instead of putting Norton AV on the computer.
Companies that I would recommend that Dell consider developing a business relationship with are
Acronis for their True Image (backup) and Disk Director (partition) software
Kaspersky for their AV and Internet Security products
Raxco for their PerfectDisk defragmentation product
FYI ... I do not have a business relationship with any of these companies.
When Dell includes software or add-on hardware, it should always be top of the line quality. In a sense, they are endorsing or recommending this vendor, so the reputation of the vendor gets tied to Dell's reputation as well.
Make it easy, simple and a quality experience to do business with Dell. In 1994-1995, this was the reputation of Dell and it carried you to the # 1 spot. Now it is time to return to your roots.
Pet Peeve:
Every quarter, when your financial reports came out that said that Dell had increased its net profits 27% over the same quarter last year, it only served to remind me that Dell was focused on maximum profits and that they didn't care that they were short-changing their customers to get those maximum profits.
Your customers understand what is really going on and have made their purchasing decisions based on Dell's past actions.
Congratulations on IdeaStorm. This is a great idea and I think that it can work to everyone's benefit.
941
No OEM Junk software, revival of recovery DVD/CD's NOT partitions
Desktops, Software submitted by mgin2k3
05/20/07 **UNDER REVIEW**
First, I hate it when I buy a computer and right when I turn it on out of the box, it's got a lot of junk software installed (AOL trial, Nortion Anti-Virus trial, etc). Get rid of these trial and non-trial OEM softwares or at least give the customer the option of not having them installed. I end up wasting so much time trying to uninstall all this junk anyways and I'm sure I'm not alone. I like having a clean install when I get a new computer (or when I'm recovering). And by clean I mean Windows (or whatever other OS the user may enjoy) and NOTHING else. Secondary OEM software can be included on a separate disc for the user to select manual installation (or request preinstallation of for new purchase orders).
Secondly, recovery partitions are terrible. Aside from the fact that they waste harddisc space, if the harddrive were to become toast or to be upgraded, not only would the user lose the original installation, but they would also lose the recovery data. Has this single point of failure not come to anyone's attention? CD's and DVD's can be preciously taken care and you never have to worry about losing both the installation and recovery partition all at once.
940
No McAfee
Software submitted by doomlord52
02/19/07
I think everyone agrees here. No McAfee. i cant unistall my copy because it will take all my settings for the Microsoft firewall with it. That includes my outlook settings, internet, and just about every program. Why cant i say "no McAfee please"??? is it really that hard? use Norton....
15134
Do not hire nontechnical people for techsupport
Service and Support submitted by jbrogers
02/17/07
This is the main problem with the India call centers - they have no idea what they are doing. They are obviously reading a scripted diagnosing tool and have no personal knowledge of computing issues.
I have both home and business accounts with Dell. When I call in for support on my Business account, I get a good old-fashioned American geek, who instantly understands that I am fairly technical, and doesn't treat me like an idiot.
The Indian call centers, not having knowledge themselves, do not recognize that I know anything, and treat me like an idiot as they read from the diagnosis tool. Yeah, I know the computer is plugged in. Yeah I know that I have internet connectivity. Sheesh.
8986
Don't make us buy Vista
Operating Systems submitted by icantseeyou
02/21/07 **IMPLEMENTED**
From all of the press I have read it is plain that Vista is a big bomb. To buy the cheapest version I hear it isn't even as good as XP SP2. At the same time you need at least 4 Gig to run it. Offer other options... I don't care if it's Linux, XP, or a rat running on a wheel. Don't make us buy Vista.
You can read more about this the OS options Dell offers here.
9120
More RAM!
Desktops and Laptops submitted by mwmtjm
01/30/07 **UNDER REVIEW**
Do away with 512MB of memory as a base option to buy consumer desktops and notebooks. With Vista running best on 1GB at a minimum, don't make customers have a basic experience with the new OS because Dell wants to be able to advertise at a lower price point. The success of Vista -- and subsequently for Dell -- will be largely in word of mouth. Take a long-term view and build the momentum one great customer experience at a time right now!
39942
No Extra Software Option
Software submitted by ootleman
02/16/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**
Would love the ability to have a clean Vista install. No AOL software, no earthlink software, no google software - just a clean, original OS.
Check out jeremy_f's update on our current software options.
120784
Have Firefox pre-installed as default browser
Software submitted by robinjfisher
02/19/07 **REVIEWED**
Does what it says on the tin! Most people only use IE because they aren't aware of other browsers - they think Internet Explorer is the Internet! What would really drive take up of alternative browsers is if Firefox was pre-installed as the default browser so that when people look for the "Internet" in Windows, they are using FF.
Firefox advocates at Dell have initiated discussions and driven action around exploring alternative internet browsers and experiences. As you can tell from our response to the Linux community, open source continues to be a part of our conversations about new products and services.
118093
Only the OS, drivers, and chosen stuff installed on the "reinstall partition"
Operating Systems submitted by ripwalk
05/29/07
There have been numerous posted ideas promoting the giving of an "option" of all the additional pieces of software that currently come automaticaly preloaded on a new machine.
But a significant downside to this idea is the loss of revenue for Dell in leaving those pieces off.
Here's an idea that might be a "win-win."
1. When the customer buys any system (not just XPS as present), ask what he wants - including purchased software (Office, Roxio, etc.) as well as free stuff (AOL, google, virus scanner, etc. etc.).
2. Have the main machine installation include everything that Dell currently installs - thus, Dell gets the revenue and can keep prices low.
3. On the "reinstall partition" inculde ONLY the OS and the drivers, as well as whatever purchased and free software the customer has chosen. Thus, the customer's wishes are honored and he saves tons of time in not having to delete everything and still ending up with a messy registry.
4. The supplied backup disks should also be consistent with number 3 - just the OS, drivers, plus specifically chosen stuff.
5. Customers, like myself, who do not want anything other than the drivers and OS can then simply reinstall from the reinstall partition. Quick, easy and a clean registry. We are happy.
6. Dell continues to generate revenue from the other stuff that comes installed on the machine. Dell is happy.
Perhaps this idea will solve this significant problem.
190
 track my votes
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