Only Idiots Order from Dell....

.....Sadly, that includes me.

Buying a new computer from Dell is quite the process, let me tell you. It all began in early March when I first approached Dell about purchasing a laptop. I was going to finance it through their leasing company, but later found another leasing company through which I could lease it for cheaper. So the first order was placed, but then cancelled.

A day or so later I placed a second order. Dell's systems, being automated, take a few days to register your order. Until your order is registered, you will be unable to check the status of the order. It basically hangs in some sort of limbo before being turned over to someone for review. Well my second order was misplaced. They say you need to wait a full business week before calling them if you don't see your order number. So I waited. It was now mid-March and my order was still not being processed.

I called them and after much difficulty, managed to speak to a person of importance. I say this because most of the basic sales are handled by idiots in India. That's not to say people from India are idiots, but that the quality of training is incredibly poor. I spoke to this guy named Kiran, and his e-mail signature is such, but answers the phone by the name of Chris. Now tell me, wouldn't that be confusing?

Anyways, several days worth of back and forth and I finally got the order in place. Then I fired off an e-mail to this guy's supervisor and ripped his face right off. I told them I wasn't going to EVER recommend Dell because of its poor service and the immense hassle they put me through. It really pays off to bitch about their reputation because a day later my order was being processed, assembled and shipped. I got my order a week before the estimated ship date because the supervisor assured me he would expedite my order.

The laptop is finally here, and it's awesome. But the effort, holy shit what a gong show.

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I guess I should at least tell you what I got:
Dell Inspiron 9400
Intel Core Duo
ATI Mobility Radeon X1400
2GB Memory
100GB Harddrive at 7200rpm
17" screen

And Windows Vista Home Premium (if you know what "Aero" means then you know why I got this version).