An open letter to Michael Dell of Dell Computer

The wife and I were looking for a new TV for the family room last night and
it can only be so big because of where it has to fit. Target had exactly
what we wanted sitting on the shelf. Unfortunately they didn't have it in
stock.

....and the beat goes on.

RTR

"S.Lewis" wrote in message
...

"joe_tide" wrote in message
...
Must be universal.

I went to Sears to buy a new microwave oven 2 weeks ago. After picking
the one I wanted, there were no clerks in the area. There were 5 or 6
about 20 feet away talking. I whistled a few times and some of them
looked at me and went right back to talking.

Eventually someone came to help me (not one of the talkers either). I
told the guy which one I wanted. He asked if I wanted the one with the
stainless steel front. I said I did. He said the stainless ones are $20
extra even though that was the one on the shelf under the price tag.
Since I figured it wasn't worth arguing over $20, even though it was a
prime example of bait & switch, I agreed.

Then he said he would have to walk back to the warehouse to see if any
were in stock. I asked him why he didn't just use the computer in front
of him. He replied that it wasn't working correctly. insert googley
faced emoticon here

I then asked why he didn't just call the warehouse. He said that they
don't usually answer the phone.

That was strike three so I left and bought it somewhere else.

Cripes!


Joe -

Amazing. This falls under the category of "if I have to beg you to take
my money for a purchase, then how will I be treated *after* the purchase
should I have a problem?"

It's a wonder some companies are able to stay in business.

Many years ago, my wife and I went to Target to buy an advertised Minolta
35mm camera. Got there, and (shock, shock) that model was out of stock.
But to my delight, the salesperson offered up a slightly nicer (read: more
expensive model) Minolta they did have in stock for the same price. I was
impressed.

I'm not sure if these stories reflect a corporate philosophy or simply
poor judgment on the part of local store or representative.

In the case of the OP either choice doesn't say much about concern for the
customer, imo.....


Stew

joe_tide wrote:

The wife and I were looking for a new TV for the family room last night and
it can only be so big because of where it has to fit. Target had exactly
what we wanted sitting on the shelf. Unfortunately they didn't have it in
stock.

...and the beat goes on.

snip

You're talking about a different beat.

It's Christmas time. Expect empty shelves.

Notan

The shelf wasn't empty. The only one they had was the one on the shelf.

If they had removed it since it wasn't really for sale, or put a sign on it
as "out of stock" it would have saved me a lot of time, but that's not what
retail is all about, is it? The customer is not always right any more.

I remember one time when my boss was talking about being dedicated to
customer service. I remarked that he was dedicated to the idea of customer
service. Naturally he didn't like that. Most people don't like the truth.

End

"Notan" wrote in message
...
joe_tide wrote:

The wife and I were looking for a new TV for the family room last night
and
it can only be so big because of where it has to fit. Target had exactly
what we wanted sitting on the shelf. Unfortunately they didn't have it in
stock.

...and the beat goes on.

snip

You're talking about a different beat.

It's Christmas time. Expect empty shelves.

Notan

I would argue that to be stolen one must have possession of an item in the
first place, and as that appears to be the germane point in the discussion,
claiming theft could only serve to strengthen any claim Dell might make that
the missing laptop was in fact not missing. If there were a charge to be
laid, and I doubt it, I'd see the accused as Dell for not making good on the
delivery of the item while retaining the payment.

--

Randy Birch
MS MVP Visual Basic
http://vbnet.mvps.org/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read. Decide. Sign the petition to Microsoft.
http://classicvb.org/petition/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------



"Timothy Daniels" wrote in message
...
: "Notan" wrote:
: A police report?
:
: Yes. It appears that there is a strong possibility
: that the $2K laptop was stolen. Unless a customer
: has the fortitude to make a report to the authorities,
: why should Dell believe that he didn't receive the
: laptop?
:
: *TimDaniels*

You might look at getting the postmaster/inspector general and/or your
states attorney generals office involved as the item in dispute is listed by
APX as having been rendered into the post office's custody. You might also
look at what the ICC might be able to do as well since the item was shipped
across state lines. Often a professional letter to such agencies with
copies to all parties involved can help resolve an issue. No company wants
to have state or federal intervention in their business. It's not a matter
of their being any criminal act by the company, it's just the hassle of
having to deal with the bureaucracy they bring to bare.

"birchr" wrote in message
...
I would argue that to be stolen one must have possession of an item in the
first place, and as that appears to be the germane point in the
discussion,
claiming theft could only serve to strengthen any claim Dell might make
that
the missing laptop was in fact not missing. If there were a charge to be
laid, and I doubt it, I'd see the accused as Dell for not making good on
the
delivery of the item while retaining the payment.

--

Randy Birch
MS MVP Visual Basic
http://vbnet.mvps.org/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Read. Decide. Sign the petition to Microsoft.
http://classicvb.org/petition/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--



"Timothy Daniels" wrote in message
...
: "Notan" wrote:
: A police report?
:
: Yes. It appears that there is a strong possibility
: that the $2K laptop was stolen. Unless a customer
: has the fortitude to make a report to the authorities,
: why should Dell believe that he didn't receive the
: laptop?
:
: *TimDaniels*