Is it just me or are Dell computers the hardest to repair?  This of course doesn't include Apple.

I will never buy another Dell computer. For desktops, they don't use standard ATX boards or cases. This costs money in the long run as you have to buy another new computer every few years. For the laptops, Toshiba and ASUS make higher quality machines.



No reason to ever buy a Dell.

Dell sucks plain and simple. Have had multiple Dells they averaged a life span of two years, something inevitably went wrong and either needed repair or was more cost effective to purchase a new one. Because of this, the last one I purchased, I bought the warranty and purchased it off the internet directly from Dell. It had an overheating issue a year later, (1 year) and they would not honor the warranty claiming that I must have dropped it or spilled something on it. Which I had done neither. Fuck Dell and the horse they rode in on.

Stop buying consumer lines and your problems go away.

Dell seems to like screwing their customers over by using proprietary/non-standard parts.

Dell is literally among the top 10 most hated companies in the U.S.

They are more expensive and harder to repair.  In addition, their parts are not standard and cannot be replaced by anything other than Dell parts, which happen to be more expensive.

Seeing as how I'd just call Dell and say, "Fix it", no, not at all

Really? I have swapped out parts on Dell desktops that are far from Dell issue. PSUs, GPUs, CPUs, CD/DVDRWs, FDDs, cables, PCI cards. Laptops are a different story for all brands aside from RAM and HDD's.



Wait, gotta complain... RABBLE RABBLE!



 

Dell's workstation line is one of the easiest to work on.  Motherboard replacements without tools.

Last September my Dell died. Bought it in 1998.

Asked my local computer/network guy which brands/models need the least service and he suggested their Optiplex. Haven't had an issue with it to date.

I built a few (XT, 286, 386) but I've been out of the loop for a long time and didn't want to get back up to speed.

roll your own.

Yeah, Dell makes some of the slickest cases now.  Hard drive brackets that just snap into place.  Everything can be taken apart with your hands.  Unless people are trying to replace components on a motherboard I have no clue what they are talking about when they sell Dell parts are all proprietary.  The motherboard and powersupply might be but that is it.  Everything else is standard.

More herp than brains? This set of Precision 490's is pretty boss... no issues at all.



 

Wow, all the hate for Dell computers. I had one that lasted me about 5-6 years? I never had any major problems with it until it crapped out on me for good one day, and I lost everything. Then I got a Mac.

I have no idea whether they are hard to fix or not.  I've never had to have one repaired since  I started buying them in 1999.

Corporate IT Users Rank Dell No.1 for Service and Support for 5th Consecutive Quarter

Link

Technology Business Research says Dell Services “establishes industry standards”

Date : 6/30/2010
Plano, Texas
For a fifth consecutive quarter, a survey by Technology Business Research (TBR) has ranked Dell Services number one for customer satisfaction among corporate IT users. In TBR’s Corporate IT Service & Support Customers Satisfaction Study for the first quarter of 2010, Dell Services topped the rankings for the 31st time in the past 39 reporting periods over almost 10 years.

The noted industry survey measures corporate IT departments with a minimum number of desktops, laptops and servers. The latest TBR report said, “In 1Q10, Dell Services establishes industry standards for on-site expertise, on-site response time and phone support.”

Dell Services team members offer support services in 108 countries and territories worldwide, delivering support in 27 languages and manage more than 26 million customer contacts end-to-end annually. Dell Services operates seven Global Command Centers and offers tech support, services parts, field service, technical account managers, and engineering and warranty services. The company directly supports more than 14.2 million clients, servers and storage systems.

A key factor driving Dell Services’ competitive advantage, according to the report, is Dell’s on-site expertise and response time as well as phone support. In the latest survey, customer satisfaction with Dell’s basic repair services, phone support and remotely managed support increased significantly from previous studies.

Quotes:

Julie Perron, Manager of Primary Research, TBR

“Dell customers in the 1Q10 study continued to cite Dell Services as differentiated in its flexibility of service options more so than competitors’ customers, this being an essential ingredient of the Dell value proposition.”

“This trend is particularly noteworthy with respect to the categories of ease of doing business, parts availability, and phone support, suggesting Dell is making headway with respect to customer response to its services offerings. ”


Peter Altabef, President, Dell Services

“We are very pleased with this ranking because it is based on third-party customer surveys, and it demonstrates the consistency of our commitment to customer service and satisfaction.”

mine lasted from 2004 to 2010, i had the hard drive replaced in it this year just recently

but now it won't connect to the internet, i guess i'll have to take it back to the repair shop to see why it won't do that

I haven't worked in desktop for a while, but even five years ago, it was all screw-less. You could swap pretty much anything out without a single screwdriver. Their servers are the same way, pretty friggin easy to work on, and swap out components.

Nope,  not just you.    



I won't be buying another one.

You can tell a user by what they complain about, my hard drive in my dell died! Dells are the biggest piece of shit ever made! yeah thats dells fault.

Yep all i work on dell pcs all day the Optiplex PCs are very simple to troubleshoot and generally very reliable, the most issues being HDs but thats normal.

I'll never buy a DELL again.

Owned a Dell laptop and it lasted for about five years until one of the buttons on the key board popped off and broke. Second Dell I purchased lasted just passed the warranty by about a month before the connection to the AC adapter power input and the battery failed so that I couldn't recharge a battery or get power through the AC adapter.  The cost of repair was more than buying a new laptop so I purchased a new one. Done with Dell.

Also when you buy the cheapest model ANY company sells you aren't buying a quality piece of hardware that will last years, but event then you might get lucky and have one last 5+ years.

I hope that was sarcasm.



 

Their consumer line sucks; I will never buy a new cheapie Dell.

I buy their off-lease business models off of eBay all the time and could not be happier.

-WTF

Dell only sucks if you're a consumer; for corporate IT Dell rocks.

I don't repair computers, so I couldn't tell you.
My Dells have always been more reliable than anything other brand I've ever owned.

Not always their fault, but some of it can be.  Ruff handling at the factory...many different factors are involved.  Do I believe that Dells are junk, no....would I ever buy one...no.  I honestly have to say that 90% of the laptops and desktops that people bring me to repair are either Dells or Acers.  Based on my experience, Dells are the hardest to work on....

I know....I'll be the first to admit that 5 years is pretty good for a Laptop

Ya think? I have three Dell laptops, 2 Lats and an Inspiron from 2003 and 2004 that all work fine... slow as shit, but they still work.



 

I'm about to replace a Dell.



But I got nine years out of it.  It's just now starting to get a bit flaky.   Sometimes it forgets the USB mouse is plugged in, so I have

to unplug the mouse, wait a few seconds, and plug it back in for it to work.   It's also very picky about USB flash drives, but then again,

it pre-dates USB 2.0 by several years.





I'm unable to join in on your Dell hatefest.   They've been pretty good to me.  Better than any other brand to date, actually.





CJ

I work in the I.T. dept. here. Use a lot of Dell stuff here.

I find Dell stuff the easiest to work on and reload (if need be)

Most problems i have here are hp or mpc machines.

I have had great luck with Dell stuff.

I literally have every optiplex from a 520 to 990 sitting next to me and i could have the motherboard and all components out of them and replaced in less than 5 minutes a piece. I realize their consumer line may be a little different but you would still have to try to make it hard to take one apart. Not that i really care but you cant really say they are hard to work on, even the small form factors are simple.

Their are 3254 dell optiplex PCs and 328 GX models (270, and 280's) on this campuses network right now on average we replace about 10 HDs a week and probably four or five PC replacements every couple of weeks due to caps popping from heat (but those are only GX270's). There are 414 latitude laptops on average maybe 1 or 2 HDs every month on those however it is more common to have MB failures because nurses like to spill meds, drinks, or bodily fluids on them.

Anyways i know all experiences are subjective but i don't think you can say dells are hard to work on i even like their tech support no language barrier with online chat

Dell is fine.  Vostros, Latitudes, and Optiplexes are built much better than the "Dell Home" lines.  If you want cheap crap, check out the shit towers HP sells for ~$350.  Fuckers last about 6 months before the mobo frags itself.