----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard King" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 6:20 AM
Subject: Tech support acronyms (not serious)
A New York Times article (also not serious!) last week was about Dell tech
suppport personnel being described as DOPEs, for Dell Overseas Personal
Expert.
Telephone technical support for anything other than minor configuration
issues is about as useless as telephone sex compared to the real thing.
Having local service centers to take computers to, may in some ways reduce
the overall profit margin, but can be a cash cow if the center services most
brands. I am not saying a Dell service center should be authorized to
service computers other than Dell. They could do out of warranty service on
other brands.
Let's reason on the cost of Dell's so called on site warranty service. A
computer technician's time is worth $40.00+ per hour, right? How much is
travel per mile now? I would say 25+ cents per mile for a round trip to a
customer is conservative. I can easily see a Dell on site service call
costing Dell $50.00+ to just get the technician to the customer and back
where they started from. The technician's time at the site is in addition to
this $50.00+. I think the State of Georgia reimburses their employees
something like 41 cents per mile for each mile driven on duty in their
personal vehicle.
I do not intend to get back in the ring and fight name brand computers for
10 rounds or until I knock them out or get knocked out for the 3rd time
since I have been on this list. It may cause me to get knocked out, but I
will throw one punch every once in awhile, especially when others set the
stage by saying something negative about a name brand or its service plan.
We do have the right to respond to most any post, right? So here it is.
For your next computer purchase ask yourself this:
Do they (the manufacturer of any computer you intend to purchase) have a
brick and mortar service center that is within driving distance of my home
or office that I can take it to for repairs? Are they timely and will not
keep it a week or longer?
Chuck
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