Tech Support From Dell Hell

Here's some important facts ahead of time.
1. I paid $140 (tax included) for my computer without an operating system (like Windows)
2. The computer was a Dell certified refurbished computer, guaranteed to work under warranty
3. A new mother board costs $150 - $200 (no tax)
4. This motherboard comes for $90 - $100 refurbished (no tax)


========================================================

From: musicin3d@gmail.com [<email removed for my blog post>]
Sent: Friday, June 10, 2011 5:31 PM
To: US DFS Auction
Subject: Component failure

Username:
Email: <email removed for my blog post>
Listing #: CGDXFC1
Auction Question Regarding: Component failure
Message: Since I got my computer (no OS) and
installed ubuntu linux, it has been shutting
off and rebooting. This seems to follow no
time interval. System logs indicate it's
related to the onboard ethernet port. It can
sometimes be triggered (or at least
encouraged) by extremely heavy internet
use.

I talked with Dell chat support and they said
that I need to install Windows since they
cannot support Linux. I installed Windows
and found that it cannot even find the
ethernet port. I even tried using an ethernet
pci card. It will not recognize that either.
This was, as I said to begin with, an issue
with hardware.

This is EXTREMELY inconvenient as this
computer was intended to be a test server
for my business. Please get back to me with
at least one workable solution.



On Jun 13, 2011, at 8:54 AM, <US_DFS_Auction@Dell.com> <US_DFS_Auction@Dell.com> wrote:

Hello
When you added that Ethernet PCI card, did you go into the bios and disabled the onboard Ethernet card in the bios?
If you did not, that would make the PCI card not work.
Thank you
Mike



From: Nicholas Wech [<email removed for my blog post>]
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 9:11 AM
To: US DFS Auction
Subject: Re: Component failure

I tried disabling the NIC in the BIOS like you said, and I tested it on Linux and Windows XP. Windows did recognized the PCI card this time and connected automatically. Linux did also. However, both crashed after some time, even though they were idle.


- Nicholas Wech



On Jun 14, 2011, at 10:40 AM, <US_DFS_Auction@Dell.com> <US_DFS_Auction@Dell.com> wrote:

Hello
Then there is some sort of motherboard failure then
This system is technically out of warranty by 3 days, but I'm still going to support you as if you are within warranty.
I am afraid I do not have any of these motherboards in stock, so I cannot simply send you a replacement
The best I can do for you is get you a 45$ credit for that motherboard
Will that refund do?
Thank you
Mike



From: Nicholas Wech [<email removed for my blog post>]
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 9:48 AM
To: US DFS Auction
Subject: Re: Component failure

I appreciate your help and understanding. This system was failed when I received it, and it's very unfortunate that it can not be replaced. Can I buy this motherboard or a better one for $45?

- Nicholas Wech



On Jun 14, 2011, at 11:18 AM, <US_DFS_Auction@Dell.com> <US_DFS_Auction@Dell.com> wrote:

You will probably not be able to get a motherboard
But I am afraid that 45$ is the maximum I can get you.
Will that refund do?
Thank you
Mike



From: Nicholas Wech [<email removed for my blog post>]
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 10:32 AM
To: US DFS Auction
Subject: Re: Component failure

If I cannot replace the faulty hardware that Dell sold me, then my problem is not solved. I need a working computer, and this was supposed to have been tested by "Dell factory trained technicians." I have been working to try to solve this problem since I received the device. When I could not solve the problem myself and had become convinced that it was a hardware issue, I contacted Dell chat support at 06/08/2011 09:13:43PM. Since then I've been trying to get a reasonable response, and I'm sorry but this is not a reasonable response. When do you expect to receive another motherboard in stock?

- Nicholas Wech



On Jun 14, 2011, at 12:05 PM, <US_DFS_Auction@Dell.com> wrote:

Hello
We do not know when we will get another spare motherboard, but I would not expect it anytime soon, with the limited space our department has for spare parts, we do not tend to stock high volume parts like motherboards, we mainly carry harddrives, cd drom veis, meory sticks, etc.
If the refund will not do, what would you like to do intead?
Thank you
Mike



From: Nicholas Wech [<email removed for my blog post>]
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 12:20 PM
To: US DFS Auction
Subject: Re: Component failure

Thanks for being patient, by the way. Can the computer be exchanged for another of the same model? Or can I have a Dell technician look at the computer and see if it can be repaired?

- Nicholas Wech



On Jun 14, 2011, at 2:45 PM, <US_DFS_Auction@Dell.com> <US_DFS_Auction@Dell.com> wrote:

I am afraid we cannot, our warranty is a parts only warranty, so we do not have any technicians we can send you and we also do not have a repair depot to send the system to.
We also do not have the capability to send out an exchange system.
Did you want me to issue that refund?
Thank you
Mike



From: Nicholas Wech [<email removed for my blog post>]
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 1:47 PM
To: US DFS Auction
Subject: Re: Component failure

Wow. I guess I don't have any other options then. How do I get this refund?

- Nicholas Wech



On Jun 14, 2011, at 3:02 PM, <US_DFS_Auction@Dell.com> <US_DFS_Auction@Dell.com> wrote:

I am afraid it is the only option.
I have gotten that refund issued, the funds will be released tonight and should be back on yoru card in a few business days
With the sales tax refund, the total refund came out to  49.39
Is there anything else I can do for you?
Thank you
Mike
<transaction information removed for my blog post>



No. That's all there is. Thanks for your time, Mike.

- Nicholas Wech

========================================================


You do the math. Don't ever buy anything from Dell. I tried everything I could with this company, and all they could muster up was $45 for an inoperable $140 computer. This will cost me at least $100 to fix. Dell support isn't. Dell support is a courtesy line to keep you busy you while they quietly and backhandedly tell you they couldn't care less if the chassis came filled with cow dung instead. They didn't do a single supportive thing. Dell simply tossed just enough money at me to be a further insult. I will not be doing ANY further business with them. I consider them a virus just likeConficker, invading the computing lives of millions and doing absolutely NOTHING.

Moving Your iTunes Library

A few years back I helped a friend move her iTunes music to an external drive to save space on her MacBook. Today, she asked me how to get the music back to the internal drive. So, here's a video about moving the music in your iTunes…

http://files.brookhavendesigns.net/move_itunes.swf

There was one problem with the move. All of the playlists ended up empty. I'm not yet sure how to fix this.

The Thermodynamics of Hell

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington engineering mid-term. The answer was so "profound" that the Professor shared it with colleagues, and the sharing obviously hasn't ceased...

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or Endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote Proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law, (gas cools off when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:

"First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let us look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Some of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there are more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.

Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand as souls are added. This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. Of course, if Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa Banyan during my Freshman year, "...that it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you.", and take into account the fact that I still have not succeeded in having sexual relations with her, then, #2 cannot be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and will not freeze."

This student received the only A.

New Layout!

Well, I got on here six hours ago to write something, but ended redesigning the layout. Whatchya think? I likes.

:)

Perfect Punishment

http://psalm-104-34.blogspot.com/2010/08/have-you-ever-felt-distant-from-god.html

New post on my meditation and insight blog. This is a short post about the punishment Christ endured.

Anyone with stuff to share is welcome to join in on posting. Just contact me somehow.

Relationships

I found this in an email newsletter....

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Linda Wolfe holds the record as the most married woman in the world. The Guinness Book of World Records has verified it. Linda, 68, has been married 23 times. Her longest marriage was for seven years. She reports that her marriages have failed for a variety of reasons--some trivial, some significant. The most astonishing thing is that she wants to get married again, but it is not to keep the record. The reason is, by her own admission, that she is lonely.

We could look at that story and analyze and criticize. No doubt there is much to think about in this situation. We might think further and ponder how desperate loneliness makes us and how much human relationships mean to the average person. Whether she should marry again or not is a matter of debate, but we would agree that she needs companionship and fellowship. Loneliness is devastating.

Color Picker [Mac OS X Feature]

Hey another small perk to the Apple world. I've made it my mission to make a log of the legit awesomeness of Macs. All you haters, flame away.

This one, as you no doubt have guessed, is about this little color picker seen commonly throughout the Mac experience.


This guy has a similar and equally exciting small surprise for us. See the little dot at the bottom. I never noticed it until now. Click and drag that dot and voila!


Uber amounts of saved colors! Glory!