Can I get some answers?

by Jennie McGhan
I have shared one situation when the computer I was using at work became an object of my ire, but in all the years I have owned a computer I have never been so disgusted with them…until lately.
I never have really been a fan of PCs because they are susceptible to viruses, even with the latest in virus pro-tection. Hackers always seem to be one step ahead of the protection available.
Then there is the added frustration of constant warnings and such. I have been able to avoid the latest operating system for PCs, eliminating some of those headaches.
Alas, our family has always had a PC because of the software preferences and because of the reputation of a particular computer com-pany.
That computer company and my family had a great relationship for the past 10 years, but now I am disheartened and extremely disappointed.
We contracted a well-known virus, WinSpyware Protection 2009. Sounds as though this product is a Windows product designed to protect the computer, right? WRONG!!!
Every time this little window has popped up on our computer with the name of WinSpyware Protection, we have had problems. We never wanted this “program.” It just magically appeared. It would warn us of another “problem” and solicit funds for a full “repair” of said problem.
Sorry, we didn’t want you and we don’t want to give you our money. YOU are a problem.
We could do a quick restore and eliminate the issues attributed to this supposedly “helpful” tool.
About two weeks ago, this quick fix no longer worked and our sound card driver seemed to “vanish” without a trace of locating or restoring it electronically.
Time to call Dell. My husband did just that and spent hours on the phone with tech support. During the course of the numerous hours, the technician made several suggestions for helping us with our computing needs.
The technician was able to look at the insides of our PC from his remote location. He could see we use maybe one-quarter of our computer’s memory. A majority of that used space consisted of music and photos. He suggested, “A four gigabyte external hard drive would be a good way to back up your files.”
My husband, not knowing this was the tech’s sneaky and unethical way of gaining a sale, said it would be good, but he would need to consider it in the future.
This happened throughout the conversation with other “suggestions.” Not a single price, with the exception of a software warranty at the cost of $139, was ever men-tioned.
My husband was not giving informed consent to the purchase of anything other than that one warranty, which is now saving us a little added agony, but I will get to that later.
I ended up doing a complete restore to get our computer functioning again. We believed all was once again well in our world.
Approximately four days later, packages begin arriving. My husband thinks because he mentioned the “suggestion” of a new external hard drive that I some-how purchased the new one terabyte (yes, I know this is a lot of memory) external hard drive and the added memory cards for our com-puter.
No. I tossed my hands up in the air and told him I had absolutely no idea why Dell would be sending these items.
Thinking we needed them, and after the issues we had before restoring the computer, we installed these new items. We both questioned how much the items would cost us, but agreed the purchase would be worth it if we were to prevent future issues.
Ha! The story gets better because the next day a gaming card and new anti-virus software arrive. The question as to how much money Dell was going to grab from our wallets without our knowing consent became VERY loud in my mind.
I called them. Turned out the total price of everything that darned technician sunk us for was more than $800. That is about three-quarters of what the computer was worth when first purchased just more than a year ago.
NOT ACCEPTABLE!!! I spoke with a total of 11 different individuals from the computer company over the course of more than two hours and had to call them back three different times because we were “disconnected.” There was only one truly understanding throughout the entire ordeal. He in fact informed me the external hard drive was in excess of what we needed…so much so that 10 households could back up their personal computers on it.
The issue was not completely resolved because I still have to access my email to return the two items that initiated the call.
This presents another problem.
It seems that somewhere during all this the computer was in need of a new hard drive and motherboard. I don’t know what came first…the proverbial chicken or the egg.
I only know that internet access was suddenly non-existent as of the day after the marathon phone call.
My internet service provider (ISP) was very helpful and walked me through di-agnostics of the problem (at no cost). They were able to conclude it was not my ser-vice, but something within the computer.
“I am sorry, but you will have to contact Dell again,” the technician said with sympathy in her voice.
Frustrated, but ready to conquer my displeasure in hopes of having Dell redeem itself, I did so.
They talked me through one more diagnostic step and concluded the hard drive and motherboard needed to be replaced. UGH!!!!
I can handle this. They set up shipment of these items to a local technician. He called this past Wednesday and visited our home to re-place the computer hardware.
Aha! Breathe a sigh of relief. WRONG!!! No internet connection.
Called my ISP, ran through diagnostics and am informed that the motherboard replacement must not have occurred since the tech only took approximately 10 minutes with my computer. And, the true problem with the computer must be the Ethernet card.
Dell called for a follow-up that evening and I shared this bit of info. They now have to ship the motherboard to a technician, who may not be the same one who visited me. That technician will then need to replace the motherboard in front of either my husband or myself.
To say I am a little upset with Dell, is an understatement. We will still need to pay them approximately $300.
I can only say computers can be a nightmare. Dealing with Dell technicians is even worse.
What did I get out of the experience? Document EVERYTHING discussed. Make sure to ask more questions, especially if the person is making a “suggestion.” If something arrives at your home and nobody knows why, call the company right away.