How many are fed up with a Dell computers?

Question

I spent over and hour and six calls to dell to ask a simple question:

"Can I format a disk on my dell computer drive?" After an hour and six calls all I got was, the bottom line: "You need to talk to technical support and since your computer is out of warranty it will cost you 49.95"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

I finally end up with the final dell person, saying "I'm switching to Apple, and to _ _ _ _ with dell. I will go to Apple for my next computer.

My son has been telling me to do this for a long time.

Answer 1

I was a HP customer aswell and their customer service is very bad, you can't get any information out of them.  The shop I bought one of their computers sent it off to them to get it repaired, it wouldn't start first thing in the morning and maybe after 2 or 3 tries it would go alright.  Anyway I phoned them one day to see if I could find out what was happening to the computer and the woman asked me was I a private customer or was I from a computer shop, I said I was a private customer and she said they can't give out any information to me.  Even thought I was phoning up about my own computer and I had the serial number and a job number, she still wouldn't tell me.  Absolutely terrible service.  I got a computer technician to fix the computer, I sold it and that was two years ago.  I will never go near HP again.

Answer 2

Hi Marty,

There are a couple of issues I see happening here:

The first is calling a company for support with a product that does not have an active warranty or support contract.  This will happen with ANY company, and I hate to tell you this but Apple will also tell you the same thing.

The second, is asking a question that is confusing at least and convoluted in the worst case.  There are several answers to your vague question "Can I format a disk on my dell computer drive?":

Floppy disk answer:

Yes, simple insert the disk into the correct drive and format it by right clicking it on my computer's A: icon and select "format"

CD/DVD disk answer:

Yes and no:

Yes if it is a CDRW or DVDRW you can "format" it using packet writing software so you can use it just like any hard drive using drag-and-drop.  

No you do not need to format it if you create a disk on-the-fly using the proper CD/DVD creation tools, or burn a pre-formatted cd/dvd disk image

Hard drive answer:

No you cannot format your hard drive on your dell computer drive since it literally is your dell computer drive (this is the convoluted answer :)

Yes you can format a new partition if you have just created it using the disk management tools with unused free space if any has existed.  

Yes you can format the hard drive if you install a new operating system and select you hard drive for the new install partition.

If you are having an issue with your pc, be it a dell, hp, mac or whatever, it is very helpful to be as detailed as possible.

cheers

Answer 3

Wow...easy answer is "yes."  I'm assuming you mean other memory media than the primary hard drive (that can be a bit tricky).  If the computer doesn't prompt you for formatting when you try to access an unformatted disk usually you can find the Format option under a right click when you can see the device on the "my computer" window.

To be fully honest this sounds more like an "end user" issue than a computer issue.  If you're having problems with it on a Dell (or a PC in general) you are likely to have the same issue on an Apple.

Answer 4

i  hate dell ahha.

im getting a Mac soon.

yay

Answer 5

Hmmm. I've not had problems with Dell, but worryingly often I find a lack of technical skill is a problem both in the high street and behind switchboards.  I'd tend to agree with you that large companies tend to get customers trapped in the support system at times.  I suppose one could say that this kind of expense to customers is the flip-side of such (relatvively) cheap computers.

However, a simple question, as you put it, could have been asked here.  Why don't you?   And what makes you so sure that you'll get better service when you own an Apple?  Are you thinking that the poor service you experienced at Dell was because the computer runs Windows?  I'm not having a go, I just wondered.

Answer 6

yes, dell sucks, apples not necissarilly better though, they have their own licensed propietary hardware that they overcharge for.  Perhaps think about getting a higher quality PC.  But in reality I wouldn't be that upset with their customer service as asking them if you can format a disk on your computer is kind of a silly question of course you can its your computer do what you want with it.  

Answer 7

I run a small computer repair service, and I just love Dell.  If it wasn't for them I would loose about half of my business.  

But before you consider a MAC, I would do some research on the software that you now use because it won't run on a MAC.  Don't get me wrong, MAC's are really good computers, but you must run software that is designed for them.  PC software will not work.  

Answer 8

Format a floppy disk?  GO into my computer, insert floppy, right clikc on floppy drive, then format.

To format your HARD Disk, (with windows installed) use the windows installation cd.  Insert it and restart the computer, follow the directions for a new windows installation, and make the selection to format the drive, then follow directions ansd reinstall windows.  

If it isn't the drive with windows on it, right click on my computer, and select manage.  Once inside go to disk management, right click on the drive in question and select format.

All drivers for dell machines can be found on support.dell.com

I like dell and have been using them for years with great success.  With an exception of a few models that have some wierd hardware issues.

Answer 9

yes i am very fed up with dell. but not as much as i am fed up with hp. their customer service is by far the worst.

switching to apple won't necessarily give you easier time with the computer. apple might be user friendly but they have their own rules and regulations to follow. Windows and Mac are completely different entities.