Never buy a Dell

Posted on January 25, 2006 by Dave Pollard

Well, my Dell finally packed it in yesterday – the whole machine shorted out. I managed to salvage the hard drive and it appears I’m back in business, but I have a lot of work to do to fully restore my new (non-Dell) PC to a state where I can use it properly. So, no post today except to say — never buy a Dell.

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6 Responses to Never buy a Dell

Mikhail Capone says:

January 25, 2006 at 21:07

I’ve always built my own PCs myself, but now I’m starting to think of getting a Mac (mostly for OS X, but the hardware is really nice too).
Randall says:

January 26, 2006 at 14:02

Dave, I’m surprised that you bought one in the first place. Dell is the poster child of the toxic “values” that you so eloquently expose on this blog. Listing a few: rampant corporatism, offshoring, monopolistic practices. Consider getting a custom built computer from a local dealer… (lots of them College street last I checked) that will sell you one with an Open Source OS (RedHat works well), or failing that, a bare system that you can install your own. And no, it’s not difficult. And no, it’s not to late to put your money where your mouth is and return the box that ryhmes with Hell.
Greling Jackson says:

January 26, 2006 at 21:02

Definitely agree on not getting a Dell. Their customer service is a nightmare. I bought mine when they were $3,500 and had on-shore customer service. Now, I speak to someone in India and see my same machine on sale for $150.
Dave Pollard says:

January 27, 2006 at 20:51

Mike: Building (and repairing and upgrading) your own computer: Now there is a vital survival skill! How about starting a business to teach people how to do that? I’d sign up.Randall: I plead ignorance at the time. I talked to my local dealer and wanted to buy a homegrown one, but he talked me into buying an off-the-shelf (I won’t say the brand but it’s not Dell) that he’s used and found reliable and durable (and kinda promised if it didn’t perform he’d fix it for free). I salvaged the Dell hard drive (I’m using it as a backup drive)and gave the Dell shell to a friend to practice computer repairs on.Greling: Amazing, isn’t it? My first electronic calculator just did +-*/ and it cost over $200. Now they put them as giveaways in cereal boxes.
Yves Grassioulet says:

January 30, 2006 at 06:36

Fine. But what about ICTs environmental & human risks anyway? What about hardware, product life-cycle, energy and material recycling? And what about the environmental catastrophy linked to the ‘rebound effect’ applied to the ICT industry? Dell offers shity products, sure! But Mac, HP & Co. are based on the same toxic micro- and nano-electronics components… Being a Mac-addicted doesn’t mean you’re environmentaly friendly, but more user-centric sensitive (from a GUI perspective) ;)
Renee Stephen says:

January 30, 2006 at 15:53

Just wanted to mention, off topic, what an amazing difference the new(ish) font-size / line-height makes. Totally awesome. Such a small thing, and yet. :)