I'm mad as dell...

[tahnan]

On Thursday, I wanted to order Part #M4640 from Dell. It's an ink cartridge--in fact, that's the part number of the ink cartridge I took out of my printer.

Except of course that if you search on the website for M4640, what you get instead is T5480 (standard capacity) or R5956 (high-yield). So I called Dell, and the nice man with the Indian accent assured me that in fact these latter parts fit my printer and there was no need to try to obtain an M4640. I inferred that the M4640 is what ships with the printer, as a sort of low-yield cartridge to tide you over; and I went to the website and ordered the R5956.

Yesterday the cartridge came, and today I opened it, to find a packing slip saying that I got part R5956, and a cartridge with number...wait for it...M4640.

This is absurd, since I couldn't have ordered M4640 if I tried, and since I was now fairly convinced that this was at best a standard-yield cartridge, if that, and I had paid for a high-yield. So I called Dell, again, and this time got misdirected to a man with an American accent who wanted to sell me a laptop--apparently, we can trust foreigners with ink sales and support, but anything for real money requires an American. He told me that the M4640 was what I ordered. So why, I asked, wasn't it what was on the packing slip? He explained that if you search for M4640 on the website, it turns up the R5956, so they must be the same part. And it's compatible with my printer.

"Yes," I said, "I know it's compatible with my printer. But how do I know that this is a high-yield cartridge?"

"Because I'm telling you," he said.

Somehow, I didn't feel reassured. "Then are the two part numbers different," I asked, "for some mystical reason?"

Let's assume, at this point, that something went wrong with the connection, rather than assuming he hung up on me. I called back. This time I listened to my options more carefully, I took a chance at "other order support", and I got Zoraida, who had, of course, an Hispanic accent.

Five minutes later, she finally understood that yes, I know that R5956 is high-yield, but it's not what I have; and yes, I know that M4640, which is what I have, is compatible with my printer, but I want to know if it's high-yield. And that searching for the M4640 on the website turns up both the high-yield and the standard, so I just wasn't convinced that this was high yield.

Two minutes on hold, and she came back and asked, "You have part M4640?" Yes, I told her. "That's not the right part," she said, and after a few more minutes on hold, assured me that the correct part was on its way and I could return this one. Which is good, because that is, I believe, the correct answer, as opposed to the line of utter crap that the American was trying to feed me.

All in all, not quite as frustrating as this guy's story (but more fool him for thinking this could be done by email); but on the other hand, not over yet.

Moral: don't buy Dell printers.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Did you bother to tell the guy you linked to that the M series was not, in fact, the correct series for the high yield (R series) cartridges?

Makes the entire story even more frustrating; he doesn't even know that the M series isn't the high yield.

Not buying Dell printer ever. Bought a Canon years ago and am extremely happy with it. :)

[thedan.livejournal.com]

Damn it, I just bought a Dell printer. (Well, actually, it came free with my laptop, probably because they expect to make the money back via cartridge sales.)

But then again, I went two years without a printer at home, so it's more of a luxury than a necessity.

[tahnan.livejournal.com]

I haven't the heart. And, well, you never know, they could be.

At any rate, the printer was a gift, so I can't really complain...

[jmjoyce.livejournal.com]

Oh, you poor, poor sap, you got suckered into the Dell printer scam. I work in a computer store these days and I get several fellow saps a day asking for Dell printer cartridges. Sometimes they're pissed, sometimes they slink off, dejected and defeated. The printers are made by Lexmark, which is bad enough, but to make matters worse, you can only get the cartridges from Dell through their website or direct order. So if you run out of ink just as you're printing out your dissertation? Sorry! 3-5 business days for arrival. My store sells Lexmark cartridges, but apparently you need an extra special cartridge to go in the Dell printers. Other printer brands have similar cheap printer/ungodly expensive ink scams, but at least you can get their cartridges relatively easily. Toss it in the garbage and buy a Canon.

[tahnan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know, I know. But: it wasn't me who was suckered, at least, it was my father-in-law. I left quite the irritated comment on Dell's customer satisfaction survey, though I'll admit I don't expect it to change anything.