# Managing Director of Dell UK - UPDATE - GREAT RESULT!



## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

Does anyone have a name and address for the MD of Dell UK please ?

Trying to get a problem with Mother in Laws laptop escalated


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## acme (May 7, 2002)

Try this, might help.

http://www.bogeyman.co.uk/

I had a similar issue with a laptop, and they only replaced it when I got hold of the director's names and wrote to them. Can't remember who they were and how I got them now though. 

ACME


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

Thanks

A bit of googling reveals:

Josh Claman
General Manager
Dell UK & Ireland

If that's of help to anyone else


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## Dotti (Mar 9, 2003)

TTonyTT had problems with his Dell laptop Rob. I think it was his lappy! It was a Dell he had major probs with either way!

You might want to message him to find out what happened or who he got in contact with to resolve the ordeal he had


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

Thanks Abi. MILs called the 'Help Desk' who have told her that the problem isn't covered by the warranty.

The problem is little insects have got into the screen somehow - I remember someone else, Vlastan I think, had this and got it replaced foc


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## Dotti (Mar 9, 2003)

Grrr to Dell 

How old is the screen and how did they get in there?


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

She's had the lappy about 9 months. The bugs have been in there for 4 months or so.

How did they get in there ? I assume they walked, the bus service is pretty poor in their area and they are deffo too small to drive a car


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## Dotti (Mar 9, 2003)

I think the screen must have been mis-made *faulty* in manufacturing if this has has happened. The little insects must have got in there somehow! Or may have even been in there breeding. when she purchased it if they have been in there the last 4 months That's frustrating! :roll:

You say the screen is only 9 months old? (which is no time to have a screen or pc for that matter) and Dell are not prepared out of goodwill to even check it over for your MIL!  Muppets!

Hope you get it sorted!


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## mac's TT (May 13, 2006)

Send a spider in after them


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## KenTT (Feb 20, 2005)

Hi Rob

It may have been my post that you saw some time ago.

I have a Dell 19" Ultra sharp flat panel monitor and had a simular problem with a thunder fly walking about between the back lighting panel surface and the TFT panel.

I sent an email to the Dell support site, then got an email back a day later asking for the serial number so they could dispatch a replacement. But in the end the bug walked of never to return, so I never bothered to email my serial number or take up their offer of the replacement.

The monitor was about 7 months old at the time, but does have an 3 year extended G'tee (shouldn't make any difference).

I think this could be a future problem for all flat panels (LCD tv included), as they are all of a simular construction and the cold cathod lighting will help ot attract the little blighters.

You could try something like the Watchdog service offered by PC Pro magazine. Just say you purchased it from a Dell advert inside the front cover.

Their quote: "If you would like our help, please fax (020 7907 6282), email ([email protected]) incuding all relevant documentation."

Hope you get it sorted OK.

Regards Ken


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## Guy (May 13, 2002)

I have declined to post to many, many postings because I only wind people up when I say what I feel but this one really does need my style of reply.

Let's see if a simile can be found...

Q. I bought a car 9 months ago and spilt some milk in it about 5 months ago. The car still smells, can you sanitize it under warrantee?
A. Errr, no.

Q. I bought a coat 9 months ago and found some moths in it about 5 months ago. Can you sort it out under warrantee?
A. Errr, no.

Q. I bought a daisy wheel printer about 9 months ago and for the last 5 months or so keep finding dead ants squashed by the printing wheel. Can I return it to you?
A. Errr, no.

Q. I bought a laptop about 9 months ago and left it where some unknown mites got into to about 5 months ago what are you going to do about it?
A. Err. Nothing.

And then the follow up letterâ€¦
Q. I contacted your help desk a short while ago and they refused to do anything about some mites meandering about inside the screen of a laptop computer my mother owns. What are you going to do about it?
A. Err. Post your letter on the company noticeboard so we can all have a good laughâ€¦. 
(Aside to aide) WTF does this son expect me to do. Disinfect his motherâ€™s house? Is this a case of real live computer bugs?

Iâ€™m sorry Rob. But if that complaint came to me you would have to do a lot more to convince me it was my companyâ€™s fault.

Best of luck with it but you could quite well find it is a Dell Company joke by Christmas.


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

Guy

We are talking a 70 year old plus lady with an 85 year old husband with Alzheimers here.

So, since you obviously think I'm a d*ckhead :wink: , I've NEVER had a similar problem on any of my PCs, laptops, flat panels in 10 years - the fact that the critters can get in point to a shortfall in Dells manufacturing somewhere IMO.

Do you work for Dell btw ? :roll:


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## KenTT (Feb 20, 2005)

Guy said:


> I have declined to post to many, many postings because I only wind people up when I say what I feel but this one really does need my style of reply.
> 
> Let's see if a simile can be found...
> 
> ...


Hi Guy

I think you are missing the point. The insect has managed to get into what should be a sealed unit, it is not walking about on an external surface that can be cleaned by the end user. The flat panel display unit is a complete assembly made up of several layers sandwiched together, generally manufactured by a larger external company (e.g. Sanyo).

Spilling milk in the back of a car is hardly the same thing. Surely it would not be unreasonable to expect a display panel to have a degree of environmental sealing so to be serviceable and bug free over its normal working life? After all hard disks are sealed so to keep dust from causing premature damage and data lose, or should the manufacturers not have bothered and just blame the customer for having dusty office.


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## Guy (May 13, 2002)

Firstly I don't think R6B TT is, as he would like to think I described him, a d*ckhead :wink: . I think he is a normal person who obviously cares for his aging in-laws and is trying to do his best to help them.

Also, the ownership of the laptop is immaterial, it doesn't matter if it is owned by GOFS or DINKYS. Take the heart strings away; using those about a defective product may be good for a sob story but shouldnâ€™t form part of the reason to say a product is defective.

Is a screen a hermetically sealed unit? I believe the answer is no. This means bugs can get in post manufacture. It may well be reasonably protected but just as it wonâ€™t stop water ingress when dunked in a bath so it wonâ€™t stop mites getting in when out of a bath. KenTT (posted: 18 Nov 2006 00:01) had a problem with a fly that was able to get in and out of his screen.

Have you ever gone to a book and found one of those small red spider type mites in the middle of a page when you have opened it? It is a bit of a small gap between pages when a book is closed but those little squashy buggers get there!

Identify the mite. Is it a UK one or is it a Korean - or wherever - one? If it is a UK one then did someone export it to the manufacturing site and plant it? Or did it get in whilst at your in-laws? When the mite is identified and favourite places researched and what sort of antics (groan) they get up to is sorted, then start blaming Dell and give them a solid argument they canâ€™t dispute.

As for the innuendo style sidewipe of attempting to shame by asking if I work for Dell the answer is, no. What I do is not your concern, and for your sake I hope it never will be.

KenTT
Hi. 
Whether the screen should be a hermetically sealed unit or not is a different question. I am given to understand it isnâ€™t. If the unit is not hermetically sealed, then the little b*ggers can get in. The example of the red book mite above is proof enough of how that type of insect moves about; as humans we just donâ€™t normally see it.

A car is not hermetically sealed so milk can get in. It is up to me if I spill it or not and it is not reasonable to blame some else for a problem I have introduced. If it were the air con gas or engine coolant that would be cause for introducing the manufacturer to my dismay at their product failure.

To me, the real question isâ€¦. Is it a product failure or not? Have the mites been introduced post manufacture and saying they appear 4 months after sale (possibly 8-12 months after manufacture) isnâ€™t really a solid base to say they were introduced during manufacture. Rob could be letting himself in for a different response to the one he expects from Dell. If he gets a â€˜goodâ€™ result, thatâ€™s fine and it shows that Dell are a soft touch, but it is not the result I would expect.


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## TTonyTT (Apr 24, 2006)

Guy said:


> To me, the real question isâ€¦. Is it a product failure or not? Have the mites been introduced post manufacture and saying they appear 4 months after sale (possibly 8-12 months after manufacture) isnâ€™t really a solid base to say they were introduced during manufacture. Rob could be letting himself in for a different response to the one he expects from Dell. If he gets a â€˜goodâ€™ result, thatâ€™s fine and it shows that Dell are a soft touch, but it is not the result I would expect.


I think I broadly agree with you, although there could be a follow-up question about the quality of Dell's customer service - which is the problem that I usually have with Dell.

The discussion of cars & milk (et al) is a silly distraction. With the laptop, we're not talking about something that the user has done to the product, we're talking about whether there is possibly a design fault with the product such that - user abuse aside - it becomes unusable after a short period of time.

If the design, or manufacturing process, has resulted in a screen that can be "infiltrated" by insects of some description (nationality of those insects is again a distraction), then I'd suggest that the design or manufacturing process is at fault, the latter either in general or as a one-off.

It is quite possible/likely that having insects rattling around inside the screen will result in a screen failure at some point. Is that then a warranty claim? I would think so.

I have plenty of TFT screens, and have used laptops for many many years. I've never experienced the added-insect phenomenon. Nor have I heard of it other than on this thread. On that basis, it's probably a one-off product failure rather than a design fault or a widepread manufacturing fault.

Either way, Rob should be able to have a constructive discussion with Dell's customer services, without having to resort to contacting the UK MD. And I know - from more than one personal experience - how frustrating and annoying Dell's CS are.

Still, I'd love to listen in on the call with Bangalore tech support and/or Customer Services should he ever get through to them ... I wonder what response script they'd use for this situation.


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## KenTT (Feb 20, 2005)

Quote: "I have plenty of TFT screens, and have used laptops for many many years. I've never experienced the added-insect phenomenon"

Hi Tony

I would concur with your above statment and have had many laptop over the years (my first was 10" a 486 running Win 3.11  ) and not had this problem, but of the later panels, there does seem to be an increase in this phenomenon.

This Phenomenon is not as rare now as you think, I have seen it in half a dozen costomers LCD monitors to date some of them are Dell 17" TFT's, not a great profusion I grant you but still frustrating for the people concerned. Some of the offending screens have also got the insects faecal matter inside the screen.

If you do a google search you will find examples. Here is one such video, there are more, but I think this illustrates the phenomenon quite well: 




Its enough to drive you mad :wink: :lol:


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## Guy (May 13, 2002)

> The discussion of cars & milk (et al) is a silly distraction. With the laptop, we're not talking about something that the user has done to the product, we're talking about whether there is possibly a design fault with the product such that - user abuse aside - it becomes unusable after a short period of time.


If the user has introduced the machine to an environment that has the mites already present and they migrate into the product that is a product design fault? Is the simile of introducing milk into a car incorrect?



> If the design, or manufacturing process, has resulted in a screen that can be "infiltrated" by insects of some description (nationality of those insects is again a distraction), then I'd suggest that the design or manufacturing process is at fault, the latter either in general or as a one-off.


As for the origin of the insect, rather than being a distraction, this could determine where and therefore when it entered the system. It has assisted in sorting out a parallel problem that others have had. It is one of the major concerns in this issue. I'm sorry you arenâ€™t able to realise that.
If your wish list and the design specification are different then your ideas are totally and wholly irrelevant.



> It is quite possible/likely that having insects rattling around inside the screen will result in a screen failure at some point. Is that then a warranty claim? I would think so.


Would it be a warranty claim if I introduced a brick into the screen? No. A brick is a little larger than a mite but if I introduced it and not the manufacturer the principle is the same. If the ownerâ€™s actions generated the problem the warranty claim is not present.



> I have plenty of TFT screens, and have used laptops for many many years. I've never experienced the added-insect phenomenon. Nor have I heard of it other than on this thread. On that basis, it's probably a one-off product failure rather than a design fault or a widepread manufacturing fault.


I have heard of this before and read the full solution for that one. As the insects in that case could have only come from America and not the country of manufacture (Korea) the problem was with the end user. This case, MAY, of course, be different, â€˜b and câ€™ does not always follow â€˜aâ€™.



> Either way, Rob should be able to have a constructive discussion with Dell's customer services, without having to resort to contacting the UK MD. And I know - from more than one personal experience - how frustrating and annoying Dell's CS are.


Perhaps he did and just didnâ€™t like what he was told. Without listening to the conversation neither you nor I can know. I am trying not to let my complaints to Dell over their product and supply chain influence my conclusions, perhaps your experiences allow for a different approach.



> Still, I'd love to listen in on the call with Bangalore tech support and/or Customer Services should he ever get through to them ... I wonder what response script they'd use for this situation.


A phrase that occasionally works is, â€œYou are not listening to what I am saying are you? You are only listening to what you want to hear.â€

One of the things I find worrying in this thread that there has been an automatic presumption the manufacturer is a fault. You will read in many of the massages (or even messages!) on this forum that problems are a design and/or manufacturerâ€™s fault when reality is that it is a miracle the product user has managed to live so long.
If you link the product chain between manufacturer and end user the mites could have entered anywhere along it. As the lap top was in Robâ€™s in-laws possession for some 4 months before they appeared it may suggest the problem arose shortly prior to the time they appeared and not months before.
I am still not wholly discounting it being a problem during manufacture as there is insufficient information to do so, but to attack Dell with insufficient information on the problem in hand is to invite ridicule. Is an attack on the quality of their CS sufficient to achieve the end result?
Try putting yourself in Dellâ€™s position, knowing it is not your fault (just as Rob knows it is their fault!) and defend it. Do you say â€¦
â€œSend me the lap top and all investigation will be at your expense unless we prove it is our fault.â€
â€œSend me the lap top and all investigation will be at our expense even though it is your fault.â€
â€œInvestigate the problem yourself and when you have definitive fact we can consider our actions.â€
â€œOh, forget the hassle weâ€™ll send you a replacement as a good will gesture.â€
â€œSod off, your problem.â€
â€¦or, any combination thereof?

You have a couple of alternatives, which would you choose?

Rob, for Dells contact info tryâ€¦
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topic ... =en&s=corp
or 
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topic ... =en&s=corp


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## TTonyTT (Apr 24, 2006)

cba.

Life's too short.


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## Guy (May 13, 2002)

The wrong usually can't.
It's found a lot on these pages. :-*


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## TTonyTT (Apr 24, 2006)

Guy said:


> The wrong usually can't.
> It's found a lot on these pages. :-*


 :lol:

Yup, you're right. I was warned about you but I always prefer not to rely on hearsay and other people's opinion, so I thought I ought to give you the benefit of the doubt.

But, as you say above, I *was* wrong.


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## Lisa. (May 7, 2002)

I've just had my first experience of ringing Dell CS.
I have a Dell inspiron 1100 laptop that would be 3 yrs on on 22nd November.

They answered within 2 rings.
The guy I spoke to, Novel Sherlock, was very polite and although I was put on hold quite a lot he was very reassuring that he'd get my problem sorted. My laptop was collected the next day, and he rang me every time he said he would to keep me up to date with the progress. He rang 3 days later to say that laptop couldn't be repaired (it's been sent back to me) and I am now awaiting a brand new laptop.

I can't fault that, and would recommend them every time.
Though I did pay extra for the 3yr accidental damage insurance, It has to be worth it for something like a laptop.

Although he sounded american I know he was Indian ( because I asked ) I have my suspicions that he's in India had to choose an "English " name and had decided on a Novel about a famous Baker St detective.


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## acme (May 7, 2002)

R6BTT

Found the letter I wrote ages back, which seemed to get the desired result for me. Not sure if the stated Act details are still correct (or for that matter ever were) but its worth a go.
Hope this is still of use.

ACME

*Dell Products
Registered Office 191034
25/28 North Wall Quay
DUBLIN 1

To Whom It May Concern:

Please send by return an up to date list of the name of every company director con-taining the particulars indicated in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of section 196 (1) of the Companies Act 1963.
*


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

Well, Mother in Law wrote to Mr Claman. She had a call back from another manager, who said that these were exceptional circumstances and he would send an engineer out.

He arrived on friday, fitted a new screen but was very perplexed as to how the insects had managed to get in, saying 'these are supposed to be airtight sealed units'

He did have a good check round the old screen, couldn't find any obvious holes / gaps and said he would be sending it back to Dell so they could try and figure it out.

So it looks like it was a manufacturing fault, as I suggested initially.

Thanks for the help, especially Ken TT and TTony


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## TTonyTT (Apr 24, 2006)

R6B TT said:


> Well, Mother in Law wrote to Mr Claman. She had a call back from another manager, who said that these were exceptional circumstances and he would send an engineer out.
> 
> He arrived on friday, fitted a new screen but was very perplexed as to how the insects had managed to get in, saying 'these are supposed to be airtight sealed units'
> 
> ...


You're welcome, and I'm glad you've got it sorted. I never did believe the "well, it can happen" opinion.

When you persuade Dell to get their finger out, I think they are capable of delivering "proper" service. It's a real big shame that it's so difficult to get them to extract their fingers (or speak to anyone in English who even understands the concept of "finger, out").


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## John C (Jul 5, 2002)

Glad the screen is sorted, just make sure she does not spill milk in the back of her car. :wink:


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## KenTT (Feb 20, 2005)

Hi Rob

Really pleased your folks got it all sorted OK, I know how annoying that fault can be.


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## TTotal (Aug 12, 2002)

mac's TT said:


> Send a spider in after them


Dont forget to send in a bird after the spider (that tickled inside her)

Then if that dont work you send a cat, then a dog, see the whole lot below...

She swallowed the cow to catch the goat,
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly

:roll:


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## vlastan (May 6, 2002)

R6B TT said:


> The problem is little insects have got into the screen somehow - I remember someone else, Vlastan I think, had this and got it replaced foc


Yes I had this problem too. I had so many at some times in my 19" digital monitor. But I left them walk around without killing them and they just left! I have none now and the screen is perfect.

I never chased Dell for a replacement. Although I was a bit concerned when I saw a couple of them "rubbing" each other and was expecting millions of them around! :lol:

Perhaps your mum in law killed them inside the screen so they were left there for ever? Some things are best left alone! :wink:


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