Dell, leave me alone!!!!

[Nick]

Right this is really winding me up.

I wanted to get me mum a Dell as I'm fed up doing tech support for her on the PCs I've built, so I reckoned Dell could have a her cash and enjoy her ringing them up every few minutes with some dumb question or other.

I had a look around their website and then gave them a call about doing a bit of a bespoke build as nothing they had fitted exactly with my mum's needs.

Before they could quote me happy I had to give them a few details, the most important (as it transpired later) was my phone number.

Now, despite me quite clearly explaining this was for my mum and that any quote would have to be referred to her, Dell just won't quit calling me...

And I'm not talking the odd call here and there, I'm talking about it being almost constant.... On Saturday afternoon, despite me telling them I couldn't get hold of my mum so I had nothing to tell them, they rang 14 times in half an hour.

They started ringing at 12pm on Friday, even though I said I couldn't get a response from my mum until 4pm... They then called at 3pm, 3.30pm and 3.45pm even though I asked them to ring after 4pm. So they rang 11 times from 5pm to 6.30pm... I even answered the first two calls to say that it was pointless calling and to quit ringing...

So they rang all evening on Friday, and even when I told that to save their time and mine I'd mail them once I had a response from my mum they rang twice more... right up to 9pm.

Then they rang at 11am on Saturday... but me just cancelling the call must've been like a red rag to a bull as they then went on a rampage calling those 14 times in half an hour between 11.30am and 12pm.

I've even tried losing my rag and asking them not to call as we don't want a damn PC...

This worked for all of, ooh, 18 hours because they rang again... at 8am on Sunday morning!

Sunday was fairly quiet after I shouted at them to bugger off it was 8am on a Sunday... we only had two more calls... one at 1pm and another around 5pm...

Today I've only had two calls... but both on the hour... one at 9am and the other at 10am...

So, the moral of this story?

There isn't one, except to say that if you do want to buy a Dell for someone, just remove yourself completely from the process... Sure, the tech support calls from your relatives will cease but Dell will step in and annoy the hell out of you instead.

[Clunk]

Start singing the eurovision entry when they ring up, that'll learn 'em.

[vinnyT]

Next time they call, ask them if they can guess what you're wearing, when (in a quiet voice (probably), they say no, tell "I'm wearing a marmalade and honey suit, as I'm expecting a visit from my nurse".

Apparently, they are not allowed to sell to those with obvious mental health problems so they should now leave you alone

of course, it could backfire by a: being put on the 'net or b: the caller wanting to become your 'special' friend

[Mike Fishcake]

There's a story on The Reg about something similar:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/05/14/phone_spam/