Hanging Up On Dell?

Hanging Up On Dell?: "Hanging Up On Dell?
Gripes about tech support are on the rise, and the PC king is scrambling to upgrade

It didn't seem as if he was asking for much. When the CD drive on Peter Ulyatt's Dell desktop computer failed this summer, he called the support crew at Dell (DELL ), where he'd bought the $1,600 machine nine months prior. Armed with an extended warranty that cost him an extra $300, the Pasadena (Calif.) retiree got on the phone and waited. After sitting on hold for 45 minutes, a technician whom Ulyatt could barely understand came on the line and diagnosed a 'software problem.' Ulyatt's call, transferred to the software technician, was dropped. Calling back, Ulyatt waited on hold another 45 minutes, asked for the software desk, and waited a half-hour more before hanging up. 'At the moment, I'm not high on Dell's service,' says Ulyatt, who plans to buy two new PCs in a year or so. 'When I buy again, I will look at others beyond Dell.'"