Thinking about buying a Dell? Well, good luck with that!

I've been trying to sort out a small problem with Dell, and really, their customer "service" is so bad, it's almost funny.

Davy's brother asked for a Dell gift card for Christmas. Easy, right?

I ordered it on Saturday, during an hour window when I placed 5 or 6 other online orders from other sites. Thursday evening I realized I hadn't received a shipping notification, although I had received notifications for everything else I bought from other vendors that day. Then I realized I never even gotten the order confirmation e-mail. So I started to question whether I'd even placed the order, so I checked my credit card, and sure enough, there's a charge.

So, I figure that maybe I entered my e-mail address incorrectly when I placed the order, and I try to call Dell to make sure the card has been shipped. And this is where the fun begins. . .

Dell customer "service" uses a system where your call is initially answered by a "reception" rep, to whom you explain your problem and they connect you to the correct person to deal with your problem. Unless you don't have an order number because you never got your confirmation e-mail. Then, apparently, the joke's on you.

Hahahahahaha.

In the event that you don't have an order number, and they don't understand your problem (which they are likely not to, as none of them seem to be native English speakers), and they connect you to the wrong department, you have to start over in the cue from the beginning.

Last night I spent 34 minutes on hold, being shuffled from one clueless person to another until I was finally transferred to a department that was closed.

This morning I called that department, which turned out to be (surprise) the WRONG department. So I was sent back to the customer care reception cue where I held for 15 minutes, was then transferred to a "supervisor" where the phone RANG (old school, ding-a-ling, no hold music) for 10 minutes and nobody ever answered. There was no way back to the system, so I had to hang up and start over.

Then I held for 21 minutes, during which I was connected to two more wrong departments (incentive sales and financial services) each of which sent me back to the cue.

I finally spoke to a person who sounded like she understood the problem, but she connected me to a department called "credit card services," where I held for 19 more minutes before I hung up.

My next call will be to my credit card company to cancel the charge.

And then I'll call my BIL and let him know that he definitely does NOT want a Dell.

As much as I love my Dell laptop, I can say with confidence that I will not be purchasing another Dell product.

Ever.

I can haz draw Pig

My pig

But why??

So, we've discussed plastic surgery before--here and --oh never mind. I won't link to the second instance because it disturbed so many of you. But, as you may or may not recall, I'm not a big fan of plastic surgery. I simply don't see the point of risking your life to look a little bit "better." And "better" is really quite relative, considering how screwy some people look when they're done.

With "risking your life" being my major sticking point, at least for argument's sake, you might guess that I wouldn't have a problem with the latest rage in cosmetic enhancement: post mortem plastic surgery.

Well, you'd be wrong.

Who is so damn vain that they need work done after they're dead? It's certainly not going to do anything for their self esteem.