Facing the Blue Screen of Death
It happened last night. I was playing this little shockwave game called Diner Dash when my computer crashed.
When I restarted it I got the dreaded BSoD. The last time this happened I had to send my laptop to Dell, which took them two months to fix. When I first called tech support I told them I needed a new video card and they told me to send it in to be repaired. Two weeks later they called and told me I needed a new motherboard. I paid $500 for it + $50 for the diagnosis. They sent it back to me and it wasn't fixed. I sent it back again and this time they replaced the video card. Then it worked just fine.
I couldn't get the $500 back because I couldn't prove that the motherboard didn't need fixed. Dell tech support is such a fucking nightmare. Apparently, no one who works for Dell has a supervisor either. I'm not going to rant anymore about Dell because if you have a Dell computer, you've probably gone through the same thing.
So this morning I called tech support and explained the BSoD problem. The rep said I'd have to pay $99 to talk to someone in the tech department. Instead, I got on my husband's computer and found a website with a description of the same problem and it provided the info I needed to fix it myself. I had to try a lot of different things first, but hours later I finally got it up and running. I'm a happy little computer user once again.
What happened to Dell? A few years ago they had the best customer service, but now it's a frustrating (and expensive) experience every time I have to call them. I used the online chat feature on their site when I got the BSoD once before, and the conversation went something like this:
Me: I have a problem with my computer. It crashed and now when I restart it all I get is a blue error screen.
Tech: Have you tried restarting it?
Me: Yes
Tech: What happens when you restart it?
Me: I get a blue error screen
Tech: Are you able to get to the desktop?
Me: No, I get a blue error screen
It went on like that for about 20 minutes.
I found this funny little video on the internet. It pokes fun at both the caller and the tech rep, but it pretty much sums up the experience.
