No more Dell Computers for Us!

Dell's after-sales sucks.

Dell revamps their product line quite fast and has a good marketing strategy in terms of reach-outs and pricing. As a result, we ended up purchasing both gaming and commercial PCs.

Over time, however, we've come to realise from dealing with assorted issues and personnel, that Dell has a rather rigid set of after-sales policies, as compared to other brands.

These incidents are what caused us to stop buying from Dell:-

 

Dell: "No such thing as Lemons!"

For Dell Dimension, we had a unit that broke down from Day 1. Each repair did not resolve the issue (sounds familiar). When we wrote in to ask why Dell used refurbished parts in their endless repairs, as refurbished parts appear to contribute to the constant breakdowns, we were told that even Apple uses refurbished parts.

Someone from Dell's India call centre rang to scold us for using the term 'lemon' in reference to the CPU that seems to have perpetual power signal issue. Shortly after his claim that there is no such phenomenon in the world as a 'lemon' unit, Singapore came up with its 'Lemon Law' for consumers.

 

Dell Proprietary Parts

Dell CPU cannot be repaired by non-Dell technicians.

It was the reason we landed up in the clutch of the PCG**** boss, with yet another lemon unit from Sim Lim Square.

 

Dell Commercial Laptop

For the commercial laptop that we purchased, within the first week of purchase, the motherboard was down.  Contrary to their ad that customers will be given a new replacement, they insisted on sending a technician to repair instead.

The first Dell technician appears to get it right. However, in no time, it was down again. The second Dell technician screwed in 3 screws instead of 4, leaving the back ajar. The 4th screw simply couldn't go into the slot after the motherboard is changed. This caused another breakdown. His supervisor came down to rectify the issue.

 

Latest incident

For the XPS8300, we were made to trouble-shoot on our own by Dell's feedback personnel to the extent that goes beyond what a responsible company would expect of a customer.

We were repeatedly reminded that this was what is what is written into Dell's non-commerical desktop warranty.

Lengthy emails and calls were exchanged, ordering us, the customers, to follow very detailed steps including opening up the CPU in order to establish the root of the problem.  This translates to an inordinate loss of time.  The poor customers, not at all trained technicians, is forced to struggle through all the motions which should have been performed by a Dell technician.  Despite our pleadings, this Dell feedback personnal refused to despatch any technician until we could pin down the specific part that he has to order.  Is it the motherboard?  Is it the RAM? Is it the power cable?  The fan?  Is it the connection?  Over and over, he insisted that we do this, do that, try this, try that.

As layman, we could only describe the issues but that is insufficient to Dell.  We followed the endless runs of instructions and steps.  Since we have reached a stalemate despite months of troubleshooting over emails and phone, we were forced to hire own technician to help us locate what parts Dell should order.  Mind you, this was all under warranty, yet we've had to pay for our own technician. He suggested that it is the motherboard, but baulked at opening up the Dell CPU proprietary parts as it is something that should be left to the Dell technicians.  We were told many of his customers had also complained that Dell made them open up the CPU, something which can pose a safety risk to a layman.

Only after Dell realised that we were forced to pay for a technician to go through their lengthy list of instructions were they finally willing to send a technician down.  By then, 6 months had elapsed.  It took the Dell technician well over half an hour to locate the problem.  And he was able to do that only by bringing an assortment of parts to replace one by one, to finally isolate the issue to the hard disk.  Obviously, customers wouldn't be able to troubleshoot this on their own.  Immediately, we emailed that idiot of a feedback guy, chiding him for putting us through unnecessary hassles, and applying the terms of Dell warranty so strictly.  What a stingy warranty that is!  If we had known, we wouldn't have paid for the extended warranty.  Hell, we wouldn't even have purchased the Dell if we had been told beforehand.  They can have the best model in the world, but we are not so hard up.  There are so many alternatives on the market. He was unapologetic (no surprises), simply emailing that since the issue is now resolved (no thanks to him!), the case is closed!

No more Dell!

Lesson learnt!

 

Pay, or lose your Hard Drive

Dell requires customers to return their hard disk to Dell whenever a replacement is called for.  Dell needs it back in order to get a new drive from the supplier.  Likely, it discourages people from procuring another hard disk from the manufacturer by lying about drive condition.

We were told the dead drive is returned to the OEM for disposal but not much is known about the specifics of it.  If you cannot afford to take chances exposing passwords, credit card numbers, private/proprietary information, or if you have to protect client's confidentiality, or if you simply unwilling to return the dead drive, the options are:-

*  Use erasing softwares to delete data in the hard drive.
*  Likewise, there are powerful recovery software that might recover
    wiped files in part or full.
    So some take it apart, clobbering it with a hammer.
*  Pay for the replacement hard disk, even if it is still under warranty.
    A 1TB hard disk costs $100+, so mark this provision in, if your
    personal way of operation requires hard disk retention.
*  Purchase Dell's "Keep Your Hard Drive" coverage, if available.
*  Buy your computer only from brands/companies that allow you to
    retain the replaced hard drive.

Not Green
From the Dell Dimension experience, it's not worth repairing after our 3-year extended warranty is over. The refurbished parts they used had not last long. In any case, except for the Alienware laptop series, Dell do not offer further warranty extensions beyond 3 years.  This means that unless you know a technician who is familiar with Dell's proprietary designs inside the CPU, you'd have to be prepared to call it quits the next time the PC breaks down since most of the repair shops around town are not able to fix Dell CPUs.

We've managed to procure a technician who has the tools to access the parts, and we just might be able to get it done on our own with available new parts from the market.  Nevertheless, we now prefer brands which allows us to source for new parts and replace / upgrade on our own when the warranty is up.  PCs have a longer lifespan this way.  We like conservation, especially since every time a a PC has to be changed, it costs us well over a week's time to set up everything anew on another PC.

Dell has good monitors which we will continue to support.

But for PCs, Acer has our vote for being the most serviceable.

Acer too, has the inevitable call for servicing and repairs that comes with usage, but is overall,  a less fussy provider.  Whereas Dell kept throwing the rule book at us.  For Acer's extended warranty, so far, Harvey Norman has been providing good service.

Three customers who whipped out their wallets for the Acer Predator after learning of our plight with Dell remains happy troopers.  So far, one Acer has to have its DVD Drive replaced.  The initial troubleshooting from the customer's end was called for, but to a reasonable point, after which their technician came over.  If we had gone for Dell, we'd probably have to wait weeks or months just to settle what Acer took 2 days to resolve.

Update

5 weeks after repair works, Dell XPS8300 could not power on again. 

As before, the breakdown happened just as Dell closes off for the weekend.  Despite the fact that we have standby computers, this nevertheless caused disruptions to the work flow.

The technician came to change the parts, and advised that the PC be repaired at their place in future.  This doesn't guarantee anything, as experience with the Dell Dimension had already shown. 

We decided to just purchase a hard disk reader so that the next time this Dell goes down, we can pull out the hard disk, and plug it into the reader to be used via another CPU. 

Indeed strange that 3 out of 3 Dell that we have had to repair would fail shortly after.  We were advised by IT to treat each PC as having a lifespan of 3 years.  We factored that in. However, in all instances, faults started appearing while the Dell was new and the ineffective repair works using refurbished parts simply translates to one hell of an exhausting ride with Dell PCs.

Hair for Hope 2013

After falling prey to dubious donation drives, we have to be careful about where our hard-earned moolah go to, especially in these days of rising costs.

In fact, I zealously guard any personal budget that goes to donation drives; and in fact, run an unofficial rescue mission targetted towards the cats and animals around us.  There is a vast lack of compassion towards creatures who could not speak up for themselves.

Recently, however, friend Alan sms to solicit support for his passage into botak-hood (botak a.k.a. bald-head a.k.a. shiny-head), and more important, to support the Children's Cancer Foundation's Hair for Hope 2013 charity drive.  In a year, CCF helps >500 children and their families who are at different stages of the illness.

Botaks and kids!  Ohh! what a lethal combination to tug at one's heartstrings. 

We couldn't refuse such a donation, of course, and Alan being a runner in charity marathons as well, receive fun jibes from several donors--

"Less hair = less wind resistance. Able to run faster, longer. All for a good cause."

"Keep on running! It's going to be more aerodynamic for sure."

"There will be another part of your body that I am admiring soon other than your calf. Good job!"

"Huat Ah! Bota head..."

On July 27 & 28, the shavees, groups or individuals, will all gather at Vivo City to make their Bald Statement. 

Shine On, Botak Alan!

 

Mid-Autumn Mooncakes

We don't have autumn in Singapore, but we have autumn mooncakes as a consolation prize.

Spring Festival (a.k.a. Chinese Lunar New Year, 10 & 11 Feb) was just over not too long ago, and time zip by so quickly to bring forth the Autumn Festival.

I didn't realise that mooncakes and lanterns are already out on retail display until I zipped past the corridors of InterContinental Singapore, and a friendly voice called out to me from the booth to try a sample.

In a hurry, I picked just one flavour to try from the wondrous jars on display, and already I like it.  It's a low-sugar version of the traditional white lotus seed paste mooncake. 

This year, they have a new flavour - the Pulot Hitam (black glutinous rice) snowskin mooncake, inspired by the well-loved Peranakan dessert. 

Photo Credits: InterContinental Singapore

Their popular signature treat is back too - the Durian Mooncake with Coconut wrapped in snowskin.

Photo Credits: InterContinental Singapore

 

Couldn't decide?  They cover that too, with their 4-piece combination pack:

- Green Tea Paste with Dragonball

- Pulot Hitam

- White Lotus with Macadamia Nuts

- Sesame Paste with White Sesame Seeds

Photo Credits: InterContinental Singapore

 

But nothing brings back nolstalgia like the traditional ones.. 

Photo Credits: InterContinental Singapore

 Look at that yolk!

The "low sugar" offering caters to the more health-conscious folks.

Photo Credits: InterContinental Singapore

Not forgetting the traditional Red Bean ones.  The skin's quite thin too, unlike those let's-get-fat-together thick skins I've seen before.

Photo Credits: InterContinental Singapore

The packaging tells a story too.  Man Fu Yuan (restaurant of InterContinental) partnered with Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in a design competition.  Student Ng Chee Yin's design was chosen from over 100 entries.  His calligraphic interpretation of the ancient Chinese folklore of the mythical Jade Rabbit and the Moon Goddess Chang Er, symbolises reunions, a central theme of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

How not to get fat in Singapore? !

HXM @ Madame Tussauds, Hong Kong

The kids haven't seen a wax model before, so on to Madame Tussauds we go.

This time, to the Peak, we took the 3-in-1 combo.  In this PT/ST/MT package, we get the tickets to go up via the Peak Tram, as well as access to the Sky Terrace 428 (it stands at 428 metres above sea level) and Madame Tussauds.

The Peak Tram is, unfortunately, known to have a perpetually long queue, and even once inside the tram itself, it really packs a crowd.  The last ones in often get to stand.  A car would really be a more serene way up, but there is always a reason why something is in popular demand.  In this instance, the hassle quotient gets appeased once you're settled in the squeezy bench-like seats, and watch the scenic wonders unfold as the tram trots gently uphill, pulled by heavy steel cables.  Savour the experience because this exhilarating ride doesn't last long - a mere ten minutes or slightly more, and it's over.  Oh, mama!

Once pass the exit, we were right inside the Peak Tower, wondering if we should do the Sky Terrace first or Madame Tussauds.  The weather was unpredictable.  Dark clouds were ready to pour its load. We stood outside Madame Tussauds, and because it was quite empty of visitors, we forgot that there is another more ominous load to fear than the rain.

Having already experience the "***** Swarm" (let's not state the nationality here) whereby a place almost gets overtaken whenever busloads of these tourists arrive, we should have known better. 

Instead, we got sidetracked by some shops, and then by hungry stomachs, and then got distracted by the misty views of the fog-laden valleys outside the Burger King balcony passage.

By the time we had our fill and was all ready to make the rounds, lo and behold! Madame Tussauds was swarmed with all creatures big and small, of the 2-legged kind.

You can hardly get any decent amount of photo opportunity with the more popular wax figures, since these were now totally surrounded.  Andy Lau is an epitome of popularity with his model of likeness being the most caressed by strangers, male and female alike.  Yes, even the guys didn't spare him. You could walk up and down the hall countless times hoping for a photo opportunity break only to find his wax figure almost permanently intertwined with someone's arms or legs, and often with lips of his fans adjoined to his cheek.  

In contrast, Amitabh Bachchan appears neglected.  I almost feel sorry for him.

The interesting bit about being in a Madame Tussauds wax museum is that you get to see physical characteristics up close. One of which is the height.  Many public figures have been known to be inclined towards exaggeration when it comes to their height.  Ethics-wise, Madame Tussauds should have captured the copy as close as possible to the real subjects they portray, although a two percentage allowance had to be rendered because wax shrinks.

We were surprised to see MM Lee Kuan Yew (the Madame Tussauds version) there, standing tall.

Another figure we didn't realise would be there was HXM (Huang Xiao Ming).  Apparently, the attraction had chosen him to be its first male Mainland Chinese celebrity in November 2012.  His wax likeness stands in the inner chamber.  It was thankfully less jam-packed there than the zones we had just toured, so we took a breather there.  I found myself touching the chin of this wax figure before realising it was HXM, the Condor Hero.  This time, he was dressed as a shepherd, his role in "The Guillotines".

 

 

The wax and the man.  Almost like twin brothers. 

Photo Credits: mtime.com

Each figure takes 4-6 months to create.
It costs approximately US$125,000 and more to make.

Hong Kong Disneyland Hotels un-mystified

For our first trip to Hong Kong Disneyland, we wanted very much to stay in one of the Disneyland hotels there, and so thought it's a great idea to google everything on it.

Surprisingly, instead of whetting our appetite, the pre-trip over-reading actually has the reverse effect of killing our enthusiasm.

So many bloggers have been writing on it that the Disneyland hotels has become un-mystified.  Sometimes, the reason for visiting a place we haven't visited before, is for the sense of adventure.  In the case of Disneyland Hong Kong, every bit of it is so well covered by bloggers, that we almost know what to expect at every turn.  The mystery and excitement of finding out for ourselves is gone.  The place suffers from over-exposure and even before stepping in, we have the been-there-done-that feeling.

If you are the sort who likes to have a sense of wonder first-hand, read those blogs which offers tips rather than those diary-style ones which gives you a blow-by-blow account of their experiences. Disneyland is blogged on in a much more detailed manner than other destinations, with accompanying photo visuals, and as you go through these picture diaries, before you know it, it all begins to feel overly familiar.

Still, we feel that the Kingdom Club may add to our visit to Disneyland, and proceeded to view the options available at the Disneyland website.  There were already quite a lot of blocked-out dates, where bookings would not be possible.

It didn't help that when we were trying to place reservations, we were attended to by a rep who couldn't seem to be clear-cut about the rates that is applicable.  They have many different levels of packages and passes, so if the various computation are not clearly explained or accurately computed, the to-and-fro emailing can be such a hassle, one simply chooses the path of least resistance and either give in to sucker rates or give up.  In our case, we simply couldn't get proper communication, with the rep repeatedly cutting-and-pasting different parts from the Disneyland Hong Kong website, when those are the exact same portions we wanted clarification on. 

With time running out, we decided to skip the hotel-stay and just visit the Disneyland Park itself.  Even here, the service falls far short.  Some areas already looks quite run-down.

We like Hong Kong but all we can say is, Disneyland Hong Kong needs improvements and regeneration in so many areas. 

Perhaps, they should consider Singapore as a venue once again.

Fairer Employment Pass System to protect Locals in the Workforce

Today's Headlines - Singapore: Move towards fairer hiring with tighter EP System
Singapore is to tighten the Employment Pass (EP) framework for hiring of foreigners later this year. This is to ensure a level playing field for citizens in the workforce and build up a Singapore core.

Particularly affected are the junior to mid-level Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs).

The intent of this latest framework is to:-

*  Level the playing field for junior to mid-level PMEs
*  Build in more safeguards against discriminatory hiring
*  Put in place fair practices


Many Singaporean were affected one way or another:-

*  Sacrifice work-life balance.owing to pressure from foreigners who are willing to
    work longer hours without overtime compensation. For many foreigner PMEs,
    their family is not here, and work is their primary hobby.

*  Change in work nature and job scope. Locals being pressurised to take on multiple
    tasks and responsibilities within the same position that they have always held or
    face being replaced by a foreigner.

*  Pay rise stagnant or at its minimum owing to competition from foreigners with same
    qualifications but are willing to take lower pay

*  Promotional prospects reduced to nil. Deprive locals of senior positions. 

*  Company perks like educational and work trips abroad are being snatched by
    foreigners, particularly if they are familiar with the culture of the overseas country -
    since they hail from those countries. This deprives locals of opportunities to learn on
    the job.

*  Discriminatory practice by category: Foreign bosses who prefer to hire their own
    foreign compatriots.  Without proper legislation, there is nothing to remind foreign
    firms and foreigners working here of the social compact responsibility to the local
    communities.

*  Discriminatory practice by age: Singaporeans in their 40s and 50s being overlooked
    in favour of younger 'foreign talents' in their 20s and 30s. This happens during job
    application, as well as while still holding the job.

*  Retrenched or forced to leave job due to displacement by foreign worker.  Often, the
    foreign worker is recruited directly from local Singapore universities. 

*  The perks for foreigners are plentiful. 
    Eligibility to apply for Permanent Residence (PR). 
    Buy cars, government housing and land in Singapore.
    Option to convert to Citizenship. 
    For some foreign nationals, the usefulness of the Singapore passport to apply for
    work in USA, and subsequently apply for the US Green Card is hugh. 
    In many cases, they even reinstate the original citizenship of their native country. 


Singapore is not closing itself off to opportunities. It is not insisting that companies hire citizens regardless of merit.  But at the rate it was going for the past few years, many locals are disadvantaged.  Many local parents are worried about the future of their kids.  If we now live in a workforce where the average common locals are being squeezed out by foreigners, how much worse would it be when it comes to the kids' turn?

In particular, a group that needs protection are the PMEs in their 40s and 50s. The Singapore workforce worships youth. Many in this age group who find themselves expelled prematurely out of the workforce has difficulty landing the same kind of job - ever again. If the reason for having to leave a company that one is committed to, is due to the impact of foreign PMEs, then something has failed in the system.

Some safeguards are in place, and the eligibility requirements for the affected sector will be tightened:-

*  Minimum income for Q1 Pass S$3,000, up from S$2,800.
*  Suspension of work pass privileges.
*  Whistle-blowing unit.
*  The number of foreign workers a company can hire is tied to the number of full-time
    local workers it has.  Under this quota, there is a minimum salary that the full-time
    local workers has to be paid.

REACH, the Government's feedback channel for Singaporeans to air their views and suggestions on policies and national issues, announced March 18, 2013, that in a telephone poll of 927 citizens, close to 9 in 10 respondents were supportive of measures to tighten foreign worker inflow:

*  86.6% support measures to raise Foreign Worker Levies
*  89.3% support reducing the Dependency Ratio Ceiling in the Service and
    Marine sectors
*  88.5% support tightening the criteria for S Passes and Employment Passes
*  69% support the Wage Credit Scheme, in which the government co-funds
    the wage increases for Singaporean employees earning up to a gross monthly
    wage of S$4,000, to encourage businesses to raise wages of these Singaporeans.

Email reach@reach.gov.sg to register for public dialogues.

SME Red Tapes

Forum - Straits Times: Set up body to look after SMEs' needs

ST reader Tay Boon Suat made several good points in his letter:-

*  There are 160,000 SMEs in Singapore. 

*  Many SME bosses have to visit various government agencies to resolve issues.

*  Although there are Aid agencies like Spring Singapore, Singapore Workforce

    Development Agency, etc., many SMEs are unable to tap it owing to lack of

    appropriate help.

*  SMEs contribute about half of Singapore's gross domestic products, so they deserve

    a dedicated body to take care of their needs.

*  He suggests that the Government consider setting up an SME board, similar to

    those in Britain and Germany, to look after the sector's future development and

    well-being.

The purpose of such a board should ideally be to:-

*  Take charge of the development of SMEs

*  Coordination with other industry sectors

*  Become the single government agency to direct the SMEs to the appropriate help.

*  Help SMEs tap the relevant aid schemes

*  Coordinate information and schedules of all courses relevant to SMEs

He is correct.  To set up an SME, a business has to deal with quite an assortment of agencies:-

*  ACRA (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority)

    Although the guys at ACRA are immersely helpful, and willing to stick it out until you get

    it, we surrender and just resort to a Secretarial Firm to help us register the licence.

    For specific businesses like money changers, travel agencies etc., you deal with the

    other related agencies as well.

*  Secretarial Companies

    We shop around 5-6 places before landing with an ideal one that has friendlier staff.

    It sure makes life simpler when a supportive team handles complex stuff which

    requires explanation. We avoid those with itemized charges, and chose a package

    that also covers basic accounting requirements.

*  Banks with Corporate Banking Facilities

    There is one bank that has very very poor service!

    It's mentioned in forums.

    We went for it as it seems to suit out needs, then find the bank's errors ends up

    clogging time and cluttering paperwork.

    Don't touch it!

*  IRAS (Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore)

    During initial registration, the e-Services Authorisation System (EASY) Access Code

    actually turns out to be not so easy. It involves a trip to IRAS's Revenue House at 55

    Newton Road, before we figure out where this EASY Access Code comes into the

    picture.

    They are very helpful folks, even when you call by phone. 

    They have enabled simpler form of SME reporting for some SMEs, one of which is

    by abolishing the need to file ECI (Estimated Chargeable Income).

    Nevertheless, we also surrender and just hire an Accounting Firm to do the

    tax-related works.

*  AGD (Accountant-General's Department, Singapore).

    We knew the Attorney-General of Singapore's office exists.

    But we never knew the existence of the Accountant-General's Department until we

    become SME. We had some tricky acts dealing with bank codes and other stuff, but

    the lady there resolves it well. 

      

*  CPF Board

    Payroll matters if you need to pay CPF and Medisave to staff.

    There are penalties for late payment.

    You can pay an Accounting Firm for this accountancy service as well.

*  GeBIZ (Government Electronic Business)  

    In order to bid for Government projects, you need to first register with GeBIZ

    (Government Electronic Business) as a Government Supplier (GeBIZ Trading

    Partner).

*  EPPU (Expenditure and Policies Procurement Unit)

    For some tenders, you may also need to be registered as an Expenditure and Policies

    Procurement Unit (EPPU) Supplier or Building and Construction Authority (BCA)

    Supplier. Select the appropriate EPPU categories of Supply Heads.

   

    Next, pay and submit to the ACRA-appointed agency.

    Await confirmation of the minimum Financial Grades required for tender qualification.

*  Aid Agencies for sponsorship, courses, appropriate help.

    Helter Skelter encounter for many.

    With so many processes and strings attached, tenacity is required before help is found.

So despite having good secretariat and accounting support, SME bosses still have quite a bit of homework to do on their own.  

An SME hub where all the related agencies are represented would help immensely.