| 8:20:21 PM |  | Jeffrey Smith | Initial Question/Comment: econjeff@umich.edu |
| 8:21:21 PM |  | System | Thanks for choosing chat for your Dell Purchase needs. A chat agent will be with you shortly. |
| 8:21:41 PM | | System | You are being transferred to another Agent. Please stand by... |
| 8:21:46 PM | | System | You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat |
| 8:21:47 PM | | System | Connected with E&A_Mary_Ann |
| 8:21:51 PM |  | E&A_Mary_Ann | Welcome to Dell Consumer Solutions Sales Chat! I hope you are doing well and thank you for waiting. My name is Mary Ann and I will be your Sales Agent today. Feel free to provide your phone number so that I can contact you if we get disconnected. How can I help you today? |
| 8:22:52 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | I have two questions. First, I am a professor at the University of Michigan. When I was on the Dell site a couple of months ago shopping I found a way to get a higher education discount. Despite 45 minutes of looking tonight I have not been able to replicate that experience. Did the site change or am I just not looking in the right place? |
| 8:23:37 PM | | E&A_Mary_Ann | yes we can have an employee discount applied to your purchase |
| 8:23:47 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | How do I do that with an online order? |
| 8:23:52 PM | | E&A_Mary_Ann | if i may ask, what are you trying or interested to purchase? |
| 8:24:08 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | I want to purchase an Optiplex 960. |
| 8:24:48 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | Also, just to be clear, this is a purchase for use at home and not with university funds. |
| 8:25:07 PM | | E&A_Mary_Ann | yes i understand, i see that you are interested to purchase a system, i would suggest that you contact our system sales dept. as they can assist you with your concern, they could also customize a system that would fit your needs and budget.you may reach them at 1-800-897-3355 |
| 8:25:44 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | OK ... I am extra confused now. Is this not possible to do online? |
| 8:26:02 PM | | E&A_Mary_Ann | yes, i can transfer you to one if you like |
| 8:26:11 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | okay |
| 8:26:43 PM | | E&A_Mary_Ann | please do stayonline while i transfer you to one |
| 8:27:28 PM | | System | You are being transferred to another Agent. Please stand by... |
| 8:27:28 PM | | System | E&A_Mary_Ann has left this session! |
| 8:27:38 PM | | System | You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat |
| 8:27:38 PM | | System | Connected with BE_Rep_Sudave |
| 8:28:08 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | Welcome to Dell's XPS Sales Chat! I hope you are doing well and thank you for waiting. My name is Alex and I will be your personal sales agent today. Feel free to email me at us_dhs_chat_reply@dell.com or leave me a message at 1800-379-3355 ext. 2160085, from 8AM CST – 12 CST. Please provide your e-mail address and phone number where I can contact you in case we get disconnected. How may I help you with your purchase today? |
| 8:28:57 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | hi Mary ann! |
| 8:29:01 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | your dad |
| 8:29:14 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | I am a professor at the U of Michigan interested in ordering a system for use at home to be paid for with my own funds. My understanding is that I am eligible for a higher education discount but I could not figure out how to get it online. |
| 8:29:18 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | i'm sorry for that |
| 8:29:21 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | Oh, and I am Jeff - Mary Ann is gone. |
| 8:29:44 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | oh, Hi jeff! |
| 8:30:54 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | have you heard of our Dell preferred account? |
| 8:31:16 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | Nope. |
| 8:31:40 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | When I was poking around on the dell.com site a couple of months ago I found a way to do it but could not replicate it this evening. |
| 8:31:54 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | Just to make sure you are aware of all your options, the Dell Preferred Account is a revolving account which allows you to pay for your purchase all at once or gives you the flexibility to make monthly payments. With this account there are no prepayment penalties and you may qualify for promotions and discounts off future purchases. Also we are currently running No Interest offers on our XPS systems for qualified customers.Here is the link if you would like to see if you qualify: http://www.us.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/dpa_learnmorec=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~lt=popup |
| 8:31:55 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | I am guessing that the site changed in the interim. |
| 8:32:33 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | Let's figure out how to get the discount first. |
| 8:33:20 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | well, discounts change every week. are you planning on getting a laptop or a desktop? |
| 8:33:41 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | My understanding was that there was an ongoing discount for people employed in higher education. Is that incorrect? |
| 8:33:46 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | I am looiking for a laptop today. |
| 8:34:11 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | Sorry, desktop. |
| 8:36:11 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | okay, is there a specific desktop you would like to purchase? |
| 8:36:30 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | I would like to replicate the computer I just got at work, which is an Optiplex 960 |
| 8:38:17 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | Okay, have you seen a dell computer to compare? |
| 8:38:58 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | I am not sure what you mean. I would like to buy the same computer I have at work, which I am now familiar with having used it for several weeks. |
| 8:41:23 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | Jeff that is only available in the business department. Is it okay if I transfer you to them? |
| 8:43:17 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | To be honest, I have kind of had it for the night. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow, maybe I will look at other brands. 90 minutes ago I when I started I was ready to buy, now I am completely frustrated and unimpressed. |
| 8:44:09 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | I understand that you were passed on from one department to the other. |
| 8:44:36 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | Its just that their are particular models available for each department. |
| 8:45:58 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | First I spend 45 minutes on the website not finding what I wanted, then I got on chat, got someone who did not really respond to my questions then I got transfered to you and had to repeat all the same information (and deal with responses that seemed unrelated to my questions) and now you want to transfer me again. After all that, I am no closer than when I started, as I still do not even know how to find the higher education discount on the web page, which is my primary question. |
| 8:46:04 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | I promise you that the business department would be more than happy to accommodate you. |
| 8:46:59 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | does your dad need wireless connectiion? |
| 8:47:15 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | Given that my dad died several years ago, I am guessing probably not. |
| 8:47:19 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | I am so sorry for that |
| 8:48:04 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | I know that its very frustrating. |
| 8:48:19 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | It shouldn't be this hard. |
| 8:48:40 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | And you should answer people's questions before you start trying to market revolving credit to them. |
| 8:48:51 PM | | BE_Rep_Sudave | but if you are willing to let me transfer you, i'm sure that you would finally get to purchase the system that you want |
| 8:49:15 PM | | Jeffrey Smith | Sure, why not. |
| 8:50:52 PM | | System | You are being transferred to another queue. Please stand by... |
| 8:50:52 PM | | System | BE_Rep_Sudave has left this session! |
It is now 9:10 PM and no one ever showed up.
Wow.
