Just thought I'd post a comment on my recent experiece with Dell customer service.
I have had Dell machines for years (6-10 machines total) and had never experienced a single problem with any of them. This is contrary to the experience I have had with no-name brands or custom built brands purchased at a discounted price.
Anyway, I got word about a month ago that one of my servers co-located in NYC was 'running hot' (Note: This machine was bought this past August). Apparently, it was making a smoking smell and was very hot to the touch. I immediately saved the information that I needed and remotely shutdown the machine. Later that day, I called Dell. We discussed the situation, and what I knew of the problem. Subsequently, they set up a service call to have a repair technician come to the co-location facility, and they replaced both CPU's (dual system), the motherboard and the power supply (maybe something else, not sure). Anyway, they replaced anything that they figured might have caused the problem, and now I've got a 'new' machine again that works fine.
To summarize, I hate having computer problems, and I rarely see them. However, when I did have a big issue this past month, I was very happy with the way Dell handled it.
-Eric