Oh No!

January 31, 2006 Royall Computers and Internet

Wired News: Call It New Dell-hi

All i can say is, "Oh god, no!"

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Call It New Dell-hi

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Breaking News from AP and Reuters

Wired News Report08:30 AM Jan, 30, 2006 EST

Dell said Monday it plans to add 5,000 jobs in India over the next two years, bringing its work force in the country to 15,000.

The computer maker is also looking to set up a manufacturing center in India, a move that could help boost the sale of Dell computers there. The company will hire 700 to 1,000 workers for a new call center in Gurgaon, a satellite town of the capital, New Delhi, said CEO Kevin Rollins. The new call center, the company’s fourth in India, will open in April, he said.

The other new hires will staff call centers in the cities of Bangalore and Hyderabad in southern India and Mohali in the northern state of Punjab. Also this year, the company plans to double the staff at its product testing center in Bangalore, which currently employs 300 engineers, Rollins said.

Rollins said previously that Dell would make India a hub for its software development and back-office work. The company currently employs about 10,000 people there.

Scores of Western companies have been cutting costs by shifting software development, engineering design and routine office functions to countries such as India, where English-speaking workers are plentiful and wages are low.

– – –

Sell phones: Sprint Nextel, the No. 3 U.S. mobile service, said on Monday it sued Florida company All Star Investigations to protect the privacy of Sprint’s wireless customers, alleging that the company’s websites fraudulently obtain and sell phone call records.

Sprint is also suing another Florida firm, 1st Source Information Specialists, with similar allegations.

Services offering to sell call records have come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks with lawsuits from mobile providers and state authorities and a probe by telephone regulators.

Sprint said All Star is believed to own websites including detectivesusa.com, miamiprotection.com and privatedectivesusa.com. which it says obtain phone records for its wireless customers through misrepresentation and deceit.

A person answering the phone number listed on All Star’s website said the company carries out basic investigations such as criminal background checks and does not sell call records.

"We don’t do that service," said Anthony Gonzalez, who identified himself as company manager.

– – –

If you can’t beat ’em….: Warner Bros. said on Monday it would soon begin selling movies and television shows in Germany, Austria and Switzerland using a peer-to-peer network, embracing the very technology that has rattled the entertainment industry.

Starting in March, the new service called In2Movies will allow paying consumers to download a limited selection of Warner Bros. films and TV programs, including Batman Begins and The O.C., from central servers and from other users who have the desired files.

Warner Bros. said the German-language markets were only a first step and it soon plans to widen the use of P2P networks.

Films will be made available to registered users of the In2Movies service on the same day they are released on DVD in the German language. In addition to the studio’s blockbusters, In2Movies plans to sell local programming and material supplied by third parties.

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refresh all | expand all | collapse all Rants & Raves

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RSS and Spam

January 31, 2006 Royall Computers and Internet

In response to the following email, I’ve yet to find a RSS feed reader that really blows my skirt up. Certainly nothing that I’d inflict on my parents. However, spam is essentially history for me. If you use Outlook or Outlook Express, run—don’t walk—to www.cloudmark.com. It isn’t free, but it’s damn inexpensive and it works like the bomb. Between that and Outlook’s built-in junk-mail handler, silence is indeed golden and false positives quite rare.

As for RSS, my search for an idiot-proof reader continues.

From: DSloan [mailto:djsloan25a26@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, January 30, 2006 6:36 PM
To: Scott Royall
Subject: Re: Good News?

Scott ..

I have a roll of b-logs I check about every other day. If I don’t see an entry for a week or two, the site goes on the ‘occasional’ list, where I scan it about once per month.

With your stuff, I prefer the immediacy of e-mail (I check off-site e-mail twice per day on weekdays).

I know all about RSS feeds, but can’t use them on the work e-mail address and suffer such unholy SPAM on one of my outside addresses that I’d likely lose some if not all RSS mails to the filter.

So there – keep me on an e-mail list.

djsloan

Scott Royall <royall@conchbbs.com> wrote:

Occasionally, there is happy news. Robert Scoble sent email in the dead of night to alert me that he had indeed subscribed to my blog. Now, at least now we have a reader who might be able to affect a difference. Robert also alerted me to what I’ll call a formatting issue in the process I use to post my blog entries. This entry will allow me to see if I’ve fixed it.

Using a blog to raise awareness about the challenges an active disabled person goes up against almost daily is definitely a mixed blessing. In one way, it makes getting the word out easier, but the reality is that people who know what blogs are are themselves relative “edge cases.” That’s why I also use a mailing list.

Tell me what you think.

==========================================
DJSloan .. Houston, Texas
djsloan25a26@yahoo.com
Reference:

Good News?

January 30, 2006 Royall Blog stuff

Occasionally, there is happy news. Robert Scoble sent email in the dead of night to alert me that he had indeed subscribed to my blog. Now, at least now we have a reader who might be able to affect a difference. Robert also alerted me to what I’ll call a formatting issue in the process I use to post my blog entries. This entry will allow me to see if I’ve fixed it.

Using a blog to raise awareness about the challenges an active disabled person goes up against almost daily is definitely a mixed blessing. In one way, it makes getting the word out easier, but the reality is that people who know what blogs are are themselves relative “edge cases.” That’s why I also use a mailing list.

Tell me what you think.

RE: Hiring the Disabled

January 30, 2006 Royall Disability

Funny that you should mention Microsoft. They were among my first contacts when Shell started its IT reductions four years back. Of course, that contact was just with their HR department so naturally it was stillborn. A former Shell Oil HR director admitted to me and my mother that a recruiter’s role is to whittle down a huge pile of applicants, not find reason to add to it. Perhaps it’s time for a different tact entirely. Indeed, I began to follow the blogs of certain “edge cases” in the industry at about the same time as I started mine. One of them is Robert Scoble’s Scobleizer. Scoble’s title at Microsoft is “Technology Evangelist,” meaning that his job is—among other things—to look out for things that could make Bill Gates even richer. J In other words, he’s paid to think unconventionally. The downside is that he already tracks 850 other blogs. We have to hope something I say piques his interest enough to at least justify making me #851. 😀 (And yes Robert, Google does at least recognize my name.)

No, health insurance turns out to be a non-issue for a potential employer exactly because my disability is pre-existing. The insurer simply disallows expenses directly related to it. That does mean they won’t buy wheelchairs, braces, and stuff for me, but I never asked them to. Since Cerebral Palsy is stable in at least my case, any other medical costs are still fair game.

No, the news media has never shown any interest in my case, despite the fact that I appeared on TechTV. A friend tried to pitch the story to the locals and got nowhere with the editors.

What I find most distressing is that I am sitting here with a potential goldmine, but the potential users don’t even know they need it. I am a decent C++ developer, but I’m certainly am no match for a young “wiz kid.” I frankly might not be good enough for Microsoft, but I did manage to create what I consider to be a “killer app” for anyone with a speech disability and intact mental faculties. If you know anything about the history of Xpress-It, you are aware of the reasons why I had to develop it. I had to have a way to effectively communicate verbally with co-workers, customers, etc while with Shell, and none of the then available products in the Augmented and Assistive Communications market had the flexibility and clarity my employer demanded. It’s now eight years later, and that’s incredibly still true. You have to spend twice as much to even approach Xpress-It’s blend of features.

I have previously blogged extensively about the factors that has made the AAC market so difficult to penetrate. Yes, it is a medical-related market, with most purchases based on recommendations from medical professionals with at best only fair computer knowledge. Much more to the point is that disabled users themselves are not demanding quality far greater than what has been out there 15 years! Jesus Marie! Yet, when you really drill down to the root problem, there is a tremendous sense of fatalism among disabled people. It’s as if they don’t feel they deserve the tools necessary to enter, or re-enter, society. That’s pure self-defeatism to me. True, I had the advantage of being a software developer. I already knew how powerful computers were before I ever selected ETI to be the synthesizer engine for Xpress-It. Yet, knowing something is possible is just the first baby step. You must then summon the courage to make whatever you need happen; otherwise, you might as well pack up your tent because nobody else will make your needs their first priority.

From: malinda julien [mailto:ustk9@ustk9.com]
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 6:27 PM
To: ‘Scott Royall’
Subject: RE: Hiring the Disabled

Scott, have you ever thought of contacting Microsoft? Do you think you could work for them? Maybe you need to think “bigger”. You could relocate if the $$ was good enough… right?

I think that a prospective employer would be concerned about the insurance for you since you have pre-existing conditions, have they ever said anything about that? What about going to the press/ tv media? You are bright and rather funny, if nothing else but determined… I would think that some computer based company needs you to be dedicated. Heck, you never stay out late and come into work with a hang over! LOL! (although you should!)

Go bigger, find a company who is willing to see you for what you are and not how they see it. I know we are both rather “spirited” individuals, but I always respect you. I doubt, even with my Irish heritage and tenacious nature, I could manage the struggles you must face.

Dogs are our Archangels, that is why I named our kennel that. Lilly was sent here to watch over you, and I think she does a pretty good job. They love us no matter what.

From: Scott Royall [mailto:royall@conchbbs.com]
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 3:08 PM
To: ustk9@ustk9.com
Cc: Eanderson@carlsoncomp.com; ‘Kevin Smith’; ‘Myra Gass’; Blaise; Blog; bradgsmith@mdanderson.org; Brandon Milligan; Carol McKinney; Dianne; DSloan; Jack Davidson; janis.nicol@nau.edu; John Royall; Ming Zu; Mom; Richard Becton; Sakina Lanig; Tao Ju
Subject: RE: Hiring the Disabled

You are basically right. Yet, I’m not done quite yet. A recruiter once told me I only had a 10% chance of getting a job, but my entire life has been a string of beaten odds. One after another. The only way to defeat prejudice is by shining the bright light of publicity on it. That makes people step back and review their approach. In that sense, this is no different from any other minority hiring situation. The more that bright light shines, the more uncomfortable prejudice is.

Then too, I’m still trying to market Xpress-It. I’m planning a few changes this year which might spark sales at a much lower net income.

You didn’t see my December blog entry where I listed the things I am still thankful for. On top of the list was a good, sweet dog that hates to let me out of her sight. As I write this, we are half-way through a very long day for her of outings to do various things. Lilly is in the doorway of my bathroom napping. But, those eyes will pop open as soon as I touch the joystick of my wheelchair. That’s something at least.

From: malinda julien [mailto:ustk9@ustk9.com]
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 10:28 AM
To: ‘Scott Royall’
Subject: RE: Hiring the Disabled

Scott, sounds like a no win situation. People don’t change, they don’t want to. It is easier to walk away than it is to defend your right to be there. I know for you it must seem impossible to be “trapped” so to speak in this disability BS, when you are well suited for the job. If their clients feel uncomfortable with you, then they should be a little more educational when they come in.

No matter what, business is business and even though you are talented in this area and capable of doing the job, they are going to discriminate. But, like you say “prove it”. Can’t prove “intent”.

I wish I could give you the adage of “something will come up”, but that may not be true, and certainly isn’t helpful. I can’t imagine how this could change. Is it imperative that you remain in Houston? I would imagine so since your care system is there. If you have to go to a living assisted residence, what will become of you?

RE: Hiring the Disabled

January 27, 2006 Royall Disability

Then too, I’m still trying to market Xpress-It. I’m planning a few changes this year which might spark sales at a much lower net income.

From: malinda julien [mailto:ustk9@ustk9.com]
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 10:28 AM
To: ‘Scott Royall’
Subject: RE: Hiring the Disabled

RE: Hiring the Disabled

January 27, 2006 Royall Disability

Oh boy, whether you know it or not, you’re asking the $80,000 question, and the answer will make a lot of people uneasy. I am a Windows applications programmer both by training and 14 years’ experience. That could actually mean a lot of different things, but, in my case, it means I can make a Windows box do just about anything practical. (Games are a separate category.) At this point in my life, I should be in the $80,000 bracket and preparing to retire. Even the Shell lay-off was a mere speed-bump for other developers. At most, they relocated. Obviously, I’m not so lucky. Guess how many interviews I’ve had in the four years since I was laid off. That’s right, zero. In fact, there’s an interesting little pattern there. Several recruiters have contacted me all eager to interview. That is, until I had to reveal my level of disability. Then, they either disappear or say I’m not right for the position after all.

Illegal? Yeah, but prove it. You can’t unless you read minds. You can infer what’s going on from the pattern, but that’s not evidence. I even had trouble getting assignments while at Shell. One of my former managers said he wasn’t comfortable exposing me to customers because of my attitude and disability. It is true that the oil patch is pretty conservative, but people behave as their management permits. In any event, these recruiters serve a wide variety of clients well beyond energy. Still they almost hurt themselves backing away as soon as my disability comes up.

From: malinda julien
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 7:42 PM
To: ‘Scott Royall’
Subject: RE: Hiring the Disabled

Scott, what type of job are you trying to get? What really is the problem? Your physical traits? Certainly not your emotional or intellectual status. So the laws don’t help, I see… not that anything put into law actually makes anyone any difference.

I hope you don’t have to go into a care facility – that would be awful. Anything I can do to help?

Malinda Julien

witty title

January 27, 2006 Royall Uncategorized

<a href="http://technorati.com/claim/uaxi6mwmq7">Technorati Profile</a>

RE: Hiring the Disabled

January 26, 2006 Royall Uncategorized

Erica,

The intention of my previous email had little to do with any current job posting. Rather, it was meant to be a reminder to some of the recruiters I’ve encountered that they hold a tremendous amount of influence over other people’s lives. It doesn’t matter how many laws Congress writes, qualified disabled people will never find meaning employment as long as recruiters behave as your manager did. A client can only choose from the list of candidates supplied by his recruiters. Clearly, your manager could benefit from diversity training.

Of course your suggestion has indirect merit. Disabled people seem to only find professional positions when someone owes someone else a favor. How do you think I came to be hired by Shell? Unfortunately, I no longer have the luxury of time necessary to build the trust needed for an executive to override the normal recruitment stream. If I fail to find gainful employment relatively soon, I will be consigned to a Medicare-funded nursing home to live out my remaining time.

Oh, please show this email to your manager. She cannot hold you responsible for my comments.

Scott

From: Erica Anderson [mailto:Eanderson@carlsoncomp.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 2:22 PM
To: royall@conchbbs.com
Subject:

Scott,

I got your email and there is nothing I can do on this end I presented your resume to my staffing manager and she did not choose to proceed. I wanted to recommend you check out Between Jobs Ministries they a networking group with over 4,000 members. You can find their links at www.nwbc.org. Good Luck I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Erica Anderson

The Carlson Company, LLC

Staffing Specialist Since 1994

1505 Hwy 6 South #200

Houston, TX 77077

Phone-(832)775-0055

Fax- (832)-775-0059

www.carlsoncomp.com

RE: Mr. Royall , Your Dell Service Blog is leaking vital info

January 21, 2006 Royall Uncategorized

Troy,

I hope you don’t mind my sharing our discussion with my blog readership,
because we are covering security issues that affects most people. I think
you hit upon an important point, perhaps by accident. Yes, you could turn
catching thieves into a hobby. The same goes for trying to making your life
as secure as possible. That could even become an obsession. My counterpoint
is that, as Steve Gibson acknowledges, each person needs to choose a level
of security that they are comfortable with. The trick, as always, is to have
awareness of the risks involved. It is true that most people aren’t equipped
to handle that task, but some of us are. 🙂

With my current arrangement with Dell, I’m comfortable with the information
revealed in my blog. If anything, anyone foolish enough to attempt
exploiting that info would quickly come to understand why.

Again, it is great to know my blog is being read.

Scott

—–Original Message—–
From: Troy W [mailto:catchy81@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 11:06 PM
To: royall@conchbbs.com
Subject: RE: Mr. Royall , Your Dell Service Blog is leaking vital info

Sorry, if came across as rude, or presumptive of your relationship with
Dell. It was never my intention to be the harborer of bad-news. I’d like to

think I’m the "going-out-of-my-way-good-sumeritan"

You do seem like the type of person that has the time and werethol necessary

to press charges, and fight identity theft… Hell, I dunno maybe you need

a new hobby?!? 😀 Who wouldn’t enjoy putting afew thieves behind bars?
But… wouldn’t it be much simpler to avoid it rather than "put on your
gloves" and encourage all-comers?

You seem to be fully confident of the security of your posting. However, I
will have to disagree with you, and theres no point in me harassing you to
be safer. You seem to take pride in holding your ground, wherever it is. I

would suggest asking Nancy about the "privacy" of ID tags, and what
information is safe to disclose in a public domain.

And asmuch as I would love to argue politics, I’ll have to decline. You
would obviously beat me with experience. Your privacy is not safe from the

government, but it should be from your neighbor.

Thanks for your time, and sorry again for the intrusion.

– Troy W

>From: "Scott Royall" <royall@conchbbs.com>
>To: "’Troy W’" <catchy81@hotmail.com>
>Subject: RE: Mr. Royall , Your Dell Service Blog is leaking vital info
>Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 22:20:29 -0600
>
>It would be so maybe if Nancy was a mere account rep. She’s in Executive
>Services and has my email address tattooed on her brain.
>
>Anyway, the right to privacy is nowhere near the US Constitution. It is a
>myth based on something that died sometime in the second half of last
>century. What I mean is that I am not going to run and hide. My physical
>address is a matter of public record. After all, I am a registered voter,
>and service tags aren’t private anyway. Thus, while I will not put things
>like banking information on public forums and I use WPA TKIP with a
>63-character random key, but that’s as far as I go. If someone wants to try
>me, I’m just the type to press federal wire fraud charges.
>
>—–Original Message—–
>From: Troy W [mailto:catchy81@hotmail.com]
>Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 8:21 PM
>To: royall@conchbbs.com
>Subject: RE: Mr. Royall , Your Dell Service Blog is leaking vital info
>
>Scott,
>
>It’s not my intention to needlessly scare you. I am only trying to help
>protect your information. I do think it would be wise to remove your full
>name address, plus service tag. Ther service tag should be a private
>number,
>
>not public.
>
>You may not directly see how a crook could abuse this information, but I
>have heard of unscrupulous methods used before when ordering Dell products.
>While it may be more difficult for a crook to order a completely new
>system,
>
>they could easily order additions or replacement parts, and then charge it
>to your account. Dell service reps are "encouraged" to charge to a Dell
>Preffered Account.
>
>A service rep is what ties your service tag to your Dell Preffered Account.
>
>Once a crook has correctly verified himself as you, there is nothing
>stopping him from making up a story about how you(he) is on vacation, and
>he
>
>needs the new part shipped to Crooktown, USA. "Go ahead, and charge it to
>my DPA!" I don’t believe the service reps will ask for anymore
>identification (I could be wrong), or your DPA password. Viola! Mr.
>McCrook
>
>has a new monitor, ram, whatever the fancy.
>
>While you do have a secret weapon with Nancy. I doubt that the service
>reps
>
>in India, will contact Nancy, if they believe that you have authorized the
>purchase. They would be happy to make the sale themselves.
>
>I’m telling you that no alarms will be "tripped," if someone correctly
>identifies themself as you, and makes a purchase.
>
>Just a silent charge to your account. Do not give your info to the crooks
>on a silver-platter. You might find that there are plenty of people out
>there who feel they are "lucky" enough to pull it off. Infact, I’m fairly
>positive this can be done with ease.
>
>Your frusteration with Dell service support is an issue that can be shared
>by many. I’m glad your patience and virtuosity made some head-way with the
>sometimes dense service reps at the worlds largest computer manufacturer.
>Can you imagine the amount of frusteration involved with un-authorized
>orders? Hopefully I have brought a valid concern to your attention.
>
>You had to push Dell in order to get them to budge an inch on their repair
>stance. Their goal is to make profit, not to assist those in need. Dell
>would rather make a sale, than protect your account. And while I’m glad
>you find this email interesting enough to post in your Blog, I must advise
>you not to post this on your Blog, since I have outlined exactly how one
>could abuse your info!
>
>Please consider what I’ve said! Keep your info private!
>Wishing the best!
>-Troy
>
>
>
> >From: "Scott Royall" <royall@conchbbs.com>
> >To: "’Troy W’" <catchy81@hotmail.com>
> >CC: <Nancy_R_Dorr@Dell.com>
> >Subject: RE: Mr. Royall , Your Dell Service Blog is leaking vital info
> >Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 17:56:21 -0600
> >
> >Your email is quite interesting, if a tad mis-informed. Service tags are
> >not
> >user identification. Yes, they do identify Dell computers, and there is a
> >way to tie them to a Preferred Account. But then what? Even if a cracker
> >brute-forced the password, about all he could do is view my balance due.
> >I’m
> >quite happy to let such a clown pay it. The website doesn’t have any
> >banking
> >info. So all a cracker could really do is try to order something, and
>that
> >would trip all sorts of alarms. (Like, "go ahead, punk. Do you feel
> >lucky?")
> >
> >Besides, Dell recently gave me a not-so-secret weapon named Nancy. That
> >part
> >isn’t in the blog yet, but she’s essentially my de facto account rep. Any
> >would-be thief would need to spoof her, and that challenge gets stiffer
> >daily as she becomes accustomed to my eclectic thinking. <EVIL CHACKLE>
> >
> >Speaking of the blog, it’s great to know someone reads it. May I post
>this?
> >
> >—–Original Message—–
> >From: Troy W [mailto:catchy81@hotmail.com]
> >Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 1:18 PM
> >To: royall@conchbbs.com
> >Subject: Mr. Royall , Your Dell Service Blog is leaking vital info
> >
> >Hello Scott,
> >
> >I just wanted to inform you that your MSN MySpace Blog is leaking
>important
> >Dell service information that could be used by individuals to order on
>your
> >account. I often do business with Dell, so I understand your frusteration
> >with the recent "lack" of customer service. I am also a computer science
> >major. I viewed the following page
> >
>
>http://spaces.msn.com/members/adayinthelifeofaperson/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c0
>1
> >_blogpart=blogmgmt&_c=blogpart
> >
> >
> >The information provided in your Blog can be accessed by anyone searching
> >the internet. A common search phrase being "Service Tag" Your
> >combination
> >
> >of service tag, and ID information can be used by individuals to purchase
> >on
> >
> >your account. You have provided your service tag, full name and address,
> >phone number, its almost like your password. This is the same
>information
> >Dell uses to verify your identity. I don’t know if you have a Dell
> >Preffered Account, but someone may be able to place orders on your
>account
> >with this public information.
> >
> >I highly recommend that you contact Dell and review your transactions for
> >any un-authorized purchase. (Although, I would definately understand
>you
> >not wanting to wait on customer support anymore than you already have)
> > >.<
> >
> >Hope I brought this to your awareness soon enough! Feel free to reply,
>if
> >you have any questions. Good Luck. Stay Safe!
> >
> >- Troy
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>

The virtue of patient persistence

January 13, 2006 Royall Uncategorized

I’m forwarding this email chain
because it demonstrates a couple of things any severely disabled person should
keep in mind. Start reading at the bottom of this entry and work your way up.

Yes, persistence is critical, because the
world won’t be handed to you. Justice may be a basic human right, but
everyone must fight for their share of it. Being disabled means you must fight
that much harder. No, that isn’t fair, but life never pretended to be.

A bit of courtesy is also key. Stroking someone
(or company) when they change direction and do something right is as important
as spanking them when they do wrong.

From: Scott Royall
[mailto:royall@conchbbs.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006
6:22 PM
To:
‘Nancy_R_Dorr@Dell.com’
Cc: ‘kevin_rollins@dell.com’
Subject: Customer #54325221

Nancy,

I wanted to formally thank you for your prompt and courteous assistance
with my problem getting technical service. A copy of this note is being sent to
Mr. Rollins’ office as I’m pretty sure that was the department
which forwarded my correspondence to you.

As has been said, the underlying issue is larger than just this latest
instance. The latter is more of a classic example than an isolated case.
Accordingly, I’m going take the liberty of using you as my focal point
until a more permanent solution is in place. While I don’t anticipate
there will be much subsequent activity, if any, it is good to have at least a
temporary contact in place if needed.

You were quite correct in acknowledging in our telephone conversation
Dell’s awareness of my special circumstances, and its commitment to
accommodate them. Regrettably, Dell’s ever-growing success has made it
victim to the same internal communication issues that plague other large
corporations. I’m hoping that Mr. Rollins’ office will use my case
as impetus to push out further improvements in that area.

The technician can install the display any day after 11:00 a.m. I am
reachable by cell-phone if I’m not at home.

I will leave you with this final item. The following link is to a user
review I wrote on the XPS Gen 2: http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_XPS_Gen_2_for_Home/4864-3121_7-31297838.html?messageSiteID=7&messageID=1241892&tag=1241892&cval=1241892&ctype=msgid
Unfortunately, a flaw in CNET’s website has prevented me from adding to
that review, but my initial comments still hold true. The laptop is seventh in
the long line of Dells I’ve had over the years, and it has mowed down all
previous records in performance and reliability. The sole prior entry in its
service log was also due to “smoke in the cockpit.” Given that the
laptop has an existence as tough as those that travel constantly, that’s
fairly incredible. Your offer to replace the entire machine was extremely
generous, but unwarranted. Simply put, I see no reason to penalize Dell for
finally building an almost-flawless laptop.

Scott Royall

—–Original Message—–
From: Nancy_R_Dorr@Dell.com [mailto:Nancy_R_Dorr@Dell.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 1:42 PM
To: royall@conchbbs.com
Subject: RE: Out of Office AutoReply: Customer #54325221

Scott,

I will set up a new lcd screen with a service call for the installation.

If you have any additional problems please let me know. Thank you
for

working with me. Have a nice day.

Thank you

Nancy Dorr

Dell Inc.

Executive Service Team

Executive Offices

Austin

Nancy_Dorr@Dell.Com

Visit our website at dellcustomercare.com

—–Original Message—–

From: Scott Royall [mailto:royall@conchbbs.com]

Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 12:05 PM

To: Dorr, Nancy

Subject: RE: Out of Office AutoReply: Customer #54325221

Fair enough. This stupid Motorola phone won’t let me dial extensions

without making errors. 😦 Please call as soon as you can, because I

basically have to sit here and wait.

—–Original Message—–

From: Nancy_R_Dorr@Dell.com [mailto:Nancy_R_Dorr@Dell.com]

Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 11:55 AM

To: royall@conchbbs.com

Subject: Out of Office AutoReply: Customer #54325221

My office hours are Monday -Friday from 8am-5pm. I will attempt to

research

your issue and get back to you as soon as possible. I do attend

meetings

throughout the day but will try to resolve your issue as soon as

possible.

I am away attending a meeting
but will return shortly.

Ok Nancy, I’m somewhat set up to
take your call now. I would like for us to begin by taking a few minutes to get
acquainted so that you can fully appreciate the overall situation. As I say,
the current problem is, in the larger sense, just an instance of an on-going
issue I face when dealing with foreign call centers.

From:
Nancy_R_Dorr@Dell.com [mailto:Nancy_R_Dorr@Dell.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006
10:19 AM
To:
royall@conchbbs.com
Subject: Customer #54325221

Mr. Royal,

I have just left a message for you and
will continue to try to reach you this morning regarding problems with your
screen. I would like to make a few suggestions and I know that we are
able to resolve this as quickly as possible.

Thank you
Nancy Dorr
Dell Inc.
Executive Service Team
Executive Offices
Austin
Nancy_Dorr@Dell.Com
Visit our website at dellcustomercare.com

Mr. Rollins,

I seriously doubt this is
your correct email address. I also realize you are quite busy, and won’t want
to take the time to read through this correspondence. Yet, anything is worth
trying when you need help from upper Dell management as I do. The recurring
issue outlined below only became a problem in recent years. Before, Dell’s
service was stellar, and led to my becoming a repeat customer.

Scott Royall

—–Original Message—–

From: Scott Royall [mailto:royall@conchbbs.com]

Sent: Wednesday, January 11,
2006 1:59 PM

To:
‘Scott Royall’; ‘US_DIS_Executive_Support’; ‘US_CTS_Desktop_Support’;
Jeremy_Lane@Dell.com; violeta_beech@dell.com; Andrea_Alexander@Dell.com;
Gerardo_Rios@Dell.com; ‘daren_cumberbatch@dell.com’

Cc: ‘djsloan25a26@yahoo.com’;
‘Lourez Bullock’

Subject: RE: US DIS
Executive Support (KMM25407447I21063L0KM)

Still waiting.

—–Original Message—–

From: Scott Royall [mailto:royall@conchbbs.com]

Sent: Tuesday, January 10,
2006 10:56 PM

To:
‘US_DIS_Executive_Support’; ‘US_CTS_Desktop_Support’; Jeremy_Lane@Dell.com;
violeta_beech@dell.com; Andrea_Alexander@Dell.com; Gerardo_Rios@Dell.com;
‘daren_cumberbatch@dell.com’

Cc: ‘djsloan25a26@yahoo.com’;
‘Lourez Bullock’

Subject: RE: US DIS
Executive Support (KMM25407447I21063L0KM) RE: #XPS/Inspiron#DHS##29#
eTrack#=Q5E2X7Z1YN19E1BX – Monitor (KMM25337900I21063L0KM)

As promised, here are the
details of my outstanding issue with Dell. PLEASE take the time to read it
thoroughly and try to appreciate all the ramifications before responding. Also,
on the suggestion of a friend, I’m including this link to a photo that should
help you to better visualize the situation we are dealing with:

http://www.conchbbs.com/images/Picture%20004.jpg

The laptop pictured is
actually the previous one, which retired in May. However, the setup is
essentially unchanged. The photo should give you some sense of why it has never
been, and will never be, possible for me to do blithely send my current laptop
off for 8-10 days. My life literally stops without it. That’s exactly why I
scrape together the extra funds to buy both CC *and* NBD.

It is also noted below that
the issue regarding CC requiring a return to a Repair Depot has been dealt with
numerous times in my circumstances over the years. In every instance, Dell
management has ultimately ruled in favor of my needs and the "spirit"
of combining NBD and CC instead of mechanically following the contracts
separately. That’s exactly why I continue as a Dell customer.
Unfortunately, this learning is never passed back down to the call centers to
be remembered. As a result, I have to win this same battle over and over. Isn’t
that a huge waste of time for all involved?

I used to have a wonderful
ally within Customer Service named Alecea Standlee. Whenever this issue would
pop up, she would dutifully tromp to and fro across the Dell campus until she
found a courageous manager. She continued to do that even after she transferred
to other departments, because she "got" the seriousness of my
situation. I was very sorry to see her leave Dell late in 2004 to pursue a
Master’s Degree in Business. I wished her the very best, but dealing with Dell
has been an on-going nightmare without her help.

Scott Royall

—–Original Message—–

From: Scott Royall [mailto:royall@conchbbs.com]

Sent: Tuesday, January 10,
2006 12:58 PM

To:
‘Scott Royall’; ‘US_CTS_Desktop_Support’; Jeremy_Lane@Dell.com;
violeta_beech@dell.com; Andrea_Alexander@Dell.com; Gerardo_Rios@Dell.com;
‘daren_cumberbatch@dell.com’

Cc: ‘djsloan25a26@yahoo.com’;
‘Lourez Bullock’

Subject: RE:
#XPS/Inspiron#DHS##29# eTrack#=Q5E2X7Z1YN19E1BX – Monitor
(KMM25337900I21063L0KM)

Daren,

I am contacting you because
Violeta is on vacation, and she refers matters involving parts to you. In
truth, I don’t actually know that Violeta has been the one to help me in
the past. I simply drop a note to this list of contacts at Dell when I
encounter a problem with getting service, and the problem goes away until next
time.

I realize that you’re quite
capable of reading the following text for yourself, and I won’t insult your
intelligence by rehashing it for you. Yet, even if you did take the NBD and CC
contracts quite literally, you recognize that a technician in a distant repair
depot cannot always tell when damage is accidental because he’s ignorant of the
context that my laptops work in. He cannot know that my laptop is physically
attached to my 220-lb. power wheelchair, and that the laptop runs continually.
Field technicians for Dell have seen my setup at various times, and they
unanimously agree that it falls well within the boundary conditions of CC. They
also agree that sending the laptop in use off to a repair depot would be
impossible. That’s probably why Dell management has always overruled the
call centers before, and ordered them to dispatch techs. I need for you (or
whoever) to do that again

In case you wonder just what
my laptop does for me, start with talking and then add every other task you do
during a normal day. The current laptop literally becomes a part of my person.

Scott

—–Original Message—–

From: Scott Royall [mailto:royall@conchbbs.com]

Sent: Monday, January 09,
2006 9:09 PM

To:
‘US_CTS_Desktop_Support’; Jeremy_Lane@Dell.com; violeta_beech@dell.com;
Andrea_Alexander@Dell.com; Gerardo_Rios@Dell.com

Cc: ‘djsloan25a26@yahoo.com’;
‘Lourez Bullock’

Subject: RE:
#XPS/Inspiron#DHS##29# eTrack#=Q5E2X7Z1YN19E1BX – Monitor
(KMM25337900I21063L0KM)

Violeta,

Here we go again.

I just had a very
frustrating call with what sounded like your Calcutta Call
Center. First, they said
that they could barely understand me. Then they claimed that NBD and CC were
mutually exclusive. I am quite aware of the terms of those two contracts. I
also know Dell has always merged the true spirit of those agreements into a
united effort to provide me with the service I require.

You may recall how dependent
I am on my laptops. They’ve been involved in every facet of my daily life for
ten years. Calcutta (or was that Bombay?) couldn’t
grasp that it was totally impossible for this latest laptop to spend 8-10 days
in a repair depot. That would be similar to locking you in a closet for that
amount of time. Their reasoning was, as always, that the repair depot needed to
verify that the screen damage was accidental. Now I ask you, who would damage
intentionally a machine that they are so dependent on? The very nature of the
laptop’s usage assures that any atypical service needed is due to accident
only. In fact, there’s already an entry in the history log for this laptop that
reaffirmed the precedent.

I unfortunately need you (or
somebody) to please intervene again. Clearly, I need a replacement display and
a technician to install it ASAP. Moreover, it would be great to finally get India
on the same page so they no longer waste our time by disputing already well-worn
precedents.

Thank you for your prompt
assistance.

Scott

—–Original Message—–

From: US_CTS_Desktop_Support
[mailto:us_cts_desktop_Support@dell.com]

Sent: Monday, January 09,
2006 6:28 PM

To:
Scott Royall

Subject: Re:
#XPS/Inspiron#DHS##29# eTrack#=Q5E2X7Z1YN19E1BX – Monitor
(KMM25337900I21063L0KM)

************************************************************************

Please do not modify the
subject line of the e-mail when responding.

Valuable information in the
subject line is used to properly route your e-mail response.

Modifying the subject line
may result in a delay in a response.

************************************************************************

Dear Mr Royall,

Thank you for contacting
Dell Hardware Warranty Support.

I apologize for any
displeasure this problem may have caused you.

Mr Royall, I see that you
have questions regarding your Dell XPS system. As the owner of a Dell XPS, you
have access to a specialized support team dedicated to the Dell XPS line of
systems.

In order to reach the XPS
team, you will need to call 800-624-9896. You will be prompted to enter your
Express Service Code from your XPS system. Using the express service code will
route you directly to an XPS Team technician.

Please be sure to provide
the XPS agent with your case number.

The case number for this
interaction is 121856263. The case has been documented and the contents of this
case are available to all Dell support representatives. If you need additional
assistance with this issue and you utilize our phone or chat support channels,
please provide them with this case number. For additional assistance via
e-mail, simply reply to this e-mail.

Thank you for choosing Dell.

Respectfully,

Varsha

Dell Rep ID 0177745

Dell Hardware Warranty
Support

Dell E-mail Support operates
24/7, and if your reply is received while I am not in, to ensure a speedy
resolution of your problem, your issue would be handled by one of my
colleagues.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Not sure when your system
warranty expires? Interested in looking up your system warranty expiration
dates go to http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/my_systems_info/en/details?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Don’t let your system’s
warranty lapse and risk costly repairs and downtime.

Call 1-800-999-3355 Press 1
to enter an extension and Dial extension 7244331 To extend or upgrade your
original warranty and service contract terms today!

* * * * * * * * * * *

Visit the Dell Community
Forum where you can find answers to questions and exchange information with
other Dell users:

http://DellCommunity.com

==========

DISCLAIMER

==========

The information in this
document has been reviewed and is believed to be accurate. However,
neither Dell nor its affiliates assume any responsibility for inaccuracies,
errors, or omissions that may be contained herein. In no event will Dell
or its affiliates be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or
consequential damages resulting from any defect or omission in this document,
even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

Dell reserves the right to
make improvements or changes to this document and the products and services
described at any time, without notice or obligation. This information
applies to the continental United States
and Canada
only, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Original Message Follows:

————————

* * * PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE
THE SUBJECT WHEN REPLYING * * *

******************************************************************

Service Tag =CJF7H71

System Type =XPS/Inspiron XPS
Gen 2

System Product Family
=XPS/Inspiron XPS Gen 2 System Ship Date =5/6/2005 12:00:00 AM Operating
System:

***********************************************

Name: Scott Royall

Contact Address:

15906 MANFIELD

HOUSTON, TX 77082–

Phone: 281-923-3594

Email: royall@conchbbs.com

***********************************************

Current Case ID :
000000121856263

Original Case ID:

Problem: Monitor

***********************************************

Problem Description:

This is an easy one. I just
had a small accident involving a doorknob striking the lower right quadrant of
my Laptop screen. Now that portion of the display does not function, showing
only blotches of color. I can also see the imprint of the original impact on
the screen even when the laptop is turned off. Thankfully, I bought both CC and
NBD with this computer.

***********************************************

Sent To:
us_support@dell.com

Referring URL: 24.174.93.255

Date Received(K):
1/9/06 02:45:25 PM

Disability in America

A Day in the Life of a Disabled Person

Month: January 2006

Oh No!

Call It New Dell-hi

Breaking News from AP and Reuters

refresh all | expand all | collapse all Rants & Raves

RSS and Spam

Good News?

RE: Hiring the Disabled

RE: Hiring the Disabled

RE: Hiring the Disabled

witty title

RE: Hiring the Disabled

RE: Mr. Royall , Your Dell Service Blog is leaking vital info

The virtue of patient persistence