The American Consumer Satisfaction Index finds that Dell's once-lauded customer service has declined to match the industry average, while Apple's support stands out.
The American Consumer Satisfaction Index, a large-scale telephone survey conducted by the University of Michigan Business School, found for the second year in a row that Apple Computer’s customer support received the best rating from respondents, while Dell Computer’s once highly-regarded support offerings have declined and now merely match the industry average.
According to the study, consumer’s overall satisfaction with the computer industry’s customer support hasn’t changed from a year ago, garnering an overall rating of 74. Similarly, Apple’s top-flight score of 81 matches its performance of a year ago. However, after two years of above-average scores, Dell’s rating dropped from 79 to match the industry average 74. Gateway and Compaq bring up the rear, with Gateway’s score dropping to 72 from the industry average 74 and Compaq’s two-point drop to a score of 67 matching its all-time low. Hewlett-Packard managed to move from a 71 to a 74, with the aggregate score for all other makers moved from 71 to 74.
The ACSI is a telephone-based survey of U.S. consumers updated every quarter, intended to measure consumer perceptions of the quality of products and services they use. The study also rates satisfaction with Internet portals and search engines, as well as automobile manufacturers, electronics, and major appliances.
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RSSThis is a couple years old: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2003/1201dell.htm...
http://www.originaldissent.com/forums/archive/inde...
These are just from quick searches, nothing in-depth on my part.
Dell runs some of their US tech support out of India and, I believe, other non-US locations. However, some of Dell's tech support remains in the US.
Overseas technical support is often cited as a negative experience by many US residents, who report they have trouble understanding what the tech support rep's speech, or are upset their call has been shuffled overseas "taking away American jobs." Nonetheless, outsourcing services like support to third parties or to overseas locations remains one of American industry's top ways to reduce overhead and increase their bottom lines... er, "maximize value for shareholders."
>Where is Apple's tech support located at?
I don't know, and haven't been able to find out definitively. At least some of Apple's US support is handled at call centers in the US, I believe in Texas and California. Apple's international support is more scattershot, with support calls often being routed to other countries: for instance, a Mac user in Italy might get find themselves speaking with an Apple support rep in Ireland.
I don't know to what extend either company may outsource support to third parties, or if they do so at all. In Apple's case, I suspect not, although they do support networks of certified consultants, trainers, and integrators who, I'm sure, bear some of Apple's support burden.