Major Publications, Independent Surveys Declare Dell a Winner

Major Publications, Independent Surveys Declare Dell a Winner

Dell Computer Corporation (Nasdaq:DELL), the world's leading direct computer systems company, won more than 200 awards in the United States during 1998, including many customer satisfaction honors.

Highlights

Fortune®  Technology Buyer's Guide "Readers' Choice" in PCs for Overall Service and ReliabilityPC Magazine "Readers' Choice" for Service and Reliability for desktops and notebooksPC World "Reliability and Service Award" for work PCs, home PCs and notebooksHighest customer satisfaction rating for servers, desktops and notebooks from industry analyst firm Technology Business Research

"Our continuing goal is to provide the best customer experience in the industry," said Michael Dellchairman and chief executive officer. "The accolades we have received from customers and reviewers this year are a testament to the quality of the products and services we provide. Customers benefit from Dell's direct model, which enables us to use their feedback in continually refining our technology, services and support offerings."

Customer Service and Reliability

In December, Dell secured the prestigious Fortune Technology Buyer's Guide "Readers' Choice" award for Personal Service and Reliability. Fortune declared that readers " overwhelmingly chose Dell as 'BEST OF BREED' in PCs, for overall service and reliability."

In the July issue of PC Magazine, Dell became the only systems vendor to win "Readers' Choice" awards for Service and Reliability for both desktops and notebooks two years in a row. Since 1993, Dell has won the desktop award seven times, more than any other PC manufacturer.

Dell came out on top with PC World readers as well, winning the magazine's "Reliability and Service Award" for work PCs, home PCs and notebooks in November. The October issue of Windows Magazine featured Dell as one of the winners of its Tech Support Survey, in which readers were asked to rate the reliability of their PCs and their experiences with technical support.

Computerworld subscribers in January gave evaluations for value, which resulted in "IT Leaders' Choice" awards for Dell PowerEdgeTM  servers, OptiPlexTM desktops, DimensionTM  desktops, and LatitudeTM  notebooks. Dell also won the Computerworld PC Customer Satisfaction Survey this November.

Dell consistently was cited as a leader in Technology Business Research, Inc. (TBR) quarterly customer satisfaction surveys. In May, TBR announced that Dell was the leading corporate desktop vendor in its first-quarter Customer Satisfaction Rating. TBR's second-quarter Customer Satisfaction Rating, announced in July, showed Dell as the leading corporate notebook vendor. And in October, TBR announced that Dell had the highest Customer Satisfaction Rating for servers, desktops and notebooks during the third quarter.

In March, enterprise industry research firm Datapro published its first survey of PC server customers, in which Dell scored highest in overall customer satisfaction.

Dell's manufacturing excellence was also honored this year, as its Austin,Texas, OptiPlex manufacturing facility was a recipient of a Texas Quality Award in May. Based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria and process, the award is given by the Quality Texas Foundation to organizations that are role models for quality, customer satisfaction and performance excellence in Texas.

America Online, Inc., based in Dulles, Virginia, is the world's leader in branded interactive services and content. America Online, Inc. operates two worldwide Internet online services: America Online, with 13.5 million members; and CompuServe, with approximately 2 million members. America Online, Inc. also operates AOL Studios, a leading builder of Internet brands for new market segments. Other branded Internet services operated by America Online, Inc. include AOL.COM, the world's most accessed Web site from home; Digital City, Inc., the No. 1 branded local content network and community guide on AOL and the Internet; AOL NetFind, AOL's comprehensive guide to the Internet; AOL Instant Messenger, an instant messaging tool available on both AOL and the Internet; and ICQ, an instant communication and chat technology on the Internet.