This week we have decided to share a couple of letters from readers we received in recent days.

Question: I bought my Dell laptop in China at the end of 2001. The year warranty has already expired, but my USB connection is broken and I need it repaired. I went to dell.com.cn and used their online support, but I've waited 2 weeks and got no response yet. I called them and they said they couldn't help me since my warranty is gone!!! What should I do? I am very angry at Dell now and wish I had bought an HP computer in Germany before I come here to China.

Answer: Dell prides itself on having great customer service, but news reports over the last year have seen Dell's quality of support waning worldwide.

I called up Dell's Support Center in Xiamen and spoke with Mr. Cheer Wei. He said that Dell in China daily gets hundreds of customer support questions via the website and they have trouble keeping up with all of them. I told him this was no excuse to wait for two weeks to respond to a customer, but he said there was little else they could do.

He said that although your warranty is expired, Dell can still help you fix the computer. However since the motherboard and USB are intertwined on the laptops, you'll need to get a new motherboard, which could cost a minimum of 3000CNY, if you buy from Dell.

I suggest you have a third-party take a look at your computer. Dell uses parts from different vendors, unlike companies like IBM who make customers buy IBM and only IBM parts at exorbitant rates in China, so you should be able to replace the part with the help of someone else, at a cheaper price. if you still want to contact Dell, I suggest you contact Dell's Mr. Wei directly at cheer_wei AT dell.com. Good luck.

Question: I am in the UK and need to arrange for videoconferencing with a Shanghai supplier. Where can I do this?

Answer: You can do this in many spots in Shanghai, but as you're setting this up from overseas, an English-language office atmosphere may be more amenable to you. You can contact Regus Shanghai in the Jin Mao Centre. They offer a videoconferencing studio in Asia`s second-highest building and a landmark of Shanghai Pudong district. You can call them at +86 21 2890 9860 to arrange for your Chinese counterpart to get to the videoconferencing area.