Extortion based support

I was just hung up on by Dell support because a Dell Flash update that occurred automatically overnight caused the machine to not boot up or recognize my hard drive or load Windows, and they will not fix it unless I pay them $99.

Dell caused this problem by their Flash Update. My PC was working  perfectly before the Dell Flash Update destroyed it.

When I learned today that my warranty had expired, I was going to renew it anyway because it had expired while I was on a 24/7 watch in hospitals for months with my 91 year old mother who had a stroke.  But I can't renew it now yet because Dell is trying to extort me to pay them $99 to fix the problem THEY created.  

It comes down to trust.  Why would I trust a company that does this to stand behind their warranty?  Sure, I WAS going to renew, and had they not gone the extortion route and fixed what they broke first, I wouldn't be typing this complaint and seeking ways to even the score.  

They have shown no appreciation for years of Dell loyalty and dozens of computers bought from them, and have violated my trust, content to leave me with a non-working PC unless I pay them $99 to fix what they broke.  The warranty I was going to buy from them is now suspect.  A company that would break my machine and then force me to pay them to fix it, is no different than criminals who use ransomware.  How can I trust that after I renew the warranty they won't continue the extortion bit and still leave me with a non-functioning machine unless I hand over more money to them?

I bought this PC and didn't even take it out of the box for almost a year.  And so I have only been using it for about a year.  It is the most expensive one I have ever purchased of the dozens I have bought over the years.  Customer loyalty means nothing to Dell.

I wonder how many machines have been destroyed by this Dell flash update.  How many people have been extorted $99 to fix it?  How does the FTC and FCC not get into this?

When I asked to speak to someone else, I was given the same wrong statements and position, and then the chat was ended when I wouldn't budge and asked for who I file my complaint with next.