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Dell customer support



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 2nd 03, 08:41 PM
Steve
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Default Dell customer support

In Ed Foster's GripeLine column, he quotes a letter from one of his
readers:

"Two years ago, one frequent complaint about open source software was
that there's no customer support. However, two years ago, I realized
I was getting no customer support from Microsoft either. My choices:
(a) low-cost open source solutions with "no customer support" - which
isn't really accurate, or (b) high-priced Microsoft products with no
customer support and increasingly extortionary license terms. Tough
choice, huh?"

Unfortunately, it looks like this logic could increasingly be applied
to Dell vs lower-cost PC makers. Sigh.

  #2  
Old July 2nd 03, 10:39 PM
Steve
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Default

Marcio Watanabe wrote:
No, it can't as there is a big difference. Low cost open source
solutions are really low cost compared to Microsoft's. Lower cost PC
makers are not much lower cost than Dell if any. In fact, when Dell
has promotions, it's hard to buy a PC cheaper even if you build it
yourself, so you won't save any money by going to no-brand PC makers.


Dunno about that, can save a few hundred bucks over Dell on desktop
specs like these:

P4
2.2 GHz
512MB RAM
DVD-ROM
DVD-RW
120G hard drive
64MB nVidia GeForce4
5 USB 2
3 firewire
S video, digital audio
Flash memory card readers
10/100 NIC
3.5" floppy
56K modem
18.1" LCD monitor

  #3  
Old July 2nd 03, 11:18 PM
HH
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Default

I couldn't find a cheaper price than what I got on my 4550 about 4 months
ago on the small biz side:

P4 2.53 GHz
533MHz bus
512MB PC2700
CD-ROM
60GB, 7,200 HD
64MB nVidia GeForce 4
10/100 NIC
4 USB 2.0

$589.
No local vendors could beat it, nor could HP, Compaq, Micron, Gateway.

HH


"Steve" wrote in message
...
Marcio Watanabe wrote:
No, it can't as there is a big difference. Low cost open source
solutions are really low cost compared to Microsoft's. Lower cost PC
makers are not much lower cost than Dell if any. In fact, when Dell
has promotions, it's hard to buy a PC cheaper even if you build it
yourself, so you won't save any money by going to no-brand PC makers.


Dunno about that, can save a few hundred bucks over Dell on desktop
specs like these:

P4
2.2 GHz
512MB RAM
DVD-ROM
DVD-RW
120G hard drive
64MB nVidia GeForce4
5 USB 2
3 firewire
S video, digital audio
Flash memory card readers
10/100 NIC
3.5" floppy
56K modem
18.1" LCD monitor



  #4  
Old July 2nd 03, 11:58 PM
EdH
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Posts: n/a
Default

"HH" wrote in message
.. .
I couldn't find a cheaper price than what I got on my 4550 about 4 months
ago on the small biz side:


Easy to beat Dell on notebooks though. My latest was a
Gateway and the price/specs blow Dell out of the waer.


  #5  
Old July 3rd 03, 12:16 AM
Steve
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"HH" wrote:
I couldn't find a cheaper price than what I got on my 4550 about 4 months
ago on the small biz side:
P4 2.53 GHz
533MHz bus
512MB PC2700
CD-ROM
60GB, 7,200 HD
64MB nVidia GeForce 4
10/100 NIC
4 USB 2.0
$589.
No local vendors could beat it, nor could HP, Compaq, Micron, Gateway.


Can get pretty much those specs plus DVD, DVD-RW, 120G HD, memory
readers, modem, floppy, 18.1" LCD, for about $1200-1300 at Costco.
Equivalent is about $1700-1800 at Dell.


Marcio Watanabe wrote:
No, it can't as there is a big difference. Low cost open source
solutions are really low cost compared to Microsoft's. Lower cost PC
makers are not much lower cost than Dell if any. In fact, when Dell
has promotions, it's hard to buy a PC cheaper even if you build it
yourself, so you won't save any money by going to no-brand PC makers.


Dunno about that, can save a few hundred bucks over Dell on desktop
specs like these:

P4
2.2 GHz
512MB RAM
DVD-ROM
DVD-RW
120G hard drive
64MB nVidia GeForce4
5 USB 2
3 firewire
S video, digital audio
Flash memory card readers
10/100 NIC
3.5" floppy
56K modem
18.1" LCD monitor



  #6  
Old July 3rd 03, 12:21 AM
Tom Scales
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Posts: n/a
Default

Yeah, perhaps true. Of course, the warranty is probably longer than the
life of the vendor......


"EdH" wrote in message
...
"HH" wrote in message
.. .
I couldn't find a cheaper price than what I got on my 4550 about 4

months
ago on the small biz side:


Easy to beat Dell on notebooks though. My latest was a
Gateway and the price/specs blow Dell out of the waer.





  #7  
Old July 3rd 03, 12:44 AM
John R Weiss
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Posts: n/a
Default

"Steve" wrote...

Dunno about that, can save a few hundred bucks over Dell on desktop
specs like these:

P4
2.2 GHz
512MB RAM


.. . .

Definitely! And as soon as Dell discovers people will NOT pay a premium any
more when their support and warranty go down the tubes, the lower-priced vendors
will pick up a significant part of their market share. Dell took it away from
gateway a couple years ago, and their time may come soon!

  #8  
Old July 3rd 03, 12:45 AM
ameijers
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Steve" wrote in message
...
"HH" wrote:
I couldn't find a cheaper price than what I got on my 4550 about 4 months

(big snip)
Nobody else said it, so I will- there is more to a PC than the spec numbers.
There is also how robustly it is built, how easy it is to service, the
quality of the components used, etc. After using and servicing
commercial-grade Dells and Compaqs at work, the big box generics, and even
the 'civilian model' Dells and Compaqs feel like flimsy junk to me. (I like
a case I can stand on.) I currently have all my relatives set up on
previous-generation Dell Optiplexes. No, they ain't speedy by modern
standards, but they are plenty fast for casual browsing and word processing,
which is all my relatives do anyway. And the machines are (knock on wood)
ultra-reliable mechanically. The only problems any of them have had is when
some oustside person tries to install software and hoses up the load. When
that happens, I pull another one out of the pile, throw a fresh image on it,
and ship it off for a swapout. I used to roll my own, but I can recycle
trailing edge stuff for half the cost, and get better quality.

If I ever splurge and buy a new machine, it will be from the
business/industrial side of the web page, not the 'home user' screen.

aem sends....

  #9  
Old July 3rd 03, 01:18 AM
Tom Scales
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Posts: n/a
Default

No, it was $589 at Dell. Didn't you read the post?

Hmm, $1200 at Costco
$589 at Dell.

I'm going to COSTCO!

Tom
"Steve" wrote in message
...
"HH" wrote:
I couldn't find a cheaper price than what I got on my 4550 about 4 months
ago on the small biz side:
P4 2.53 GHz
533MHz bus
512MB PC2700
CD-ROM
60GB, 7,200 HD
64MB nVidia GeForce 4
10/100 NIC
4 USB 2.0
$589.
No local vendors could beat it, nor could HP, Compaq, Micron, Gateway.


Can get pretty much those specs plus DVD, DVD-RW, 120G HD, memory
readers, modem, floppy, 18.1" LCD, for about $1200-1300 at Costco.
Equivalent is about $1700-1800 at Dell.


Marcio Watanabe wrote:
No, it can't as there is a big difference. Low cost open source
solutions are really low cost compared to Microsoft's. Lower cost PC
makers are not much lower cost than Dell if any. In fact, when Dell
has promotions, it's hard to buy a PC cheaper even if you build it
yourself, so you won't save any money by going to no-brand PC makers.

Dunno about that, can save a few hundred bucks over Dell on desktop
specs like these:

P4
2.2 GHz
512MB RAM
DVD-ROM
DVD-RW
120G hard drive
64MB nVidia GeForce4
5 USB 2
3 firewire
S video, digital audio
Flash memory card readers
10/100 NIC
3.5" floppy
56K modem
18.1" LCD monitor






  #10  
Old July 3rd 03, 01:20 AM
Steve
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Marcio Watanabe wrote:
Can get pretty much those specs plus DVD, DVD-RW, 120G HD, memory
readers, modem, floppy, 18.1" LCD, for about $1200-1300 at Costco.
Equivalent is about $1700-1800 at Dell.


$600 or 30% cheaper than Dell? Sorry but I'll have to ask you to
prove that. I only believe it when I see it. I'm going to Costco in
1 hour anyway and I'll remember to check that.


http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?trg=product%2Easp&catid=84&subid=3782 &hierid=3783&prdid=10031979&log=

 




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