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General discussion

My Recent Dell Experience

Apr 22, 2005 2:26PM PDT

I know there are already 100's of post about Dell, good, bad, are they best etc. etc. I thought I would post some comments in regards to my recent experiences with Dell. SORRY IF THIS IS TOO LONG...

I cannot say if my purchase is "better" than it would of been with other places,or if Dell is "the best" - I do not feel qualified enough for that since this is only my 3rd pc I have bought in 14 years (the other two being for me, both from a local custom builder place). BUT what I can do is simply tell everyone how my Dell experience went and MY OPINION of it.
Quick background - if you have seen my other posts over the last week + I was looking for a "good" pc for my mom, but did not need to be some super system.

OVERALL I cannot be more pleased so far. I found the prices quite low, the web site easy to use, the options on PC's and configurations virtually endless, and the customer service area (sales) very helpful and nice. So far I have LOVED DELL!!!

After reviewing multiple posts and reviews, looking at various prices and configurations, keeping the needs of my mom in mind, and ultimately going with my gut I DID order a Dell Demension 3000 with the P4 3.0MGz HT, 512 ram, 80 gb hd etc. Got the whole thing with a monitor and printer, tax, shipping etc for $465 (under $500 for a mid to upper P4 with HT tech and printer, and monitor - that I think is great)

I set the whole PC up online, then while I could of ordered right then and there I had a few quick questions, so I called the 800 #, got a rep in about 2 minutes max, she pulled my cart up, answered my questions and then I decided to order away.

I placed the order Tuesday at 8:30pm. I did have a custom built system. They built it Wednesday, shipped it that evening, and TODAY (Friday) I got it delivered to my door. Ordered a custom machine on Tuesday night, at the door Friday - I think that is incredible. Fired the puppy up this evening, and so far so good. I will admit I have not done anything real on it yet except boot it up, it will be off to my mom's tomorrow for her to use.

Anyway, to summarize, great prices, tons of options to customize, easy to order, helpful sales folks (or at least mine was) and delivered in 3 days after I ordered the thing.

ONLY advice I have is to watch the various sales, they change often (sometimes each day) and depending on what you want waiting 3-7 days may help you. For example, if you have a great printer but need a new monitor, at the beginning of the week they were giving away a free basic printer, or allowing you credit that towards a nicer one. BUT the last few days instead they have had a free 15 " flat panel. Earlier the special would not of helped you if you have a nice printer, but the later sales would.

I obviously have not had a tech issue yet, I promise that if I do have issues and my opinion goes south after dealing with tech support (which I heard MAY be a different experience) I will follow up on this post

SO - when I buy my next pc (maybe in the fall or around Christmas)unless something blows up in the interium I seem the be a pretty big Dell fan for now...

I ordered the

Discussion is locked

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I'm glad...
Apr 22, 2005 3:58PM PDT

you're having such a good experience with Dell, Chip. I truly believe that Dell is "capable" of making good computers and providing good support...and I'll be watching for your updates.

Who knows? Maybe things are finally changing at Dell. Maybe all the complaints and the lawsuit are having the desired effect! Could it be that...gasp...one day, we might all be able to order a Dell without fear of "Going to Hell"?

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, check this out:

http://chipchick.blogs.com/chip_chick/2005/03/dells_lawsuit_a.html

Wink JDM

(Or maybe Dell is still just "hit" or "miss". I guess we'll just have to wait and see.) Silly

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Congratulations Chip
Apr 23, 2005 4:04AM PDT

I'm sure your mother is happy with the computer you purchased for her.

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Glad to hear
Apr 23, 2005 11:09AM PDT

I guess the only thing we can go by is our own experience. My experience has been fine with my Dell. I had a Gateway and it was your worse nightmare. After the first month I had a rebuilt computer. Everything went out, speakers, mother board (2 not the first month), power pack. Finally bought a new one that I had built from a local dealer. Nightmare again so I paid a restocking fee 3 weeks later for him to take it back. I gave him my old PC plus his charges to fix the computer so I decided to count my losses. Then I ordered a Dell in fear and trimbeling. Thank goodness I lucked out as far as it is still working and I have had it since Dec. 13, 2004. The only reason I ordered a Dell is because I knew a lot of people who had one and seemed pleased. Anyway glad to hear when people have pleasant experiences with their computers no matter where they purchase one. If I was a teck I would build my own and fix it.