Ordering a Computer From Dell
Written: May 09 '03
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When it came time for me to get a new computer, a friend recommended that I check out ordering a dell. My friend also mentioned that if I call instead of ordering online, I could get a better price. I was skeptical, but I decided to check this out. I surfed over to dell4me.com.
Dell seems to always offer some sort of promotion, such as free shipping, free upgrades, or mail in rebates. Sometimes the promotions may be better then other times, so you kind of have to keep checking if you want the lowest price. When I ordered, the promotions I accepted included a memory and hard drive upgrade, a free CD burner and $150 mail-in-rebate.
Overall the design of dell4me.com was very nice and easy to navigate. In addition selling computers and computer systems, you can also order scanners, PDAs and even games from dell4me.com. Since I was interested in just a computer I clicked on desktops. To order a computer you start by selecting a series, and then you can customize your computer system, or purchase the default system.
Obviously I chose to customize my system so I could see exactly what I would be getting. The customizing process was easy and straightforward. First you select a processor, then a hard drive, then your memory, and so on. For every option there is a default selection already checked, and the other selections show the price relative to the default (i.e. -$20, +$50). Almost everything can be custom configured, such as the RAM, the disk drives and even things such as the speakers and keyboard. However one thing I noticed is that Dell only uses Intel processors. In addition, going through this process, I noticed that many of the “default” selections were pretty odd. The default system I had selected had no floppy drive, but had a “telephony” modem and came with a $40 surge protector. I strongly suggest that everyone customize their system to make sure you get everything you need, but nothing that you don’t need. Through the customization, I was able to trim a few hundred dollars of the price of the computer. Overall the configuring process was fun and only took a few minutes.
Being that I hadn’t been on the market for a new computer in over two years, I wasn’t sure what to expect price wise. I remembered back in the fall of 2000, when I purchased my HP 800mhz Pentium III for $1500. I was pleased to find that my system cost only $739 plus $99 shipping. However, being that I had read negative reviews of dell4me.com, I decided to hold off on the order. I was also discouraged by the fact that the tax charge cannot be seen until after you place your order. I registered for an account, which was very fast (you don’t need to provide any credit card information yet), and saved my configured computer.
After looking at Circuit City, Best Buy and CompUSA, I figured that Dell still offered the best deal. I finally return to dell4me.com a few weeks later, and found out that my promotions had been extended. After contemplating for another day or two, I finally decided to call 1800wwwdell. On my first try, I did not get through to an operator and I was mysteriously disconnected by the automated system. On my second try, I was able to talk to an operator within less then a minute. Over the phone, I told the operator the exact configurations I wanted from a printout of the system I had configured on dell4me.com. The price I was given was the same as the price the website gave, with the addition of about 5 bucks in tax. I said that I would think about it, and order it from the website if I deiced to. Then he informed me that he had permission, through an e-mail, to give me an instant $75 discount. I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t know if there would be a better deal tomorrow, or if everyone got this discount, but it was a pretty good deal, so I placed the order over the phone.
I ended up ordering a 4550 series Pentium 4 2.53ghz computer with 256mb ram, 60 gig hard drive and DVD and CD-RW drives for about $760 before the $150 mail in rebate on April 29, 2003. I was given a confirmation number over the phone, and was sent confirmation e-mail right after I placed the order. I received another e-mail the next day informing me that the computer was being shipped through UPS, along with the tracking number. UPS delivered the computer on May 2, 2003. The time from when I placed my order to when I received my computer at my doorstep was less then 72 hours. I live in Virginia, some 1000 miles away from Dell, based in Texas. The whole process was simple and hassle free.
The computer came in a big square sized box, with the computer laid horizontally at the bottom, and the keyboard, mouse, speakers, software and manuals packed above it. Everything came sealed and undamaged, and operated correctly.
In conclusion, I ordered my computer over the phone (1800wwwdell), after configuring the system on the web at dell4me.com. Either way, you are ordering direct from Dell. From my experience, I was able to get a better deal over the phone vs. at the website. I only had positive experiences with Dell. Dell offers competitive desktop computers at the lower prices than HP/Compaq and Sony.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Demension 4550 Desktop Computer
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