M17xR2 on the outlet...watch out!

If you are thinking of buying an M17x R2 on dells outlet think again.

Something is up with thier pricing. Last week you could buy the base config of an R2 for about 1100.00 with the coupon. Today the same unit is 2200.00.

Im not sure why they think someone would pay more for a refurb than a new one but they are obviously doing something to discourage you from buying them. That is if you know the normal prices.

watch out!

 

yeah seriously i can get it much cheaper for epp. I am pissed since i missed out on the deal for the 15% off instead of the 10%. I called in and they let me stack the boeing discount with the 10% epp and gave me a 3 yr basic for right aroudn $200. I have the config saved and gonna decided if i want it but as of right now i am gonna pass and see what i can get from forum members who would be interested in trading their m17x for my NEW m15x. Next week they will have a tax free weekend for back to school in Missouri and many other states. I wonder if i can do that it says online is also qualified but it will be interesting to see how it plays out. Their is an epp $100 off coupon but my rep said they have been told not to combine that with boeing as well so that kinda hurt. Back on topic PLZ STAY AWAY FROM OUTLET go to teh dell EPP site or call Dell regular and haggle usually take 20% off easily.

 

It's funny because the M17xR2's disappeared for a couple of weeks (150+ R2's gone!), then when they returned, their pricing was ridiculous.

I tweeted stephanie at DellOutlet (the contact person for the Dell Outlet on Twitter), and started an email conversation about it. She was interested in the problem, and a few days later told me it was a pricing rule error and had been fixed. But it hadn't. Same high prices. When I told her it hadn't been fixed, she apologized and said she was told it was fixed and would look into it again. Later, she said it was fixed now. It wasn't. Then, she requested some examples. I sent her one where a base $1799 model was selling for $2059 (not to mention a plethora of single 4870's that are now sub-base). Long story short, she emailed back that most of the examples she tries are 7% lower than retail. I tried making the point that 7% is ridiculous for the Outlet, and that 20-50% off retail is the norm. There are hundreds of examples of high-priced, used R2's there, and if you watch the quantities on a day-to-day basis, you'll see that none are selling.

I basically gave up arguing because, although she is supposedly responsible for the Outlet, she apparently is not knowledgeable enough on pricing to know when something isn't right. To her, at retail or 7% below is a great deal and normal for the Outlet. I told her that when Dell sees no one is buying those overpriced R2's, maybe then they'll get a clue.

In any case, I noticed that the lower priced units I was emailing her dropped $100 today. Still overpriced, but coincidentally, the 20% off coupon expired yesterday. Could it be that Dell raises the price when there is a coupon and drops it back down when the coupon expires? (the most expensive R2 was $4800 +/- yesterday and is now $4500 +/-)

Too bad, because there is a huge volume of R2's at the Outlet, but at those prices, there is no reason to even consider it.

I guess my last purchase before they disappeared (an i5-540/6GB/CF 4870 unit in mint condition) for $1200 is the last good deal I'll be seeing there for a while!

 

yeah, agreed. Something smells funny. Personally i think the high R2 pricing is to discourage R2's and encourage R1's. Only a fool would buy an R1 now.

I picked up another R2 a couple of weeks ago with the 540, 2 x 500gb hd's and a 5870 for 1285.xx delivered and promply sold it to a friend. that was a good deal. the prices now just mean i wont buy without a 50% off coupon...lol

 

I think it is more than M17x R2's...I was looking at Inspiron 11z's at the Outlet, and, again, the cheapest were basic Celeron units for $406+ (list is $349).

Let's hope something changes soon...at those prices, it's really going to cramp my shopping style!

 

Hi folks, new around here but learning a great deal lurking about. I'm glad someone posted this because I noticed the same thing and was really ticked off when I saw all the R2's reappear at basically full price. Now they're kind of in between that and where the really good prices were about a month ago. And even the R1's aren't exactly screaming deals either.

Anyway reading through this thread some people mentioned things like coupons and even haggling with sales reps? Are there specific places to watch for coupons that are legit or is it totally random? I didn't know you could negotiate the prices. I also have the EPP discount through my employer (10%), can you usually combine that with coupons? This has really got my attention because without significant discounts one of these things really wouldn't be on my radar.

 

dude use your epp discount and call in and sometimes you can stack it with the alienware 10% discount and haggle them on the warranty price and have them throw in free next day shipping. outlet sucks right now it is better than last couple weeks but still not the same as new for using all your discounts and haggling.

 

Ever since I linked this thread in an email to Stephanie at Dell Outlet (the Twitter contact for the Outlet), I've not heard a single word from her.

I tried telling her there was something wrong. Maybe it isn't wrong after all, just different (ie, Dell is purposefully raising the prices at the Outlet to make up for loses, or who knows what!).

In any case, yes, prices have come down a bit, which tells me that this price hike is on purpose, and now, bit by bit, they are lowering them, while still making good profit on the dummies that buy right now...