AW/DELL Ordering Advice - How to save $$$

thanks kinda what i thought.

 

I have some questions about ordering and haggling by phone. I think it is mentioned before that you should call Dell Sales Agent and haggling, before requesting him/her to send you the quotation by e-mail. Subsequently, you should repeat this process preferably for 10 times, so that you choose the cheapest quote from those 10 quotations.

1. Then again, these Dell Sales Agents should be connected via same ordering network. Won't the system suspect that you are some kind of nuisance that may not really sincere in buying the laptop? After all, why all of a sudden are there many callers asking about the same Alienware laptop?

2. Should I provide my name each time I have the conversation on the phone with each sales agent?

I suspect that if I try to gather the quotations, I may be suspected as a troublemaker and the call line system will disconnect my call. And, they may not want to deal with me any more.

 

My sales rep was also super awesome, I got a cool $400 off my total price

 

That seems like a lot of work just call and build what you want then when he/she gives you the total, say you only have X amount of money. They will work with you

 

From My experience, Once you get a quote via email as a pdf file they link it to your address (I think post code in UK), email ID or something. coz if you call again to get another quote they will know you already have received one and would just tell you that they wont be able to reduce any further. so I suggest not to ask them to send any quote via email only when you are satisfied with the price. just take their name and direct line number and tell them you will call back, ie if you think you have received a good price and you still want to try... also before you call just get few numbers of sales good sales reps here...

about dell suspecting and all... haaa they have the worst communication network... even before transferring my calls they give me the direct like stating that there is a high chance of me reaching somewhere else and I have... A LOT. they really don't care much. But at least they give you reduction unlike sony and apple where they asked me to get it online (I wonder if they really care for the commission)...

 

Wow thank you guys so much for all the info. This is so helpful for noobs like me trying to get a new computer. Now I think I shall try these "tactics" for the m17x r3 =)

 

Not that I am in the market for one, but I would think dealing with them *might* be a bit harder due to the increase in demand?

I'm very eager to see the NBR review of one of these, we'll finally really have a feel for what it can do...

I'm also wondering if dealing on an R2 is going to be any easier though....

 

cool mate, I am in the market for an M17X, not sure whether R2 or R3 yet. will defo send you a pm abt the sales rep.

edit: that's kinda lame, I can't see the send pm button

 

Yea I see what you are saying, I thought about that too. I think I am just being hopeful =p. I'll post the process to help others out. As for the review for m17x r3. I'll post the stats and I guess a brief review when I get it. But I am not too knowledgeable so might not be too much help. I am trying to decide if I really want the r3 vs r2.

 

So on aafes they have a stock m11x r1 for 599... That's about 25% off the normal price. Do you think I can haggle for better? I've called a few reps and they aren't budging and some won't even price match it. If it isn't anyone have a good tactic I can use? Im not the best haggler

 

I think you need like 15 post or something, before you can pm. Forum rules should state the right number.

 

Thats seems like a pretty fair price, lower than the outlet or EPP unless you have one of the Boeing accounts. I would go for it...

 

So i subscribed to the coupon thing but never got a $50 off coupon in my email. Looking to buy an R3 but id definitely love $50 off

 

Same here. Could someone please help us?

 

You will need at least 5 quality posts to have access to the Private Messaging (PM) and signature system. This is to stop spam created by bots.

After you have reached 5 posts you will need to wait for usergroup promotions which runs at 11pm EST every night.

 

What "5 quality posts" means?

 

Guys, keep in mind, this guide was written almost a year ago. Dell may no longer be offering the same promotion as back than. I might have to edit that part out of the original post. Keep in mind though, subscribing allows you get get coupon codes, so it's not completely worthless.

 

Thanks for your amazing advice mate. Let me chime in too. I just bought an M17x yesterday, the DPA discount is not 3% anymore. It is 2.22%.

 

So its looking like the EPP discounts are pretty bad now? Please correct me if im wrong looking into ordering the new m17x r3. But it sounds like the best bet is waiting for EPP pricing for it to come out then trying to haggle? Doesnt seem like they have any good promotions or discounts going on right now.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

Nah haggling over the phone via epp is usually better than waiting it out. A few weeks ago they had a spend $3000 and get 15% off promo which is about as good as it can get outside of the outlet.

 

Hi I read the threads about suggestions to getting discounts from dell and all.

But I wanna know if any1 got discounts for the m17x r3 model yet through any way? And how much normally is the epp discount? Because ive heard around 10% but all I see is like 25 bucks for the m15x.

 

They're not bad, just not as good as they were. They've been running a $75.00 coupon on top of the 2%~3% for a while now thats still in effect, including a small amount off, like $20.00 from the main site.

 

Here are the current EPP deals for January ...
I would recommend just calling the 1-800 number and chatting with a Dell Rep.

 

Hi guys.

Thought I would let you all know of a great rep to deal with. He helped to get me a fantastic deal on my R2 a short while ago.

I know that alot of you will be wanting to get the very best deal that you can on maybe the new R3 system or posibly any other AW system that you are looking at...maybe R2....who knows....being a Dell guy, he can arrange a deal on ANY Dell system.

Anyway, I have dealt with one of the very best Dell reps that I can ever recall dealing with. He really is a top guy and goes out of his way to get teh very best deal....I know, he did for me and I was very very pleased.

He is a UK based Senior Sales Representative for Dell UK therefore I dont know if he will be able to help out people from the US or other countries....you could always try!

I wont post his details here directly, but if you do want me to provide you with these, just shoot me a PM and I will give you instructions on how to get hold of him. (NBR rules about posting emails and contact details -sorry)

He has asked me to do things this way, so if you are looking to purchase any system in the very near future, I strongly suggest dropping me a message and see what he can sort out for you.

He will take enquiries for any Dell system, not just Alienware, so if your interested. Drop me a line! - nothing to lose eh?

Might just save you a fair bit of cash - and we ALL like that , dont we?

Regards
Steve.

 

I know who that guy is steve lol... well yea he is a great guy...

 

Yup. The very best. I thought I would let everyone in on a great rep given the fact that lots of people on NBR are looking for new systems now with the release of R3.

I have already referred several NBR memebrs to him who have subsequently ordered at a very good price.

Obviously, I cant personally guarantee what KIND of deal he can cut you, but rest assured, if there is a deal to be had....consider it done!

So, if anyone wants some "money off" action when ordering, you know what to do!......

 

Hi, would you please let me know who the rep is? I am about to order the R3 and looking for a good rep to order it with.
thank you

 

Steve,

Please MP me with what's needed

Thank you!

 

would you please let me know the contact info about the US rep?
I am about to order the R3 and looking for a good rep to order it with

thank you.

 

You need to PM me with a request - I cant post his details in the forum

 

I spent quite a bit of time with a sales rep yesterday to order the M17x r3. Tried everything, even got into a conversation about college football. nice guy, but he could only knock off $50. He had to put me on hold to get managers approval a couple of times, it reminded me of being a car dealership. It seemed like he had to just to get me the discount. In the past when sales reps would give me discounts, they seemed to know what they could offer. He said he could not offer more because I was ordering the new processor. It was disappointed (yet happy) to find that after all of that , I came home and found the $1699 deal link online. Which I ordered. I have a small business account, I order 4-5 pcs every year from Dell. Have for about 10 years. I was hoping this would give me discount leverage, it didn't.

In the past, I have found that I got my best deals when I: Placed the order online, called a sales rep right afterwards to "discuss" the order. The rep then stated that he could cancel my online order and re-order through him. He would give me ______. The blank being: I've gotten $'s off, free component upgrades, processor upgrades for free , free printers, etc. The rep that gave me a free printer stated that they usually have stuff they can give away. He had also given me $ off and a processor upgrade.

It didn't work this time though. Best deal for me was online.

 

^^^^^ akatim.... There is a general rule when a phone sales rep is not giving you the best deal, and it was listed in the guide here... kindly say no thanks and go call again. Hopefully the next rep will be more generous.

You bought so much from them in the past that I find it unusual he did not bend backwards to give you a cracker of a deal.
KJ

 

I chatted w/ an online rep for a few minutes and when they couldn't help me on price after asking 10 times, I told him, "thanks for trying, I'll wait to see what the 3D XPS looks like when it comes out" and he said that he would email me when they find out the offline discounts.

Haven't received an email yet.

I currently have an original M15x (9700m gt) and swore off Alienware because of the crappy build quality. The new M17x's HDMI input seems like an awesome feature to have.

 

Crappy build quality? - what planet are you on? - its one of, if not, THE very best built laptops around... doubt you would get an Asus as well built!

 

Could somebody lease give me a target price for which i could negotiate? I'm looking at a m15x with a starting price of 1699$. (it showed up in amazon for 1549$)

By how many dollars do dell usually overprice? What kind of discounts do people usually get?

thanks in advance

 

I saw somewhere that we can get around 10%~24% of discounts... try something around it.

 

He meant the Area-51 m15x...which DID have crap build quality and was never fixed. the Dell Alienware M15x however is very well built.

 

hello all alienwarers beep beep

could anyone tell me how much is the fair price for this spec

ALIENWARE M17X R2 aka CLASSIC (BRAND NEW NOT THE FR )

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i5 540M 2.53GHz (3.06GHz Turbo Mode, 3MB Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English edit
MEMORY 4GB Dual Channel Memory (2x 2GB DDR3) edit
VIDEO CARD 1GB GDDR5 ATI Radeon™ Mobility HD 5870 edit
HARD DRIVE 320GB 7,200RPM SATA-II HDD edit
LCD PANEL 17-inch WideXGA+ 1440 x 900 (900p) edit
WIRELESS CARDS Wireless 1520 802.11n Half Mini-Card edit
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW) edit

SYSTEM COLOR Space Black - Anodized Aluminum edit
My Software & Accessories
PERSONALIZED PLATE Personalized Nameplate (2BILL$) edit
PRE-INSTALLED GAMES Steam and Portal™ Factory Installed edit
PRE-INSTALLED GAMES Eve Online, Factory Installed edit
ALIENFX COLOR Terra Green edit
OS CUSTOMIZATION AlienGUIse Theme Manager with Breed Theme edit
OS CUSTOMIZATION Alienhead 3D edit
GEAR STORE Orion Alienware Messenger Bag - Fits Laptops with Screen Sizes Up to 17-inch - Black edit
Personalize
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 1 Year Basic Service Plan, DMLP edit

My Accessories
POWER PROTECTION Monster Cable MDP 800 Digital PowerCenter Surge Protector edit
POWER PROTECTION 240 Watt 3 Prong AC Adapter with 6 ft Power Cord edit
ALSO INCLUDED WITH YOUR SYSTEM
SOUND OPTIONS Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
BLUETOOTH Internal Wireless Bluetooth® 2.1 with EDR
POWER ADAPTERS 150 Watt Adapter
AUTOMATIC UPDATES Automatic Updates: On
Standard Nameplate Trigger Thank you for Purchasing Alienware

thanks all beep beep

 

Yes, the original M15x, didn't know it was called the Area 51 M15X though. They fixed the hinge under warranty, the hinge broke again. Thankfully the laptop seems to be ok besides that... but 3 years later it's showing its age.

 

Quick question about the final point on this guide. About pulling a return before the 21 days. I noticed that there IS a restocking fee on dells return policy of 15%. Is this guide out dated with respect to the return policy now in effect with dell? Or does the Alienware brand have a different policy with respect to restocking fees?

 

I called Dell/Alienware last week to confirm their return policy and warranty last week.

1. You have 21 days to return your laptop. If you intend to get a full refund without gettting another system from Alienware, you will be charged 15% restocking fees and charged to ship it off to Alienware on your own. So depending on the final price of your system you could very well lose $200, $300, or more!

2. The warranty states regarding paint and finish....and I asked the rep...it is covered in the 21 day period if you find a defect, after that...the warranty does not cover paint chips even if its not your fault! I think that is not fair, and they make you buy extra coverage.

If you have specific questions, then I'd suggest you call and ask. They are at least friendly.

KJ

 

Sir- I would indeed like to have your rep's contact information but due to rules we cannot PM. Moderator, If you can act as an intermediate to help with this it would be most appreciated. Thanks

 

Hi Steve,

Would you please PM me, I'd to discuss a M17xR3 with your UK rep

-I don't seem to be able to PM you...?

 

Hi mate....I think you need to have a few more posts under your belt before you can PM or I can PM you even....try a few more posts and hopefully i can help you out. Gonna redirect you to the UK specific thread on saving money here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...g-any-dell-aw-system-please-contribute-4.html I will check that thread for your posts as you are in the UK fella.

 

Steve, can you PM me with his contact info as well? I don't have a high enough reputation here to PM you.

Thanks

 

I am unable to PM you just like you are unable to PM me until you have 5 posts (i think) .... have a look round some of the other threads, post a few replies and then you should get PM access...or you could ask a Moderator for help...either way, if its UK you are buying from, try a post on my thread above about saving money in the UK....hope i can get his details to you soon.

 

Thanks Steve, I'm looking at all these posts now...but hopefully will be able to PM you soon for info.

 

No worries fella!

 

Great Post. Many excellent and useful tips. I appreciate the work put in. They will definately be put to good use when i get to purchasing my laptop. Keep it up bro!

 

thank you very much for the guide. so far only managed to get the free next day shipping along with the $225 discount to the 3d model. many thanks