Alienware Customer Service Legit?

So I called Alienware in order to make a purchase of an M17x, because I heard you could get amazing discounts if you order online and me being a student, I had to call. So I called and I set up my alienware laptop through a sales representative. I asked him about the student discount and promotional discounts applied to alienware computers. He gave me a hefty discount of $317 off of the set price w/out discounts---- including a free backpack for customer satisfaction. I was like "woah no freakin way". Is dell alienware even allowed to do this? I called to make sure this guy was legit and apparently he is a legit sales representative for dell. I called Dell customer service(not alienware support) and they said that apparently the discount he if offering is great but weird because they usually don't offer THAT much. What are your experiences?

 

Yes they are allowed to do this.

Stuff like this happens all the time

It all depends on who you talk to - Some are more generous than others. In your case, looks like you found a great rep.

 

This guy is a sales manager, apparently.

 

I really wish they would just have lower prices upfront instead of giving them to you over the phone (which can be a mixed bag). I think that would help customer satisfaction more than anything. Would be nice if they also threw in a free backpack and mouse with their laptops like Asus does with theirs.

 

Yep its legit. I got my M17x R4 for about $1700 out the door when it was originally priced at $2100 BEFORE tax. I also got the 5% gift card, the $200 gift card and free next business day shipping. I couldn't believe it myself.

 

I think it's more rewarding/exciting getting goodies/discounts. I think it builds a stronger connection between the consumer and the company as oppose to just ordering it without speaking to anyone.

The reason they want us to haggle is because there's alot of people out there who just buy it flat out for full price on on the website.

The people who do this:
1. Don't even know haggling is possible;
2. Too lazy to haggle (no motivation);
3. Money is no object to them

 

Yep plus its better business for them. The people who dont do research get the worse deal just like buying a new car. Ive only owned 2 new cars in my life and never once paid sticker price. Plus when you deal with a great rep, you keep their information and they will get you a nice deal the next time you buy from them, kind of like a loyalty program. I will NEVER buy a computer 'online' again.

 

I wouldn't have called up again asking about that rep, if he gave you THAT good of deal (they usually aren't meant to) then you calling up could a) have put him in trouble at work, and b) they could easily have revoked it and said it wasn't in his powers to make such offers. Next time just accept it and keep your mouth shut

I don't understand your question anyway, YOU called up Dell, didn't you? Did you call the Dell number? Did he answer the phone? If so, chances are he works for Dell!

I disagree, some people are quite happy to pay sticker price and have the money for it, while some don't. If you're happy to pay $3,000 for a laptop, then it shouldn't matter to you that someone else managed to get the exact same system for $2,000. If it does, you probably shouldn't have spent that much on it without doing your research.

 

Well most people with money have a solid grasp of value for money.

The higher the price, the higher the expectation.


If they paid a lot, people feel more unhappy about engineering oversights and corner cutting, like:

- cheap, overly reflective, scratch sensitive plastic screens covering the display, instead of glass with anti-reflective coating like Apple.
- paint coming off, cause it can't adapt to the temperature changes of the panel it sits on,
- keyboard keys popping off
- too much noise, because the cooling system is not as carefully designed as Asus


So, everything has a price...

 

The first rep wouldn't give me a discount TT_TT and he says I'll have to pay for the free xbox because he can't see the -199.99 on the cart. And he said there was no profit margin. They were giving me a better deal online. I'll have to try again.

 

This is the problem.

Sometimes you get an awesome rep and you get 10-15% off. and sometimes you get a guy who cant even count the fingers on his hands and won't help you at all.

 

Why don't you get a quote from one of the sales guys here on the forums if you're in the US/CAN (think they have a guy for GER/UK too)?

There's a couple big threads with alot of happy customers

Here for example:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/669327-alienware-sales-assistance-thread-redux-30.html

@Defengar
Agreed. Never settle for a single rep. Spend at least an hour calling.

 

I contacted Rev already and I'm waiting for someone to contact me :3 Hopefully it'll turn out great. I'm a bit rushed though because if I can't secure a good deal I was going to buy a Y580, but the deal I wanted ends on Wednesday. Wish me luck.