Military Question!

So im deploying this summer and was wondering how you guys that are in the military ordered your system to get the best deal im eyeing the m17x-r2 and im in the airforce btw.

 

Sorry to jack your thread but I also have a question about laptops in the military. If your deployed how do you charge your laptop? is there like a room setup with powerplugs somewhere or what?

I'm enlisting pretty soon.

 

well im in the airforce so im restricted to the base so outlets are plentiful
army marines and anyone else good luck with that

 

I usually order through AAFES, but with the M17x-R2 not showing a discount there I was able to call Dell a couple times until I got a good enough deal to rival AAFES (with a discount) and the tax savings.

Basically, I got the configuration in my sig through Dell using my DPA for just over $2600 including tax and talked them into NBD shipping for free. That's what I would have paid through AAFES with a 10% discount (if there was one) and no tax so it all worked out. Plus with my refund from the M17x I returned I have a surplus of almost $300 so I am actually only paying just over $2300.

 

When I was in the Air Force (retired now) I deployed a lot in the field and we always had power run everywhere. Generators FTW

 

yeah i looked on the aaefes site but all they seemed to offer me was tax free and no shipping i keep hearing about this 10% off to no avail. I wonder if they offer benefits for people deploying or would i have to be there to apply?

 

would dells team blackhawk try and compete with affes on a sale? Also what if i threw in asus g73jh from xotic pc would that make them flinch a bit? i want a good deal im not tryingto rob anyone but i want my moneys worth

 

OK guys, heres the scoop. Deploying out to Iraq is like anything back in the states. It's getting pretty garrison. Power plugs everywhere. Just use canned air to clean your stuff and take care of it. For the best deal, I would go through Dell EPP and get the military discount. Just tell them that you are in the Air Force, Marines, Army, whatever. Don't think there is anything else to provide. EPP should be a good 10% off discount. Also you won't have to pay for tax, or shipping if it's going to an APO. At least it worked for me Then you can open a Dell Preferred account or what ever its called (DPA). That will give you an extra 3% off. Right now Ordering the M17X R2 from AAFES will cost the exact same as ordering straight from Dell. Ergo, it's cheaper via EPP. Price it out and you will see. You can also wait till there are coupons that come out. I know there is a thread for one that ends today. You can stack that on top of all the discounts you get. On top of that Do some bargaining. Run some game on them. Tell them that you really want to but you need some time to think about it since you have just barely enough cash. Those reps want that commission. Make them work for it. They will throw in some more goodies or drop the price a little more. Trust me. The worst they can do is say no. They will keep you on the line as long as they can till you say yes. Remember, your the one with the power. If you don't get the answer your looking for, hang up and call again and get a differant rep, somone who is willing to work for your commission. Well Hope this helps. Let me know if there are any other questions. Right now I'm in Iraq (3rd time) and can answer plenty of questions related to this theatre of operations, but can't really comment on Afghanistan since I havn't been there (Yet...)

 

whats epp? i only know of affes

 

also i wanted to recieve it before i deploy that way if somthing goes wrong im not in the desert when it happens

 

YUSSS thanks. exactly what I've been looking for.

 

i have a good 2400-2600 atm

 

nvm found a link to it in another thread

 

Here is the number for the Dell EPP line. It's the "Employee Purchase Program"

http://www.dell.com/content/segmenter.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=_eep
1-866-535-3578
Mon.-Sun.
7am - 11pm CST

Now Call, Order, And be merry!

 

wow that epp site is awsome ill be able to order on the 9th will there still be deals then cuz i just specd out what i wanted and its going to save me 300 dollers without coupons

 

Order on the phone, not on the site, you can get much better deals and haggle. Thats ON TOP of the coupons. Or you can get them to throw in a free gaming mouse or something.

 

I was looking at the m11x, but was upset about the standard things (screen size, processor). While I am on the verge of getting a sony cw, I really do like this one, especially the idea of the alienfx. Im just afraid it wont be what I want, and the coolness will wear off quick. But with all these discounts, and this bargaining technique... ugh im torn. But thanks for the advise on making them work for their pay.

And to all of you who are and were in the armed forces, thank you for your dedicated service. I cannot say thank you enough for all the work you have done for me to be sitting here on my computer, thinking about what expensive little machine I want to get. You deserve the alienware

 

your exactly who i was hoping would answer when i told him to make the thread + rep

 

Air Force ROCKS!!! I was in AFJROTC in high School, too bad i can't join up I have Asthma. Oh Well Civil Air Patrol.

 

I need to bookmark this thread so when I go haggle these points are fresh in my head. I wonder if my wife was interested in a reg Dell would they maybe cut some more off seeing how I'd be buying 2 comps?

 

Mm this makes me feel like I'm buying a car lol

 

if you tell them you want to order 2 but you dont have enough for both right now see if they cut you a deal so you can get both.

They work off commission

 

I would definately work that angle on them. Afterall, it gives them a bigger commission Moo has some good advise by playing the "Almost but not quite there" card with the money

You might be able to get a waiver for that. Recruiters are like sales rep, they need to meet numbers so if your still interested, try and work with a recruiter.

Thanks, yea, i've been doing it a while and try to work the system to my advantage Always looking for loopholes

 

yeah i know only thing is i am like a very very acute asthmatic but my colonel told me he knows plenty of people who have asthma. I just don't know how i am going to pass basic training with contineus running and exercising.

 

Thanks

For those considering ordering today, here is a link to a thread with a coupon code for $50 off an order below $999 and a coupon code for $100 off an order above $999. If you spec it (M11X) right, you can get it to just over $1000 and then get the $100 off as well as the 10% off through EPP from the base price configured before you take off the $100. Again sign up for the DPA account. So you can essentially get 13% off, +$100 off, and haggle. I also heard something about signing up for EPP emails for an extra $50 off but that I can't verify. I'm at work at the moment and procrastinating on my appointments and reports waiting for lunch to roll around Don't forget to haggle. So if your order is $1100, you can get $243 (10% EPP + 3% DPA+$100 coupon) off, at least, plus whatever you can haggle. Just know that the coupon code linked expires tonight 4FEB2010 at midnight.

Coupon Code thread

Also note that if you get you M11X or whatever you order, from the date of reciept, you have 21 days to return it for a full refund no questions asked, no restocking fee. So if you don't like it, return it. They cut me some slack on my R1 since I'm in Iraq and I called on day 26 to return it. I shipped it Jan 17th and it's still in transit.

 

I ordered a maxed out r2 last night and i haggled a $700 discount system went from 4400 to 3700 i was very pleased indeed

 

Yep, the haggling thing works well. I have mentioned this before, but I called one day and got the 10% EPP plus another $50 off and was sent the quote in an email. Then I called the next day, got a different rep, and she took another $150 off the first quote if I used my DPA. With the 10% EPP, $50 first call, and another $150 the 2nd call, it brought that $2900 laptop down to just over $2400. I was very pleased and got it down to where I wanted so I bought it.

Like DR650SE said, always call....and call again and never order it online.

 

I have a DPA but i dont want to charge the system i just want to purchase it in full will they still let me get the discount? Also how do you get the epp discount im not an employe there?

 

Just tell them you are military and you should get the EPP discount.

 

and besides the deal section in this message board were can i find coupons? will just googling work.

 

Nice! I'm going to do the same when the new GPU's arrive.

Exactly, Since your Air Force, just call the EPP line and when they ask who your with tell them U.S. Air Force, thats the end of that. Then you proceed on to configuring. As for coupons, not sure if google will work, but dell releases them every once in a while.

 

were do they release them? iv been signed up since 2004 on there mailing list and never get coupons

 

Every once in a while I get them from dell in my email, generally they don't apply to me though, but a lot of forum members will share them at times. Just gotta keep your eyes peeled on the forum

 

I just want to say that aafes is quite a bit cheaper for me then if I were to order from Dell using EPP . Heres through Dell EPP site :

SYSTEM COLOR Alienware M15x, Cosmic Black
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Quad Core Processor 1.6GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 1 Year Basic Service Plan
VIDEO CARD 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M
LCD PANEL 15.6-inch WideHD+ 1600x900 (900p) WLED
MEMORY 6GB DDR3 at 1333MHz
HARD DRIVE 250GB SATAII 7,200RPM
BATTERY OPTIONS Primary - 6-cell (56Watt) Lithium-Ion Battery
WIRELESS CARDS Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11AGN Half Mini Card

Everything came out to this thats with the EPP and $100 off coupon :

Sub Total Sub Total $1,672.10
Shipping & Handling $19.00
Shipping Discount Shipping Discount -$19.00
Tax $91.97
State Environmental Fee State Environmental Fee More Info --
Total Total $1,764.07

When I called they said they could get it down to $1600.00 for everything.

Now this is what I get for price when I go through aafes :

ItemDescription Quantity Unit Price Ext Price
Base System Color;Alienware M15x, Cosmic Black 1 $1,403.75 $1,403.75
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-720QM Quad Core Processor 1.6GHz (2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
Memory: 6GB DDR3 at 1333MHz
LCD Display: 15.6-inch WideHD+ 1600x900 (900p) WLED
Video Card: 1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 260M
Hard Drive: 250GB SATAII 7,200RPM
Nameplate: Personalized Nameplate (Trashcan)
AlienFX: AlienFX Quasar Blue
Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Avatar: Alienhead Chrome Blue
Adobe Reader Acrobat SW: Adobe Acrobat Reader
Optical Drives: Slot-Load Dual Layer DVD Burner (DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Sound: Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
Wireless: Intel WiFi Link 5300 802.11AGN Half Mini Card
Automatic Updates: Automatic Updates: Off
Primary Battery: Primary - 6-cell (56Watt) Lithium-Ion Battery
Service: 1 Year Basic Service Plan
Wallpapers: Alienhead Chrome Blue
Bluetooth: Internal Bluetooth 2.1 Mini-Card - 2.1 Enhanced Data Rate
Standard Nameplate Trigger: Thank you for Purchasing Alienware
Total: $1,403.75

Now here is how I'm getting another 10% off on this. I closed my Military Star account and opening a new one which they give you a 10% off on your first time you use it. So im going to end up paying $1260 for this which is a killer deal IMO .

 

Since you are looking at the M15x, then yes AAFES is definitely cheaper because those (and the M17x R1) have the discount applied to their price. It's the new M17x-R2 that is not discounted....yet.

Definitely order through AAFES if you are ordering an M15x. I originally ordered my M17x R1 through AAFES and opened a Military Star account to take advantage of the extra 10% off as well. Can't beat a deal like that and not paying tax either.

 

I sent AAFES customer service a note today and asked why an exactly built M17x iCore was cheaper on Dell than AAFES (and explained tax free does not equal EPP discounts). All said, Dell was about $100 cheaper. I'll let you know what/if I get back...or we'll get lucky and they'll actually put the 10% EPP on the AAFES site.

 

I hope you get further than I did. I got tired of waiting for the discount to show up for the M17x-R2. I was under the impression they would do a price match if you found it cheaper on Dell's web site, but maybe that was only for the non-EPP price.

There are only two people at AAFES that are the Dell reps there: a man and a woman. I dealt with the woman and she kept telling me that Dell is the one who updates the AAFES/Dell web site. Hopefully they apply the discount soon.

 

Well the Alienware Headquarters is close to SouthCOM or Southern Command here in Miami so I took in my Military ID and placed my order in person.

Unfortunately after 3 months my m15x was throttling bad and finally just recently got my $3,000 refund check from DELL after writting to the FL State attorney General. And sending DELL a copy of the letter Certified mail.

Funny thing is they have not asked for the m15x back yet???

 

Interesting. I think I still have an e-mail from the male from when I queried the shipping of my M15x (not really looking for an M17x, just curious why AAFES not offering their usual discount). If I don't get an answer in a week, I'll see if I can find that message and respond directly to the Dell rep.

I would find it hard to believe that AAFES would let outsiders update their web pages, what with potential security issues, customer account protection, etc.

If I remember right, it took a bit for the M15x prices to come down on the AAFES site as well...although I could never understand why the silver or red versions cost hundreds more (which I think they finally fixed).

 

Technically, the web pages with the Dell products are actually Dell owned pages. If you look at the address it is a dell site when you start to configure it. They are linked to AAFES as far as the products and prices, but the look and feel is all Dell. Once you submit your requisition it puts the product in your AAFES cart and when you submit that cart, AAFES sends the order back to Dell for purchase. So basically AAFES is the middle man in the order process, but the product comes straight from Dell.

EDIT: I see they now have the M11x on AAFES now. But obviously not right because the same configuration as the Alienware site costs over $200 more on the AAFES site.

 

I got no cooperation at all from those BlackHawk butt wipes including the guy who said he was the team leader. I wanted the $99.00 mini and an equivelant edp discount and all said no way. So I finally got in touch with a Delll EDP rep. who made it work. In my opinion, those guys were as worthless as a one legged man in a butt kicking contest.

 

I LOL'd at that one.