Saving £££ in the UK buying ANY Dell/AW system OR accessories - please contribute!

If you order through quidco (they'll charge £5 for 1 years membership, but only after you earn £5 cashback) you'll get the 15% coupon and upto 10% cashback as well. In my case it looks like 10% cashback on the Ex VAT total of my order and it's tracking in my quidco account, giving an effective discount of 25%. From order to my system's ETA will be a total of 9 days.

 

I don't suppose you can give me the outline of how this works and what kind of scenario I can expect. XD
After I got my configuration I phone them give them my email - ID and then be like I got my M14 on configuration for £1100 (Do i mention the coupons?) and then be like I only got £900 before the offer ends. Anyway I can get a price drop? Then be give my card details? Correct me if i'm wrong. P.S Thanks again for the help.

 

That sounds about right.

If you go this route then be sure to request an e-mail conatining the spec & price of what you're agreeing to buy before you give any card details. It's all well and good agreeing something with someone over the phone, but you need to make sure you'll be getting exactly what you want before paying for it.

 

Spot on.

Basically, no need to be all "gung-ho" about asking for a discount.....being subtle is the best approach as stu says......bit of banter, kind of "this is my budget" and "hmmmm, thats tempting - if it were only a bit more affordable" are good lines to say to a rep as it will make them think you are on the hook and biting at the sale which they want....they will work a bit harder im sure if you can coax them a bit.

 

... I'm scared! T_T D: Sales person frightening. >.<

 

Haha - they are only human mate, dont stress yourself. If you are worried, before you call I suggest you work out a spec. you want online and note the price. Work out what you think is a good deal and what you REALISTICALLY want to pay for it then make the call - give the spec - see what the rep says and then see if you can get them to drop the price to what you want using the methods described before.

 

I just used the quidco 15% code on an m18x, took £360 off the total.
code is:0TKH4PZ8673N1Q

 

i just used that voucher on the Eurogamer Specials | Dell UK link as well. so a total of £353 off an M14x! Which i have just ordered!

Thanks stevie for the rep! will give him kudos to his manager too!! 25% discount!

 

Wow - thats a HUGE saving!!! - great stuff !! - In the famous words of Hannibal from the A-Team....."I love it when a plan comes together!!!!"

 

quidco no longer charge £5 a year, there is also topcashback.com that offers the same thing but is always 1% higher than quidco.

Also another point to note is the cashback is off the excluding VAT + Delivery price.

The best way i found of getting max discount (i got something silly like 47% off) is:

Spec your system on-line and save it, using any code available at the time.

I then used a convoluted edit of the URL to access a messed up search of Dells best deals on alienware, This i couldn't explain as it takes me ages to figure out each time i do it but saved me £100. (i will re edit my post next time i figure it out)

then wait. Each day Dell will email you with a "we have saved something for you" email, then they will send you some codes like 5% off or 10% off, these are generally stackable.

I then added a 2nd laptop to the basket and called dell (or PM me or this steve dude and get our REP's to call you) tell them the current price you have with all offers.

And begin to build rapport! Never accept their 1st offer (i had 9offers emailed to me)

Say you want to know how much finance will be per month (he knocked another 10% off for me not using finance) i told him i had the cash but needed it for uni.

Told him i want to think about it and got more off

 

Could you use 15% coupon and still have discount from stevie's rep? and i wish i could pm stevie now

 

Can answer that one for you actually and the answer is unfortunately not. Tried that with him myself and he can't combine discounts....

 

I have bought several laptops from Canada (cheaper in the first place and combining that with the exchange rate, made considerable savings), having my girlfriend at the time living in Vancouver. All she did was take the laptop out of the box, re-package it and send it over. She just told them that I had forgotten it. Worked every time. Obviously you need to know someone it that country, but if you do your laughing.

 

How does telling customs you forgot it, work? What sort of decleration do you need?

(also, the second laptop in the list in your sig... Did she not pack it well enough that time? )

 

Steve's rep could match the eurogamer build plus 15% discount voucher price of £1010 for a red M14x, i7 2.2ghz, 6gb RAM, 3GB GT555m, 750Gb HDD, 1600x900 screen, killer N wireless. Down from £1344. But he couldnt beat it.

That said, it was great discount either way!

Noticed today mine was shipped yesterday! but no tracking dates yet... i want it now!

 

Steve - hi been watching this post for a while.

would you be able to give me the contact details of your reply please? I'm looking for a M17x roughly about £1000 but can go slightly higher roughly about 200. I have a spec with coupons its coming about £1500. Do you think he'll be able to do it?

Dave

 

Hi Dave, Really dont know what kind of deals can be done.....I tend to stay out of that side of things and let you and him discuss the finer details. Each sale is different and so each discount is different too....it would be wrong of me to give you an idea of discount without knowing it to be correct.

Bes tthing to do mate is make a few more posts on NBR, shoot me a PM with the details requested on page 1 and I will get my rep to contact you - he's away at the moment and not due back in the office until 31st Oct.

 

Has anyone had experience of threatening to send an alienware back? I was looking around for a case and seen lots of people saying they got sent a case free! So i'm tempted to threaten to return it as i've seen many people get free backpacks and see if i can get one.

Just a thought really!

 

I never have enough of a brass neck to try anything like that, hence I bought a backpack along with my 18x.

 

Well, i tried online chat twice, both gave me a 9-5 number to call for collection. so tried an email this time. fingers crossed!

 

Hi there, great thread here Steve, thanks for the effort you clearly go to on everyone's behalf.

I'm in need of a new laptop to replace my now long in the tooth Sony SZ650N which I bought about 5 yrs ago in the US. I travel internationally a great deal with Dubai, USA and Hong Kong (in HK as I write this) being frequent stops. As such I need a portable machine and enjoy the odd game when I'm stuck in a hotel down route.

So I believe I've ruled out the m11x for being too small for gaming and slightly behind in performance terms. That leaves the m17x r3 or the m14x. Ideally I would want an m14x r2 if it existed!

So two things i need help with: I think the m17x would be too big and heavy to cart around with me everywhere. What are peoples thoughts on this? The weight isn't as important for me as the size as I don't get my bags weighed and they all have wheels! Are these laptops pretty durable, i won't make the mistake of putting fragile labels on my cases but that still wont stop the loaders dropping/kicking/throwing my suitcase around the airports!

Should i buy from dell USA or perhaps HK? The concern with the USA option being order/delivery times and would they post to a hotel address in the states?

I think I'd be happier buying from the uk with codes/discounts as I think i'd fair better with warranty support if I had any issues. I'm aware of Quidco and dmxdimension who seem to offer the best discounts in the Uk but it seems I'm in a potentially good position with respect to my travelling to get a great deal so was hoping to get some of your thoughts on the matter!

Oh and a quick afterthought, can someone clarify whether 6gb ram operates in dual mode or do I need 4gb/8gb to get the optimum rig? I'd be looking to get the i7 2670, 1600x900p, 3gb Graphics, 750gb hd, killer NIC, with neoprene sleeve! It seems that thats the one most people opt for.

 

Hiya Jimbo.

Regarding choosing your system, Its a performance or weight thing really isnt it? - personally, I would get a good solution to carrying an M17x R3 vs anything smaller/less potent.

I dont know the US policy on a "business traveller" buying whilst they are there and getting a delivery within the US. Might be an idea to ask over on this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/456885-aw-dell-ordering-advice-how-save.html

I personally think you would get a better deal buying direct from America even with disount codes etc etc. Warranty is transferable so you wont have an issue with that regardless of where you buy your system.

Regarding the system ram, when you have mismatched sodimm's, they run in flex mode - basically, if you have 6gb, you will get 4gb run in dual channel and the remainder in single channel. I would be tempted to order with the lowest possible and then look to upgrade aftermarket with an 8gb kit....something like the kingston hyperx stuff that is so popular with enthusiasts here on NBR.

 

Remember HK is a VAT free port too. i've bought plenty of computers over there in my time!

Anyway, an update on getting a free bag for Steve the alienware (My M14x - thought it was the alien from american dad, but thats roger! Still, Steve stays!). I tried online chat and they couldnt help. so i emailed the sales team saying i wanted the free bag and mouse other people get when tehy get a good deal! They couldn't match it.

So they offered me 10% refund instead. thats £105! all for sending 4 emails! Just goes to show, you dont ask, you dont get!

 

Thanks Steve.

Seems the 15% off deal has been extended again to 2nd November. new code though i think: K42J$LLT2TVWB0

Theres now also a 5% deal off "everything" but doesn't stack with the above 15% you get off the laptop price. It will get you 5% of accesories such as bags etc though when used with the above code (i got a whopping £1.30 off the m14x neoprene sleeve!). NVL$C9FV8LVCMD

Essentially, going through dmx this gets you the i7 2670, 6gb ram, 3gb 555gtm, 750gb hd, win 7 home 64bit, 1600x900 display and killer N network card for near enough £1000. How much did ppl pay for their equivalent systems here?

Not sure whether to use the above combo with the dmxdimension deal or go with quidco 15% and 10% cashback. I think the dmx ends up being better value though

Any other "pre configured" deals out there that i'm unaware of?

 

£1400 (real price with forced upgraded i7 due to stock levels)
£1344 (listed price)
£1199 (Eurogamer offer price)
£1010 (15% voucher price)
£925 (Topcashback £85)
£820 (10% refund of £105 because they cant send me a bag and i threatened to send the machine back!)

 

Wow nice going. How did you get the topcashback and eurogamer discounts together? I was under the impression the two wouldnt stack. Did you actually get the £85 paid to you yet? Would it be the same for quidco?

That final 10% off is awesome!

 

yeah, the eurogamer was an offer from their facebook site. so its not classed as a discount voucher. Its just a special offer. Topcashback is the same as quidco, its just top cashback were offering more. Although i'm going to dispute it as is should be 15% not 10%, because its alienware!

Dad got a better deal tho! XPS17 with everything for £715 after topcashback. 17" hd screen, i7 2670QM, 3gb GT555M, 6gb 1333mhz ram, 1Tb HDD, bluetooth, backlit keyboard. Its basically the same as the M14x!

 

hi guys, im new on the forums, but been checking the discussions for a while. im planning to get a new alienware laptop, havent decided if im going to go for m17x r3 or the mighty m18x

been checking the dell outlet uk for couple of weeks and have to say i missed couple of great deals on certified refurbished laptops. just couldnt decide what to go for, there was a lot of great laptops for great prices. last couple of days there hasnt been any new added, currently there is only 1 m17x r3 and no m18x.

what is surprising is that there is quite a lot of m17x r2's for higher price than the r3's. dont understand how dell wants to sell these 1 year old machines for such a high price, but oh well, its their problem not ours.

well what i'm trying to say here is that i was reading through the discussion here and saw that elviras got a really great deal on his m14x. there still seems to be 15% off any alienware system until 2nd of november 2011.

just registered on the topcashback site aswell and there seems to be another 15% cashback offer if you click through their website to dell and buy your laptop online.

well just seems like amazing to me, 30% off any spec alienware laptop. so im slowly changing my mind from buying from dell outlet and might go for brand new system with my own spec aswell.

the problem is i still havent decided what to go for, so im going to post both configurations here and maybe ill get some comments from you guys what do you think about it.

m18x
i7 2670
2x 560m gtx sli
4gb 1333mhx (plan to upgrade myself)
2x 320gb 7200rpm
1920x1080 wled
rest is all stock

this comes to £1994
- 15% dell coupon is £296
- 15% topvoucher (from price without VAT) is £210
which makes it £1488

m17x r3
i7 2670
amd 6990m
4gb 1333mhz (plan to upgrade myself)
2x 320gb 7200rpm
1600x900 (1080p too small for my eyes)
rest is stock

this comes up to £1544
- dell 15% coupon £228
- topvoucher is £161
which makes it £1155

im planning to use the laptop for gaming, photography (lightroom and photoshop) and watching movies. m18x is £330 more expensive. the graphic power for gaming should be about equal cause 2x 560m should give me similar fps as 6990m cause the amd card will be used at 900p compared to 1080p right?

what do you think, is it worth trying to call dell and speak to them personally, will they be able to match any of these offers?

 

Hi Evilras, I will like to know how u track the topcashback/quidco if u use another link that is not through topcashback/quidco (the eurogamer offer one).
Thank you!

 

Ok, Lovethai first!

Totally up to you what spec you go for. I went for the m14x over the m17x due to the weight and size, as i wanted something i can carry around! And seeing as its spanking BF3 with everything on high, i'm over the moon with it! M18x is basically a foldable desktop! Dont plan on carrying it anywhere! i've had the m1710 and m1730 dell 17" gaming machines, and they were HEAVY! You certainly wouldn't be passing the machine to someone one handed!

But as for discount, i'd see what the best deal possible is. the current eurogamer link is - http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/2397-120909-30766-20?mpt=alien_fb_tabs_UK. you can use the 15% discount against that.

But always ring/email dell! work out what the cost - 15% - topcashback is, and then tell them you only have £100 less than that figure and see what happens. You can always walk away and buy it online then. but see what the reps can do! even if its just the same price with a bag and mouse! cos thats still £140 of stuff thrown in! Good luck!

 

Hi Kaloka!

I basically went to topcashback and went through the link to alienware. then copied and pasted the eurogamer link in that webpage. And bought the machine as normal with the 15% discount voucher applied.

I did get a bit worried as it didnt track straight away. it started tracking the day after it was delivered! As i say, it was £85 which is 10% back. topcashback had said 15%, but not sure if i can dispute the amount.

 

Thank you for your response, and I have looked up tcb, the cashback written as 15%(is actually without tax), so it might end up be around 12% or less.

 

yeah, but 15% of £858.62 (the pre vat amount) is more than £85!

 

Perhaps it was the price before the other 15% code had kicked in. Either way you're still getting around 30% total discount off the rrp doing it this way. I plan to order one tomorrow afternoon, so long as I don't stumble across any outlet scorching deals.

Oh and how long did it take you to receive your m14x from ordering evilras?

 

Just got confirmation of my £106 refund too. so thats good! Especially as i just bought a Razer Goliathus and Roccat kone mouse!

Jimbo, ordered at 23:54 on 19th october. Received on 24th october! Uber fast!! And VERY happy with it! Looks great in red with the red lights, and the Roccat Kone (+) all lit up too! I'll post a pic if i can host it anywhere!

 

Cool, would be nice to see it. Actually I just bagged myself a nice m17x r3 off the outlet:

Alienware M17xR3 : Stealth Black
Blu-ray Disc (BD) Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
Wireless: Dell 375 Bluetooth Card
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 BIT)
Wireless : Intel Wireless 6300 (802.11a/b/g/n 3X3) LAN Card
500 GB 2.5inch 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Data Burst Cache SATA II Hybrid Hard Drive
English Genuine Windows 7 SP1 Home Premium (64Bit OS)
Battery : Primary 9-cell 90W/HR LI-ION
Graphics: 2 GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M
Back Up Media Not Included
Processor: Intel Core i7 2720QM 2.2GHz (3.3GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache)
Misc
Display: 17.3-inch Wide FHD (1920 x 1080) WLED LCD
8 GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz (2 DIMMs)
Certified Refurbished
No Warranty Upgrade

£1061+vat

Was a little more than I was planning on spending and it isnt an m14x but I couldn't ignore the spec! I still have doubts as to the weight/size of it for travelling but I guess I'll find out when it arrives!

 

Thats brilliant mate! what a cracking machine! And a decent price. i too couldnt get an M17x at m14x prices, hence the m14x won out. but tbh i'm really happy with its size! i'll try a pic later!

 

congrats JimboJet. how did you manage to get such a great machine on dell outlet uk? i was checking it whole day today atleast 5 times, and always saw only 1 17x r3 there, the low spec one with the 6870 amd radeon.
do you guys know how many times a week they update the outlet with new models or its completely random?

 

Some great deals going down here!!!! Congrats to everyone who is grabbin' 'em while stocks last!! - I'm thinking that my rep would not be able to compete with the combined discounts at the moment so good for everyone who is taking advantage of the great savings on offer.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed - good that we can all help each other out!

 

Just a quick shot, apologies if its not in the right thread! But this is what £820 worth of alienware looks like!

 

ok so i have decided to go for the eurogamer offer plus 15% dell discount plus 15% topcashback discount. i got the eurogamer offer from here:

Alienware M17x - Compare the Deals - Alienware Discount Coupons

full price: £1758
eurogamer -£180
dell 15% discount -£236
topcashback 15% -£167
----------------------------------
price to pay £1175

and the spec:

Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 2760QM (2.40Ghz, 6MB, 4C)
6144MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [1x2048 + 1x4096]
2GB GDDR5 AMD® Radeon™ HD 6990M
750GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 - EUR
DVD+/-RW (DVD, CD read and write)
17.3" (44 cm) WideHD+ (1600 x 900) WLED LCD

basically the eurogamer offer gave me free processor upgrade, extra 2gb of ram and killer wireless, my spec from before was otherwise the same.
anyway i will place the order tomorrow 1st of november before the dell 15% discount runs out on 2nd.

i am going to order crucial 64gb SSD and i will also consider swapping the memory for the faster one, how many memory banks are in 17 R3? so it should be able to install 4x4GB modules for a total of 16GB right?
strange that when i input alienware 17 r3 on the crucial memory website, it tells me its got only 2 memory slots and max memory is 8gb...

 

Great deal - and the M17x R3 has 4 slots - max 32gb if you use 8gb modules. 32gb is overkill.

Another NBR member posted a great guide for ram upgrading on the R3.

Here it is!

 

Don't forget the extra 5% off any extras you may want. NVL$C9FV8LVCMD is the code and it should stack with the 15% you already used for the system itself.

It worked when I priced up the m14x I was going for. Albeit it only saved me £1.40 off off the £28 neoprene sleeve, but if you were after say a printer etc then it might be more beneficial!

You realise you're speccing with the 1600x900 display right? I guess its personal choice but I would want the 1920x1080p display personally - you may not be interested in hd movies/games now but you may at a later date if blue rays become more mainstream! In either case its a great system, can't wait to get mine!

 

yes just read some reviews for 900p vs 1080p screens, and seems like that the 1600x900 screen which comes with r3's is low end model and not very good. so i will upgrade to 1900x1080 i think.
my current 4 year old dell 1720 inspiron got the 1900x1200 lcd panel and even though its very sharp and bright i was a bit concerned when gaming at this resolution, all ingame menus/text was way too small to read/look at.
so i thought i will save my eyes more strain and get the 900p one, but might have to reconsider now i read some opiniions here on NBR about it.

 

1600 x 900 for 14", 1920 x 1080 for 17"!

 

the 15% off dell offer is extended once again to 9th november 2011
do you think they will keep extending untill christmas?

 

man, i rushed in on the 19th october thinking it was a time limited thing! They must be getting a ncie increase in sales! clear out old chassis or something.

 

I believe they (Dell) are making way for an M18x R2......

 

just got email from dell:
save 10% on all alienware systems, code: 8SSG7LSMTWBGSG
the offer expires 31.01.2012
looks like the good offers are here to stay!

btw: can they release m18x r2 before new crop of intel processors and graphic cards arrive?

 

LoL! yeah, saw they were doing 10% off xps over £699. and thought, how useless is that with a 15% off dell over £499 going around! haha! But nice to see the deals!

dont forget topcashback/quidco too. they're doing 10% cashback on alienware! that can really help the cost!