Troubled by international price of M11x

I ordered an M11x a few days ago as follows (strengths in bold):

SU4100
4GB RAM
Bluetooth
160GB HDD
3 week ETA
$1020 Cdn

Effective tomorrow, a quick trip across the US line would get me this M11x:

T7300
4GB RAM
No Bluetooth
250GB HDD
Immediate delivery
$899 US = $905 Cdn

I'm really inclined to cancel the machine and make a trip stateside. Ordering the BestBuy system on Dell Canada's site would be $1200. I can't justify a $300 premium or higher price for a less powerful machine. Any tips for when I call customer service Monday would be most appreciated. Also, if anyone can PM me a copy of a BB receipt or photo of the deal, it would help my negotiations greatly.

 

I know, and it just get worst with the M17x and m15x!
Check out MFactal guide to order from outside the US and still get their prices!

 

My M11x cost me $1050 after taxes up here...

T7300
4GB RAM
No Bluetooth
360GB HDD

There was a recent promotion on the Dell.ca site which I was able to apply an additional 7% on top. Got it in 2 weeks by the way...

The $905 system would still be $1013 after you pay the GST and BC Sales Tax. Also you need to be cautious, the box has a hard to miss Made in China sticker that could get the Custom staff to collect duties on top of this...

 

Isnt the bluetooth module like $20-$30 ?

 

I checked into the duty side of things... these are exempt of duty but tax is applicable. The $905 system comes in at $1013, but the $1020 system is of considerably lower spec and comes in at $1142 once taxes are applied.

I guess for me it just comes down to a value thing... US buyers that purchased direct from Dell got a bit of a raw deal, and Canadians purchasing locally got a bit of a raw deal too... but when the raw deals stack I get this sick in my stomach feeling like I've been shafted. A 30% premium for being a Canadian buyer... yeah, that feels like a good reaming.

I don't really want to cancel my order. I'd much prefer a CS rep make me happy. That's why I'm wondering what they have the power to do. I planned to buy a gaming mouse and keyboard for this; I also wanted extra warrantee. If they make the offer decent with accessories, I'll be happy. Anyone made similar requests of Dell before? What was the outcome?

Yup, $20. The base unit is $899 and the RAM is $100 extra. Dell isn't too nice to Canadians when it comes to pricing. Our dollar is at par but the pricing is far from equal. From what I understand, other international clients suffer similarly.

 

Well if it makes you feel any better, your prices are still better than the European, where the price conversion often works in a way that the number is the same, but the currency isn't $ but Euro. If you want extra warranty there is some m11x configuration that is discounted by $99 that includes 2 year warranty. I saw it today, SU7300+4gb+160gbh hd+bluetooth+2year warranty. Costs $899 before tax and stuff.

 

I had no idea how Dell treated international buyers before this week. I just looked up the Best Buy config on the Auzzie site. It's $1489 USD after currency conversion. I thought I was getting messed with. How do these guys even sell machines internationally? A Canadian pays a surcharge of $300, an Australian $590... this is unethical.

 

You should check out the prices in Israel .
I payed 3200$ for the machine in my sig including three years advanced warranty in us. Same config in Israel is 5200$ (!!!)
take into account that there are no import taxes on electronics here and you can clearly see who's to blame for the inflated price...

 

Still cheap my friend, I payed in Dell Argentina 1590u$s :

su7300
500hd
bluetooth
4gb

Ordered Feb 26th, still waiting for it, supposed this week......

 

you think thats bad- check the UK price! Farking hell they are ripping us off!

 

which country are you in to get M11X with T7300 Proc?

 

It's SU7300, it's a mistake.

Yes, there are a lot of other countries with similar prices. E.g. Croatia: m11x SU7300 4GB RAM, 250GH HD, costs $2000. (there is a 22% tax though)

It just looks like a robbery.

 

Try buying it directly in Venezuela and it will cost you a sweet $2675.

Weird that prices differ in every country.

 

If you try and get the m11x from the Alienware outlet in Beijing it costs $1750, and thats with all the lowest specs

 

Wow.... this is perhaps most surprising for me. Pay workers 10x less than in US, then sell them the same thing (which is assembled there!) for 2x as much...

 

Always trying to keep the man down

 

Dell international is free to price the products as they see fit; basically, what they think the customers in the countries are prepared to pay. I read this on the Dell forum.

For example, I've seen them set ridiculously high prices in Taiwan on Alienware laptops. One day it is $2000 for some laptop, another day they can lower it to $1000, or raise it to $3000. They are just playing with their customers money. You would think that the cheapest prices would be found in China/Taiwan/Asia area, close to where the notebooks are being made. But that's not the case.

The U.S is always prioritized when it comes to prices, coupons, rebates and customization options. And the products are always lunched in the US first, some time you have to wait many months before the models are launched in other countries.

It should be said that Dell is not alone in this. Lenovo is doing exactly the same, for example. You'll have to pay the double price in Europe or Asia for some notebook models, compared to the U.S.

I don't know the theory behind all this. Just observing. When I hear something will only cost $799 (M11x), I know that's a price I will never be close to get.

I also know that when I hear "just call customer service, they'll send a replacement laptop without hassle, no restocking fee, etc", that's just a big "yeah, right... ", if you are not living in the U.S.

 

Well, Dell's policy of overcharging international clients has cost them my business. I called today to cancel my order due to the price issue and a concern over misrepresented specs on the Dell Canada website. There was no pushback and the salesperson called me 3 hours later. An hour of phone time and a lot more hold time had Dell come back with the following:

1. The machine is not the same because the one at Best Buy had the SU7300 (mine was the 4100) and different options (BB had the 250/7200rpm vs my 160/5400rpm and mine had bluetooth). Because the machines differed, my request for a price adjustment wasn't acceptable. It didn't matter that I was being charged more for the lower options than BB charged for the higher ones.
2. They would not provide extra warrantee or accessories to offset any difference despite the fact the BB machine was mine plus upgrades.
3. They could cancel my order or do nothing about the lack of competitiveness with their own product. Basically take it or leave it.
4. They acknowledged the incorrect specs on the Dell site but showed no interest in having them corrected so future buyers could purchase with confidence.

Better luck to anyone else that seeks to buy an AW M11x direct from Dell; I cancelled my order. It appears they don't want my business but perhaps they want yours more. Too bad too... I was starting to like the crew around here. Anyway, I'm buying the Gateway 15" gaming system for $500 less. It's no ultra-portable, but at least it comes from a company with more respectable business practices. Alienware was once the best outfit for gaming systems there was, but I'm sad to say it's gone to Dell.

 

I usually wait for the systems to go on sale on Dell.CA, I also check the Dell Canada Outlet now and then, I managed to pick up some decent deals there once in a while

 

I am sorry to hear that you choose not to get the system. I also purchased mine online and had some thoughts of whether I should have just picked up the Best Buy model. I am glad I stuck with the system as it is absolutely amazing. There is something special about the system, from the rock solid build quality to the mystique of running Crysis on medium settings on a netbook. It has that extra pizazz that luxury cars such as Jaguars and Ferrari's exude and all of my friends are envious. Alienware still has the best gaming systems...you just had the misfortune of dealing with Dell's customer service department.

 

Like I said earlier my system came with better specs than the BestBuy system and the price was similar.

BestBuy
T7300
4GB RAM
No Bluetooth
250GB HDD

$899 US + State Sales Tax (4% at least) + GST and PST = $1042US

Dell.ca
T7300
4GB RAM
No Bluetooth
320GB HDD

$999 Cdn - 7% EPP + GST + PST = $1040

If you're patient there's always a sale sooner or later, my M1530 2 years ago was purchased with a 25% discount coupon.

Dell has to deal with many different variables when selling outside the US which has an impact on the sticker price. I have a friend who's business is import/export and the stories I hear from him are unbelievable... Many countries have protectionist attitude which can seriously raise the cost of products.

Good luck with your monster gateway system...

 

That's exactly true. If you try and buy/import a foreign made car in China you essentially end up paying 100% tax/duties on it. So when people see a $70,000 price tag on a BMW 3 series its not because BMW can manipulate the prices by that much its more a result of China's policies.