Experiences with Dell?

Hi, I am considering a Dell laptop (XPS M1330, probably) and I am just wondering about the experience purchasing a laptop through Dell. I mostly ask not just because of the customer service and potential shipping delays but also the specific communication lanes. In other words, most of the communication is either online or on the phone. I am concerned to be honest because of the outsourcing. I went on the 'chat feature' and I was obivously communicating with someone whose first language isn't English or at least, I had enough presented to me to provoke concern.

I am concerned also because I assume that this outsourcing or move to restrict customer service in some way suggests neglect of service.

I like that Dell has Linux connections as I want a machine compatible with Linux and I also want a light weight notebook. But, I want to be reassured that there will be no problems with the purchase, shipping and overall experience in buying the laptop.

Comments? What's your experience?

 

There are never any real guarantees. Generally though the quality of the M1330s is good, but if you want a horror story, read my on-going thread in my sig.

I've never had any problems purchasing - the best thing to do is call them up. That way you can talk to a real person, get them to confirm everything (eg emailing you the configuration), and possibly even negotiate on the price a bit.
But it's always a good idea to know what you want before hand, so spend a bit of time on the website seeing what configuration options are available. It's also a good idea to write down the E-Value code of your configuration. That way, you can tell it to the person on the phone, and make sure they're seeing what you're seeing.

Shipping takes about two weeks (ordering to delivery). Sometimes though it can be longer - when they first came out there was a huge backlog for the M1330s, and some people had to wait upto a month.
As far as I know though, all that's been resolved now. (it was something to do with the White coloured lid, which has now been discontinued.)

That's about it, good luck!