Extra Discounts from Reps?

Hello All,

Just wanted to poll this forum: typically, do Dell representatives have the authority to discount a system from the price quoted on the website? If so, how does one get the rep to do this?

Thank you.

 

They can if they talk to their managers.

 

I believe they work on commision, like most other companies, so they most likely will give you a discount. Try telling them you found a deal on another site and they will most likely try and match it or beat it, if it is a legitimate deal.

 

From what I know Managers do not have anymore authority then the repersentitives. So anyone can give you a discount.

 

yeah like i said they work on commision, so dell makes the same amount no matter what (but obviousely they can only go so low), by giving you a discount they just cut their commision down, but they increase the chance of getting a sale

 

Crazy, When I talked to my rep he had to talk to his manager to get a better discount on something. He got back to me a day later and was able to get what I want. I wonder why he would lie.

 

outkast, he might of just said that so he could discuss what the lowest discount he should give while still getting a decent commision would be. i could be wrong though

 

I was told this by Dell customer care (the outsourced people). They may run things differently than Sales runs it.

 

I recently posted a response to an article on best practices for buying a computer which I thought may help all so...posted here.

It does pertain to my experiences with Dell, for the most part, but the methodology wouldnt differ from manufacturer to manufacturer I would guess.

My best practice for ordering is simple:

1. Configure it online;
2. Call a Dell Rep and get a feel for what they can do for you. You may want to 'shop around' for the right Rep;
3. Configure your system with the Rep piece by piece following what you put together online;
4. Go through each and every upgrade even if you dont need it. Ask if they can 'throw it in' for each or ' Whats the lowest I can get that option for?"
5. Dont commit even when you think you have a best price but rather, ask them to send you a quote; this is their committal to you.
6. If you run into a Rep that doesnt want to send a quote after an offer, it usually means they are giving you an incredible deal and may get in trouble for it.
7. Believe it, CSRs will give great deals for your response via email and their sales stats.
8. After you have a quote, dont be afraid to bring it to another CSR to confirm it cant be beat. DONT ever tell them the quote number or other CSR name though. They are not allowed to cut throat one another and, if you do this, they cant beat the deal you have...

and...Good Luck!!!

This is cut and pasted from my thread here where there has been alot of success.

Oh and... value of my system was around 3700 paid 1388 and still got free stuff... Combine it with this thread after the purchase...

 

I was able to get a DELL sale rep to give me an instant $100.00 off as well as 8% off the final total! This was in addition to all my online discounts!

 

I order computers for the Small Business I work for. I always contact my Dell account manager prior to making a purchase. They can always do something. I usually do as flamenko states. I configure online, save the configuration to a wish list and contact my rep who looks at the setup I saved and adjusts it. I tell them I need to get approval from the bosses so I need the quote e-mailed to me. I usually take an hour or two to look it over and then give them a call back to place the order. (I'm sure I could haggle a little more out of them if I had time but I usually just go with the deal they give me). Most of the time they will reduce the price slightly ($50-100) but give me things like an upgraded monitor and/or processor, a 3 year warrantee, upgraded software, etc... I've never had a Small Business Rep go to a manager for approval.

 

I got £100 in their pre 19th December sale and the guy gave me an additional £50 off after speaking to his manager and me pleading with him that I'm a poor student and that I may look somewhere else.

I literally just told him if you give me £50 off right now I'll give you my credit card number and you can place the order.

 

I called in and got a better deal. It is worth a shot.