Why do you like Dell?

I've just had a little idea spring to mind. I hope it hasn't been done before and that no one will get mad at me doing this.

Here's the idea.

Every laptop manufacturer/brand has something unique about it. Each have their advantages and disadvantages, and their fanbase. Something must draw the fans to this brand or that, and I'd like to know what.

So I'm gonna post a thread like this in the forums dedicated to each of the major manufacturers (i.e. the ones who have the most active forums).

I welcome everyone (especially the fans of the particular brand) to post what is it that they like about these laptops. Any reasons are welcome - from features and performance to price and family traditions.

Of course, you can also post things that you don't like.

So, why do you like Dell?

 

i bought a 9300 because i don't like dell. it's like robbing from them with a coupon. anyway, i think their stuffs are so overpriced without coupons and rebates.

 

Well, you've got to admit that it's good marketing - release something overpriced, then make it look like you're selling it with a huge discount. It works very well on the psychological level - it even got you to buy from them, and you don't like them.

 

best spec:cost ratio, hands down, but they are kinda ugly and my i6000 is too thick. but like i said, nobody can beat their spec:cost ratio.

if i had a choice, i would get a samsung, but they don't sell 'em in the US and they don't offer a wuxga.

that being said, i've had dell workstations (desktops) at a couple jobs and i'm on my second notebook from dell. i also sysadmin'd a network running all dell servers and workstations.

all my experiences have been positive, both with service and the hardware in general. we beat the crap out of our servers and workstations and they just cruised through anything we put them through.

 

Need a laptop for lan parties and air travel. Dell offered the most bang for the buck. We have 5 desktops at work from Dell and all run smooth.

 

When the coupon lowers it down to a price that is a lot lower than their competitors, then it does not look like a discount, it is a huge discount

 

i bought the dell because i have a dell desktop and it didn't have any problems. i did much research on notebooks and found that dell is the best in price and specs. sony and ibm are overpriced although i considered owning a ibm due to their full sized keyboard.

to most college students, dell is great. to business users, it might not be.

 

I don't really like Dell. I purchased a Inspiron 9100 last year through the Dell credit, returned the notebook because it was extremely slow (much slower than the guy at the kiosk stated), UPS lost it in the mail, had Dell credit colectors breathing down my neck as I wasn't going to pay for something I didn't own, and it finally all got resolved but Dell still calls me asking if I want to upgrade to high speed internet for my i9100.

I went with the XPS because it offered something that no other boutique/gaming offers, the Pentium M equiped with the Nvidia GeForce Go 6800 Ultra and has a specialized casing instead of a Clevo clone (Alienware, Sager, etc.). I still don't really like Dell but I think they are on to something with the Inspiron 9300 and the XPS Gen. 2. My cousin has an Alienware and her tech support is one of the worst I have ever experienced. Whenever she has a problem, she calls me so that I can talk to them on the phone as she isn't the most computer literate. Even though Dell has "specialized" XPS support, it is still not the best but it is way ahead of Alienware's.

So, I went with the XPS rather than going with Dell.

 

Indeed. But it still psychology in disguise. Why not just release it with the low price tag in the first place? Why go with the idiotic "coupon system"? Perhaps selling it for low $$$ to begin with would cause people to wonder about the quality (be such thoughts justified or not). But putting a discount on a high price tag makes you feel that you're making a great deal on a great product.

 

There may be some truth to that.

I bought a dell because of the same spec rice ratio. I have a lot of good computer inside my 9300 and I haven't had problems yet. All the other gaming oriented machines cost a lot more.

 

Value for your dollar, just can't beat them in performance per dollar. You can get "speciality" features without paying the specialty price like you do with alienware, etc.

 

I believe the majority of the population does not know about the coupons, we are "special". haha. If the systems were always at a low price, how do you expect them to make money?

 

i hate dell i cant stand their computers THEY SuCK! Man ive had problems with the piece the day i got it out of the box

 

sounds like user error

 

yea..me 2!!!!

 

I like Dell but only because of the coupons and its a good price for those on a budget. Of course with lower pricing, you get lower quality. Its pretty sad that after 5 months, I have to tighten the screws on the lid every other week, so the lid will stay upright and not fall back.

This is probably my last dell. I need something with a better quality, and for the price I paid, I should have been able to get a fujitsu.

SG

 

Dell has good value on their Inspiron line but somewhat poor construction (it varies from model to model). Some of their Latitudes have great build quality...I was particularly impressed with the Latitude D410. Customer service has never been a problem for me with Dell and their website is fairly easy to use for ordering, they keep you well posted on the status. From a business perspective, I like the fact their PR people are nice and keep us pretty well informed, although the guy that runs the Inspiron PR stuff doesn't seem to like us, the lady that does Latitude PR is great with us.

 

I don't like Dell at all. I actually wanted an Asus, HP, or Toshiba. Dell makes very bland, dull, and boring systems. Although they did improve with only the XPS2, it still has some boring spots on it like where I'm typing right now. Where's my keypad? And their support so far has wasted many hours of my life although the problems with the screen and GPU were fixed. The system feels like cheap flimsy plastic on the inside here too.

BUT, the reason I bought a Dell is because at the time there was simply no comparision of cost vs. performance to other systems. The XPS2 blew them all out of the water and has a great small form factor. The specs are great and the cost was hundreds less than anyone else. The 4yr warranty was also hundreds less than competitors when I bought my system (although I generally do not buy warranties...this was a steal at $80). Saving money and getting more than what compariable, more-expensive, and/or less-performing systems from competitors outweighs the lack of style in Dell's lineup. Nobody else sells systems of leading-edge-performance at the pricepoint Dell does so I bought.

The next laptop I buy....who knows who that will be from. Specs and price are everything.

 

I think Dell when you compare to many other systems simply offer the best bang for the buck by a mile.

It is all down to pure marketing. Dell does not have to do massive store marketing, they simply make on demand, you either buy over the phone or the internet. That saves a fortune, people need to remember Gateway, they vanished in the Southern Hemisphere and I think are only avialable in the US now, after being a massive worldwide company that went bust because of the cost to market and pay people to sell them.

I have had 5 dell desktops, and three notebooks, the only problem I ever had was with one desktop when the power supply gave out 1 month after purchase, but I had a tech person out the next day and it has been running fine for over a year.

The parts are not cheap and crap. You want a more duarble laptop for example, you get something from the lattitude range that has a knock around case.

If I bought an I9300 made by anyone else it would cost me around $6000 Australian dollars for a same spec machine from Dell I spent $2400.

I bought my I9300 5 months ago for $2400 using discounts, etc, and the same spec machine from Dell right now would cost me $4600 dollars.

 

dell does maintain lower costs by not having retail outlets; however many manufacturers (of many types of product) do have retail outlets and enjoy greater margins then dell does. dell's secret to success has been their 'just-in-time' inventory model. it's a fascinating case study and anybody who has pursued an mba (or possibly even an undergrad business degree) has almost assuredly read it.

 

if i could have a choice....i would have gotten a Fujitsu...but their prices were higher than i wanted to pay....and the graphics card wasn't even close to the one i got from the dell for the price i got it for ...i bet u if Fujitsu released a REALLY GREAT graphics card in their laptops...that could be available in the US...i bet that they would make a LOT more money :fujitsu: :750:

 

I completely agree. I love Fujitsu's sense of style and design. I waned an N-series but the graphics card was just too weak in all models.

Just-in-time works when you know what you're doing. Dell has some good management and people at the wheel who know what they're doing and how they're going to do it. It's a two piece set for success. Other companies, like Kmart/Sears, also use just-in-time but the management is so poor they can't get the things that are needed to stores in time and don't listen to their employees when they request more of a hot item.

 

I got my Dell because

1) I've seen it used by a number of bigger organizations (our public library among others - where else does a computer get more misused?),

2) Encouragements by people who's opinion I trust who have a Dell but most of all,

3) I read consumer mags like Consumer Reports and I trust them for my major purchases (cars, etc.). For them, Dell and Gateway are very good bang-for-the-buck, quality and reliable machines.

 

The biggest advantage Dell has is their ability to custom-configure their systems. You can get it just about any way you want it, including with the super-hires screen but with a base CPU, optical drive, and RAM. That almost ALWAYS makes a system cheaper than someone else, because you're only paying for the parts you WANT (as opposed to buying that Gateway or whatever with the 80 GB HDD and UXGA just to get one with the DVD-RW).

They've also got a great range of systems that pretty much fills any niche unless you want an on-board numeric keypad (Toshiba made the same "oops" though). Not everyone sells 12 inch ultralights alongside 17 inch widescreens. The inspiron line is a nice value setup while the Latitudes are "built Ford Tough" so to speak (though the Latitudes only go up to 15 inch widescreen). Some of the Latitudes have the all-too-rare Trackpoint system too (not the X-1 though).

There are a bunch of downsides, however. One, you have to wait to get the good prices, through a coupon or a special $x00 off deal (I ordered my D810 when they had $400 off any model $1699 and up...configured mine for $1730..heh). Anyway, so they're not the best place for an "impulse" purchase...patience is required. Also, while not having retail is an advantage for them, it's a disadvantage for us, since there's no way to try them out for "feel" beforehand...laptop "feel," especially in the keyboard, pointing devices, weight, etc, is REAL important.

Also, they seem to think individuals are only deserving of Inspirons, and won't let their Home/HomeOffice unit sell Latitudes AT ALL. But their Small Buisness unit won't sell to individuals over the phone (you can only order online) and you can't use's Dell's financing through the website. It's kind of a pain.

Otherwise, Dell gives a lot of bang for the buck, and more customizability than anyone. :dell:

 

One thing I should also like to bring up is the location in the world that you are can greatly affect your Dell experience. For example northern and Southern Hemisphere's for Dell I think are a leap apart. I live in Australia, and Dell customer service and building of machines is in Maylasia. Which I would regard as one of the best or if not the best country in the world with regards to quality control of products. Their customer support in my experience goes right out their way to help you, and I have not heard any horror stores like people from the US, get about Indian call centres and their lack of helpful support.

I find it quite a shock when I hear about Dell from US based reviews that get horrible customer service. Not in this part of the world.

My Dell machines have been perfect, and when a power supply blew, they had someone out the next day (under warranty) and fixed it up.