bargains from Dell UK

hi there, I'm about to buy a Dell XPS 1530 in the UK -

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dell...en&oc=N01X5302&rbc=N01X5302&s=dhs&~ck=expbuy3

(with 2GB RAM and the T7500 CPU)

Does anyone have any suggestions for getting a bargain from Dell UK? Coupons maybe? Or negotiation tactics with the salespeople?

thanks for your help.

 

this 10% off valid untill the 9th Q3TCG81H5P8?BM and also try quidco.com to get 5% more off.

 

i would check http://www.dmxdimension.com for Dell UK Coupons and Deals. The bloke works hard at finding and posting the best deals. Sometimes he even finds great e-value codes which the Dell website doesn't have.

just in case you were curious about 17" screens, a great bargain at the moment is the Dell 1720.

to answer your last point about negotiation tactics with salespeople, flamenko made some good points on getting the best price here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=153497

 

Bobman - do share your experience once you've made the deal. It could help many customers in UK planning to buy a 1530

 

will do.

btw I presume that I'd have to buy online to get the Quidpro discount? I appreciate that they direct you to the Dell site, so you're still buying from Dell, but I guess it's unlikely that the sales guys on the phone would honour it...

in which case, unless I can get more than the additional 5% off the salesperson, I would be better off buying online, using both the 10% code given (I presume that, as it's a Dell promo, the sales guys WILL honour this one?) and the Quidpro 5%.

Is that right?

 

Correct mate.

 

nice one, thanks.

and just in case it wasn't all complicated enpough, I've just found out I can get in on my work EPP!

does anyone have any experience of combining the 10% promo code and an EPP scheme? (I assume they can be combined?)

(again, I presume it's one or the other with EPP vs Quidpro, not both at once?).

 

I think you need to use the Quidpro link, which won't be to the EPP site, so yes it will be one or the other.

I think you can use the voucher codes with the EPP though.

 

okay, success! have ordered my fancy red 1530 and got a decent discount. Thanks to everyone for your help.

bottom line is that I got a £875 system for £750, so about 14% off - I'm really pleased.... but it all went a bit weird at the end...

starting with this base system http://configure.euro.dell.com/dell...en&oc=N01X5302&rbc=N01X5302&s=dhs&~ck=expbuy3 I upgraded to the T7500 processor, added Norton and the faster 7200rpm 160GB disk drive.

here's how it went:

Called a CSR on the main sales line and explained that I had the 10% off code and would like to add my 6% EPP discount. He said he could not combine them, so I twisted his arm about being 'very disappointed' and wanting to 'do a deal today' so he used the the 10% (only on the base £699 unit) and used his discretion to reduce the whole package to £765.

He then emailed me my quote. I went away to 'think'. So far so good.

I then called the EPP line (not mentioning the first quote) and was told they also could not combine discounts. This time it was slightly harder to shout them down, but the sales girl gave me a "final price" (that they couldn't confirm on a quote) of £787. Interestingly, their methodology was to minus the 10% from the whole package. Off I went again.

Emailed them both separately to say that I had another CSR (i.e. over in 'Home' sales, and in EPP sales) who was offering a better deal. With a bit of going back and forth over an hour, they both - apparently independently - settled on £750. This is where it got a bit odd. Although they didn't say, I got the impression that they both knew the details of both quotes. No surprise in that; I had given them my name.

So in the end I chose the first guy, mainly because he gave me the impression he'd moved heaven and earth to give me his best price. Booked it and patted myself on the back.

Then I get a call from the EPP girl - 'it's your choice sir, but your order with Dell will be cancelled unless you book with me'. Reason being that I'm "an EPP customer" (even though the first guy wasn't even applying the EPP discount - or so he said).

Anyway, I told her I wasn't really bothered, and could they just sort it out amongst themselves. She promised that she'd get the first sales guy over to her desk to call me back, likewise her supervisor would call and explain what was happening.... nothing more that evening. Then, this morning, I come in to find an email saying that my order had been cancelled and rebooked via the sales girl in EPP - just like she threathened in the first place.

So, all's well that ends well... unless you're the first sales guy. Feel a bit bad for him, but I was always pretty straight-up about looking for the best price, so not sure what i could have done to avoid all this and still get the price I did.

So, 18th Jan is the big day. Phew. Thanks again everyone.