factory outlet?

Just wondering if anyone has bought from the Dell Factory Outlet before and knows what sort of condition the systems come out in? I know they're certified to work 100% but they do say 'possible cosmetic blemishes' so I was curious whether this is just a disclaimer or whether the systems that are 'certified refurbished' generally do have visible dents, marks etc or not?

Also.. just quickly, would you all recommend an XPS m1330 or an equivalent Sony or Toshiba? (I heard the Toshibas were somewhat flexy on the kb, etc...)

Thanks

 

The scratch and dent models tend to have scratches and dents on them.

The m1330 is (subjectively) the best laptop in its class.

 

my friend from work just bought a m1330 there. i havent seen it but he says he loves it and its new. im not to sure about the external condition though, didnt ask

 

Wow this question seems to come up a lot lately.
If you get an extended warranty with it, you should be just fine.
Even if it has a blemish, some times you can find great deals through the outlet and it more than makes up for it.

 

you probably are getting many questions from people like me who want perfectly preserved laptops

thanks for the replies. yes i'm definitely looking for a great deal - seem to have found a couple already, i'm just hoping they come through looking nice! hopefully someone will have some feedback on this.

the funny thing though is that some identically configured systems are priced in a $120 range of each other... would anyone know why this might be, before I just go for the cheapest?

 

If you want a perfectly new laptop buy a NEW laptop not a used one! i mean, that seems obvious, right?

 

well yes, or look on ebay for deals where the auctioner can tell you what the condition is. but I don't think it does any harm to ask

 

I'm not sure where you're from and if this is how it works elsewhere, but in the U.K. Dell sells the really scratched up stuff separately via the their eBay store. So aside from an occasional lemon here and there, the stuff you get directly from the outlet looks like new.

 

great, thanks a lot.

you wouldn't happen to have any idea why identical systems are priced differently though would you? I plan to call dell tomorrow too but I figure it's always good to get a second opinion when dealing with such things...

thanks again

 

If you mean on the outlet, it's supply and demand mostly. Dell prices them according to how many units they have in stock and how quickly they want to move them. Likely the pricing also has something to do with what's going on on the main site.

Also if the system's failing to sell, they'll usually drop the price on it after a few days. But that doesn't happen very frequently, especially not on popular models like the XPS laptops.

 

i got mine from outlet, and it was brand new, so likely someone who changed their mind after it had been built. got a better spec, and 4 yr warrenty for the same proce as my previous order which cancelled itself

 

The best deals are on the machines like CleanerLeon got. Something like a business orders a set of ten machines and then cancels or returns the entire shipment. Then the entire lot of them gets dropped at the same time, and are usually very competitively priced too.

BTW, the machine that's supposed to be delivered to me today (by the grace of God and Welsh Western) is an outlet m1530.

 

well bertie, mine got delivered by Welsh Western, it only took 2 days from Ireland to get to me in the North East of England. WHat spec/price you get?

 

Lemme look it up: it's been so long, I forget. I ordered mine on the 16th and hopefully it'll be here in London soon!

T7700, 4G RAM, 320 5.4krpm, 1680x1050 (The inevitable question: how do you like your Samsung?) CD-RW, Black, Intel Wireless N, 9-cell and 1 year NBD (and that was a mistake. I should have gotten 3 years) for 750 shipped.

After I get it, I gotta call and beg them to sell me additional two years warranty. I'm really mad at myself for cheapening out on it.

They were running a deal on the 3 year NBD when I ordered and that would have taken the price to 850.

 

well my samsung 'seems' fine, though id have to see a LG to really know. but it is by all means useable and good.

i ended up getting 4 years, as it was £15 more than the 3 years. I really wanted to ensure I got on-site, as I would not be witjout my main computer and wouldnt want to have to send it away.

Its a really nice spec though. hope you get it soon

 

Thank you. Me too.

Did you get your screen bezel fixed?

Edit: Seems I've maligned WWI. The machine was delivered as promised.

Now I'm gonna go find faults with it.

 

If I didnt know otherwise I wouldnt have known mine was an outlet xps 1530. Its perfect, i love it and it saved me 25%+ off the price.

When I was searching for mine generally the prices for equalivant models were identical. There was generally slight spec differences to explain the price differences.

 

Yeah. I'm not sure yet how it is inside, but externally, the machine's pristine. I wouldn't have known it wasn't new.

Edit: SCORE! It's an LPLF300.

Edit 2: Cosmetically, it's perfect. If there's somewhere it looks different from a new one, I don't know where.

However, there are two issues with it that I'll be taking care of tomorrow: when the DVD drive spun at full speed, it woke up my husband in the next room it was so loud. That'll need to either be replaced or reseated. And it runs hot -- hotter than any of my previous dell laptops. The fan is running almost constantly and the palmrest is really warm. I'll be reading up on what can be done about that.

P.S. My post reminds me of the hype/anti-hype post someone made a week or so ago: "My m1530 is perfect but..." and then lists a page-full of problems. Great post!

 

lucky man, lucky!!!

 

My outlet 1330 is schedule for delivery today. I'll drop another note on here to detail it's condition, etc. I think I got a pretty good deal as it was on the lower end of the prices with these specs:
T8300 processor
LED backlit screen
160gb hd
3gb ram
9cell battery
nvidia graphics card

$1,069 usd

Seemed like a pretty good price to me so I was a little apprehensive thinking it might have some cosmetic issues....but my fingers are crossed and I will post condition later.

 

I bought a refurb Inspiron 6000 from the Outlet over 2-1/2 years ago and it was fine. I put a 2 yr. Complete Coverage warranty on it and never needed it. I know some people are uptight about other people touching their stuff to the point they'd rather pay $20 for a new DVD than $5 for a PPV copy, but when you can save 25% or more by letting someone else touch it first, by all means, touch away. By the time my dumb cat walks across the keyboard a couple of times, who'll be able to tell the difference other than my banker?

 

I bought a "scratch and dent" from dell outlet-not a sign of wear and tear anywhere.

 

oh wow. thanks for all the replies guys - much appreciated.

i went ahead and ordered the 1330 from the outlet - got pretty much what i was looking for at a fairly good price. i should get it by thursday - we'll see how it goes Also keeping my fingers crossed that it comes with a sleeve.