how do people get so much money off there laptops?

I recently ordered a dell studio xps 16 for £993 with 16% off.
i asked if i could have 1 years accidental cover(£35) and the rep said they had to send it to the financing department to see if they could do the deal or not, i later got a phone call and the rep said they couldnt even do that.

the original price was around £1150 so i did get £150 off but they couldnt give me £35 something that doesnt cost them nothing?
i then offered i was pay an extra £10 but they still couldnt give me £25 off.

im from the UK btw.


some people on here seem to get 3 year complete care for next to nothing or very cheap, i argued for 15 min and couldnt get that off. even when the rep tried, the financing dep say no

 

It depends on several things. One of them is the total price of your order, the higher it is, more goodies you get. I got 4 years warranty and 4 year accidental damage coverage for free, but then again, i paid around £2000. The sales reps have sort of a chart with the value of order and the value of free stuff. For example on order worth £500, they are allowed to throw in free stuff worth of 5% of total price, with £1000 it can be 7%, with £2000 it can be 10% etc, climbing steadily woth cost. Don't take those numbers as 100% exact, i just made them up, but most companies operate on similar principles. The more you pay, the more generous freebies you get (usually).

Secondly, it highly depends on luck and the Sales Rep you are talking with. They are only human, so also subject to mood or character. He might have a bad day, he might have a good day. He might be senior rep who can afford to argue with supervisor and succeed, he might be a junior who started to work just 1 week ago and is scared to do anything he was not trained for. Or he might simply be an idiot. That's why many people advise to call Dell several times and try to get quotes from diferent reps, that way you find out whether it's just wrong person or that you really can't get the price any lower. So go buy those lucky rabbit paws or a cloverleaf and hope for best

 

i called 2 reps up, one EPP and one normal.
i showed them both i can use student EPP so i got 16% off. but then i asked for a little extra and both said they need to ask the financeing department about it. then both werent able to give me a higher discount, throw in warranty, accidental cover or anything else.

im going to call them up tomorrow and to get a warranty thrown in or a little money off and say otherwise il cancel it.
because if they are the same company and americans can get 25%+ off on already cheaper prices, i dont see y they try to rip us off.


also,did you get 4 years complete care on the original site price or after a certain discount?

 

The same thing works for American orders. Part of it is luck, and part of it is knowing how to "play the game". Just remember that you will not get any "leeway" if you go with a bare-bones system and expect them to go much lower. They will "butter you up" and you will get it that way, no matter what. Also, as Tuwa said, some are scared to make changes if they're new, some only are willing to go so far, knowing how the system works and that much of the profit is made on "upgrades" and "extended / more comprehensive warranties", and others are flat What you See is What you Get. If you call DELL up with a system you KNOW you want, with the options you want, and are ready to deal, keep the configuration with you and prepare to hongle.

Go and start getting quotes, and keep those quotes. Just remember that DELL does keep a record of you and your "quote bargains", and after a while you'll become a red flag.. Get as many quotes as you can, and find one you like. Sometimes you'll get one that's absurdly low to the point that if the rep puts the number in writing, it could show up on their profile and get that rep in trouble. (One too many good deals by a rep, and the company catches on that the rep is causing DELL to lose too much money, and said rep is out the door.) As Les says, if you get an insanely good quote, one that sums up to about 20% or more off what you have... RUN with it, tell the CSR that you're sold, put it through, and then keep the receipt as a hard record... in the event someone at DELL says it was a computer error, you can always use your receipt with your rep's name as weaponry to have your quote held hard. Reps are human... if you're willing to get some options, they may be willing to cut some cost, if you let them butter you up, it won't hurt as much when the transaction goes through.

If you get something you don't like, keep trying... so long as they don't make a quote of it, you don't get tracked. Also, try to make chats on the chat interface, and have them sent to your e-mail... this way you have a hard record with a rep's name and your name and what transpired and you can use that as firepower if DELL chooses to say "oh, well that didn't happen". Writing and receipts, do not lie, and it would be imperative to use that to your advantage to keep DELL on the straight and narrow... lest they try to pull any stunts on you.

Just my .02. Go hongle, but keep everything in writing, rep names, chats, what was said, have them email you as the talk is going with a blow-by-blow of what is going on, etc. .... the more writing you have, the less likely DELL is to pull a fast one if they find a reason to try.

Jason

 

Hey there:

Please check this thread..made by the Awesome Les, a few years ago:
A How-To on Making The Best Computer Deal
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=153497

If you have your quotes e-mailed to you by the Dell Rep, that is your confirmation of pricing, etc! (It's the same as having a Case Number e-mailed to you)...Your documentation of what went on in the conversation.

Don't forget with EPP - The Reps are supposed to match/and or beat..Dell home pricing.

The Reps do have *leeway* with giving a deal. You just may have to work at it, depending on the Rep you get...So be prepared to *dial back*, and speak with another Rep!

When I'm looking for a deal: I always say: *I would really like to purchase this system/accessory, what can you offer to me that will help secure a sale*

Hope that helps!

Cin

 

+1, that's what I was trying to explain Thanks Cin!

 

I got a very minor discount of some sort, the base price in my quote was £70 lower than on the Dell website, but it didn't say anywhere in the quote that some discount has been applied. Not sure whether it was a mistake or what, so rather didn't ask. But then again, after getting freebies worth over £400 i don't think i was in position to demand more. There is a line between being reasonable and greedy

 

the 4 years warranty + accidental cover is worth £400?

well, i tried 3 reps but none would under the 16% warranty expect 1 who went £15 less.
im going to stick to my order and il get 1-2 yr more when my 1yr warranty is finshing. anone know how much that is?

 

Yeah it is. Taken from Dell UK site:

* 4 Year Premium Warranty Support [add £239.00]
* 1 Year Accidental Damage Support [add £36.33] x4

Well, maybe it's not exactly £400 but close, only £16 short of it

 

managed to get another 10% that il receive once i get my laptop. They are offers to reimburse 10% of the laptop price so that i keep it and dont cancel.
as i told them i was thinking about canceling as it was taking too long and that i want a discount as i waited so long.
so i got 26% off which is very good, £1150 laptop for £899

 

That is an awesome deal, congratulations Seems like threatening with order cancellation works too.