[RTTY] Dell Outlet

[Phil Sussman]

I've had several poor experiences with Dell. Unless you buy a 'professional'
maintenance plan, any technical contact requires an excessive amount of time on
the phone waiting for a non-English speaker using a pretend 'Americanied' name.
Many times I gave up in frustration in dealing with this low end support. These
computers were usually less than 90 days old -- and some had to be scrapped.

Obviously, I'm no longer buying, using, or recommending anything with the Dell
name on it. 

You can't buy XP (except for a premium price from the Educational/Professional
sales department) and their Vista driver help is a waste -- a true lack of support.

While some have had a degree of operability with Dell computers, the overall
quality is horrible on their low end products. I've done better with commerical
lease trade-ins and flea markets (all non-Dell).

I learned the hard way. Now I won't fork over any money in advance until I've
personally inspected and tested potential purchases. I've saved a lot of grief
that way! Luckily I'm no longer in charge of buying and/or repairing company
computers.

73 de Phil - N8PS

-----------

Quoting Jim McDonald <jim at n7us.net>:

> You won't see dirt cheap prices on used PCs but Dell does have an outlet
> site, as some of the other manufacturers do too, I think.  It's at
> http://www.dell.com/dfo?s=gen&cs=&~srd=true&sk=outlet&scat=all .  I found it
> by going to Dell's home page and searching for "outlet."
> 
> I bought the PC I am using now, a Dell 8300, there a few years ago.  I
> remember I had a problem with it, and a tech came out and replaced the
> motherboard on my kitchen table under the warranty!
> 
> New PC prices are obviously pretty reasonable, but the outlet Dells
> sometimes offer an interesting combination of options/peripherals.
> 
> (In the mid 1990s, before eBay, I had fun participating in online auctions
> of used PCs at Egghead, and the deals were very attractive.)
> 
> Jim N7US
> 
> 
> 
> 
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