Tim Bray noted many problems with the Dell online buying experience: Shopping, Dell vs. Apple and today noted that he got a flurry of responses suggesting that his Dell experience was not out of the ordinary at all. I agree – after reading about Boris’ experiences with his monitor I went right over to the Dell site to see if it might be time to pick one up for myself, and I was shocked to see how difficult it was to find the information.
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Boris says
Yup. The actual shopping experience is dismal with Dell, and if you need support, it’s (expectably) labyrinthine… but once you get through that, no complaints. Good product, good service. They just seem to, incredibly, make it really hard to get “there”.
Nuno Barbeita says
I’ll have this to say about Dell’s online and offline purchasing system: they both do not address the main requirement of any product- or service-based company, that is, good customer service.
Calling one of their representatives inevitably leads you to find a better deal by creating your own system online. One thing that you can get out of calling Dell directly is that you can complain and get significant discounts.
I love it how they hide system options from you and do not have all available offerings online. Example, if you select one system type, you will never be asked if you wish to purchase additional software (ex. Office which Dell sells at a discount compared to the Futureshops of this world); however, if you select another computer from a different system family, said options are available. Boohoo…
Another this that is certain, they will keep getting my business because quite simply, they make the best laptops for the price.