Dell computers?

Question

Are they any good?
I am thinking of buying one and would like feedback on how good the pc's are and how helpfull their support services are.

Answer 1

I got the cheapest laptop available (Inspiron 1200) for a great price in October ($449 with free wireless card.)

My computer is as good as I wanted it to be. Obviously I didn't buy the best, but I'm happy with what I have. I'm a senior in college, and it is the best for writing papers, research, Internet, etc. I haven't had any problems, and haven't needed Dell's support. My roommate spilled apple juice all over the keyboard, and I flipped it over, let it drain, and it still works perfectly. (But I wouldn't recommend doing that, lol.)

Answer 2

They sell a lot to small businesses because they price the bundles well.

Phone support is poor - we always go back to our salesman rather than spending days in call centres. When you finally find the right person, problems do get solved.

Online (non-human) support takes some getting used to but it does work. They have very good records of what's in your box and if you need a download, the system will find it for you, accurately.

Human online support is, er, idiosyncratic. You get emails saying "Please run all these tests for the next three days and tell me exactly what happened". You then suspend your day job while you do that, then get back to them and they say "i can confirm that there is nothing wrong with your computer, please go away".

If they offer you a free printer, take it and give it to someone you don't like. The printers are re-badged lexmarks with a special thingy on them that makes only Dell ink fit. Gaaah. Better still, ask if you can trade the printer for an upgraded guarantee.

The computers themselves are generally well put together and they don't put the kind of cheap hardware in that will run out of flexibility or resources quickly. So even after you've bought twenty different gizmos to plug into it, your Dell will probably still be happily looking after them all.

Summary? I will probably buy Dell again but I will ask them more pertinent questions than I did last time.

Answer 3

In July, I purchased a personalized (to my specifications) Dell E510 and thus far, I absolutely love it. However, do your research... decide what you want in a computer and what you are going to use it for...and set a limit for how much you will spend. IF you decide to go with a DELL, I would suggest that a 2nd drive is a VERY Good option (which I didn't get - but now wish I would have)...and more importantly, SIGN UP on the Dell Website for coupons/mailing list...because I used a coupon from Dell that saved me a lot of $$. If you decide to "build one for yourself" on the Dell website - save it to your wishlist on the site and PRINT out the page....BUT also be aware that when I did this, and then finally ordered 3 days later - the price changed (WENT UP), which I feel that it should not have done...they were having a sale and wanted to give me their sale price - instead of my coupon/wishlist price..which was what I had anticipated paying. I gort them to give me the coupon discount - which was more of a savings than their current sale - but ended up paying more than my "wishlist" price. I thought the wishlist price was "fixed" but IT IS NOT, so be aware of this. They send it out ASAP and it was delivered within a week. I did purchase the extended warranty due to price I paid (over $1,000), and feel that it was a good investment. My computer did not work right away - something (some card) came loose in shipping - despite really good packaging and I was horrified and distraught , but one call to customer service solved the problem. So, in all I am happy with Dell computer and service support. I would highly recommend getting a floppy drive (even if you think they are obsolete) because you will need it for back-ups of Windows OS.

Answer 4

I am a computer specialist so I don't rely on anyone's support except for hardware replacement parts. I can tell you though that I have used Dell laptops since 1999 - my last being a c600. I also have a c600 for my personal laptop. I have dropped them multiple times (inadvertently) had shorts and microsurges and they have held up well. Workhorses. I would advise that you get what you need - for instance for home I need lots of hard drive space, lots of RAM, cd, dvd, and basic programs. I get a good solid computer with none of the big extras. I do not need to edit film, or mix music. I just use my PCs primarily for research and troubleshooting and would rather spend 500 on a laptop that I could replace if necessary than 2000 on one of the upper models.

Answer 5

I've had a Dimension 8250 for 4.5 years now. It runs well but watch when upgrading. You are limited to proprietry memory for example. Dell will suit some and not others. Really depends on how you see the machine being used and built upon. I would not bother with the support/warranty extras if I were you, but again think carefully here as to your attitude towards risk and your familiarity with computers. Good luck.

Answer 6

I bought two. They are just as good as any other high end computer and the support service is just like any other. The best part about it, I haven't had much reason to call support. For the price, I'm well pleased.

Answer 7

They make a good product. I had one for a long time. Service may be a problem. I think only HP offers really good support.

Answer 8

If you don't know enough about computers to build your own, and you only want a low/middle performance machine, then a Dell is a good option. Very competetive prices.

Answer 9

They are absolutely brilliant ,im on my second 1 and my son has the first one which is still very good after 7 years,the support service is excellent.

Answer 10

They are built with cheap components for which they charge outrageously high prices, Just look to see how much they charge to up grade the ram, you will find they same upgrade for a fraction of the price on the net( ebuyer.com) but the have fixed their products so you have to buy their upgrade its a total rip off
you will be better off buying an Acer.