Mar 28, 2007 11:13 PM
7673 Views
I will try and kill two birds with one stone here - I will review my experience with Dell as well as the XPS M1210 Laptop itself (see relevant section in Mouthshut).
The Dell “Experience”
Dell is the world’s leading computer systems company (this quote is straight from their site!). It competes against the likes of Compaq, Toshiba, Sony, Acer etc and is the 2nd biggest seller of computers (HP being the biggest). The difference between Dell and other companies is that there are no involved. There are no Dell showrooms and if you want to buy a computer you approach Dell directly. You can order your “made to
order” computer on the net or over the phone.
The problem with this approach is that you only see the computer you’ve bought AFTER you receive it. Note that you are not buying “blindly” as you can see pictures of your desired computer on Dell’s site or in numerous advertisements. However, Dell does have kiosk locations in some shopping malls in USA, Australia, Hong Kong and Canada. This service is not available in India. I was a bit hesitant to deal with Dell simply because of no “personal” contact. I would be dealing with a "name" rather than a physical person.
In addition, I would be paying for my laptop 100 % up front and then hoping that there would be no problems. I chose Dell not because of their name but because they had the laptop I wanted! The first thing I did was go to https://dell.co.in and put in a request for a quotation for the XPS M1210 laptop. I got an automated confirmation of the request almost immediately. The next day, a Dell salesperson called me up and we discussed the specs of the laptop after which I received the quotation. I liked the fact that Dell assigns one salesperson to you and this person is your contact right through the deal.
By the way, you can negotiate a better deal with the salesperson just like you would in a normal showroom! So don't forget to give that a shot! Dell works on the "pull” system by building computers only after customers place orders. This is also called the "just in time" system - it removes the need for storage" which adds to the cost. Your system is built only after your order has been placed. Once you place the order, your laptop is built in Malaysia and shipped to India. I was promised delivery in 15 working days though their site boasts about 7 working days. To Dell's credit, I received my laptop at my doorstep exactly 12 days from the day I couriered my cheque. This includes Sat/Sunday so I think Dell did a good job.
What irritated me was that the laptop arrived in Vashi two days before it was finally delivered to me (I called up Dell's toll free number to track the order). I had to push for local delivery which I think does not make business sense. Why keep the customer waiting when the laptop has already arrived in the designated city Informatively, Dell does not have service centres but they have a tie-up with Wipro for providing technical assistance. Apparently the procedure for technical assistance, involves calling up Dell support who will then arrange for a Wipro technician to come to your location.
The laptop arrived in a nice box which properly protected my precious laptop. Do not forget to check the seal of the box before signing your acceptance. If the seal is damaged, return the package. After receipt of the laptop, I was called up by Dell's quality assurance person for my feedback and was asked if I would mind filling in a small feedback form. A day later, I was called up again by Dell to check if I needed assistance in setting up the laptop.
I politely declined but I think this would be a good thing for computer newbies. That rounded up my Dell experience.Over all I think my experience with Dell was more than satisfactory - I would happily order from Dell again.
