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In article <MPG.1c462b86efea10ff989dfc@news-server.columbus.rr.com>,
void@nowhere.lan, a.k.a Leythos says...
> The same is true from the kid down the street, or the sales chap in the
> local mom-and-pop computer store - all sales people will tell the
> customer what they need to hear in order to make the sale. Only a few
> ethical sales people will tell them what they need to know and possibly
> loose a sale if it means they are priced out of what they really need.
I am the latter, and have lost sales thru total honesty. I've been
thanked for that honesty, but have made the customer far more aware of
what they are doing. Invariably, i get a call some while later asking
for my help with matters further down the line, and my relationship with
that customer then grows based on the foundation of trust I laid down
from the start.
> > You'll not change my mind, it's made up. I've bad experience of Dell UK,
> > and mud sticks.
>
> I'm not trying to change your mind - just would like you to understand
> that in your limited experience
Sorry, but that reeks of pomposity, and I find it quite arrogant.
> that it's not always like you state and that there are value
> added ways to get the solution from the large
> vendors with little additional cost. Also that a home-build, is not
> always the proper solution, even for home users.
1. I didn't say it was always this way, i said in my experience it had
been. However, others here in this group have echoed doubts about Dell
UK
2. Large vendors rarely are interested in 'small fry' like me. You have
clout, you shift 1.3 million units a year.
3. I didn't say it was always the proper solution. For the clients i
advise, Dell has not been the preferred solution, and given i went thru
hell with one client recently when he was trying to buy a Dell, I'm not
prepared to damage my reputation further by recommending a vendor from
whom I have had nothing but bad experience.
My background is working for one of the largest companies in the world
heading a European Management Helpdesk. I have dealt with the biggest of
the big in corporate terms .... don't tell me I have limited experience
in IT Solutions. http://www.geitsolutions.com/
> I've yet to run across a large vendors system that could not
> be installed in a new case or a power supply purchased for it.
Then you haven't tried to service a Dell desktop in the UK.
Or tried to attach front connecting USB leads to a Hewlett Packard
machine built into a standard case then. I have.
> > The amount of people who I talk to who say they will never buy ABC brand
> > again because of the poor after sales service is also significant.
>
> And, whey they bought it, they didn't check to see what level of service
> they would get, they didn't ask if there was a higher level, and they
> didn't research on-line complaints before purchasing.
Ever heard of PC World here in the UK? The more you type, the more it
seems you are unclear as to how things run over here.
> > The lady I spoke to this afternoon who was sold a Packard Bell "Le
> > Diva" who now can't upgrade anything so her grandson can play the
> > "latest games" is also another minus for these larger companies. At the
> > time she bought it, according to the salesman, it was of course able to
> > do such - but he wasn't interested in how she might want to progress
> > with it 12 months down the line...
>
> And neither can many system
Eh? I'm about to upgrade a homebuilt PC for one of my customers next
week. A new graphics card to support Direct X 9. the system is the best
part of 2 years old.
> - if you want to have a gamer system you
> don't buy Packard Bell anyways.
She wasn't buying a gamer system. She was buying a computer. The
salesman never warned her that the thing is completely useless so far as
upgrades or standard repairs are concerned.
> I'm sure that it ran what she needed
> when she bought it, why would anyone expect to be able to play some new
> game on it now.
My PC is nearly 2 years old. I didn't intend playing games when I got
it. It was a business machine. I play Call of Duty on it now, in my
spare time, having upgraded the AGP card to accommodate such. Call it my
executive toy.
> As for upgrades, she can always purchase a new
> motherboard/CPU and case and keep the other parts from the PB, this
> would be cheaper than a new box and give her another 18 months of
> performance (until the next bloatware comes out).
You've never seen a Le Div@ have you ....
> > Now, if you think that the general home user is happy to throw £400
> > ($590) at a PC every 18mths - 2 years, then you live in a more affluent
> > neighbourhood than I, as the prospect horrifies most folk I've dealt
> > with.
>
> Anyone that spends $590 on a PC should not expect to be doing cutting
> edge work with it now, and certainly not in 2 years. The entry point in
> performance systems is well over $1500 for OS and hardware on a quality
> system + 17" monitor. A system in that range will play all the current
> games for about 12 months or until the next bloatware method comes
> along. There are many people still running happily on Celeron 466 Dell
> Optiplex 100 machines (more than 7 years old) and using XP Professional
> and Office 2003 on them - and they are the micro case units. It's all
> about buying what you need and needing what you've bought. If you buy
> cheap you'll have to upgrade shortly - doesn't matter if it's a Dell or
> a home built system.
It's late here in the UK, i'll digest that little lot later....
But, on first read, it seems to be similar to some of what I've already
said? Don't buy Dell on a budget, get a more versatile custom built and
upgradeable solution from the outset but at greater cost. In the long
run you'll yada yada....
Yep, that is what I was saying.
> > If Dell is the right solution for you, fine. It isn't for me, or for
> > many of my customers who, incidentally, I always urge to consult
> > alternative opinion as I want them to see matters from all angles.
>
> We always provide a proposal with costs and give them time to review it
> with others if needed, we've never lost a sale yet, and many customers
> want Dell, Gateway, HP/Compaq, but few want a custom build.
If you are shifting 1.3 million units a year, i suspect you don't place
much emphasis on supplying custom builds. You can shift the emphasis on
supporting those machines right back to where they came from. Good
business, but not at all suited to my way of trading.
> > I think we are poles apart in our opinions & circumstances, so there
> > seems little point in continuing.
>
> We're not poles apart in circumstances, only experience.
Rubbish.
> You don't have to respond, but, in a few years, if
when ...
> your business grows, you will see that I've been right in this thread.
I haven't said you are wrong. I disagree with you telling me what is
best for my business, and my clients, but you have your viewpoint, i
have mine. Your arrogance is really quite overpowering, but, c'est la
vie. I don't agree with fuel guzzling Hummers, but it's your country and
I'm not going to tell you what you can and can't drive on the road.
My experience of Dell UK has been nothing but awful, so i choose not to
use them. You seem to not realise that.
I can, and do, provide a superior service to my customers over and above
what Dell would provide, they tell me so. Those who've had Dell etc had
said they wished they'd "found" me ages ago. I can only speak as I find.
> I wish you much success in your endeavors and hope all goes well for
> you
Likewise ...
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