We are looking into buying a Dell Laptop...

[debden]

Specifically a Dell Inspirion 130.It's $529 after the $100 mail in rebate. Does anybody have this laptop? Or any other laptop that doesn't cost over $800 that they could reccommend?? I'm not looking for anything fancy just something for personal use for games and the Internet.
Any suggestions or comments would certainly be welcomed!
Debbie

 

[luv2nascar]

Oh don't do it they have the worst customer service. They have outsourced it to India. They are hard to understand and not at all helpful. Find a different computer. Everyone I know who has a Dell has lots of problems with it and says never again.

 

[bicker]

Dell does have middling customer service, but it is close to the best retail customer service available to retail customers. The quandary is that all retail customer service is bad, because retail customers don't want to pay a premium for good customer service. Dell is a known quantity, and that makes it a great choice.

There is one supplier I'd recommend more highly than Dell: Lenovo. They make the best laptops available (ThinkPads). If you don't buy Dell, then go for a ThinkPad. And Lenovo's customer service is reportedly better than Dell's. However, beware that the least expensive ThinkPad is 56% more expensive than Dell's least expensive notebook. You get what you pay for.

 

[Mskanga]

I have four dells at home and we have been very happy with them , to the point that we won't buy anything but dell.
I have received very good customer service when I needed it which fortunately was not often. I will be in the market for a laptop within one year , you bet it will be a dell.

 

[debden]

Well with the Dell products having such mixed opinions maybe I'll rethink that idea.Now the Lenovo Think Pad sounds great but 56% more than the lowest price Dell Laptop? Whew,that certainly sound like a great Laptop but also out of my league financially.I only want to doodle on the internet and download music/movies and burn CD's...
Is there anything out there that's middle of the road??
Thanks everyone for your opinions.
Debbie

 

[azgal81]

I have the inspiron 6000 laptop and I love it. Although I have to agree the customer service sucks basically it's hit or miss. I am waiting for them to refund the shipping cost to me (they messed up the shipping for my computer). The first time I called the lady gave me a number and told me they would deal with it that was back in November. I waited about a month and a half, no word so I called them. They said they would credit my card card even gave me a confirmation number said it would only take 10 days. That was back in January. Still nothing. I really don't want to call them again but it looks like I'll have no choice.

 

[bicker]

Well with the Dell products having such mixed opinions

What you're noticing is simply that Dell is so popular. Therefore, they have far more customers. That means that there are more possibilities for someone to be disappointed for some reason. The number of complaints you see about Dell is an infinitessimal percentage of their entire customer base. I wouldn't rely on such non-normalized input. Go to the major consumer comparison websites and look at the real numbers -- not the total number of complaints, but the percentage of complaints as compared to total number of customers. That's all that really matters.

Now the Lenovo Think Pad sounds great but 56% more than the lowest price Dell Laptop? Whew,that certainly sound like a great Laptop but also out of my league financially.

Then Dell is probably your best bet -- the best balance between service, value and price.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Dell certainly make a good line of equipment, good service. Last time I had cause to use their service, they called back, twice, following up to verify the problem had been corrected.

If you decide to buy a Dell, check the discount tracking sites for current promotions and codes (there is always a plethora of them). Do a Google search for Dell deals, Dell discounts, Dell coupons.

 

[GBsMom]

I like Dell, everytime I have a problem they have fixed the problem. Even come into my computer and fix it without my assistance. My problem I had gotton a virus and it would night die-but they fixed it. Everytime I call to buy something I receive a military discount. I have had this laptop for 3 years and does a lot of traveling around the world and I love it. by the way I would by the DVD package with it. I don't use it at home but it's nice to have if you travel a lot.

 

[Swimnoid]

We have dells at work and I have dells at home. I have had trouble with one laptop but the service on it was good. We bought one for DD for college and it is great. I'll be getting a new one at work soon, I hope. I wouldnt get anything else.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Well, I was a Dell cheerleader and always said I'd never buy anything else but I've changed my song and dance after numerous issues.

I have a 2 year old Inspirion 5100. I am on my 3rd powercord, 2nd harddrive, 2nd memory card, and 2nd motherboard. Each time, I spent 4 plus hours on the phone or online with the tech support - they are HORRID now that they are outsourced. They are kind, but dont understand everything and know nothing about computers. Each time I knew exactly what was wrong (my dad works on computers) but we went through hours and hours of stupid tests to find out what was wrong. The last time, the motherboard went out and they had me turn the computer on and off LITERALLY 12 times. I began to count. I was on the phone from 7pm to 11:45pm when I finally told them I wanted to go to bed. =)

So, would I buy another Dell? Heck no. I shouldn't have that many issues in 2 years time. Thankfully, they were all covered under warranty but the warranty has now ended (last week) and we're on our own for repairs. I know a handful of people IRL that have Dell laptops and have had lots of issues, too. Otherwise I would assume I just have a lemon. The desktops seem to fare better than laptops, too.

Next time, we're going for an Apple. Even though the low prices on Dells are tempting it's just not worth the countless hours of headache I've had.

Good luck in your decision!!!

 

[Madaboutthemouse]

DH and I both have Dell laptops. Mine is an Inspiron 600m. His is a Latitude. I also have a Dell desktop at work. All three run really well and we've never had any major issues with them. Hope this helps!

 

[MoniqueU]

There isnt enough bandwith on this site to let me finish up a rant about Dell. They are the worst. One tech support call and you will be just starting on your journey to well I just can't say it. I got an inspiron 5150 with a full warranty. Even with the full warranty it was fixed 3 times, then I was given a refurbished one that completely broke out of warranty and cost 479 to fix. Thats the last money dell EVER EVER gets from me. I don't like having to repeat my problems to 10 different people, don't like haveing to repeat myself, ask what the person said, go my a support sheet that they read of a script to ask you questions and most of all I don't like paying good money for a computer that breaks that often. 4 different motherboards on 2 different computers in 3 years? Something is obviously wrong with the product.

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

We're looking into a laptop too, and were considering Dell, but now I'm glad we changed our minds. Now we're looking into Gateway, anyone have any major issues with them?

 

[princessshannie]

im just a kid but.. i do no alot about computers well i know that all of our computers in our house are dells and three of them are lap tops i have the newest one that came out around christmas the XPS M140. I must say that it is a wonderful computer with an awesome sound system. The old computer i had was the Inspiron 5100 i had it for about three years and my mom said i could get a new one but anyways.. the Inspiron was and still is a great computer. At the time we didn't have protection from pop ups on the internet and so of couse the computer got infected but when my mother called the customer service they were very helpful with her reloading the computer so that it worked as good as new You see im not sure if apple computers have that without paying but i know for a fact that dells are great

 

[chasbos]

I am thinking of getting a few more computers for the family - we have 3 msn'ers and they like to hog mine!

So I was thinking of getting 3 laptops from Dell. Does anyone have any suggestions on a good one for strictly internet usage and homework?

Thanks

 

[Donalds_best_pal]

We're looking into a laptop too, and were considering Dell, but now I'm glad we changed our minds. Now we're looking into Gateway, anyone have any major issues with them?

Oh god did I have issues with Gateway. It was beyond ridiculous. My laptop in under 2 years went through multiple video card replacements, multiple hard drive failures, screen problems and they even lost my laptop several times. Eventually I filed a complaint with BBB and Gateway Excutive CS gave me a new laptop. Its work fine so far. I dont know if I would buy another Gateway. We have a dell desktop that had continued video issues but finally sorta got it taken care of. It was more the video card companies issue. My dad's dell laptop has had some issues and I am not impressed with it.

If you want the best value, then go Dell. If you want the best CS and quality then dont go Dell or Gateway.

Matt

 

[christineann]

I bought my son a Dell laptop for his high school graduation, and by December it had burned up twice.......really great for a college freshman to be without a computer. By June he had sent it back two more times for the same problem. Dell fixed it each time and told him that the fan system just wasn't strong enough for the laptop. He now has a computer that he built himself.

I had a Dell desktop that was giving me some problems so I spent the money for their tech support (it was not a cheap computer by any means). It was very difficult to understand and to be understood by technicians for whom English is a second language (a distant one at that). I was told that a two year old computer was not worth fixing and after 36 phone calls (I kept a log) I insisted on a refund of my tech support fees, which I put toward a Compaq. No problems with it. I heard on the news last month that Dell is outsourcing 15,000 tech support jobs to India. Good grief.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

I have a Dell Desktop and a Dell 9300, we bought my MIL a Dell Desktop, bought my mom a Dell Desktop and a Laptop 9300. Purchased for my neighbor a Dell Desktop and a dell laptop 6000. And we all LOVE THEM!!

My whole office has dell computers and two laptops and we have never had a problem with them. We also run a Dell Server.

When we had GATEWAYS all we had was TROUBLE from them. We had to have someone come in SEVERAL times to fix them.

 

[MickeyMickey]

I love Dell, try gotapex.com for codes!