So sure, you already know that their prices on computer hardware (disk drives, mice, etc) is much more expensive than most other places. And you know they try to sell crap like tv tuneup service, using misleading information to cheat customers who don’t know any better.
Well, I’d always thought that Dell made reasonable cheap consumer level laptops. Sure, some would be way overloaded with things nobody wanted, and others would be pretty much cheap junk – but if you were paying attention and watching the deals, you could get a pretty reasonable little system. What I didn’t realize was that a Dell laptop (and maybe computer too) purchased from a BestBuy store is deficient compared to a Dell purchased anywhere else because Dell won’t honor the warranty on systems purchased from BestBuy.
It’s like this – say your trackpad or something insignificant breaks. Normally you call up Dell and the process goes like this: You -“Hi, I have laptop model # and serial #, and the trackpad quit working.” Dell – “Have you tried turning it off and back on?”, you – “Yes”, Dell – “Ok, here’s your tracking code, replacement part should show up at your house in the next few days”.
But with a Dell laptop purchased from BestBuy, it now goes: Dell – “Sorry, you have to call Geek Squad”, Geek Squad – “Sorry, you need to bring it in”, and once you bring it in, it’s anybody’s guess whether they’ll even look at it or demand an up-front *diagnostic* fee.
Yea, that one year warranty is pretty much gone, and the laptop just went from ‘ok’ to crap. Nice work Dell.