( 
)I have just had the pleasure of reading another guide on here of what to watch out for when buying Dell Laptops.
I thought I would post this as a REAL guide, as that guide is totally incorrect and inaccurate.
The other guide claims that there is no such thing as a Dell "Partner" or an "Authorised Seller". this is both right and wrong...
YES, it is right, there are no such things as Dell authorised re-sellers...
NO... it is wrong, they are actually Dell Partners...
Dell partners come in the form of "Registered Partners" and "Authorised Partners"
DELL REGISTERED PARTNERS - work with dell to make their products available to a wider market, and as such may act as reselling agents for Dell equipment.. These companies are registered direct with Dell and are allowed to show the dell Logo on their company paperwork, they also get access to exclusive Dell deals, Dell business managers, documentation and literature, as well as a welcome pack from Dell including sales merchandise for use in their shops etc. Hell I even got a Dell branded memory key off them when we went Dell registered 2 years ago.
DELL AUTHORISED PARTNER - this is the next level, not only can they but and sell Dell computers, they are also authorised to undertake repairs and installations on behalf of Dell.
Have you ever wondered why Dell computers are cheaper at PC world than direct form Dell, well it is by using the same principles that Dell Partners can bring you such good deals, lets face it PC world would not sell Dell computers unless they were making a good profit on them, and they can still sell them cheaper than Dell direct.
REFURB or NEW???
There is not a lot of difference between NEW and Refurb when it comes to Dell, both come with a 1 year guarantee as standard (Not a 3 year as stated in other guides) and often the refurbs can be nothing more than cancelled orders.
The real thing to watch out for is Damage on your Dell computer when you recieve it, if it is scratched or dented then it is a refurb which has been sold cheaply by dell as a "Scratch and Dent" item, and has not been refurbished by them. These still come with a full warranty but obviously have cosmetic damage making them cheaper.
If the item is listed as refurbished but does not come with a 1 year warranty then it has not been refurbished by Dell, often you will find refurbs on eBay with a 6 or 3 month warranty, these have either been rebuilt by the seller, or have been sitting in storage for a hell of a long time.
Another thing to watch out for is 3 year warrnaties on cheap dell systems, these extended warranties can cost up to £150 from dell, so if someone is selling a £500 laptop for £350 and saying it has a 3 year warranty then it should raise suspicions as in reality they are selling a £650 computer for £350 and if they have it listed as brand new there is certainly something not right.
SERVICE TAGS
Yes all Dell computers should come with a service Tag number, if you buy one which has not got a service tag, send it back and ask for a refund... However please do not expect us to hand out service tag numbers to anyone who asks, these service tag numbers are specific to each machine and tell when it was built, what the original specification was, and when (In days) the warranty expires. And no, you can not tell from the service tag whether the machine is brand new or a refurb.
Service tags can also be used for accesing software updates etc from Dell, it is for this reason we will not give them out, for example Dell are currently offering a free upgrade to windows 7 on some of their new machines, I have had several enquiries asking for service tag numbers before buying, but I have refused, as I know these are simply scam artisits asking for the service tag number in order to register the computer to their name so they get the free upgrades rather than the real owners..
IF IN DOUBT ASK
Finaly, if you are doubt, ask the seller why the item is so cheap, it may be like me, that most of the eBay sales are cancelled orders for which we have already taken a non refundable deposit, hence including the discount we have already got of Dell and the deposit we have been paid by the cancelling buyer, we can often sell brand new Dell computers for very very cheap prices...
To finalise, if you still have questions about the validity of some deals for Dell computers on eBay, feel free to contact me.
I thought I would post this as a REAL guide, as that guide is totally incorrect and inaccurate.
The other guide claims that there is no such thing as a Dell "Partner" or an "Authorised Seller". this is both right and wrong...
YES, it is right, there are no such things as Dell authorised re-sellers...
NO... it is wrong, they are actually Dell Partners...
Dell partners come in the form of "Registered Partners" and "Authorised Partners"
DELL REGISTERED PARTNERS - work with dell to make their products available to a wider market, and as such may act as reselling agents for Dell equipment.. These companies are registered direct with Dell and are allowed to show the dell Logo on their company paperwork, they also get access to exclusive Dell deals, Dell business managers, documentation and literature, as well as a welcome pack from Dell including sales merchandise for use in their shops etc. Hell I even got a Dell branded memory key off them when we went Dell registered 2 years ago.
DELL AUTHORISED PARTNER - this is the next level, not only can they but and sell Dell computers, they are also authorised to undertake repairs and installations on behalf of Dell.
Have you ever wondered why Dell computers are cheaper at PC world than direct form Dell, well it is by using the same principles that Dell Partners can bring you such good deals, lets face it PC world would not sell Dell computers unless they were making a good profit on them, and they can still sell them cheaper than Dell direct.
REFURB or NEW???
There is not a lot of difference between NEW and Refurb when it comes to Dell, both come with a 1 year guarantee as standard (Not a 3 year as stated in other guides) and often the refurbs can be nothing more than cancelled orders.
The real thing to watch out for is Damage on your Dell computer when you recieve it, if it is scratched or dented then it is a refurb which has been sold cheaply by dell as a "Scratch and Dent" item, and has not been refurbished by them. These still come with a full warranty but obviously have cosmetic damage making them cheaper.
If the item is listed as refurbished but does not come with a 1 year warranty then it has not been refurbished by Dell, often you will find refurbs on eBay with a 6 or 3 month warranty, these have either been rebuilt by the seller, or have been sitting in storage for a hell of a long time.
Another thing to watch out for is 3 year warrnaties on cheap dell systems, these extended warranties can cost up to £150 from dell, so if someone is selling a £500 laptop for £350 and saying it has a 3 year warranty then it should raise suspicions as in reality they are selling a £650 computer for £350 and if they have it listed as brand new there is certainly something not right.
SERVICE TAGS
Yes all Dell computers should come with a service Tag number, if you buy one which has not got a service tag, send it back and ask for a refund... However please do not expect us to hand out service tag numbers to anyone who asks, these service tag numbers are specific to each machine and tell when it was built, what the original specification was, and when (In days) the warranty expires. And no, you can not tell from the service tag whether the machine is brand new or a refurb.
Service tags can also be used for accesing software updates etc from Dell, it is for this reason we will not give them out, for example Dell are currently offering a free upgrade to windows 7 on some of their new machines, I have had several enquiries asking for service tag numbers before buying, but I have refused, as I know these are simply scam artisits asking for the service tag number in order to register the computer to their name so they get the free upgrades rather than the real owners..
IF IN DOUBT ASK
Finaly, if you are doubt, ask the seller why the item is so cheap, it may be like me, that most of the eBay sales are cancelled orders for which we have already taken a non refundable deposit, hence including the discount we have already got of Dell and the deposit we have been paid by the cancelling buyer, we can often sell brand new Dell computers for very very cheap prices...
To finalise, if you still have questions about the validity of some deals for Dell computers on eBay, feel free to contact me.
Guide created: 08/06/09
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