I've bought two Dell desktop for home use, and have a Dell laptop for work. I've not had any problems with any of them. Although I do agree if you need customer support be ready to be on hold for at least 15 minutes if you are lucky. Good news is in five years I've only had to call customer support once.

 

Our company used Toshiba's and IBM Stink-pads for 5 years and they were really terrible. We then tried out HP laptops and in less than a year returned them all - junk.

We have been using Dell's (laptops, desktops and servers) for about 3 years now and have not had any major issues. Tech support can be slow - but they do always belly up and correct the problem.

About 4 months ago I turned in my Lattitude CPT (P III 800Mhz, 13" LCD) for a new 2650 (P4 2Ghz, 15" LCD) - arrived with Windows 2000 when it was ordered with XP-Pro. At first I did not car much, but it started having shutdown problems, the evil blue screen etc.. After 2 weeks of arguing with Dell support about the Windows 2000 issue - they finally agreed to send me XP-Pro. Since I talked to so many different idiots and they had all had reports logged - they actually sent me 4 legal copies of XP-Pro with keys that all arrived within 2 days of each other. Once XP was installed the machine has worked flawlessly.

Note that the 2650 does not have an external com/serial port - may be an issue if you actually use it. I use the serial port for equipment interfaces and had to buy a $20 USB to Serial adapter.

 

I had purchased my desktop from Dell around two years ago and it is constantly on. Never once have I had a problem.

One of the reasons I went with Dell was because of there reliability and a friends experience with their customer support. My buddies 19" Sony Trinitron monitor had stopped working a few months after the warranty on the computer expired but he called anyways to see if Dell would do anything. The service rep sent him a brand new monitor with shipping charges of the new monitor and his back to Dell for free. Not a bad deal.

Konrad

 

Make sure a laptop is really what you need (as opposed to a desktop). The old joke in computer sales is that laptops provide "last year's technology at next year's prices". In other words, you pay a premium for less performance when compared to desktop models. I highly recommend an extended service plan on a laptop, especially for heavy users. Unlike my desktops, I can't open it up and just start replacing parts when something goes wrong - almost everything is integrated or proprietary. Also, realize that there's very limited upgrade flexibility with a laptop, compared to a desktop.

My wife has one of the Dell Latitude notebooks (P3, 1GHz) as required by her law school. It gets HEAVY use, and is transported multiple times daily. It's had multiple screens replaced because the LCD touches the keybaord surround when its closed (bad mechanical design) which over time leads to bad pixels. She's been through 2 motherboards and a hard drive. After a year, using 2 batteries at the same time is only good for about 30-45 minutes of power, and batteries are $100 each to replace. She's been having significant problems with floppy/DVD drives in the modular bay losing contact while they're in there. The preliminary diagnosis is that this machine's chassis isn't quite square, so the drives get squeezed out of position and make intermittent contact. The thing gets incredibly hot when you're using it, and the tiny fan rarely runs - they won't replace it because the diagnostic "says" the fan and temp sensor are ok. We're hoping the chassis flex problem results in getting a replacement model.

Can't confirm with authority, but I've also been told that Dell doesn't manufacture their laptops as they do the desktops. Production is outsourced to an Asian manufacturer, and they're badged and sold as Dell in the U.S.

Jeff

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Konrad
[B] My buddies 19" Sony Trinitron monitor had stopped working a few months after the warranty on the computer expired but he called anyways to see if Dell would do anything.

 

Thanks for all the input...............we are still shopping around.

 

I've had 4 Toshiba's in 8 years. They are reliable and not as heavy as the Dell's. In any event, get the 3yr warranty.

 

If you decide to go the HP route, S2000-SOTO can probably get you a decent deal as how he's a factory rep I beleive...

 

I'm not a computer wiz, but, I've had my Dell Desk Top System about a year and I've had no major problems with it. Customer service can keep you on hold for 15 to 30 mins sometimes but they always help you and get the problem solved. I have no complaints.

 

As someone who was recently laid off by Dell I can answer some of these questions though I'm not particularly happy with that company right now.

The notebooks are made in Malaysia and shipped over by air to the US. They're made by Dell though and are Dell notebooks not some other brand labeled as Dells.

Regarding the tech support problems, I can't say I'm too surprised. I worked in IT but a lot of the tech support people were on my floor and most were laid off last year and replaced by people in India. So now when you call Dell tech support there's a good chance your call is getting routed to some guy in India who will work much cheaper than people in the US. I've never had to call tech support but I can't imagine that people who are located half way around the world and don't speak English as their native language are going to be as effective as dealing with people here in the US. Maybe they're better but I haven't heard too many positive things about this arrangement.

Given all that and the fact I don't have a job right now because of those money hungry bastards, if I was buying a notebook right now it would be a Dell. I think they make the best notebooks for the money out there right now.