[...]
And for the non-technical home user, which is the majority, the name
brand systems from HP, Dell, etc... are a better value when you consider
warranty and support and software costs.
Because they know no different, invariably, and rely purely on what the
salesman or marketing man tells them.
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.
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, 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.
The amount of people I've dealt with who have purchased such brands,
without extended warranty et al, to find 18mths later they are going to
need to buy pretty much a new system because their's is no longer
serviceable is quite significant.
18 months for a computer is reaching today, with the newer bloatware
emerging every month, taking more CPU and mode RAM and more drive space,
and more internet bandwidth. If they were happy with the computer 18
months ago, replacing a part will not change things. 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.
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.
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 - if you want to have a gamer system you
don't buy Packard Bell anyways. 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. 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).
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.
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.
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. You don't have
to respond, but, in a few years, if your business grows, you will see
that I've been right in this thread.
I wish you much success in your endeavors and hope all goes well for
you.
