Dell's calling service

Hi. After begging my mom for a while, she finally agreed to let me buy SXPS 1340. However she limited the money that i can use. So i decided to call dell for a cheaper price. Can someone give me suggestion for this? How do they know which configuration i wanted?
P.S. I have EPP but i don't want to use DPA.

 

You can still use your EPP program without using DPA.

Give the EPP line a call, they will ask you for your EPP info and then let them know what you want to order. They will go over the configuration with you. Once you have pieced together the configuration you are interested in, tell them to give you a quote#. This is basically a template of what you want and at the price currently in the system. So, if tomorrow something increases, you still have your quoted price.

Now, the first quote may not be anywhere near what you can pay, however that's ok. Go back online, do your research and see where you can cut corners. Perhaps drop the memory down and buy that aftermarket (it'll be cheaper). Also the hard drive is another area where you might be able to find it cheaper aftermarket. If so, go with the smallest drive option.

Your main concern should be to opt for the highest CPU, Graphics, LCD options that you can afford. These are very expensive to upgrade later. Oh and one more point, I suggest going for the MAX warranty. the Complete Care + 4 yr one. This actually increases your EPP savings not to mention can save you lots of headaches later.

Once you have found what you are looking at, call Dell back up and tell the rep you have a quote #. They will access your quote and you adjust it from there. After all the changes are there - ask them if they can drop the price. Remember, you MUST identify what YOU are willing to spend - use that as a max limit.

The whole process can take several calls back and forth to Dell. If the rep you are on the line with refuses to budge, tell them you will consider it and need to check over a few things before commiting to the purchase. Have them save the quote at the price you have reached. Hang up. Call back and try again.

I know it can sound time consuming, it is - but if you stick with it, you can come close to if not meet the price you are willing to pay. Especially in this economy.

Best of luck.

 

Also, don't forget Dell EPP is supposed to *match or beat* Dell's home site pricing!

They did this for me several times!

Do a few config's on the home site also, and *save it*, match it up with your config's that you have done on the EPP site ~ This also helps in the pricing matching!


Cin

 

what is EPP and DPA?

 

EPP = Employee Purchase Program - a discount applicable to Students, thru your Employer/local govt. discounts

Usually 7%, there is a EPP site setup for those that have this discount..pretty much the same as Dell's main site. Except it has the deals applicable to your discount.

DPA = Dell Preferred Account (Dell's own Credit Card) - by using this as a form of payment..you usually get an additional 4% off the purchase.
At Dell's main site, you will get 3% off of purchase when using for payment!


Cin

 

go to slickdeals.net, create an account and add a deal alert for the product.... i got good deals there

what is your budget and ideal specs? might be able to help u out to find a good price+config

 

Someone posted a little guide to negotiating with Dell... I haven't tried using it, but it looks pretty good I think... it's from a while ago but I think the principles are still pretty sound: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=153497

EDIT: I guess it may be a bit trickier now: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3152918&postcount=4 ... YMMV.

Since the model you're looking at is pretty new, I'd think they may not be willing to drop the price too low... but I'd give it a try... you may still be able to get the price down somewhat.

 

Yes, all that info' was from the Awesome Les...I haven't seen him on the forum, in long time He has made some very helpful threads on the Dell forum..including The Vista Tweaking Guide, and Fresh Install/Bloatware removal guide, and of course the SSD threads

I used part of his guide on getting the best deal via phone once, and it worked!

Cin

 

Thank you guys for these great informations. Here is the conifguration that i wanted. After tax+shipping, it's around $1340.(Werid. 1340 costs $1340) I read all the 1340 official owner's thread, i saw a lot of people got great discount around $100-$400.
SYSTEM COLOR Obsidian Black with Leather Accent
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8700 (3MB cache/2.53GHz/1066Mhz FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64
WARRANTY AND SERVICE 1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis (If they can drop the price with higher warranty and lower money, then i will go for it)
HD DISPLAY Free Upgrade! Edge-to-Edge 13.3" HD WXGA Slim WLED LCD with 1.3 Megapixel Camera edit
MEMORY 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms)
HARD DRIVE 320GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
INTERNAL OPTICAL DRIVE Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write)
VIDEO CARD NVIDIA® GeForce® 9500M - 256MB
WIRELESS CARDS Dell Wireless 1515 802.11n Half Mini-Card
BATTERY OPTIONS 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0
BLUETOOTH Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1+EDR)
Power adapter: None ( I assume they come with a power adapter)

 

Not bad. I bet you will be very happy!
How much did they discount you?


Cin

 

they gave him a $50.00 discount.. wow id deff fight for more! tell them the same laptop is $899 @ bestbuy minus the upgraded screen and you want a better deal!

 

He can..maybe they will give it too him..They will just have to cancel that one..and enter anew..


Cin

 

The price that i showed was the online price after the EPP discount. I will call dell around Wednesday and see what i can cut.

 

Do call and see what they can give you...You can always state that you are perusing the idea of cancelling as you can get the same specs/price at BB

If they do beat your pricing, and your order is still in place..they will prob's have to cancel and create a *fresh* order for you!

Good luck!


Cin

 

One more thing. Did you guys purchase 1Yr LoJack for Laptops Theft Protection? I will reinstall OS but the theft proctection is a software hidden in the BIOS. If i do a clean install, will the reinstall process delete that software? I try to save as much $ as possible.

 

Yes..it should...you can also use programs like RevoUninstaller, etc..in any case there are any *leftovers*.


Cin

 

Thank you guys again fot these infos. I just ordered a SXPS 1340 for around $100 less. I am just wondering when will they send me the confimation email? What happen when they got the wrong email address?

 

If you don't have it in the morning...call Dell and get the order information/confirmation They should have it.

Also..Glad you got a better deal!


Cin

 

i highly recommend you call again. I too called and was able to get a 20% discount or $500, which is nice isnt it? hehe

 

Thank you Cin. I am just afraid that the rep might got the wrong e mail. Wlfng did you got the discount on EPP also. How did you get that discount? How did u persuade them?

 

Yes, that's why I think it's best you call first thing in the am, when they are open for business again. Maybe you can work out a better deal.

Do you have EPP? If you do PM send me a PM..I can give you my reps contact info! He rocks

Cin

 

I have EPP. Sorry, I am new here. How to send a PM? One more thing, the rep gave me the phone number ,and the delivery date. So i don't have any order number or anything, it's so weird.

 

You shouldve received an order acknowledgement to confirm the sale. And, you wouldve received an order number, also..and the pertinent information.

They are not supposed to process that until you ok it.(Well, mine takes a verbal OK).

Ohh you have to have 15 post I think before you can PM
And, sorry we can't put contact name and info on the forum of Dell Reps, etc. (forum rules).

Now, that I know you had a phone order with a EPP rep, and didn't receive that email..please call first thing in the morning!


Cin

 

Oh my.... I didn't get any of that! That's is so...lame!!! How do they know which sale they had if i don't have anything to prove that i had an order?

 

Yes, call the Rep first thing in the morning..advise he, or someone failed to send your order acknow., and now you want to cancel and reorder..and you feel that because of this you better get a great deal, if he wants the sale.

When, I order thru EPP...I have the e-mail before the phone convo is even order..that way I can tell the rep to adjust something or simply go ahead with the Order!



Cin

 

Nice tip! I got a phone number like this: 18006958133 . Thanks for tell me to not get into trouble^^

 

That is your Rep's extension...When you dial the toll free number..it will say something like *if you know your Reps 7 digit number, please press*...and then you enter that extension to get to that Rep.

I think, you should remove the extension from your post though!


Cin

 

It is so annoying. Makes me want to buy the notebook online but cannot get the discount that much. Makes me hate and love at the same time..... I will call him tomorrow if i don't receive any e mail from dell tomorrow. This rep was kinda falling asleep and whispering all the time. Maybe i missed something from him.

 

After i called them, that rep guy really mess up everything. Wrong name, wrong e maill address, price some how higher.... So strange now they told me "The order is still in "HELD" status as it shows that the credit card used is declined, however you will need to contact your bank to authorize the order." What should I do with this? Can i not contact them and go to the bank directly to authorize that order?