Display similar refurbished computers after a customer configures a new Dell

Advertising and Marketing, Dell Web Site, Environment submitted by getgreg Aug 10

To me one of the biggest frustrations of buying a Dell, is after you configure and buy your dream machine, you sometimes have to wait weeks for it to be built and shipped. Refurbished Dells, on the other hand, are already built and ready-to-ship.

It would be great if after you finish configuring a Dell, the site would search the refurbished inventory for computers matching your specs and give you the option to buy a refurb instead.

I bet a lot of customers who won't ever find their way to dell.com/outlet would take a cheaper, quick-shipping refurb if it's presented to them this way. Doing this would probably help move refurbished computers faster which will further ensure that Dell sees top dollar for them.

Also, moving refurbished computers before new computers will also help Dell's commitment to go carbon-neutral. By selling already built refurbs first, Dell ensure that they don't consume energy and materials building new computers when a refurb will suffice.

Seems like everyone wins on this one. 17 Comments »

Dell's Spanish Website

Advertising and Marketing, Sales Strategies submitted by johngosling Yesterday

The Spanish version of the Dell web site in Spain offers only the Spanish version of Windows and offers only Spanish keyboards. There is no option on this site to order a computer with Engish (UK or US) operating systems and keyboards. As it happens, there are currently almost 10 million foreigners living in Spain (approximately 3 million of these from the UK), and a very large proportion of these would prefer (and in many cases need) the English options for operating system and keyboard.

The computer market in Spain is very different from that in the UK and the US. With the exception of Dell, the only way to buy a computer here is to order a preconfigured machine from one of the major manufacturers such as HP, Packard-Bell and so on. However, the fact that Dell.es offers only Spanish operating systems and keyboards rules out Dell as an option for all of us who need to configure our own machines. Neither can we order a Dell machine from the UK site since dell.uk delivers only to UK addresses.

On the other hand, I heard from Dell UK a couple of years ago when first looking into this issue that it is possible to make a special order via telephone for a Dell machine with the Engish version of Windows. This however is not a viable option for those who are not highly fluent in Spanish since the possibility of miscommunication in relation to what is a highly detailed machine specification means that most potential customers would simply not be prepared to consider this possibility - I speak from experience!

This is immensely frustrating for those of us over here who would actually like to buy Dell machines and represents a very significant commercial loss for Dell who are effectively making themselves unavailable for very large numbers of foreigners living in Spain who need the English operating systems and keyboard.

Perhaps Dell might like to revise their policy in this respect and gain a few more customers from this part of the world.

John Gosling

Malaga, Spain Comment »

No "Provided by Dell" in IE

Advertising and Marketing, Software submitted by adog317 Aug 5

We all know that we have a dell and no one will be able to see it for advertising, so please just leave it "Internet Explorer". 2 Comments »

Have more respect for your Inspiron Mini customers!

Advertising and Marketing submitted by mostlyharmless22 3 days ago

I have been going back and looking at blogs/forums from May and June, trying to determine whether the Inspiron Mini is "vaporware" or an actual planned product. I found instances where Dell made specific comments about their "upcoming netbook," acknowledged information released on Engadget, and even commented that it was likely that Engadget was where the next tidbit of information would be found.

Now that everyone is all stirred up and waiting for the official release, we get total silence from Dell. Not "there are delays but be patient" -- total silence. Even if you're not ready to release specs yet, you could have mentioned it at your press conference. Your failure to do so shows a complete lack of understanding or respect for your customers. People, including me, are angry and many are defecting to buy other mini notebooks.

Learn something about marketing strategy and respect for your customers! 20 Comments »

Post a video of your Global Mobility Event

Advertising and Marketing, Broadband and Mobility, Dell submitted by jervis961 Aug 8 **UNDER REVIEW**

On August 12th Dell executives from around the world unveil a new generation of Dell mobility products that will re-invent the way people do business.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080807/20080807006301.html?.v=1

Can you please post some video of the event that night for those of us who cannot attend. I know there is a sign up for media streaming http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=50463 but some people will not be able to watch at that time due to work or other issues.

Also remember that home users may also be interested in some of these products.


Please see vida_k's comment
10 Comments »

create ads to promote linux.

Advertising and Marketing, Linux submitted by siger Aug 3

all new product has to be promoted. why don't do so with linux 's desktops ?

Why d'ont we see ads for linux 's desktops ? 21 Comments »

promoting linux

Advertising and Marketing, Linux submitted by bronk Aug 12

An effective method to promote Linux is have the least expensive Dell Laptop pre-installed with Ubuntu.

It should also be made clear that all the basic features, such as gaming, internet surfing, e-mailing and text editing, are available and have a better performance than Windows on the same machine.

It must also be make clear that Linux usage is as care-free as Windows...that a user can be assured that he can spend his time on his application and not on the OS. 4 Comments »

Share the savings!

Advertising and Marketing, Sales Strategies submitted by luckeycat Aug 17

Ok so with Dell and other companies going green and using less packaging and cheaper materials saves not only the environment but the companies money as well, while they either keep the price the same, or up the pricing on these prodcts(sometimes, usually rarely but somtimes). So while they save the environment they also save money and take ours. So I think they should lower the price a little. Even if its just a little, to a mass company like dell that saves alot of money-but for them, not us...I also think the concept of going green is to save the environment, not take our money that they save... 2 Comments »

Put Ubuntu on sale at the same time as Windows (unfair to Ubuntu sales count if we install it afterwords)

Advertising and Marketing submitted by brett_alton Jun 26

I'm pretty frustrated to receive a flyer with a Inspiron 1525 laptop on sale for $599 while the Ubuntu laptop with the same specs are $699.

Why is this frustrating you ask? Why don't you just buy the $599 laptop, wipe it and put Ubuntu on it you say?

Well, I can easily purchase the $599 laptop, wipe Windows off and put Ubuntu on but there are two problems with that:

1) I don't get Dell's support for Ubuntu Linux
2) Dell doesn't see what I do with my PC after I purchase it, thus, they don't know that they actually sold an Ubuntu laptop. This means that it is one more Windows laptop sold over a Ubuntu laptop. Why is this important?

Well, apparently a few weeks after supporting Ubuntu, Dell sold 40,000 Ubuntu-based laptops. It is finally my turn to purchase one, but I want to be added to that count so that Dell knows I'm buying an Ubuntu-based laptop. Why is this important?

I want Dell to continue selling Ubuntu-based laptops, so I think it would be in the Linux communities and Dell's best interest to offer the same deals on Ubuntu laptops as Windows laptops.

I don't want Windows Vista and I don't want you to think I want Windows Vista. I want Ubuntu, but I want to pay the same price as the other guys. 9 Comments »

Dell should create a new tool for the next twebinar

Advertising and Marketing, Software, Simplify IT submitted by jervis961 Aug 14

Dell recently held a twebinar when they announced the new Latitude and Precision line up. People were able to view the event live via a video feed and ask questions on twitter simultaneously. While the new experience was great there is room for improvement. Post users had Twitter open in one window, the video stream in another and then the slides from the presentation would pop up in a third window. Dell should develop a new tool to bring it all together. The tool would have the video in one corner, your twitter account on the side and small versions of the slides than can be opened into a larger version if needed. I think this would help expand the experience for the next such event. 5 Comments »

DELL

Advertising and Marketing submitted by tedmoe 3 days ago

Dream - Envision - Live - Love = DELL

Marketing idea, show a child Dreaming, an engineer Envisioning, a Senior citizen Living, and people In Love

Or something very similiar, using D E L L. DELL DELL Forget the "Dude you're getting a Dell" slogan or the present forgettable marketing campaign. Dream, Envision, Live, Love

Focus on Dreaming, Evisioning, Living and Loving. Dell can make it happen for you.

Maurice "Ted" Cossette LCDR USN (ret) 1 Comment »

Laptop Cover Design Contest

Advertising and Marketing, Laptops submitted by juliwehmeyer Aug 4

I think it'd be a great idea to hold a contest for "art" on the cover of a laptop. This could be a contest held over a certain amount of time with guidelines, etc. as all contests have. The grand prize winner would have their design implemented on the cover of a laptop. It's a great marketing strategy to get people involved with Dell. Just a positive PR move. It could obviously be more complex than just one winner, but that's the general idea. Maybe there could be several winners.. Hey, and a free way to get cover designs! It could lead into future advertising for the company. 1 Comment »

What's in a name...?

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), Advertising and Marketing submitted by anji Jul 31

Everything! And if Dell wants to push sales for their MP3 players, or any other small handheld, they need to get with the times. DJ Ditty? Is this supposed to appeal to the young-ish crowd that is the main purchaser of such things? Nope. I say, hold a contest, open to the public, of course; and give some of the products away as an incentive for the best name(s). Who better to name a product than those who use them? 4 Comments »

Downloadable, PDF format, full technical specs for all systems

Advertising and Marketing, Dell Web Site submitted by benjesuit 06/12/07 **REVIEWED**

Before I buy, I would like to have the options of downloading the full technical specifications of the system. Not just the brief specifications. Place a link under "tech specs" tab that allows you to view or download the full specification PDF file for those of us who care about and understand such things. This way everyone is satisfied.
We are looking to improve the specs pages by making them consistent across all product lines, provide more in-depth specifications and making them available in a printable format.





35 Comments »

Provide Linux compatibility information on all products up front

Advertising and Marketing, Linux submitted by spm 02/21/07 **REVIEWED**

My company used to buy all out IT products from Dell. The main reason we don't buy any Dell products any more is that it is so difficult to get information from Dell on Linux compatibility, except from a few very expensive high end products. Calling Dell product support to find out if a particular product will work with Linux and where to get drivers is an offputting experience. Dell sales staff seem to take a perverse delight in telling customers that they don't support Linux, and when I tell them that I don't want support from them, only compatibility and driver information, they tell me that they can't give me that information, nor information on chipsets which might allow me to locate information from elsewhere.

The bottom line is that I expect at the very least to be provided compatibility and chipset information before I buy a PC. Neither myself or any other customer is going to buy a Dell PC to test it on Dells behalf - product testing and certification is the manufacturer's responsibility, not mine. White box suppliers, and other mail order suppliers on the other hand are only too willing to provide motherboard, chipset, and component information etc. to allow me to check compatibility.

The reason why we no longer buy any Dell products is simple - we use a small number of Linux PCs in our office and all the servers in our office run Linux. We buy all hardware, peripherals including low end desktop hardware so that they are deployable with both Linux and Windows. We do this for obvious reasons - for example, we might want to plug in a printer originally purchased for use with Windows into a Linux server print queue, and we may want server applications to print to the printer. We may want to redeploy Windows Desktops later as Linux desktops - for example to use as a shared data access desktop. Therefore, although our desktop PCs are overwhelmingly Windows, we won't buy any hardware that isn't Linux compatible, even if it is intended for use with Windows initially. Dell unfortunately doesn't meet those needs, and we cannot buy equipment from Dell. I am sure a lot of other companies which use Linux in the office have similar issues.

Here is what Dell needs to do to have a chance of winning our (and other's) custom:

1) Advertise and inform about Linux compatibility or otherwise. Finding out about compatibility before buying is the most difficult thing about Linux, not installation or configuration. Any company that can do this has a huge advantage for little or no cost.
2) Provide full Linux compatibility information on all Dell products - not just high end desktops. Ideally, certify products for the top distros - RHET, SLES, Debian, the latest free Fedora, OpenSuSE, Ubuntu if possible. Linux users don't necessarily want a preload - most Linux users are quite capable of installing Linux themselves and would probably install some other Linux distro if one was pre-installed. Preinstallation is only useful to us as an indication that the product is Linux compatible. If a feature is only partially supported by Linux, say so and say what is supported - Linux users will understand, and may not need all the features, or like us they may only want the Linux compatibility for possible future redeployment. If driver support is external (most will be) then provide links pointing to those sites in Dell support, and if you need to make a disclaimer to avoid liability for a third party products outside Dell's control, do so. Again Linux users will understand.
3) Exclude products from the Dell inventory that don't support Linux as far as possible. Generally for every part that is not Linux compatible, there is one that is Linux compatible for the same price.
4) Don't ask customers to pay the Microsoft tax. Linux machines or no-OS machines with zero cost OS and no support should cost significantly less than a Windows pre-loaded machine. Customers know when they are being cheated and don't like it.
5) Linux support (except for driver information) is not usually required (except for servers), only web based information. If the customer needs Linux support, it will probably be from an independent consultant/techie rather than from Dell. Sell your Linux PCs as "Linux OEM - no support" PCs at a significantly lower cost than the equivalent Windows PC.
6) Linux on the desktop is most competitive on the low end desktop - particularly for schools etc. Sell Linux PCs preloaded onto low end desktop computers with appropriate free software for that market, at a competitive price rather than on high end workstations.


Upfront Linux capability would be difficult to implement on our web store. But, check some of the alternatives john_h posted.




21 Comments »

Announce which nonprofit organizations received the $1000 from the IdeaStorm Environmental Contest.

Advertising and Marketing, IdeaStorm submitted by jmxz Aug 6

This Idea is that you should announce which non-profits received the $1000 from the IdeaStorm Environmental Contest mentioned here on direct2dell.com.

Here's how it will work:

* We'll be collecting ideas from June 5 until June 26
* For those who submit the best ideas, we will make a donation to a non-profit organization of your choice
* We expect that five donations will be given of $1,000 each based on vote totals

The last we've heard from Dell was an Ideastorm Admin posting

"we know who the winners are and have been working out the details for the grants to the non-profits. It didn't make sense to announce the winners before the details for the grants were worked out. Also, a few of the winners have not responded to our emails to them, so we had to wait until we added the ability to change your your email address..."

in the comments under an IdeaStorm Idea (#74987) that has apparently been deleted or merged.

Ideas: If you did make the awards, make an update stating which non-profits received the cash in Ideas In Action and on that Direct2Dell posting where. If you didn't, perhaps consider if and when you might do so. 1 Comment »

Bring Back The DELF (Dell Elf) for the Holiday Sales Season . . .

Advertising and Marketing, Sales Strategies submitted by kenjennings Jul 30

. . . along with with the daily contests and prizes. That was fun. 8 Comments »

TV Commercial for New Ubuntu PCs

Advertising and Marketing, Linux submitted by josmar52789 05/03/07

Dell should produce a new commercial for the Ubuntu PCs. It could tell the consumers of America why Dell has chosen to pre-install Linux on mainstream computers and hopefully promote the advantages of this new endeavor. Plus, it's likely that Dell's Linux initiative would be much more successful. 117 Comments »

Remove: "Dell recommends Windows Vista™..." from any publication

Advertising and Marketing submitted by tho.meier 02/21/07

It would be nice to see advertising without any Micro$oft, from Dell. I think there is enough advertising for MS from MS it self.

Somthing linke: "Dell supports muli-OS" would look good! Od: "Dell gives you the real choice" 61 Comments »

Last Minute Offers

Advertising and Marketing, Sales Strategies, Desktops and Laptops submitted by gianps Aug 7

You know people likes public auction and the search for cheaper things. This can be, like in a travel agency, a kind of advantage for both characters: dell and clients.

Fix one product (laptop or desktop or whatever) and sell it for few hours at an amazing offer.

Maybe u can make limited editions that makes these products even more desirable.

As well the few hours offer has to be limited in the number of available pieces.

Sorry about my english spelling, not my mother tongue. 1 Comment »