Dell is so clever...

[Lifted]

that I've decided to buy from HP for the 100+ desktops that are being refreshed in the next few months. I noticed this "bug" weeks ago, and gave them the benefit of the doubt that it was an error. Unfortunately for Dell it still exists.

Shop for a Dell Optiplex - 980 in my case. Select a computer to customize and switch to list view to make things a bit quicker to select. Make some selections going down the list, and when you get to monitors, click the plus next to one of the series to see what's available. Now click minus since you've decided nothing there is worth getting. Hmm, they decided you want one of those monitors. OK, just remove it. Go ahead... try. :thumbsdown:

These next 100 PC's will be HP's. Yes it's petty, but I'm not locked into purchasing from Dell (unfortunately many people are), so there is no way I'm going to put up with this "annoyance". Does anyone think this has actually worked - to force a business to buy monitors they didn't want or need? Has anyone purchasing business model desktops ever just given up and said "Fuck it, I'll just purchase the monitor." WTF are they thinking?

 

[Bateluer]

These next 100 PC's will be HP's. Yes it's petty, but I'm not locked into purchasing from Dell (unfortunately many people are), so there is no way I'm going to put up with this "annoyance". Does anyone think this has actually worked - to force a business to buy monitors they didn't want or need? Has anyone purchasing business model desktops ever just given up and said "Fuck it, I'll just purchase the monitor." WTF are they thinking?

Have you tried calling their business sales phone numbers at all?

 

[coxmaster]

Thats pretty shitty website design. The radio button next to "no monitor" is just missing.

 

[mfenn]

I dunno why you would be using the website to order a hundred machines. Your Dell rep will be able to give you a much better deal. Dell's website is basically list price. Any business who actually pays that is getting raped.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

How about simply NOT clicking the plus sign beside the monitors? Why even look if you don't want one? Of course you can always call the order in (which would probably be better for the quantity you are ordering) and even notify the sales person of the website issue.

Anyway, good luck with HP. While these stats are somewhat dated, I doubt much has changed in the last 12-18 months: Desktop reliability and Laptop reliability.

Edit>> Newer reliability survey for both desktops and laptops.

 

[Zap]

I dunno why you would be using the website to order a hundred machines. Your Dell rep will be able to give you a much better deal. Dell's website is basically list price. Any business who actually pays that is getting raped.

That was my first thought also. With a quantity of 100, you have negotiating powah! Call them up and get a dedicated rep. Then, you can basically tell them what you want as specs and the quantity, and they'll give you a price that's better than on their site.

Anyway, good luck with HP.
...
Edit>> Newer reliability survey for both desktops and laptops.

Hmmm... "HP retains its hold on the bottom rung." Fail, HP, fail. Not that Dell did a whole lot better this time 'round, but seems like Dell has ups and downs while HP is always at the bottom.

 

[Lifted]

I dunno why you would be using the website to order a hundred machines.

I'm just checking out configuration options. I have no intention of ordering over the web as I get calls with almost daily frequency from different account reps at Dell.

Why even look if you don't want one?

I wanted to see the different discounts they offered on monitors when configured with a particular desktop.

And the survey results are for consumer laptops/deskops, not business lines. Do you see a trend there? Dell and HP are at the bottom while they are the largest manufacturers? Try seeing through these numbers a bit and you'll see they are worthless at face value. Most of the complaints are probably from < $400 computer purchases that come with 1 year of support or less. A certain part fails after 1 year and people go bat shit that support won't help them for free, so they decide all Dell/HP are crap, when in fact the $299 special they bought was crap. You're dealing with your average Walmart shopper for these cheap garbage computers.

Edit: The survey was simply a poll from visitors to PCWorld. Now I give those numbers even less significance as they could be pure marketing.

 

[mfenn]

I'm just checking out configuration options. I have no intention of ordering over the web as I get calls with almost daily frequency from different account reps at Dell.

Yet your OP said that you decided to go with HP without even checking on what kind of deal that Dell could give you.

 

[DaveSimmons]

> These next 100 PC's will be HP's. Yes it's petty, . . .

If that's the method you use to decide how to spend $50-100,000+ of your company's money, perhaps they should find the radio button to choose "no Lifted"

 

[Lifted]

> If that's the method you use to decide how to spend $50-100,000+ of your company's money, perhaps they should find the radio button to choose "no Lifted"

:awe:

 

[DominionSeraph]

Dell updates their website several times a day. Considering that if they didn't update, they couldn't give such deals; I'll take the occasional error.

Here, one I noticed two days ago:

Select Optiplex 380, and click on the 88&#37; efficient PSU [Add $20]. It adds $40 to the price.

Oh and OP, they have a Feedback button. The first option is "website error." It takes 20 seconds to let them know there's a problem.

 

[crucibelle]

These next 100 PC's will be HP's. Yes it's petty, but I'm not locked into purchasing from Dell (unfortunately many people are), so there is no way I'm going to put up with this "annoyance". Does anyone think this has actually worked - to force a business to buy monitors they didn't want or need? Has anyone purchasing business model desktops ever just given up and said "Fuck it, I'll just purchase the monitor." WTF are they thinking?

You sound a bit paranoid. I doubt that Dell is trying to "force" you to do anything. More than likely, it is a simple website error. As someone mentioned above, all you have to do is report the error to them. Also, I think you must have had something against Dell to start with, or you wouldn't have disregarded them on such a flimsy basis.

 

[Lifted]

Uhhh, yeah. So here is the first paragraph of my op, again, in case you missed it.

that I've decided to buy from HP for the 100+ desktops that are being refreshed in the next few months. I noticed this "bug" weeks ago, and gave them the benefit of the doubt that it was an error.

 

[Homerboy]

Umm who buys 100+ PCs via a website? For small business you get a small business rep who will bend over backwards for you. I've dealt with both Dell and HP for such orders, and Dell BLOWS HP outta the water.

CALL AND GET A REP... You will get better support, and better deals. You can tell them EXACTLY what you want ad get a custom quote.

 

[piasabird]

I have found the dell websites to be a bit under par. Probably better off with a sales rep if you are purchasing 100 units. You are the kind of customer any company wants to keep.

 

[Gunbuster]

Switching brands on a whim? I would fire you. Not even going into how much HP sucks you need to take a long hard look at product life cycle management.

Whoever develops your company software image will be wanting to have a talk with you. After them the people who have to order and install parts will be in line.

 

[imagoon]

Call a rep. Pricing on 100 units will qualify for 'special' pricing and will typically be significantly cheaper per unit than what the webpage shows. I also tell my rep what I want and she puts the quote together. I never bother with the website unless I am simply looking at the hardware.

And no, I have never given up and taken a monitor. Reps can issue quotes built as you want it. I have ordered parts inside machines that the website does have listed by calling in and having it added.

EDIT: PS the premier site is even worse...

 

[crucibelle]

Uhhh, yeah. So here is the first paragraph of my op, again, in case you missed it.

I still doubt that Dell is trying to force people to buy monitors. Could be their web development team has not gotten around to fixing the site, yet. Like some of the others have said, it would have probably been better for you to call, anyway.

 

[mfenn]

<rock_salt> Dunno if anybody has mentioned this yet, but you should probably call your rep. </rock_salt>

 

[Lifted]

I know if I call my rep he will only try to dump some monitors on me that I don't need. It's obviously the Dell way.

 

[Zargon]

yeah good call. HP operates completely the opposite way!

 

[crucibelle]

I know if I call my rep he will only try to dump some monitors on me that I don't need. It's obviously the Dell way.

Yep, the Evil Dell Conspiracy.