Has anyone here bought a computer from Dell or Gateway?

[ringmastery]

How does the shipping work? I'm at work most of the day. Will they just leave a big box outside my door if I'm not home for anyone to come by and steal?

[laruemtt]

1. i've actually bought one of each

and i was home when each was delivered. they came UPS, who i'm pretty sure leaves a pick-up slip if no one's home to answer the door. do you have any neighbors you trust to keep an eye out for ya while you're at work and get it for you? not sure if UPS will do that.

[RC]

3. Can you have it delivered at work?

If so, you can call UPS and make arrangements to have it delivered there.

[ringmastery]

5. is there a way to get them to hold it and

deliver it at a certain time, like after 3 or 4. I can probably get off a little early for work, but the thing is I would have to know the exact day.

[Mikimouse]

2. Usually they won't just leave it (Gateway, that is)...

but be very careful with Gateway. If you are planning on paying it off on monthly installments, they will sell the original account to their OWN credit agency, which in turn will charge you about 20% interest on the entire balance until it is paid off. Bastards pulled this on me back in 1999, and I paid $100/month for 6 months and had only paid off about $150 of the principle. Needless to say, as soon as I got the money together I paid the thing off lock, stock and barrel and have not bought anything from them since.

[girl gone mad]

4. I had to sign for my Dell..

I'm not sure what they would do if you weren't home, but I don't think they can just leave it outside.

[AlGore-08.com]

6. My local UPS store has a service where they accept packages for you

At $15 a package.

I don't know if the entire chain does that, or if it's just the owner of my local store. But he's a really good local merchant - - he really goes out of his way for his repeat customers. I've been sending packages through him for about six years, and I know him well enough to trust him to accept and hold a computer for me.

Ask your local UPS store (they used to be MailBoxesEtc.) if they'll do that for you.

[TexasMexican]

7. Nope never.

The only prebuilt computer I bought was my first computer which was a Packard Bell back in '97.

Ever since then I've built my own computers. Its cheaper and more fun.

[loftycity]

11. Is that very hard to do?

Or do you think you could find someone who would build it at a reasonable cost?
I would love to do that.

[NMDemDist2]

12. check out this site, they have it all and the phone folks are a great

help

www.tigerdirect.com

start here http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=31

and start adding from there :)

[TexasMexican]

13. Nah its relatively easy.

All you need are the right parts and a phillips head screw driver.

Everything else pretty much plugs into place.

[loftycity]

18. Really? Thanks that is what I'm going to do

Cheers TexasMexican and AZDemDist6 thanks for the Tiger site.:toast:

[NMDemDist2]

19. plan for it to take a whole weekend, but it will be worth it and

save you a ton of money, and you'll know your machine inside and out and won't be afraid to upgrade again

heck I have built 3 in the last 5 years and have had NO training whatsoever, but leave your internet up on your old machine, you may need to look up and download drivers etc

have fun and good luck and send me a PM and let me know how it went!

[loftycity]

20. Well do!

[kiahzero]

17. Agreed with one caveat

Laptops. I just bought a computer from Dell (Latitude D800).

[loftycity]

8. Dell ships Fed Ex and you can pick it up at the Fed Ex office.

That is how mine was delivered. Mikimouse is right about the interest.
And I really don't like Dell. I have one and I not a happy camper.
IF you buy a computer at Costco. Costco has a six month return policy on computers and they have Sony.

[Spinzonner]

9. I believe the Distribution Center will also hold it for pickup

though how practical that is for you will probably depend on where it is located relative to your home or commute.

I have one about a mile or two away and have picked up packages on at least two occasions

[DS1]

10. When I worked as a UPS runner, things like that

could be either hidden behind the house if you had a porch or something, or required a signature.

But, the answer I give everyone, is have it shipped to work.

[Eye and Monkey]

14. I bought a Dell Latitude & then a printer thru Dell.

The Latitude I bought from a GREAT little enterprise in Austin, TX - home of Dell. A bunch o' Dell-trained techies chucked the corp and now run their own little shop - called Mr. Notebook - they take reconditions from the factory and make them BETTER than new - for alot cheaper. I HIGHLY recommend these folks. They are tops on service, friendly & helpful, and you can contact a REAL PERSON on the other end rather than a corporation. I bought a Sony Vaio from Mr. Notebook in '98, wore it out and replaced it with the Latitude in '01. This is a great little computer, and it's been through a couple of really rough environments out in the field. A very close friend also bought a Thinkpad from Mr. Notebook, and it's been an ace even tho' she's been out in a sandstorm-ridden desert for the last year.

http://www.mrnotebook.com



I've always had them delivered to where I am during the day. Correction - the first one, the Vaio, I bought in the store - I liked the folks enough that I found them online, even tho' I wasn't living in Austin anymore, years later when I needed a new computer.

[DS1]

15. Cool! Thx for the link!

[tilsammans]

16. I bought a Dell computer five years ago . . .

. . . it's an okay computer. Just okay. The CD drive up and died on me after 3.5 years.

It's time to replace it, but I'd think twice about buying another Dell after reading right here on DU that Michael Dell is a big contributor to the GOP.