dell_user

Simplify, Simplify!!

Sales Strategies, Simplify IT submitted by beefman 02/23/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

Purchasing from Dell at present is immensely confusing. From home buyers to corporate purchases, simply purchasing a computer is a struggle when one is trying to achieve the best value. In the drive to serve every segment of the market, Dell has become balkanized and fragmented.

Dell made their name on ease of transaction and simplicity. Now, Dell's pricing structure is so complex it makes airline fares look simple! Then, when it comes time to order, finding the right person to speak to can be a chore as well. I have been able to make much better deals when talking to a sales rep than when ordering online. Why? Dell should be driving customers to the lowest cost method of order acceptance and making that process as easy and painless as possible.

The multilayered, multitiered pricing structure has to be the first thing to go. Get rid of the thousands of discount codes that are handed out on a by the minute basis. Make pricing simple, repeatable and logical. Discount by customer on an account basis. Why should you be extending discounts and rewarding a bottom-feeder who only waits for below-cost red-ink loss leaders and never buys otherwise? Reward good customers, and set pricing such that even without a discount, Dell products are an excellent value. All the segmentation DOES NOT result in better service to customers and only adds cost.

On that note: DON'T hand off accounts. My biggest frustration with Dell was building a relationship and then being handed off to someone else to work with. It seemed that this was done on a regular basis to stimulate business. Not smart. I have had the same rep at CDW for 8 years. They're my primary vendor and I won't go anywhere else. If they sold Dell, I'd buy it there. Why? My sales rep and the quality of service.

You NEVER want customers having buyers remorse or thinking they could've got a better deal. The sales/pricing structure in place pretty much assures that, in addition to making the purchase process more difficult than it should be. Sweep it away, get back to roots of offering rock solid leading edge technology at a rock bottom price.


We’re making every effort to simplify the purchase process for Dell products and services. The recent launch of Dell ProSupport was driven by feedback from customers like you, and it’s an important step in the right direction.

13 Comments »

Showing Power Load

Servers and Storage, Simplify IT submitted by yaaboo 11/17/07

the electricity is becoming more and more expensive.
if there is a monitoring says how much the server or every production loads power, that will be very great

in Open Mange. there should also be a history chart

Thanks
YaaBoo Gang
www.yaaboobar.com.cn/life
CANDIS Group 4 Comments »

Improve Dell's support center

Dell, Dell Web Site, Service and Support, Software, Simplify IT submitted by liraco 11/30/07

I'm happy with my new Dell Vostro but was very disappointed when I upgraded the Dell Support Center that claimed it was better integrated to improve support. I then went to see if there were new drivers and updates for the computer.

To my dismay, the site has tons of upgrades and all are much older than what my laptop currently has. There's no indication that reveals that, my windows system caught on to me installing an older driver though.

If you really want to make support easier and integrating it with the hardware, then make sure the software know what's already on and show only the things you need (with an option to see older drivers not on by default). Also upgrade the sites drivers faster. How is it my laptop has all its components nwered than what's on the site? That shouldn't be. Comment »

Unintelligible system summary details on the support page

Simplify IT submitted by fahlenkp 11/26/07

I can't count the number of times I have hoped to have the system summary help me out after entering a service tag. I should be able to go look for details that help me. The hard drive brand and model, the webcam, whatever. Sometimes you can find information based on the part number and some searching. The ideal solution would be to have HUMAN READABLE details in the field describing the part number. I'll paste an example of what is listed at the end of this post.

You guys have amazing database systems. Why not show them off? Give me details of my system with a part number, a replacement name that makes sense and a link to purchase the old part or a new upgrade? Why not post a link to not only the newest driver but the oldest driver and firmware as well? All of this data should be a few clicks away, not a maze where normal users give up.

Pete
IT Manager

from a vostro 1700 delivered today-

1 DY656 ASSEMBLY..., CABLE..., PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD..., LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., GYGBT
2 NW681 COVER..., SCREW..., MYLAR..., BLACK..., 1500/1700
1 PY585 LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., 17, WXGA+, VIDEO ELEC. STDS. ASSOC...., SAMSUNG...
1 DX495 BEZEL..., PLASTIC..., LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY..., WCMRA, BLACK, 1700
1 PM027 ASSEMBLY..., CAMERA..., 2M, INTEGRATED..., MANUFACTURED IN CHINA..., LITEON..., M08 Comment »

Partner with Cisco on IP phones

Simplify IT submitted by pattyboy 12/18/07

Set up a partnership that could produce an embedded VOIP client that can be tied into Cisco VOIP systems. Obviously, this would be have to be proven to generate more revenue for Cisco than the revenue loss of some of their standalone clients might cause. I would accomplish this with a hard client in the BT keyboard/Mouse combo. Takes one thing off the desk. The tech is here already for it, integrate it with Outlook contacts and we'd be somewhere. Comment »

Let Us Build A PC Without Microsoft Works or Office!

Software submitted by aikiwolfie 12/22/07

Dell I have absolutely no need for Microsoft Works 8.0. Especially on a PC designed for multimedia entertainment! Please give me the option of having a PC without any office software at all.

Please SIMPLIFY MY IT experience by giving me the opportunity to avoid the uninstall process. 26 Comments »

Build An Androide Based Phone/PDA/MP3 Player/All Round Media Device.

Accessories (Keyboards, etc.), New Product Ideas submitted by aikiwolfie 12/01/07

7 Comments »

List Power Details when configuring a computer

Desktops, Sales Strategies, Servers and Storage submitted by rotthund 10/15/07

When ponding the power consumptions of a CRT vs LCD display, I saw the Dell confiugation doesn't list a desktop's power supply details, nor it's typical power consumption. Monitor specs list those details. List those details on Dell computers, and show the estimated effect the configuration has on the computer's power details. 5 Comments »

Build More Durable Products

New Product Ideas, Simplify IT submitted by aikiwolfie 11/28/07

I would like Dell to build more durable products. Something that will last a minimum of 5 years.

And by "minimum" I mean exactly that. The product shouldn't die a death after 5years and 3 seconds. Dell should be building goods that last. 23 Comments »

Quit making government/higher education discounted items cost more than the same items in the home and small business stores

Dell, Education submitted by jfaris 12/10/07

It's frustrating as a purchaser at a public institution to find that almost every product listed in the government/higher ed store costs more than the same product in the other Dell stores. Discounts that apply to all of the other stores disappear. It seems like Dell is trying to take advantage of deep pockets and the assumption that some people make that they are getting a discount for being a public agency.

To get the lower price everyone else gets I have to call up and argue with a salesman every single time I want to buy something. This is a bad business practice and seems dishonest to me.

Please fix your pricing so that people like me don't have to jump through a thousand hoops to get the normal market price you charge for a product. 4 Comments »

AVG Free Anti-Virus for life (Windows Users)

Operating Systems, Software submitted by rlakes 12/17/07

For Windows users, Dell must give their costumers a plus to compete against Mac. Always updated free anti-virus and anti-spyware like AVG for life! I think AVG is the option rather than Norton or Mc Afee beceuse it is very light and every day have new updates. AVG didn't affect the performance of the PC's like other Anti-Virus do. 11 Comments »

Refillable Ink Tanks in Printers

Printers and Ink submitted by kcobley 06/13/07

Theres no reason for Dell to paticipate in the inkjet printer cartridge scam (that's what it is a scam, Iv'e opened cartridges from various manufacturers and ink content varies from 8 millilitres to 12 millilitres but I haven't opened one of the newer Large Dell cartridges so can't comment on them) If the cartridges sell for between $20-$40 depending on mfg and contain the quantity of ink above that values the ink between $2.50-$4.00 AU per Millilitre, man that's more expensive than Gold. Canon ink can be bought in Taiwan for around $24 AU per 100 millilitres so howcome ink valued at 16cents gets sold at $20 plus in a cartridge. CUT THE SCAM SELL PRINTERS WITH REFILLABLE INK TANKS AND SELL THE INK IN 1OOML BOTTLES, THEN THE NEED FOR LASER PRINTERS DISSAPPEARS UNLESS U NEED HIGH SPEED PRINTING. 6 Comments »

Partner with Micron to create a RAM module style SSD

New Product Ideas, Servers and Storage submitted by jervis961 12/07/07

"In addition to Micron's traditional solid state drives announced today, they also showed off a concept for a SSD module that resembles RAM in physical design and would fit into a similarly designed port. It's obvious but genius: while the SSD drives with SATA interfaces are terrific because they can be used in current laptops with no mods, the real performance of flash mem is only going to be unlocked when we cast aside the legacy of spinning disks and their cases and interfaces and mount SSDs on the mobo like we do RAM modules.

The design uses a SATA interface and is only 4 mm thick. Micron claims the advantages of such a design are the small size and the ability to line up multiple drives next to each other. In addition, this design requires no wires or attaching the motherboard with screws, reducing the risk of the SSD becoming disconnnected or loose inside a computer. While this product is nowhere near ready for market, Micron says they would need to work with an OEM or someone who can offer a compatible computer solution."

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/solid-state-drives/microns-future-concept-of-ssd-i... 9 Comments »

Same discounts available on Ubuntu and Windows

Linux, Operating Systems, Sales Strategies submitted by jonsmirl 06/12/07 **PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED**

I'm ordering a Vista XPS 410 right now. I wanted a Ubuntu one but I'm going to throw away yet another copy of Windows. The Vista XPS 410 has $200 off today and free ship for a total of $869. The identical Ubuntu machine is $1019 plus $29.99 shipping. So today Ubuntu costs $170 more than Windows instead of $50 less. Why can't I have the same discounts on the Ubuntu machine? 50 Comments »

The return of high resolution screens

Monitors and Displays submitted by jonah125 12/07/07

Why have Dell abandoned high res screens. It is assumed that business users only need to see a few lines of text in their e-mails. 5 Comments »

XPS Notebook

submitted by fezdell 12/02/07

For the new XPS M1530, a LED screen should be available, preferably standard as with the MacBook Pro. The screen resolution should also be available in resolutions higher than 1280 x 800 to take full advantage of the blu-ray disc drive. 1 Comment »

Ad Campaign: What can you do with Ubuntu?

Advertising and Marketing, Linux submitted by limulus 09/04/07

There are currently ideas under review, such as "make ubuntu shine" which relate to advertising Dell's Ubuntu systems. If Dell decides to do some ads, here's an idea for an ad campaign:

"What can you do with Ubuntu?"



Find one or more people who have bought a Dell Ubuntu system and have them show off what they can do with their systems; string the clips those together into a commercial. Some themes that should become obvious:

* easy software installation and updates

* command line not necessary (Ubuntu is very much a GUI OS)

* compiling software not necessary

* full range of applications

* 3rd party proprietary apps, like Flash and Google Earth

* all the little games you could ever want (e.g. Sudoku)

* 'it just works'

* "wobbly windows" and other spiffy cool effects for fun :)

[see also my other ad campaign ideas: Families Switching to Ubuntu and Meet Mark Shuttleworth ] 26 Comments »

Thanks for the Legal DVD playback on Ubuntu - can you sell the SW+license for older Dell models?

Linux submitted by jmxz 12/18/07

Cool - you'll offer legal DVD playback on Ubuntu.

http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS7924076658.html ...

Can I buy an upgrade of that software for my E1505N I bought from you earlier? 3 Comments »

DELL POWER SUPPLY

Desktops, Sales Strategies submitted by ajmukon 12/21/07

this one is simple:
allow customers to specify what Power Supply they want;
(allow them to choose a 500W - 1000W Power Supplies (PSU)
like they can get a larger PSU for "future upgradability" of a smaller cheaper one for "general use" (of course an error will come up if they choose a PSU that is too small for their system.) 5 Comments »

A computer with an internal clock that can turn it self ON at scheduled times.

Environment, New Product Ideas submitted by jmxz 12/11/07

To save power I'd like to turn my computer off or hibernate or suspend it when not in use.
However I also have some scheduled tasks I'd really like to run.

My always on computer does everything from installing security patches in the middle of the night; to checking my stocks and email every few minutes.

Could a Dell desktop have an internal clock that can turn itself on at a programmable time. If so, I could even use the computer as an alarm clock.

A feature with a number of turn on times would be nice "power yourself on at 12:00 midnight, and also 6:30 am". Normal software could handle the "if it's the middle of the night and the computer's idle shut down after the security updates are done" or "if it's 6:30, play music like an alarm clock".

Also nice would be a "if suspended, wake up every half hour" feature whereby my computer could do my email, stocks, etc checking; and alert me (play a loud sound so I hear it even when I'm away from it; and/or send my cell phone an I/M) if there's anything I should react to. 12 Comments »