Dell Home ---- The easy way to fulfill your computer needs
Written: Aug 24 '05
| Ease of Ordering: |
 |
|
| Customer Service: |
 |
|
| Selection: |
|
|
| On-Time Delivery: |
|
|
|
| Full Review |
I have used the Dell Online web-site before, but recently I was on a mission to order a specific product for them, so I have a direct interaction with Dell to write about here. With my new supervisor coming up with several ideas to make our labs run smoother, she decided that we were going to move to keyless entry, with a swipe-card option. She also wanted to have the capability to work with the system from anyplace she was, and that meant she would need a PDA capable of connecting to her personal computer. After talking it over with the installer of the Omni Lock System, and with a PDA Consultant, she came to the conclusion that she wanted an Axim X30 that could be purchased through Dell. Thus it became my responsibility to do the research and order her the product using the Dell Site.
The Dell Home Site
One thing that Dell as done, is split up its main site to feature separate entries for people doing home computing, Running a small or large business, and special purchase programs for Government, Education, and Healthcare establishments. This makes it easier to search through their menus, and if you are buying something just for your home, you don't really need to be cluttered with industrial size printers or mega servers. This makes it a lot easier to search through the site, and it also gives Dell the chance to try and sell you specific items from their vast listings. Searching on the Home Site for personal computing is made easier by the drop down menus that they provide; Desktops, Notebooks, Printers, Electronics & Accessories, Dell Outlook, Service & Support, and Purchase Help. Each one will take you to a specific spot on the site where you can find what you are looking for.
If you know exactly what you are looking for, you can type it into the Dell Search engine, and you can jump straight to that product. For me, this was exactly what I ended up doing, because I knew the specific brand and item that I was looking for. If you are not completely sure what you are looking for, there are lots of lists, and sale items that you can look through on the main page, and under each of the drop-down menus. Upon finding the product, you are shown a price that correlates to a starting price for that product. With some items, you end up having to upgrade what you are getting before you make a purchase though, so the price doesn't always stay exactly at the quote you are seeing. But, when you find a product, you are given the Product Highlights, Product Views, and the Technical Specifications of what it can do for you when you purchase it and put it to use. These can all be helpful when you are deciding what to order, and might only know what you want your item to be able to do.
Finding Your Item, Deciding The Specifications
When you have finally decided that you want a specific product, whether it be a desktop computer or a PDA, you are then taken to a listing of all of the options you have for that specific gadget. You are shown all of the amenities that your purchase will have with it, and are given the option to upgrade nearly everything that comes with it. Often, when you are ordering something such as a computer, you are just getting the bare-bones of it, and if you want something special, you have to upgrade your purchase to include those extras. You are given options to increase how much memory you get, choices about which keyboards or cables you will get, in many cases shown different carrying cases, and above all, you are shown many software packages that you might decide you would like to have with your system.
For the product that I decided to go with (The Axim X30), I knew pretty much what my boss needed the product to do, so I went in having a pretty clear idea of what I wanted the final product to look like. I easily decided on the Memory, that I needed to make sure it worked with Bluetooth, that it came with its own cradle and carrying case, and that I had at least some warranty on the product. Deciding on the options was relatively quick, and for those that are not that technically savvy, there are lots of help options, and places to click to tell you exactly what each of these "upgrades" will do for you, or how they can benefit you. This makes it that much easier for someone from home to just log on and make a purchase for themselves. Having had everything work out well for me on the selection pages, I decided to proceed and confirm that this was the product I was ordering.
Placing The Order, and Getting Your Merchandise
When you have selected the specifics for your product, you are brought to a new set of screens, where you can enter in any discounts, or specials that are going on in your area. Often times, there are also discounts such as percentages off of a certain product that will just pop up, and you will see them deducting from the cost of your purchase right in front of you. The costs are all broken down on a nice little invoice, and you can look it over to make sure you aren't getting charged for something you don't really want or need. For me, I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of discounts pop up for PDA's at the time that I was ordering, and it ended up dropping the cost of my purchase by around $60.00 total. That was a nice thing for me, and I am sure will make my boss happier with me.
With the purchases all decided, I was shown an additional screen that told me all purchases made by Dell Home Customers of over $49.00 would receive free ground shipping of their product. This was another great thing for me, because at times, when you order heavy products, you can get charged a little extra for the work they put into shipping and handling. The ground shipping does take 3 to 5 days, but since I didn't need the product right away, I was willing to save a few extra bucks. If you end up needing something right away, Dell has plenty of options for shipping that even include over-nighting your purchases. Once the purchase has been made, they send you an e-mail for confirmation, and then a notice as to when the product has been mailed out to you. Placing the order on a Tuesday, I received the PDA the following Tuesday through the mailing system. With a weekend thrown in between, this is about what I expected, so I was perfectly fine with it taking 7 total days in order to not have to pay for shipping.
Overall Impression of the Site
Dell is one of those sites where if you are into computers and technologies that go with it, that the site is very, very easy to use and understand. For the novice computer user, I think that it can be a little intimidating, because you aren't really sure what all of the specifics of your computer are for, or what you will need them for. I think that Dell does a great job trying to compensate for that though, and that they try to offer helpful things all over the site for just that reason. The site worked very well for me, it processed very quickly, and when the order had been placed I received my PDA in less than a week after the processing was done. For some Dell is a great site to build a computer, and for others it’s just a great place to buy add-ons to your current system. Whatever your computer needs, I think that the Dell Home site is very easy to work with and order from, and I highly recommend it.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? PDA
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 