More Dell Service

[classicsoftware]

This article says it all. Along with their "Award Winning Service and Support" now the next thing to go is free shipping. (http://www.tomshardware.com/hardnews/20050930_193321.html)

Let's see how long this experiment lasts.

[jlreich]

Well that means their $300 piece of crap will become a $400 piece of crap.

[Variable]

Prices for everything will go up with the prices of oil going up. Expect this to become standard operating procedure for all kinds mail order - no make that everything... When the winter comes and more capacity goes to heating oil it will get worse. I wouldn't be surprised if it goes to 4 dollars a gallon mid winter. It's already $3.10 here in bumfuzzel. The big cities must be getting raped. CA will probably hit $5.

[pop pop]

The reality is that Dell's shipping has seldom really been totally free recently even before this announcement. The corporation I work for has an "Employee Purchase Program" arrangement with Dell. It has two perks: 1) An additional 10% off, on select systems, above and beyond whatever discounts are already in effect and 2) "free" shipping. The fine print reads that shipping is "free" for around $17. Even if you just have been looking at their adverts lately, wherever they have listed "free" shipping, it's really free but with a nominal ($17-19) service/administrative/processing fee...not free as in beer.

Whatever.

I really don't begrudge Dell recouping business costs, but at least be honest and don't expect that people--custoners--are complete morons and can't figure out that free isn't free when it costs something.

[poppy]

As I always tell my wife, nothing is ever "free" when it comes to product purchases! ;)

[deddard]

I wouldn't be surprised if it goes to 4 dollars a gallon mid winter. It's already $3.10 here in bumfuzzel. The big cities must be getting raped. CA will probably hit $5.

In the UK it's now the equivalent of $7 per US Gallon (around 96 pence per litre) but was recently around £1.00 per litre.
Prices for stuff like PCs etc haven't really been affected, as we get screwed on those anyway. I don't know if Dell offer 'free' postage over here, but messing around with admin charges etc would likely get them into hot water with the Trading Standards office.
Still, as it's one of the few companies that don't make my recommended list, it's not too much of a problem.

[DigitalJ]

Thank god my heat is electric....and I live three minutes from work. There's less driving in the winter...though I'm guessing those snow plows aren't cranking out 35mpg. But yea...last winter I lived in a house in BG, OH. It was huge, and poorly insulated. Even after winter proofing it (plastic on the windows, 24 ply insulation in the basement windows, etc.), the cost of heating rose to $400+ in jan/feb. And that was keeping the thermostat kept at a balmy 72 degrees.

[jcnoernberg]

gotta love the northern ohio winters!

[Nuob]

Prices for everything will go up with the prices of oil going up. Expect this to become standard operating procedure for all kinds mail order - no make that everything... When the winter comes and more capacity goes to heating oil it will get worse. I wouldn't be surprised if it goes to 4 dollars a gallon mid winter. It's already $3.10 here in bumfuzzel. The big cities must be getting raped. CA will probably hit $5.

2.92 gal in newport beach CA today the highest it got was 3.09 about 3 months ago. my mom in Ohio said she had to pay 3.18 at one point