Before I left the US, Dell started selling its computers in stores... Do they do this here? Anyone ever seen a new one for sale in a store in Madrid?

My laptop (out of warranty) crapped a few weeks ago, and I have been trying in vain to order a Dell desktop through the internet. It has been a nightmare, a comedy of errors, a carnival of horrors. After 10 days of trying to get them to charge my credit card and send the order to the factory, the order got mysteriously cancelled today and I am back to square one!

Because I'm a total glutton for punishment, I still want to buy a Dell, but not through mail order. I can't buy it from the US and have it sent, because they no longer honor US warranties in Spain.

If not, I'm getting truly desperate as work is piling up... which desktops have the best guarantees and technical service in Spain?

Any ideas?

hey mariposita.

currently, dell does not sell in stores in spain.

they market themselves big on that point, "can't buy them in stores" so that people see that they are cheaper since they do not pay retail space.

they have had recent tv ads as well as their circulars that they have been putting out for years.

when i bought my dell desktop i did it online at http://www.dell.es which takes one to the eurodell site for spain at http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/default.aspx?c=es&l=es&s=gen

unlike you, i had a great experience with them when i ordered the pc online.

quote:

because they no longer honor US warranties in Spain.

i had NO idea!!!

well, you could still buy it there and have it brought here. only thing is that if anything goes wrong with it, you would have to send it back to someone in u.s.a. and have them send it in for repair from there.

annoying yes but still an option, especially considering that you will save about 30-40% if you buy it from dell u.s.a.

quote:

which desktops have the best guarantees and technical service in Spain?

not sure but i usually buy dell desktops since i pay the bit extra for their 3 or even 5 year extended in-situ warranty, WELL worth the extra euros.

saludos,
jer...

I don't think they have Dell stores anywhere here. Have certainly not seen any Dells for sale at regular stores. My experiences have been pretty good with HP, IBM, and Acer.

Good luck...

Thanks for the responses... I didn't think I had ever seen a Dell in a store.

As things usually work out, I FINALLY got a call back from Dell just after a posted this desperate cry for help. It seems that what happened is that I ordered a computer on the eve of the changeover to the new line of computers and they couldn't fill my order. It took them 10 days and at least 8 increasing freaked out calls from me to figure this out.

But it looks like someone is finally going to help me spend my thousand euros and I ended up getting some kind of discount on one of the new models.

Jer--I totally agree that it is worth it to get the extended warranty and this time I'm getting the one that covers accidents, as well. And, knowing me, I'll get every penny's worth out of it.

When I bought my Dell laptop in the spring of 2005, they told me that they wouldn't cover any repairs in Spain (or Europe) and it also said this in the fine print, so I just did the 1 year warranty. Big mistake, because now, 16 months later, I have a big paperweight that would cost 700 euros to repair (bad motherboard). Sigh.

At least I can save money on anxiety therapy by taking advantage of mm, for which I am eternally grateful...

quote:

I ordered a computer on the eve of the changeover to the new line of computers and they couldn't fill my order.

funny you should say that. when i ordered my dell desktop 4 years ago, they were changing over their admin. programs on their computers (internal for their billing and such) and due to a glitch, they lost my bill.

my computer arrived but i have still been waiting for the bill, now 4 years later.

about 2 months after the delivery of my desktop, i got a call from a nice lady at dell asking me for my credit card info again and i asked why. she said there had been a problem with my purchase record and that i had never been billed for the pc. well, i gave her the info again but they never did anything with it.

yep, never had to pay for it and it was a 2,000 euro plus whopper!

maybe that is one of the reasons why i love dell so much

about a year in i was gonna call them and tell them they had forgotten to bill my credit card but my better judgement convinced me that it would be INSANE to do that.

and to boot, i they still came out to my place and honored the in-situ warranty when something went wrong. tech guy never even said anything. guess that is normal in a huge company where the depts. have poor comm. between them.

saludos,
jer...

Ha--That took some serious cojones to call tech support for a computer that you never got billed for! I have a feeling that even if you had tried your hardest to pay that it never would have worked, given my experience with that crew. When the chaotic universe throws you a bone--hay que disfrutar.

The center for Dell Europe is in Montpellier--I was really confused about all the people speaking Spanish with a French accent until I figured that out. They are all extremely cordial, and yet somehow entirely unhelpful. The one bit of info that I gleaned from the whole thing is that it is best to call in your Dell order, not do it via the internet. To get a particular deal, you can assemble the order online, save it and then call in. When you call in an order, you get assigned a service rep who will see your order through. When you go through the internet, it goes through a separate unit and they have less flexibility in changing orders and dealing with payment.

I'll report back if I ever receive this thing...

Simple, buy an Apple Macintosh, lot less hassle and they look much nicer

hey mariposita...

quote:

Ha--That took some serious cojones to call tech support for a computer that you never got billed for!

nah, i simply counted on in the incompetence of large corporations and it panned out.

i have not lost any sleep over it since michael dell will certainly not miss my 2,000+ euros

the center may be in montpellier but your desktop is being assembled in ireland and sent to madrid. at least mine was when i bought it years ago. maybe montpellier is just their order center.

as for the deal getting, that is interesting. online you get the 3 year in-situ warranty included on many models but on the phone they charge you extra for anything over a year. i recall when Rocco bought his laptop a few months ago, that happened to him. he called it in and ended up only getting the 1 year warranty (i warned him against it).

quote:

Simple, buy an Apple Macintosh, lot less hassle and they look much nicer

sorry EP but macs only come with a 1 year warranty these days and they ream ya for anything longer. also, macs blow up as well, they are simply more stable (re: os) than pcs are.

saludos,
jer...

EnglishPilot--
I'm on an ancient mac as I write--the second generation blue and white ibook that was so space-age when it came out many moons ago-- and I'm glad to have it, though it makes a sound like a sewing machine sometimes that concerns me...

A few years ago we got a mac that was a total clunker and never worked right and the motherboard burnt out right after the warranty expired--and after Apple dicked around half-heartedly trying to fix it for months--so I guess computers are a "mierda" no matter which philosophy you subscribe to...

I think zen-master jer has the right idea. Have faith in incompetence and good things will come to you--jer, have you ever thought of starting a cult?

Actually, I put this philosophy to test every day. Just yesterday, I left my precious and hard-won tarjeta de residencia one the counter at a store and it found its way back to me today due to the kindness of strangers...

quote:

I think zen-master jer has the right idea. Have faith in incompetence and good things will come to you--jer, have you ever thought of starting a cult?

What do you think this board is?

yikers, PaulandIrene found me out!

saludos,
jer...

Get this--I just got an email today telling me that Dell was shipping my computer--a second time!! After canceling my internet order, I made another order through their commercial unit, which I received last Friday.

Then today, I got an email from the internet unit saying that my computer was ready for shipment. I hadn't been billed for it. I cancelled the order today, but I think I could have gotten a second computer for free if I had played dumb. Who knows, maybe I still will.

sweeeeeeeettttt!!! sounds like they are up to their old tricks

if ya get the second one, i will buy it if you are interested.

saludos,
jer...

woopsie!!!

a day late and a dollar short but Rocco just handed me a flyer from jazztel with a dell promo on it.

found it in his mailbox this morning.

it says "save more than 400 euros on a dell desktop or laptop" and the prices they have on 1 desktop and 2 laptops are pretty damn good.

not a store but looks interesting.

phone number to call for more info is 900 808 030 (toll-free).

i went to their website to see if there was more on the offer and found it at http://www.jazztel.com/microsites/pcenelhogar/index.htm .

the deals are only good for those who sign up for a jazztel internet service.

saludos,
jer...