Looking for an alternative to Dell

[SuperShaz]

We've been buying nothing but Dells in my small business for a few years and we recently had some very very bad experiences with thier customer service. I'm kind of under the impression that the quality of their service is going to continue to be on the decline as long as they are still the #1 computer manufacturer.

Anyway, does anyone recommend another company? It needs to be a company with good prices, good customer service, and good computers. Is there anybody that can compete with Dell on this?

- D

 

[ShellGuy]

Almost nobody can come close to dell's prices that is why they are number 1... Depending on howmany computers you look at buying you may start lookin at the smaller whitebox companys that custom build ur lappys for u....


Will G.

 

[Steve]

Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM

 

[Drakkon]

ibm or sony...ibm makes better business grade though

 

[Tuzzi]

How about Sager? I hera nothing but good things about them. Try looking around here:

http://notebookforums.com/

 

[jdiddy]

Gotta go with IBM if you can afford it. Solidly built laptops and competent US based support. I own a X31 and in the year and a half I've had it no problems. They may be a little more expensive then the other options but you get what you pay for.

 

[cheesehead]

IBM seems to be the way to go. Thin, light....and ridiculously powerful. Heck, you can get a 2.0Ghz Dothan-based laptop with a 128mb Mobile FireGL and 2GB of RAM....and it only weighs about six pounds. I would get an IBM myself if I could afford one-the one mentioned above costs about 3,000$.

 

[Mermaidman]

The companies for which I've worked have used:
Dell, IBM, Toshiba

 

[AmigaMan]

Here's my obligatory "I love my HP/Compaq NC8000" post.
Seriously, our IT dept was using Dells for laptops but got tired of their poor service and switched to HP/Compaq business class laptops. We use CDW as our vendor. Not the cheapest, but we get good service. My laptop cost around $4,000, but it will stand up to any IBM you put next to it.

 

[VietDude]

I suggest IBMs also. Decent company and customer service are okay.

 

[WackyDan]

" Here's my obligatory "I love my HP/Compaq NC8000" post.
Seriously, our IT dept was using Dells for laptops but got tired of their poor service and switched to HP/Compaq business class laptops. We use CDW as our vendor. Not the cheapest, but we get good service. My laptop cost around $4,000, but it will stand up to any IBM you put next to it."

Until you pour water in your keyboard.

IBM's are more durable.

 

[AmigaMan]

Originally posted by: WackyDan
" Here's my obligatory "I love my HP/Compaq NC8000" post.
Seriously, our IT dept was using Dells for laptops but got tired of their poor service and switched to HP/Compaq business class laptops. We use CDW as our vendor. Not the cheapest, but we get good service. My laptop cost around $4,000, but it will stand up to any IBM you put next to it."

Until you pour water in your keyboard.

IBM's are more durable.

If you pour water into any laptop while it's on or not completely dry will do that. You're describing a property of NATURE not the quality of a laptop. Electricity and water DO NOT MIX!

 

[Steve]

Why would you pour water on your keyboard? Is that the new benchmark of durability?


Dang, business customers got some hiiiiiiiiiigh standards!

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: AmigaMan

Originally posted by: WackyDan
" Here's my obligatory "I love my HP/Compaq NC8000" post.
Seriously, our IT dept was using Dells for laptops but got tired of their poor service and switched to HP/Compaq business class laptops. We use CDW as our vendor. Not the cheapest, but we get good service. My laptop cost around $4,000, but it will stand up to any IBM you put next to it."

Until you pour water in your keyboard.

IBM's are more durable.

If you pour water into any laptop while it's on or not completely dry will do that. You're describing a property of NATURE not the quality of a laptop. Electricity and water DO NOT MIX!

A ThinkPad's keyboard holds four ounces of fluid, ie; coffee, water, juice, beer.....Just in case you have an accidental spill, which does happen.

Dell's and others do not have this keyboard tray protection which is what gives the ThinkPad just one more edge on durability.

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: sm8000
Why would you pour water on your keyboard? Is that the new benchmark of durability?


Dang, business customers got some hiiiiiiiiiigh standards!

Accidental, not intentional... read my other reply.

 

[Commodus]

IBM - great laptops (at least on the higher-end), and a maintained reputation for good service.

Unless you want to go Mac, of course... but then it's not just a question of changing suppliers, it's changing software and methodology.

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by: WackyDan

Originally posted by: sm8000
Why would you pour water on your keyboard? Is that the new benchmark of durability?


Dang, business customers got some hiiiiiiiiiigh standards!

Accidental, not intentional... read my other reply.

I know, I was just kidding around

 

[Jumpem]

What are opinions on Sagers?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Jumpem
What are opinions on Sagers?

I dunno, pour water on it.

- M4H

 

[arsbanned]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: Jumpem
What are opinions on Sagers?

I dunno, pour water on it.

- M4H

Yeah, dip it in the ocean and see how it performs. Also, the flame test. IBMs can tolerate 2300 F for approximately 1 hour. Not so with other, lesser brands.

 

[DaFinn]

Dude, you're SO ready for IBM!

 

[Abhi]

If you can afford it, definately IBM.

 

[jvarszegi]

What are opinions on Sagers?

My opinion is that it's not a brand anyone would consider for a business notebook. This is partly due to lower quality engineering, and partly due to the size of the company. One reason that a lot of companies buy IBM laptops and the like is support, not just the engineering.

Sager seems to intentionally try to position their laptops for maximum appeal to gamers. They've made their choice. This is probably because they've realized that they just won't overtake the likes of IBM, HP, etc. in the business space.

 

[ActuaryTm]

Originally posted by: Jumpem
What are opinions on Sagers?

Have been using a Sager as my sole development, test, and productivity business machine for quite a while now. Overall, have been impressed with not only the build quality, but the overall performance.

If interested, a number of other business users have reported their own experiences here.

Good luck.

 

[Kermy]

Holy Sh!t I didn't know that about the Thinkpads + 4 ounces of water. *Cuddles T42 closer*