Improve the Dell Outlet site.

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210

Improve the Dell Outlet site.

210 points posted to Dell Web Site by jervis961 09/10/07

Currently the Dell Outlet site is lacking in several areas: Price, Information and accessability to name a few.

Price: It isn't much cheaper buying from the Outlet site and is sometimes more expensive than buying a brand new system.

Information: Scratch and Dent doesn't explain what damage is done to the notebook, perhaps a short description, a picture would be ideal. The price is given but there is no comparison as to the amount of savings being offered unless you configure a new system on your own. Many competitors show retail and outlet prices along with the percentage saved to help the customer make a more informed decision.

Accessability: There is no way to get to the outlet from the Government Employee Purchase section. There are also alot of hoops to jump through before getting to see what is available. Why do I have to pick a certain model to get to the listing? Why are the systems separated in the search engine. I should be able to look at all notebooks at the same time not have to look at Inspiron and XPS or Lattitude. Make them all available at once.

aikiwolfie 09/10/07	It would be nice to see photos of all the products available on the out let sight and a bigger price reduction. There's no point in selling second hand or used products if you're not going to cut the price. They layout could also do with a general makeover. It needs to be cleaner and less cluttered in places.
msdestynie 09/25/07	I recently had to use the outlet to find a laptop for someone. I had to click on EVERY SINGLE Service Tag to see if the display was WXGA+ or True Life or not. There is no way to filter for this spec. Also, you can't filter for bluetooth or for a web cam or color, etc. Dell needs to improve the filtering ability of the outlet so that we can more effectively search for what we want. I wound up purchasing a "refurbished" notebook because if you look at their description of "refurbished", "scratch & dent", and "previously ordered new", "scratch & dent" can have "considerable cosmetic blemishes". Does that mean I'm going to have a huge dent in the lid of my laptop? Refurbished systems may only have "observable cosmetic blemishes". And why didn't I order one that was "previously ordered new"? Because the price of it was the same as the price (within $50) of purchasing it new! Some discount! It would be very helpful if they would take a picture of the system offered or at the very least, provide a brief description of the damage, if any, to the computer.
aikiwolfie 09/26/07	Basically Dell needs to make the out-let site more like the main site. I don't see any particular reason to make them different?
cosh 11/24/07	@jervis - do you have to delete this? it's got some good suggestions.
jervis961 11/24/07	You are right cosh.
aikiwolfie 11/24/07	This is up for deletion? Why?
tommy_l Jul 7	@jervis961: Thanks for the comments. Great points made. I've forwarded all the above to the appropriate parties. I agree that more focus needs to be placed on this site. It's far too popular and important to be so far behind the rest of the site.
jervis961 Jul 7	Thanks Tommy.
tommy_l Jul 7	From our Outlet peeps- Price: Actually, Dell Outlet is able to offer savings on refurbished systems, in some cases significant savings. For example, price comparisons based on matched new and certified refurbished configurations between April 15 and June 5, 2008 point to a savings of up to 35% on refurbished OptiPlex™755 destops. Similar savings are also possible on a wide array of other inventory, both on refurbished systems and refurbished printers and monitors. Information: Here are some inventory descriptions that might be helpful in clarifying how we classify refurbished systems (these can also be found posted online as well as in our inventory stockrooms): Certified Refurbished PCs are laptops and desktops that have been returned to Dell, put through the production process, and then again retested to ensure they meet all original factory specifications. Certified Refurbished systems may have some observable cosmetic blemishes, but they will not affect performance. Previously Ordered New computers are PCs that were shipped out to a customer who opened the box, but decided to return the system without ever using it. All of these computers have undergone testing and repackaging by Dell Outlet. Previously Ordered New systems do not have any cosmetic damages. Scratch and Dent products are systems with considerable cosmetic blemishes that do not affect performance. They are a great way to save money while still enjoying Dell Outlet's rigorous rebuilding and testing process. Scratch and Dent computers will not have scratches or pits on the screen, missing or illegible letters on the keyboard, or damage to the touchpad or palmrest. Because our inventory supply changes constantly, we are unable at this time to provide price comparisons on individual system configurations, unfortunately, although we are working on ways to make these savings more transparent to Outlet customers. The same is true of enhancing the inventory stockroom functionality so that we can improve the ways that customers view and filter our refurbished inventory. We’re always working to make our customers as happy as possible!
jervis961 Jul 7	So they quote you the savings from one computer to show how great the deals are? They could have done better than that. I just looked at an XPS 1530 on the outlet site and there is a savings of about $200 on the refurbished one until you notice the processor difference. The refurb comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5450 (2MB cache/1.66GHz/667Mhz FSB while the new system comes with Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5750 (2.0GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache). Dell usually prices that kind of processor upgrade at about $150 to $200 so just about all the savings are lost.

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