Sexy, but I feel a bit ripped off (Dell Inspiron 8000)

Member Name: wordgirl

Product:	Dell Inspiron 8000
Date:	12/02/01 (1126 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good screen, attractive design, good keyboard

Disadvantages: Delivery and service not as good as I'd expected

I was after a desktop replacement, so after checking lots of sites (including dooyoo, of course) and magazines, I went for a Dell...

I've now had the machine for a couple of weeks, and don't have anything like the technical knowledge of the first reviewer of the 8000, but I do have a few niggles already.

1. Delivery was USELESS! They didn't deliver on the day they said they would, and when I tried to get through to check where it was, they kept me on the phone for at least 45 minutes before admitting that... er, they'd 'mislaid' it in the warehouse. At a cost of £49 for delivery, this was not acceptable service.

2. Set-up information/documentation was so streamlined that I couldn't work out how the battery came out! They send you a flimsy leaflet, a 'Solutions Guide' which is hard to work out, plus a video (with an irritating American voice) to show you, but if you don't have access to a video immediately, you're a bit lost. Give me a nice old-fashioned basic guide every time. I'm not a luddite, and I do have some knowledge of computers, but those first special moments with my new baby could have been less stressful....

3. Power! I ordered a 600mhz processor, with lots of RAM and a 20GB hard drive. But when I checked the power on the computer itself, it told me it was just 500mhz. After much gnashing of teeth, I got through to support, who told me it's a handy power-saving function of the computer - when the battery's in, even if it's powered from the mains, the notebook will only run at 500mhz. Now forgive me for being petty, but when you pay mega-bucks for a notebook, don't you expect it to run at the speed you ordered, whereever you're using it? Maybe I'm being naive.

Moaning over, I do like the look of the computer, it has a very clear screen, good sound, and I am enjoying using it... but it's still niggly things like that which make me wonder
if I'd buy another Dell.

Summary: