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Dell Inspirion Mini 10 Deceptive Pricing
This morning I logged on to the Dell Outlet to look at an Inspirion Mini 10 for my daughter. The outlet price for the Mini 10 at that time was $199. When I checked my email Dell had sent me a coupon code for 15% off of outlet Mini s. Sounded like a good deal so I logged back onto the outlet site to find that the pricing on all the Mini 10s had jumped from $199 to $279. I called sales, which promptly transferred me to Customer Care. When I explained the issue to CC they told me I needed to talk to sales. So ... I just got the run around and no answers. I have bought several Dell computers over the last ten years. I currently have four Inspirion 15s and One desktop. This pricing deception is just poor business ethics. 15% off $199 would have been $169.15. 15% off $279 is $237.15. In eccense Dell raised the price to offer a 15% discount, just to charge the customer more than the original pricing. Needless to say, I won't be buying my daughter a Mini 10 anytime soon.
osprey4
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February 11th, 2010 16:00
Hi, rcross103:
Keep an eye out. That $199 price will be back.
mpo
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February 12th, 2010 06:00
The pricing of systems in the Outlet are volatile and inconsistent. As you can see, seemingly identical systems can have a wide range of prices.
So, the best priced items usually go quickly--especially on coupon days like Thursday. If you check the Outlet often, a $199 Mini may reappear in 15 minutes or in a day. If you are willing to wait a bit, there is a good chance that another cheap system will reappear before the coupon expires on the 17th.
Oh, and once you use the coupon, DO NOT check the Outlet for a week or so. Because, right after you use the coupon, a system will appear that is $189.
rcross103
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February 12th, 2010 13:00
Volatile, inconsistent and "seemingly identical". There were approximately 80 systems on the outlet site yesterday morning. They all had the same hardware and color. Everyone of them were listed at $199. Thirty minutes later the same number of systems with the same hardware and color are listed as $279. You would like me believe that everyone of the system I saw orginally were sold at the $199 price and about 80 more were entered at the increased price. Since I did not write down specific unit numbers, my evidence is circumstantial. I would venture to say that there will not be any systems listed below $200 before February 17 (when the coupon discount offer expires). Not the kind of business ethics I would want to boast about.
rcross103
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February 14th, 2010 20:00
I have check the outlet site multiple times a day ... nothing less than $279 for the Mini 10 or Mini 10v. Coupon expires on Wednesday.
amities5
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February 15th, 2010 09:00
Actually, this seemingly inconsistent pricing system is fairly common in my short experience here. When configuring an 8000 system (& after that an 8100 system), I had three choices with three different base prices. Configuring each one individually with the *same* components, the final price varied. Sometimes this was a function of their adding an "included" item (i.e. MS Works or speakers) which couldn't be deleted & which I calculated was buried in the price somewhere. Ironically, the computer with the most expensive initial price ended up being the least expensive. None, however, varied by as much as you mention.
What you experienced appears to be quite different. If I were you, as others suggested, I'd just frequent the Dell site often until you get the price you want.
mpo
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February 16th, 2010 11:00
The pricing for the Mini 10 hasn't been that good. Checking periodically, the lowest prices I have seen are $239 and $259. The rest have been $279 and up.
rcross103
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February 16th, 2010 13:00
The discount coupon that was distributed through email expires tomorrow. Once the discount expires I believe we will see the price comeback down. The prices jumped from $199 to $279 the day the discount code came out.
rcross103
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February 17th, 2010 22:00
The discount code has expired. Now we'll watch to see if the prices on the outlet site drop anytime soon.
rcross103
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February 19th, 2010 13:00
Well ... that didn't take long. Just two days after the discount expired some Mini 10v s turned up on the outlet site for $219.
amities5
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February 19th, 2010 16:00
Basically, if you're not in a hurry & you can stand to wait & reconfigure a system on a daily basis for a couple of weeks, you can probably get a better deal than you would have had you just bought outright.
Ordering a system & wanting it ASAP can cost you. Then again, Dell makes such seemingly super systems that many of us are in a rush from the 1st successful configuration!
mpo
398 Posts
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February 22nd, 2010 06:00
The cheapest I saw was a single Mini 10 for $209 on Wednesday morning (the day the coupon expired). During and post coupon, almost all of the Minis have been $279 and above.
rcross103
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February 22nd, 2010 07:00
Another thing I find interesting is the Inspirion 1545s and 1745s that are listed for $10,000.00. Really??? Are they gold plated?
rcross103
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March 2nd, 2010 09:00
I'm still checking the outlet site about four times a day for Mini 10v pricing. I have seen an occasion system posted for $219. Rare. Most of the systems are $249/$259 (XP) and $279 up (W7). It is not likely we'll see $199 prices again.
rcross103
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March 6th, 2010 06:00
Well, I finally gave in and purchased the Mini 10 for my daughter. I don't think the pricing will get any lower here on. Best of luck to those looking to buy.
amities5
39 Posts
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March 6th, 2010 08:00
Congratulations on your purchase.
As you realized, at some point you actually need to calculate what your time is worth & when you actually need the computer. If the answer to the first is "more than I hope to gain by waiting" and/or the answer to the second is "as soon as possible," you know that the time has come.