With the traditional holiday shopping near, we wanted to share some news with you about our plans. We announced today that we’re simplifying the shopping experience by going “rebate free” across Dimension desktops, Inspiron notebooks and all other products and services that carry the Dell name.
We know rebates can be confusing. We used them ourselves for the past four or five years. Even as we improved the redemption process, it became clear to us that customers didn’t want them. It was confusing to figure out the price for a system when comparison shopping—especially when multiple rebates were offered and subject to change from one week to the next. And for many of you they were a hassle to redeem no matter what we did to make it easier.
We’re swimming against the tide this year. We are removing complicated deals, showing transparent and lower list prices across many price points and product platforms. When you open your new Dell computer system and begin using it at home or in your office, there will be no rebate albatrosses in the room with you.
This is the opposite direction we see many retailers and other computer manufacturers headed. The early trend is to lure shoppers in with absolute rock-bottom prices structured in very complicated ways. One “deal” on a desktop was advertised for $99, but it required three rebates including a cell phone service contract. Even then there were limited quantities in stock. Not our idea of a good deal. Read the fine print before you leave the comfort of your home and search for a parking spot.
You may think we’re hypocritical to point out the complexity of some of the deals. In some cases you are right, that we went down similar paths in the past. I encourage you to move beyond finger-pointing and see what we have to offer. For those of you who follow our business, you will have seen a steady decrease in use of promotions and discounts from dozens per product line to few. Rebate removal is another step. There are more to come—stay with us and stay tuned!