The Computer Buzz

May 29th, 2008

Nome and Paul Van Middlesworth - owners - The Computer Factory
 

Throw your Dell out the Window

Why are we always picking on Dell? Is Dell really worse than Compaq, Gateway, E-machine and the others? In some respects Dell is worse than the others but we focus on Dell primarily because it is the most popular of the "package" or "proprietary" PCs and shares all of the undesirable characteristics common to the other "package" PCs.

American PC companies no longer make anything. They simply market Asian PCs under their own brand names. It is likely that the PC you buy at Best Buy, Fry's or Comp USA will see the light of day in America for the first time when you open it in your living room (watch out for Bamboo Spiders).

Dell, Compaq and Gateway (lets call them DCG) are in the PC business to make a profit. Nothing wrong with that, so are we here at The Computer Factory. The problems stem from the fact that DCG make all their profits on PC sales and none from PC service. They sell PCs through distributors or direct mail, never meeting their customers face to face. They also avoid direct contact by servicing their products by phone, E-mail, or third party contractors. To DCG, service is a profit-gobbling monster in need of a tight rein.

The highly competitive PC business forces DCG to make difficult choices. If you were CEO of a DCG PC Division and responsible to the Board of Directors for profitability (and your own annual bonus) would you build a PC that was durable, high quality, easy to upgrade and repair? Would you provide top flight, highly responsive customer service? If you did you'd be out of a job real quick.

You would build the cheapest computer possible. It should survive for the one-year warranty period. The most expensive parts would be proprietary so that customers would need to come to you for replacements after warranty. You would price these replacement parts at 10 to 20 times their cost to discourage your customers from repairing their old PCs. You want them to buy a new one. You would outsource your customer service telephone support to a third world nation where wages were low and communications difficult enough to ensure that only the most determined customers would ever actually cost you money. Your conscience might bother you but you could rest secure in the knowledge that your competitors were doing exactly the same thing.

At The Computer Factory we are face to face with our customers in everything we do. Our customers are our friends and neighbors. It is in our best interest to build quality, durable computers that can be upgraded, repaired and serviced with industry standard components. We will be servicing repairing and upgrading our computers for many years after the warranty runs out.

Never let it be said that we are not grateful to the DGC guys. 75% of our service revenue comes from taking care of problems on their computers. Keep up the good work guys.