Alienware Rip Off

[thegh0sts]

i find that the m11x is like about $500 AUD difference between the US and AU stores but for a m15x it's a bigger $1200 AUD difference...so screwy!

but even if you buy from the US store, via a proxy/mail redirect, I believe you can transfer the warranty.

[steviejones133]

Arguing amongst each other is going to achieve nothing....there is nothing you guys across the pond can do, nor we over here. We all have our opinions and as such, should respect each others.

Viewpoints, on the other hand, should be tolerated and listened to without prejudice. It really is the only way to resolve things regardless of which side of the greenhouse you are looking from.

Its suffice to say that alot of stuff is overpriced in the UK, we shouldnt single out Dell, but for those that are looking for these high end systems from within the UK, the websites speak volumes.

If it were role reversal, I doubt anyone in the US would like it either.

Anyway, lets agree to disagree on a few things....bit of devil's advocacy.

On a final note, my last contribution, Im just so glad I gotmy system when I did. Pity the poor folk who want an R3 outside the US and find themselves paying over double the cost for it...not just from the UK either.

[n.czar]

What is demand like in UK? I mean how many people really buy Alienware computers in the UK or elsewhere compared to the states? Dell may be a big hand in UK but Alienware sales may be minimal in comparison.

Just my .02

[steviejones133]

What is demand like in UK? I mean how many people really buy Alienware computers in the UK or elsewhere compared to the states? Dell may be a big hand in UK but Alienware sales may be minimal in comparison.

Just my .02

You cant compare the two directly. US has a huge population so its unfair to say AW sells more in the US cos its gonna be a given. I would say, although I have no figures to back it up, that per head of population, we are no different to any other economy. Percentage wise, the same number of people will want to buy AW, we may be smaller in numbers in terms of purchases but thats probably because the whole of the UK fits mutliple times over into the land area covered by the whole United States.

Look at it like this....

USA is 31 times the land size of the UK
Population of the US = 307,000,000 people.
Population of the UK = 61,000,000 people.

So , the states has 5 times as many citizens, meaning lots more purchases eh?

Dya think thats a fair way to look at things?

[n.czar]

I didn't mean a direct comparison of numbers but a percentage of population. Of course numbers are going to be lower because there is such a large difference of population. I honestly don't know a thing about the economy or markets of the UK, wish I did but I don't. In my ignorance I thought the percentage of population to purchase super high end gaming computers being lower seems feasible.

[Steveyruss]

Alienware is popular as a gamers option but it's still a niche. Expensive one too. I'm sure they make sales but most people prefer consoles don't they. I'm also gambling that you get a lot of second hand sales/refurbs in the UK when you compare to new sales.

I cannot find any statistics at all for Alienware sales on the internet within the UK but I know the US sells much more per person.

[steviejones133]

Alienware is popular as a gamers option but it's still a niche. Expensive one too. I'm sure they make sales but most people prefer consoles don't they. I'm also gambling that you get a lot of second hand sales/refurbs in the UK when you compare to new sales.

I cannot find any statistics at all for Alienware sales on the internet within the UK but I know the US sells much more per person.

To be honest, As far as I know, Dell do not have a refurb or outlet like the US cos i looked for one. The nearest thing is an ebay reseller called NDC who claim to be a dell authorised outlet. Not so sure about that.

The UK isnt a poor population by any standards so i would imagine that the ration of people buying a system would be the same kind of ratio as any other economy that is "rich" if you like.

Maybe the US has more gaming enthusiasts, i dont know, but thats a hard statistic to predetermine...and yes, console sales are prevalent over in the UK I would imagine over a high end laptop.

Still, I would maintain that we, as a nation, indulge in our whims for these kind of things in just as much frequency (for those that can afford to) as those anywhere else. The US is a wealthy country and so is the UK so I dont see there being that much disparity.

[Voodooi]

Keep in mind that Dell India customer service and sales rep make:
2,700 USD/per year

...while someone from the same profession in Canada or the US makes 18,000 USD/per year.

Dell assembly workers get 280 USD/month in Asia.

Assembly workers in Canada or the US make 2,500 USD/month.

It's not labour that's leading to higher costs, it's the company being greedy.

(source - essay on foreign labour 09/2010 of mine)

And don't try to make Asus sound like an angel, b/c they're not

They let European resellers double the prices in some of Europe. A good company would revoke their reseller license and find someone else, but they don't. For example, the G73JW is x2 in Hungary, x1.5 in Czech, etc.

[RubberyDuck]

The company I used to work for here in the UK (Head Office) bought all of its computer hardware from Dell. Regardless of what they bought they received a minimum 25% discount from the RRP on Dells website, this includes anything from Alienware as well.

This would mean they could buy the R3 in the UK for £1260, obviously this includes VAT forwhich they wont pay as well.

My point being Dell are clearly making a profit when selling to a company at this price. Also the company were very small fry compared to some companies here in the UK, only purchasing something like 200 machines a year.

What will also annoy the UK people here is that the US part of the company receives 30% discount on all Dell purchases and they only have around 100 employees.

The problem in the UK is simply we allow anyone to walk all over us, where the US won't stand for this.

Dell set the price in the UK for what they know they can sell it for, not by profit margins.

[thegh0sts]

The company I used to work for here in the UK (Head Office) bought all of its computer hardware from Dell. Regardless of what they bought they received a minimum 25% discount from the RRP on Dells website, this includes anything from Alienware as well.

This would mean they could buy the R3 in the UK for £1260, obviously this includes VAT forwhich they wont pay as well.

My point being Dell are clearly making a profit when selling to a company at this price. Also the company were very small fry compared to some companies here in the UK, only purchasing something like 200 machines a year.

What will also annoy the UK people here is that the US part of the company receives 30% discount on all Dell purchases and they only have around 100 employees.

The problem in the UK is simply we allow anyone to walk all over us, where the US won't stand for this.

Dell set the price in the UK for what they know they can sell it for, not by profit margins.

I think it's the same in australia too!