Saving £££ in the UK buying ANY Dell/AW system OR accessories - please contribute!

[Docsteel]

The problem isn't Dell, its the absurd "Progressive" VAT tax...

[Steveyruss]

The problem isn't Dell, its the absurd "Progressive" VAT tax...

To be fair then why is the r2 more expensive in the US while in the UK it is much cheaper? VAT is a big problem, I admit but at least there would be consistency with the pricing if it was the case of just 20% extra. You pay nearly double for an r3 here in the UK at the moment not just 20%, not even equal to other pricing lists. There is more it than just tax and liberal blaming. I think they force any pricing here because they know some will buy it so it can subsidise other countries. Just my opinion.

[Docsteel]

To be fair then why is the r2 more expensive in the US while in the UK it is much cheaper? VAT is a big problem, I admit but at least there would be consistency with the pricing if it was the case of just 20% extra. You pay nearly double for an r3 here in the UK at the moment not just 20%, not even equal to other pricing lists. There is more it than just tax and liberal blaming. I think they force any pricing here because they know some will buy it so it can subsidise other countries. Just my opinion.

So the R2 is "relatively" cheap in the UK but the R3 is significantly higher? Sounds like someone has a pile of R2's to move perhaps? But then again Dell is primarily build-to-order.... that is odd... wish we were so lucky...

It could be that Dell-UK, etc has a different set of agreements on production and perhaps costs are different? Surely the internal divisions to Dell don't compete with one another on options for parts in bulk and factory order priority do they?

[Steveyruss]

So the R2 is "relatively" cheap in the UK but the R3 is significantly higher? Sounds like someone has a pile of R2's to move perhaps? But then again Dell is primarily build-to-order.... that is odd... wish we were so lucky...

It could be that Dell-UK, etc has a different set of agreements on production and perhaps costs are different? Surely the internal divisions to Dell don't compete with one another on options for parts in bulk and factory order priority do they?

R2 has been the same price on the site for months on end, it is still the same premium as before, it is not cheap at all it is just what it is. However, that can be used as a measure stick since it is static. The price of the r3 is just awful and unjustified, since these laptops are all assembled in China I don't see what a huge difference parts should make to the price. Even before VAT and shipping it is well overpriced.

And Dell will overpriced here like nearly all corporations until people stop buying and protest at the tax.
Rip-Off Britain - The Consumers Champion, Rip-off, Ripoff Britain, ripoff, rip-off uk, ripoff uk, ripped-off, rip of, rip-of, council tax increases, council tax rises, fuel prices, petrol prices, consumers, consumer complaints, brassed-off britain, b - hugely informational on the rip off that has been going on in this country for years between the government and large corporations. Dell just proved this case even more by their pricing and I do strongly believe that the UK subsidises cheaper prices elsewhere because they get away with it, it must do when looking at their overall bank balance.

[steviejones133]

I think the real reason why prices are so high in the UK isnt so much to do with Dell pricing, although that contributes significantly.

Moreso to do with the huge levy put on by our government to "import" goods from outside the UK into the UK.

Obvioulsy, any system bought in the UK is "imported" to a degree, as they are manufactured outside of Britain. The British VAT man will want his share of these goods, currently 20%. So, Dell obvioulsy have to factor in this cost to their pricing along with any other ancilliary costs.

Of course, this makes the price we see on the UK site much much more expensive than other sites....simply because VAT/import fees etc are pre-calculated into the Dell price....take off the VAT etc and you would be left with a "more reasonable" base price.

Now, Dell base price to start with must have been set very very high in the first place WITHOUT the addition of these extra costs...I mean, even if you deduct say 25% of £1799.00 for vat etc, the cost then is STILL much higher than the US price.

So the argument (as such) isnt really about UK taxes (as much as they hurt)...its about how Dell set a base price that is too high and THEN has these fees on top!

Anyway, I wont go into whinging about our economy, the thread was created to help others who DO want to buy AW from the UK....

[Steveyruss]

I also want to point out as well that you can still buy reasonably priced laptops in the UK even with the VAT rate. Asus for instance are much cheaper and they seem to operate at a profit. Dell's profit margins with prices like that must be astronomical. Its not fair pricing at all. I hope no one buys it. Can you imagine what the pricing will be for an m18x with dual 485's? You'd have to remortgage to family home for that thing!

[steviejones133]

I also want to point out as well that you can still buy reasonably priced laptops in the UK even with the VAT rate. Asus for instance are much cheaper and they seem to operate at a profit. Dell's profit margins with prices like that must be astronomical. Its not fair pricing at all. I hope no one buys it. Can you imagine what the pricing will be for an m18x with dual 485's? You'd have to remortgage to family home for that thing!

True. Its an exhorbetent profit margin / markup on the R3 if you buy in the UK. The only real way around it is to try and get a good deal via a rep....hence the topic.

Anyone with any other ideas, feel free to contribute.

Or you can PM me for contact info for good AW/Dell reps.....

[own3d]

Quidco takes off 10% on Alienware... + dmxdimension.com for all the dell evalue codes for all the different configuration starters.

[jk6959]

Could you give any sort of ballpark numbers of what constitutes a good deal here?

I was considering investing in a 3-5 year laptop and looked at M17x and the UK base version is >80% more expensive than US version (and upgrades and more expensive too) so there is no chance in hell I'm throwing hard-earned money away on this when Asus, Sager, HP Envy, etc have far better value-for-money.

The base version even comes with a tiny HDD and rip-off in the upgrades there (although would want a hybrid drive where possible).

[steviejones133]

Could you give any sort of ballpark numbers of what constitutes a good deal here?

I was considering investing in a 3-5 year laptop and looked at M17x and the UK base version is >80% more expensive than US version (and upgrades and more expensive too) so there is no chance in hell I'm throwing hard-earned money away on this when Asus, Sager, HP Envy, etc have far better value-for-money.

The base version even comes with a tiny HDD and rip-off in the upgrades there (although would want a hybrid drive where possible).

I would say that best value would be to upgrade vertain things "after" purchase, things like Ram, maybe HDD to SSD etc....them main things to get right at the outset are cpu/gpu and the screen.

Given the base spec of the R3 in the UK, i think your gonna be looking at £2000 as a minimum list price....what I do is play around with the website configurator with various specs.

Once you have settled on a spec you like, you can drop me a PM if you like and I can put you in touch with my rep who should be able to offer you a better than list price deal.

Hope this helps.