Well, depends which part of England you're from, I work with a guy from Manchester and feel bad for all the times I have to ask him to repeat himself. But who gives a ****, just enjoy the guide people!!!!

Saa|3

Edit: Hmm, didn't know they blanked our swears here

Ha yeh I saw that on the other board too. Cheesy Flash is great.

Is there another thread which you can link me to which tells of your trvails with Dell? You mention you had several problems with Dell but not what they were.
As far as honoring double coupons, what exactly happened when you originally tried to redeem them?

Try reading the Experience Thread. Well maybe a few of the most recent pages in it. Also try a search like this one.

Who were you talking about in your post when you said "of your trials" and "You mention you had several problems with Dell but not what they were"? Where you talking to someone specific or the board as a whole? Try and include as many details as possible so we can help you the best we can.

I'm calling Customer Service...

What I'm trying to do is purchase a Dell notebook through the EPP (Employee Purchase Program) that my company. (I guess we're partners, or something?)

Anyway, the EPP program offers a 10% discount, and there's a 20% discount online right now. I'm trying to get them to stack...

But, every time I call Dell, they ask where I get these coupons from. After saying they're from FatWallet, or whatever, the CSR always says that these coupons are posted so that people can "cheat the system." And that they are not meant to be available to everyone.

Should I just keep trying, or should I not mentioned that these coupons come from online websites?

I would tell the truth... but that's just me.

Why do you CALL Dell when dealing with coupon codes. Just place the order online and bypass dealing with a person completely.

One a thread related note; the most important bit of advice I could give new computer buyers would be USE A CREDIT CARD WITH REWARD POINTS, etc. even if you have the money, check, etc. The benefits of doing this are:

1. You get something back for simply making your purchase. The more the price the more you get back. Could very well be a free plane ticket!

2. If you already have the money then just pay the credit card off immediately and raise your credit score a notch! :-)

No, the EPP doesn't allow the coupons to be applied. The coupons are meant for Dell Home only...

I'm trying to get the 20% off coupon to apply to Dell EPP. Mainly, because the upgrades in the EPP program is much cheaper than in the Home store. (ex: the m10 is only +$90 from base unit, whereas on the Home site, its +$159)

I would be awesome if I could stack the rebates, 20% + 10% -- but I figure there's very little chance of that. I simply want to use 20% in the EPP program, rather than the Home site.

A note on why we don't carry AMD... of course there are many other reasons but it is partly b/c we have an exclusive contract with Intel which allows us to get their processors for MUCH less than our competitors. Thus, allowing us to sell out laptops for cheaper.

The 20% off alone drops your loaded XPS from 2678 to 2142, not bad:

3.4, 1gb, 9700 128mb, 60gb, dvd/cdrw, 80211b/g, 12-cell, backpack, 1 year warranty and at-home service, xp home and money

An update.

After 3rd sales rep I called, I finally got someone who would give me the coupon. We did the customization through the phone, and in the end, I walked away with a new i8600.

Basic specs:
i8600
PM 1.6A, 15.4" WSXGA+
512MB RAM
128 MB ATI Radeon 9600 ProTurbo
40 GB HDD
24x CDRW/DVD ROM Combo
802.11b Intel Pro 2100
All other options at lowest price...

Total was $1926. She applied the 10% deal on Dell's website now. Then applied the 20% coupon I gave her. Total savings = 1 - (0.9 * 0.8) = 0.28 = 28% discount. This translated into $539.28 off, bringing my final price (afer 8.25% tax) to $1501.12. I am paying through Dell's Preferred Plan, or whatever, and they promised me another $50 MIR.

Final price of the system is expected to be $1451.12 Shipped.

I hafta thank you, gobadgrs! I saved a lot by following your advice and calling Dell back over and over again until I found someone that would do the coupons. And your advise on being kind & courteous -- but yet not afraid to ask what you want -- paid off.

Glad to hear that it worked out Sometimes you do get lucky, and that extra 10% off makes a big difference...

And it reels in women, too.

Gobadgrs:

I was searching for some info on ordering online vs. ordering over the phone with a sales rep and found your guide which was very helpful. I will be ordering my first laptop in a few months and have been lurking around in this website for a few days.

offtopic: I enjoy Notebookforums; it is giving me useful information on deciding what laptop to buy, which is now leaning towards a Dell.

I just automatically ask for teir2 support usually kicks it back to the states or you get someone who "sounds" american. This is with DirecWay by the way.