Dell

Ive now ordered 3 computers in 6 months off Dell. One for my use, one for my daughter and one for my sister.
I found the process in 2 out of the 3 orders to be simple and very speedy.

The website for ordering is so simple to use a child could do it. The best way is to start with a basic computer and just upgrade it yourself. It's a good way of tailoring your machine so you get the best machine for your budget, along with the best specifications. There is no paying for things you don't need and won't use.

Our main requirements were a faster processor than our old HP had and wanted to upgrade to a DVD re-writer. We shopped around on the net and in all the highstreet shops and no one could come close to beating Dells prices. We upgraded just about everything from the standard model and the price for some of the upgrades was rediculously cheap. It's worth noting that The offers on the web change about every 2 weeks and you'll save money by wating until the end of a promotion as the prices always drop. We ended up paying £699 which simply could not be matched anywhere else.

Be warned that if you get freebies such as printer/faxes or MP3 players, you're probably still paying them as the computer will cost you more than if you didn't get a free item. Also the free printers need very expensive cartridges. Avoid them and buy a cheap Epson as you can buy very cheap non epson ink.

Out first order was delivered in 5 days. Amazingly fast! We were told it could take 2 weeks so we were very impressed.

The computer worked brilliantly and even though we've got loads of very big programs installed, we haven't lost any speed. We had no problems setting up. Even a computer virgin could do it without any problems.

The second order wasn't as straight forward.
We wanted a second computer for my daughters room, as we could never get on ours as she was constantly messaging friends and we didn't get a look in. A simple mistake by Dell with my name on my credit card meant the payment didn't go through. We ordered this about 4 weeks before Christmas so we were expecting a longer delivery time. However after a week I emailed them as I couldn't track my order, only to be told that they'd cancelled the order as my card had been rejected. They hadn't bothered to tell me this, so I'd been waiting delivery for nothing. We established that they'd made a mistake with my name (they had me down as a Mr instead of a Miss) and they told me the order would be resubmitted. A week later I rang and again was told that the order was cancelled. I assured them that dispite my deep voice I was infact a female but the weren't having any of it!
This went on for 2 weeks. Everyday They said they would correct my details only for the following day they would tell me the order was cancelled. I was tearing my hair out. If you ring customer services, as soon as they find out you've ordered online, you get put straight through to a call centre in India. As polite and reassuring as the staff were there things just weren't getting done. In desperation I just rang the orderline and re-ordered from scratch after being promised that I wouldn't end up receiving 2 computers. This turned out to my advantage as the special offer had changed and the computer ended up costing £70 less. (Total cost £427 inc p&p for specs that I couldn't get for less than £550 anywhere else, the only reason I didn't buy elsewhere)

By this time it was 2 weeks before Christmas and had presumed that there was no way I'd have it delivered in time. To my total amazement again it only took 5 days (and I'm not even talking working days!)

For this I forgave then their sins. Again everything worked perfectly. Its not quite as fast as our main computer but then the only thing we'd upgraded from the basic model was from a cd/re-writer combi drive to seperate drives (£10 bargain), but more than adequate for a second desktop.

This so impressed my sister she had me order one for her from the Dell New Year sale. This time we had to wait 7 days for delivery but eveything went well. Despite this 3rd PC being exactly the same as our second one it was a further £40 cheaper but we got a free MP3 player with the second one. Again showing that nothing is really free! (however the MP3 player retailed at £59 so we didn't lose out!)

I've recommended Dell to a few friends and none of them have had a problem.But if we'd had the problems that we encountered with order 2 on the first order then it might have been a different story as I'd probably never have shopped with them again. Thier lack of communication skills were outstanding and are unexcusable. If I hadn't have been so persistant it wouldn't have ever been sorted out. Its the one blot on the landscape of my experience with them. Which is a shame as otherwise I've found the products and speed of service to be excellent.