Letters To The Editor

Dell Can't Compete With A VAR's Service

It seemed like the more business we did with Dell, the higher the department we were handed off to for purchasing, and the worse we were treated with each promotion. Furthermore, Dell would occasionally ship systems to an office that we moved out of two years ago because "it was still in their system" and "the system got confused." Imagine the embarrassment as we had to constantly track down the current tenants in our old space and explain to them [what happened].

Or how about Dell's charging us sales tax on random orders, even though we have a reseller account set up with them and are tax-exempt?

About six months ago, we became an IBM Business Partner and have since been selling ThinkPads, NetVistas and eServers to our clients. Yes, the prices are a bit higher than Dell's on occasion, but the system and service quality more than makes up for it. I do miss being able to order a complete system as one part and feel that we are somewhat of a systems builder now, having to buy Office OEM in three-packs and split them up for sale, for example.

But, as much as a behemoth as Dell may be today, if it rubs enough VARs the wrong way, it will lose that chunk of the market. VARs are here to stay--we all know that. Dell's service can't replace that of a VAR who knows his customers by face, knows their entire networks inside and out, and can be reached on the phone without being passed through queues and voice menus. My associates and clients are all extremely happy with the IBM systems we now recommend and sell.

Another thought: Dell, look to Microsoft. It provides solution providers with free business-critical phone support. No charge, the techs are super knowledgeable and friendly, and it doesn't close a trouble ticket until it knows for sure that the issue has been resolved. It does this because it realizes that we, the VARs, contribute to its product sales, and it values that.

Morris Tabush
Tabush Consulting Group
New York, N.Y.

Dell Is A Winner
Michael Dell has never done business the way it was "supposed to be done," according to his competitors. Why would anybody expect him to do so now?

Based on that, I would wonder about the intelligence of anyone who would expect to be successful in building a mold for him to crawl into. He will continue to change as business conditions change--unlike his competitors, who will try to create conditions to suit themselves--and will continue to produce a winning business model that confounds his competitors. On the other hand, if all you have to do is wonder where Dell will go next, stay tuned.

John Koester
Fletcher, N.C.

Coming To America
Please know that your recent articles regarding the market shift toward utility computing (www.varbusiness.com) picked me up at the end of a long day and gave me that one extra shot of conviction that the start-up process often requires. We are a utility-based asset-management provider, established in Singapore last August, and preparing to enter the U.S. market this summer. VARBusiness is a publication we need to focus on when we enter the United States.

Greg Lipper
CEO
Asset Management Solutions

VAR Makes Dell Work
Your article "Can You Trust Dell?" was dead-on. From start to finish, everything in it was 100 percent accurate and true--from the issues with the promotional advertising and zero profit margins, to the nightmarish tech support, to the recent loss of my dedicated sales rep, to dealing with multiple sales reps, to delays in shipments and boxes sitting at the U.S. post office--I have experienced it all.

As a 5-year-old start-up company that originally sold white-box systems, our company has now evolved into a full-fledged VAR integrator, and Dell is our No. 1 hardware vendor. In addition to the numerous complaints you had listed in your article, I have one more to add: Dell's product promotions. They consistently change on a weekly basis, and its customer reps will not honor expired promotions.

Dell's hardware is the best in the business, and combined with its low pricing, keeps me putting up with all of its faults. I manage, as the article promotes, to make Dell work for me.

Ted Passalacqua
Strategic Micro Systems of N.J.
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