I bought a Dell because I got a better deal than buying locally.
Posted By: techie MT on 2005-09-16
In Reply to: When buying a new computer would you use a company locally that builds new computers or go with Dell - MTPA
I got the computer, Windows XP, WordPerfect, other software, a photo printer and a digital camera shipped to my door for $398. However, I worked as a computer technician for several years, so I know I can add components, fix it, or upgrade as needed. I don't like the fact that Dell offshores so many jobs, because they totally forced technical pay rates down, laid off thousands of American workers, and forced computer prices down. However, I figured they'd be losing money on this deal if I just bought their basic system on sale with nothing added. Some guy from India called wanting to sell me an extended warranty and service plan. I told him NO because I can do all of that myself, as well as working any job at their company. I didn't want to buy locally because most of the local computer stores are staffed by idiots. There's a high rate of bankruptcy and computer stores going out of business here, then they won't honor their warranties.
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
When buying a new computer would you use a company locally that builds new computers or go with Dell
or a large outfit like that. This local company has been around awhile. Not sure what to do about buying a new computer that is going to be compatible with just about all MT jobs.
I got my computer locally so as not to deal with Dell and Fed Ex etc. I have a flat panel and I
think it is okay but not as clear as the regular monitors. I think if you pay a fortune for an LCD you get great clearness but with the 3 or 400 dollar ones it is adequate. I live in PA also. I got it because it is better for your eyes.
I have both a Dell Latitude Laptop and a Dell Dimension desk top PC and bought both...
off of Ebay. The laptop I paid $300 for had Windows XP and works great. It wasn't wireless, but they sent me a PCI card with it and it works fine. The desktop PC has XP on it as well and I paid $250 for it. Both have Pentium IVs. Both work great for work. I have no complaints and I feel like I got a great deal both times out on Ebay.
I don't like Dell. I bought a Dell laptop and it
was a piece of junk, so I'm not the one to ask if you should buy a Dell. I'd get at least double that processor speed. My computer is about 10 months old and I have 5 times that, which means that there is probably something faster out now, or soon will be. It is more than I need for work, but I also use computer to download music/pictures, and a bunch of other stuff. The Dell I had had 650 mHz and it was slow and that was almost 6 years ago. You may have to customize anyway to get XP unless you buy one previously owned, which you can also buy from Dell. It is always a good idea to buy bigger than you need currently just to allow for updates to any software or new software you may add. You need to also think about tech support. I know Dell has tech support in India, which can be extremely frustrating. I don't know that other computer companies don't offshore their tech support, but that would be a question I would ask and find out if there is a locally authorized dealer to handle warranty repairs or if you need to send off the computer. I would not recommend a Gateway computer and I would not recommend any computer that has a Celeron processor. They tend to be in all the lower end computers.
Considering buying a Dell notebook to transcribe. How easy is it?
Meaning, how is the ergonomics? I'm afraid it may cause carpal tunnel or maybe back problems due to positioning. Would like input.
Ugh, we bought a new Dell in December. First off...
the thing sounds like a meat grinder the entire time it is on. Makes so much noise I think I'm on the tarmac at the airport. Secondly, we installed a new video card and then somehow disabled it and needed tech support to sort it out. Yep, got "Jimmie" from Calcutta or Bombay or some other such place (who do they think they're kidding?), who walked us through a process which we thought was going to reset the video card, and he had us RETURN TO FACTORY SETTINGS! Just as I hit the last button, I realized what he had me doing. I lost all kinds of documents, taxes, you name it. I was livid! Not happy.
I just bought a Dell last month, had
them put 1 gig of RAM, much, much faster. My only comment is the computer is okay, but I will never buy a Dell again. Any problems you have (they got my order mixed up and gave me the wrong info on the computer), your call is routed to India. They outsource big time. All their phone people, IT, orders, followup, everything for individual customers, goes to India. They were very hard to understand, I had to speak very slowly and enunciate for them to understand me and they did not seem to know much at all about computers. I said I wanted a KV switch, they did not even know what that was. Next time I am going to a company that uses Americans and does not take jobs away from my fellow citizens.
I just bought a new computer through Dell and they had a few
new ones without Vista so I got a new one with XP. If you know a computer whiz, they can take Vista off and load XP--I had a friend who said he would do that for me if I couldn't buy one with XP. Just have to call the company, if getting a new one, and ask.
I bought a new laptop at dell.com yesterday with XP
The deal they were running was that you can buy certai new computers and have them preloaded with XP. You also get the Vista CD so if you ever want to upgrade you alread have it. It cost an extra $150 but worth it to me. Also they do a free upgrade in memory to 2 GB.Check it out. I think the deal is limited time only. My is set to ship on 08/04/08. I am SOOO excited.
Just bought a new Dell computer, needing XP
and knowing that Dell at 1 time did not offer XP anymore, only Vista. Am wondering if I bought XP how much is that as opposed to what Dell charges to put XP on now.
I bought a dell computer and financed it at their site
Getting my ducks in a row for my big job search. I just bought a Dell laptop for X-mas. SM
It was used when I bought it and I want to make sure that I have everything I need to work from home on it. The PC I'm on now will be going back to the hospital. It is a Dell Latitude. It has a Pentium IV processor, 512 mg of RAM, 40 gig hard drive, wireless internet plus ethernet card, Windows 2000. Will that laptop suffice for working from home? I assume it will, but I just want to make sure before I starting applying places.
Thanks!
Anyone that bought a Dell computer are you happy with it and what happened if you needed anything
fixed under warranty. I guess you Fed Ex it back and wait on it. Can you tell me how this went please.
I bought a new one from Dell almost a year ago and talked with the CS person. She told me the
models they still had available with XP. If you buy a new one though with Vista you can always remove it and reload with XP.
Hey, out of curiosity what kind did you get. I bought a E1505 laptop on there. Great Deal
Dell will finance at a very reasonable rate, just bought one and my payment is $50 a month with no i
just start charging interest. I am using my IC job to pay it off. Medquist does furnish computer, Amphion furnishes but with a monthly fee that is refunded at the end of a year's employment, I think.
I just bought a pair of Able Planet (Lynx) NC Headphones I'll give you a great deal on! SM
I did a ton of research and found that many preferred these headphones over the Bose. They were actually more expensive. I paid over $300.00 for these! The only reason I purchased these was because I could charge them on my Dell account. They really are awesome. I can't even hear myself type when I turn on the NC feature. They are comfortable, but after 18 years as an MT, I've just gotten used to the stethoscope style or earbuds.
If you'd like to contact me, I'll give you an offer you can't refuse!
Update..bought computer today and Dell and found out it couldnt get here as fast as I needed it so I
Got the same computer for like $400 less and they'll ship it out tomorrow. Should be here in 4 days..Same everything including warranty. Try Ebay.!!!
It is an okay deal - TR 11 font is small. Not as good a deal as Courier.
Personally, I would have to think really hard and compare reports and line counts, like the other poster below suggested, before I would jump right into it. It is probably 75-80 characters to a line +/- the single character lines you get for initials, and 2 word lines you get with op reports such as Surgeon:
IV Fluids:
Anesthesia:
etc.
It probably is comparable to 9 cpl with a larger font.
Good luck in whatever you decide.
Good Luck!
Company provides a Dell for work, I have a Dell for personal use, too.
x
Dell customer service is overseas. I have had a Dell, a
Toshiba Satellite, and an HP. The Dell was a piece of junk from day 1. The HP hard drive crashed after 4 to 5 years, but otherwise no problems. I bought a Toshiba about 6 months ago and it is okay, nothing special. I was looking at the Sony Viao and the salesman said that some laptops are made to be portable, but that the Sony was not one of them, but the Toshiba was. My keyboard also has a numerical pad on it, but it throws the other keys off a bit, so when I'm in a portable mode and don't have room for an external keyboard it really slows me down. I have a Duo Core processor and notice no difference whatsoever in speed, the number of programs I can have open, etc. I have also noticed that even when I am not on battery power that every so often the battery is charging. I don't know if this is a defect or something that is supposed to happen, but I need to investigate it.
I've had two dell laptops and 5 Dell PCs. Here's the thing...
Make sure you get the extended warranty, again, MAKE SURE YOU GET THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. And, here is why.
My first laptop went out on my, though it was a couple of years old. Because I had the extended warranty, a service tech came to my house, replaced motherboard, hard drive, heat sink, and keyboard. He was able to back up everything first and restored it once all the new stuff was in place.
One of my PCs kept giving some weird blue screen error and I couldn't get to go even in safe mode. I called up Dell, told them the problem, they looked up my extended warranty and they sent someone out to repair it.
Overall, I have been happy with Dell products. The only drag is that everything Dell sells regarding accessories is proprietary and you have to order it through Dell. No generic accessories will work. My suggestion is if you decide to buy a Dell laptop, make sure you get the car power supply and you might even get a 2nd regular power supply because I have been known to leave town and forget the power supply at the house. Now, I have everything in my laptop bag for when I go out of town and can just throw my laptop in the bag and know everything is there.
Lastly, some Dell laptops require a special aircard to connect to the internet. I ended up getting a 2 cabled USB air card and I'm glad I did because 2 USB plug ins give better reception than one.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. I'm happy to help.
Buy it used, got my V5 for $500 locally- nm
x
Convince to go locally
Anyone have any good answers to this question:
Why should I (physician) let you to do my dictation(local person) VS hiring a National Company to do? Any help would be appreciated. Trying to prove to Dr to choose me instead of the leech-like Nationals that are only out for themselves and taking advantage of this profession that once was valued before they came along and started slave labor.
Convince to go locally
Are you a physician looking for someone to do your trascription? If I were you, I would go locally if you want quality.
Work locally so it's different
I work for a nephrology office and I'm assigned to five doctor's. I do their work in the 8 hours that I have to put in each day. If the doctors (the ones I work for) all have the day off (and it's happened), then I don't have to work at all. That's my favorite part. LOL.
Been offered a job locally....sm
the pay is 0.06/line and includes all characters, spaces etc. Says that this amounts to about 0.09/line in the end ??
I've done all 3 x10 + PT employee locally
x
Unless you are working locally, where you live
has nothing to do with what you make. National MTSOs have their own pay scales, everyone is different.
Sounds like an account I work on locally
can ya try to focus on ONE thing. I know I would NEVER go to this doctor. He's not sure if he did a colonoscopy or an endoscopy??? Scary.
I bought a wedge at Michael's for about 59 cents. Bought one for my SM
Lanier station so I could see the display and one for my keyboard.
If you decide to pursue your own accounts/doctors locally, how/what software sm
do you use for internet transcription. Do not want to pick up work as it may be several hospital versus one facility. Where do you buy software like this or does the hospital provide this? Unsure, new venture for me.
I went to the Red Cross to volunteer locally and was told that I needed to apply to the state for a
background check, which will take from 2 weeks to a month to get back. I understand red tape as well as the next person, but is this really necessary? They are asked for people to help load trucks and pack and sort supplies right now, but only from people who are already in "the system." I guess I'll go another route and go to one of the local churches and volunteer, without the red tape.
anyone watch deal or no deal?
I love Deal or No Deal.......nm
Buy a Dell!! You can't go wrong with a Dell but
I bought an Emachines and had trouble with it from day one. I returned it, as the store I bought it from a six month return policy, so I returned it after about five months. I bought a Dell two years ago and have had no problems since!! Buy a Dell, you won't be sorry!! :)
I am not a Dell lover. My Dell has been
a lemon. I just replaced mine with a Toshiba Satellite and I have seen a few others here recommend this. Dell's customer service is in India. The only thing I dislike about my Toshiba is that because it also has a number keypad the shift key is in a different position than I'm used to and I end up deleting and retyping when I use the laptop keyboard. I normally use an external keyboard, but I travel a lot and try to work on the road and just don't have space for an external keyboard.
Where did you hear that everything you buy for a Dell has to be from Dell?
I have LOTS of peripherals on both my laptop and desktop Dells and they certainly didn't come from Dell. You've been misinformed.
I love my Dells.
Buying new
The MT company I work for supplies my computer but I have account on the side from my home computer. I had a computer "cracker" here last week for a serious problem and he suggested I go on line and get a Gateway. Does anyone have any input?
After buying car after car and never really sm
having one completely paid off, I finally got into leasing. I traded for a lease car and had it for 4 years. It was in great shape, inside and out at the end of lease period. I took pictures of the car from all angles to cover myself. Then I "traded" that for another lease, the car which I have now. The payments for lease cars are the same as if you were buying one on loan. The higher the down payment on the lease, the lower the payments are. The longer the lease period, the lesser the monthly payments but there is also the interest charge to consider.
At the end of the lease, though, you have the option of trading it for another car or buying it outright. I leased my current car, a mini SUV, for 4 years with payments of $300 per month, then ended up buying it for $7K at the end of the lease period. I essentially paid the same amount leasing and buying this car as if I had a loan on it. Leasing is not cheap, but you always have a new car. With leasing, you get no equity in the vehicle. If you are a person who wants a new car all the time, then leasing might be good for you. I like a new car all the time, too, but the monthly payments are too hard on my budget. Also with a lease you are required to keep up with the maintenance of the vehicle--more so than if you owned it outright. I don't quite understand your statement about "low payment because you only pay for the amount of money it would depreciate for the time you own it." You never own it, and the monthly payments aren't low.
I hope this helps. I haven't had my caffeine yet.
before buying one...
You should maybe rent one for the weekend, drive it around, and see how you like it. I had a rental when my son wrecked his truck, a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. I fell absolutely in love and my hubby got me one for Christmas!
Renting one for the weekend will give you a pretty good idea if you're gonna like it or not. I personally have never owned a convertible, but did drive one (my bosses wife's car) and it was ok, though not that great...good luck!
Not buying it...sm
I didn't graduate from CS or from either of the other 2 schools considered the BIG 3. I had a recruiter from MQ call me the very week I passed my course. My instructor gave them my name after I graduated.
And if you look on MQs website under FAQ, it states that under certain circumstances, they will accept candidates with less than 1 year experience if they graduated from ONE of the MT schools MQ has a relationship with.
Sorry. Not buying it.
You must work for the folks who are pushing this fiasco. I can tell you from first hand experience. It indeed DOES take longer or as long (just to be fair) to edit as it does to type it.
You are so right about buying there
I bought several items this year off Etsy for my Christmas presents, flower pens, individual painted flower cups for the ladies I gave to, have bought soaps there before, lots of stuff. I really like Etsy, some really nice things.
I'm not buying it.
These are just some of the incidents some of my Canadian friends have gone through:
1. My GF's husband decided he was still a teenager and went snowboarding, tore up his knee and had a 6-month wait for an MRI.
2. Same GF her best friend had an abnormal mammo. 3 months to get an ultrasound.
3. Ex boyfriend's ex-wife broke her leg while they were skiing. They kept her on Morphine from Friday until Monday because no orthopedic doc was available to do the surg.
4. Another GF of mine was on a specific type of thyroid medication that was the only one that they found worked for her. Then they decided it was not a covered drug anymore and she could no longer get it in Canada.
5. Another GF's husband needed cardioversion waited over a month to get it, meanwhile he was in horrible shape, legs and ankles swollen.
I'm sorry this is not acceptable patient care. The latest estimate is $1.3 trillion dollars to re-structure our health care the way Obama wants it restructured. Everyone puts Bush down for his "agenda" on Iraq no matter what the consequences. This is "Obama's" agenda. This country does not need another $1.3 trillion debt for future generations to have to try to pay off. JMHO.
I'm sorry, is anybody buying this story? sm
part-time, 16,000 per pay period!!! Come on, I'm not buying this at all.
Buying local ....
Unfortunately, some of us don't live in areas that have a lot of choice. My town is tiny and we have a teensy WalMart that has items that (I really think this!) have been there waiting to be sold since the day it opened years ago! I buy from JC Penney's from a catalog outlet here in town (if they're open) or online, sometimes I shop in one of the larger neighboring cities. Frankly, unless I'm buying cotton or watermelon, it ain't happening here :-).
However, in defense of your statement, when I lived in a larger city and had variety (and choices!) I did shop in town more often than not. I miss those days LOL.
BOS is changed so you have to keep buying the new one--$$$$
nm
Better off buying on Ebay.
I bought this computer and what a mess. I was told that it was bought for her daughter just the previous year and still had the warranty. She was going to transfer the warranty to my name.
I thought that because I used paypal I would be safe, but that is only if you buy off of E-bay. When I received the computer, it was a whole two years older than I was told and there was no longer any warranty. The seller conveniently died a week after I received the computer.
So, if anyone contacts you about this computer, BEWARE.
Just an FYI when buying it from another user
Be sure to notify Textware Solutions that you purchased it & who you purchased it from so we can update our records showing that you are now the licensed owner. This will ensure that you can receive technical support, discounted upgrades in the future, etc.
I usually stick with buying........
...mine from the tattoo shops. However, I most recently bought one at one of those little jewelry stands in the mall and I haven't had any problems with it.
|
