Gartner to Dell buyers: Read the fine print
By John G. Spooner
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
April 5, 2002, 3:50 PM PT
When negotiating with Dell Computer, companies should look before they leap, according to research firm Gartner.
In a research note issued earlier this week and seen by CNET News.com, Gartner warns corporate buyers who have not dealt with Dell before to avoid letting themselves get blinded by low pricing during negotiations. Dell, which went on a market-share blitz in 2001, has gained a number of new customers by using its lower prices as a way to win large contracts.
But the report says that buyers who jump in with both feet may hit a rocky bottom of unforeseen circumstances. Dell, for instance, will offer special prices for a set number of specifically configured PCs. If customers discover that they need more memory in the machines, however, "the increased cost is typically substantially more than the special price quoted," according to Gartner.
.....Dell seems comfortable with the report, even viewing it as a sort of primer for new customers, according to a Dell spokesman. "Our perspective on it is that anything that does a service for new customers or helps customers in general to be smarter about their relationship with Dell is a plus," said Dell's Dwayne Cox.
Aside from costs that could arise as the result of reconfigurations, the Gartner report continues, customers who are lax in negotiations might later find that the PCs specified in the contract have been discontinued and replaced by similar yet more expensive models
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