[This is a guest post from Bill in Rescue, California. Bill and his wife have been Costco members since 1993 when Costco and Price Club merged. They're addicted to all the great shopping at Costco too, obviously. For more information about Bill, you can check out his website. ]
Costco is a great place to purchase computers because Costco extends the manufacturer’s warranty to two years from the date of purchase, because Costco Concierge Services offers excellent technical support, and because Costco has a very liberal 90 day return policy. Costco Warehouse stores offer a limited selection of computers, but there is a much wider selection online at Costco.com. In addition, online purchasers have been able to custom configure Dell and HP computers. Unfortunately, the online computer selection has narrowed somewhat because Costco is not currently offering Dell computers online. According to the Dell site, a few Dell systems will be carried in Costco Warehouse stores. I’m sure there are many Dell enthusiasts who hope that the absence of Dell computers from Costco online is only temporary.
Bill from Rescue, California
[After reading Bill's post, I decided to see how many Dell computers were still available at Costco.com. The answer: one. There is just one laptop, the Dell Inspiron 17 T6600, and absolutely no desktop computers. There are just two computer accessories, one monitor and a single printer, but those don't really count since they are obviously not computers.]
1
Aaron Booker //
2009.12.29 at 10:38 am
Well – not everybody is sad that Dell isn’t in Costco anymore… There are much better computers than Dell.
2
Kimberly //
2009.12.29 at 10:45 am
Well, I’ve got an Apple Macbook Pro right now and I really wish that Apple would get a deal going with Costco. I’ve never had a better notebook. However, my last laptop was a Dell, which was considerably better than my Gateway and nicer than my IBM laptop that I had at work. Plus, my mom is still using the Dell and even after several years and lots of traveling, it still works well and has had just one little issue with the built-in wireless card. And honestly, I’m not sure that HP is a better notebook than a Dell either. I’m not all about Dell though, they’ve got issues, just like everyone else that makes computers.
3
Pollack //
2009.12.29 at 11:09 am
I had to return my last 2 Dells from Costco. Maybe Costco is sick of having to deal with returns of crappy products.
4
Clue //
2009.12.29 at 12:29 pm
Both HP and Dell have repeatedly scored as having the shortest lifespan of among laptops in recent years. On the other hand, both Toshiba and Acer get consistently high marks for longevity. Knowing that, the only way I’d ever buy a Dell or an HP would be with Costco’s extended warranty and great service. But why put myself through it at all, when their are better brands Costco could carry, which would make the extended warranty, etc., a true bonus and not just a mere necessity?
5
tle //
2009.12.29 at 12:37 pm
Go with a Toshiba. I have mine for a year and a half now. No problems.
6
Kimberly //
2009.12.29 at 12:42 pm
At Costco.com you can find both Acer and Toshiba laptops now, as well as Lenovo and Asus. Though, HP is clearly their biggest selection with just slightly less laptops to choose from than all of the other brands combined. As far as desktop systems go, they have a bunch of brands that I’m not really familiar with, and HP.
7
Bill from Rescue //
2009.12.29 at 1:49 pm
Because I’ve been working with computers since the 1960s, family and friends think I know more than I do, and they ask me for advice on which computer to buy from Costco. When it comes to desktop systems, I’ve had experience with Dell and HP, but I know very little about iBuyPower, Velocity Micro, and ZT Systems. Any words of wisdom about the iBuyPower Model S915i, the Velocity Micro MX235, or the ZT Systems Affinity 7425Ti-41? All three systems are currently available on Costco.com, and I’ve read mixed reviews on each of the systems.
8
Tampa Slim //
2009.12.29 at 2:07 pm
I too am a firm Mac User.
After running the PC gauntlet for years and years, I made the switch for good and I’m so glad I did. I owned IBM, Gateway, HP and Dell Laptops and regretted each one. I guess my mind just doesn’t work like Bill Gates!
If Costco carried Apple they would have almost ZERO returns. (just my opinion)
9
Julie Chapman //
2009.12.29 at 5:51 pm
I, too, am an avid Costco supporter. I appreciate the way they stand behind their products and the great offering they provide. I wanted to buy a Dell after Christmas. . .don’t know what happened. I can’t find any news of a ’split’ between the two companies or problems — but I am worried that Costco may have been dissatisfied with Dell’s products. Now I am in limbo. My HP of many many moons ago was a piece of junk. Could go directly to Dell to purchase, but I LIKE having the opportunity to have the extra support from Costco on major purchases. Julie
10
MichaelM //
2009.12.29 at 9:57 pm
Dropping Dell products is no loss……their products aren’t as good as they once were, and their customer service stinks.
Costco probably dropped Dell for the same reason it dropped Sprint: lousy customer service.
I say good riddance to both of them.
11
Robin //
2009.12.30 at 4:51 am
My laptop died a few days before Christmas and I headed to Costco to look for a new Dell, as the website said the stores still carried them. Nada. There wasn’t a single Dell at the Orlando store and what they did have on display was slim pickings.
After checking options in a few stores (CompUSA was still selling old computers with XP and Vista) I ended up buying my computer from Best Buy.
12 Guest Post: No Dell Computers on Costco.com | Addicted To Costco! // 2009.12.31 at 9:58 pm
[...] is the original: Guest Post: No Dell Computers on Costco.com | Addicted To Costco! Categories: Computers Tags: Computers, costco, custom-configure, inspiron-6400, more-important, [...]
13
Bill from Rescue //
2010.01.05 at 12:03 am
It looks as if Dell is returning to Costco. The January Coupon Book, Valid 1/7 – 1/24/10, includes an offer on a Dell Studio XPS 8000 (online only), and Costco.com currently offers several Dell laptops.