11-20-2002, 02:00 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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I Couldn't Find Anything Else To Complain About...
http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2898007,00.html
so I'll complain about the rebate form. :roll: David Coursey at ZDNet has a nice video available from Comdex on the Dell Axim and a very short write up - about 4 paragraphs. He then spends 11 paragraphs complaining about the $50 rebate, which to me speaks volumes about the device itself. I am not a fan of mail in rebates either, but if you are going to review a PDA, review the bloody PDA!
Be sure to check out the video. The only downside is when I clicked on it, there were only two options, Windows Media and Real Ads... I mean Audio,  ops: both at 200Kbps, so I don't think the bandwidthally challenged will be able to view it.
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11-20-2002, 02:20 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 481
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:roll: does pretty much sum up the article.
But, yes, the video has good content.
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11-20-2002, 02:26 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 14
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Just download the asx using ASFRecorder (google it), don't waste time watching choppy video - regardless of your bandwidth!
Here's the link to download the video URL when you have ASFRecorder.
http://www.cnet.com/video/comdexflat/playlists/axim.asx
and after you've downloaded the video streams (4 of them!!) you can ignore the advert streams by just playing t02comdex_axim_2_hi.asf.
The 4 videos streams are 7MB in total.
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11-20-2002, 02:30 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 28
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In Europe we'd be happy to actually get the mail-in rebate - at least I'd be. Or if not that, at least similar prices to the US ones.
Regards,
Peter
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11-20-2002, 02:41 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 26
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Quote:
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It also has something I've never seen on a Pocket PC before: a removable, rechargeable battery.
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This reviewer would have been in the Palm camp for a long time. Come on, removable battery on pocket PC is not something new 8O
HP
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11-20-2002, 02:47 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,468
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Sorry Ed! Got to disagree strongly here. This is not a review nor is it intended to be one - it is an editorial/opinion piece - clearly flagged up as so! As such he is spot on in what he says!
Dell are playing a dirty game with this whole rebate business - allowing them to claim a sub $200 device (powerful marketing point) while really selling a $250 device and keeping the option to end it any time while knowing a significant percentage of buyers will never claim!
I wouldn't be at all surprised if Dell is planning to only break even/even risk losing money on pre-Christmas sales even then! Their current marketing strategy is entirely about creating a false public perception in their favour and damging the competition - and by creating an unsustainable market for uber cheap high spec devices (ahead of time) they will damage the whole Pocket PC market.
This has been swilling around in my head for a while and, while he can be a berk, I applaud David Coursey for coming out and saying what he has.
Only my opinion of course...! :wink:
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11-20-2002, 02:56 PM
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Swami
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 4,396
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Rebates
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Originally Posted by Duncan
Dell are playing a dirty game with this whole rebate business - allowing them to claim a sub $200 device (powerful marketing point) while really selling a $250 device and keeping the option to end it any time while knowing a significant percentage of buyers will never claim!
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I wouldn't call it "dirty". Also, the claim that a significant portion of people won't claim them is suspect. For silly $1 rebates, that may be true, but I bet the larger the rebate, the more people claim it. How many people would throw away $50?
As for ending the rebate, they could, but I saw a Dell representative quoted as saying they eventually hoped to make the prices $199 and $299 permanently. You'll have to decide how much you trust Dell, I guess.
Steve
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11-20-2002, 03:09 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Duncan
Dell are playing a dirty game with this whole rebate business - allowing them to claim a sub $200 device (powerful marketing point) while really selling a $250 device and keeping the option to end it any time while knowing a significant percentage of buyers will never claim!
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Oh please. Dell didn't invent rebates. I currently have a rebate pending from Kingston, Amazon and t-Mobile. I just got a rebate check in the past 6 months from T-Mobile on another phone and two rebates from BellSouth on the DSL service and DSL modem. 100% of them are in the $50-$100 range.
Palm does rebates, Dell does it, so does HP and every other company that sells to consumers. Annoying? Yes. Dirty, no, not even close. Smart business? ABSOLUTELY! There is a % that is never submitted. that is a free $50 for Dell everytime someone is clueless, lazy or stupid.
Look at it this way. Dell factored in a non-redemption factor when pricing this out. If that factor was 0% - meaning it was an instant click rebate, they might have had to change the rebate to $25 so they got the same net cash. Rebates drive prices down for people that bother to do it. And for those that don't bother - thank you very much for subsidizing my purchase! :lol:
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11-20-2002, 03:15 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 481
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The other payback is corporate sales, or any place the user isn't the purchaser. These rebates are much less likely claimed, effectively creating a higher price for these sales, to a market that is less price conscious. Again, smart business. A bit annoying? Yes.
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11-20-2002, 03:29 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,468
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OK Ed - why do companies offer rebates instead of simply selling the goods for the lower price?
I know Dell didn't invent rebates - but any use of a rebate system is dodgy as anything! and yes - it is dirty business, not good business (except in the most cynical of business models).
The thing is - here Dell is using the rebate to give false appearances - and I don't think the Pocket PC market will benefit from what Dell are doing!
Frankly - isn't it about time consumers in the US kicked up a serious fuss about the use of rebates? It wouldn't wash in the UK and, if it was being introduced for the first time, it wouldn't wash in the States either! Why should people be made to put an effort in to get money back they shouldn't have paid in the first place? Those $50 that never get claimed - free money for Dell? Well - nothing is going to convince me that it's money ethically gained!
Steve,
I don't trust Dell at all. I never trust any company that 'hopes' to keep a low price permanent - there is an unspoken - 'unless we can get away with higher prices' in there!
As for people not claiming the rebates - historically that was the thinking behind rebates in the first place - so there must be something in it for the company (any marginal interest gained from having your $50 for a brief period will soon be swallowed up by the admin costs of processing rebates).
Any - to re-iterate - only my opinion - and as a card carrying Socialist my opinions on financial issues are bound to be suspect... :wink:
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