Acer or Dell Laptop

Until reciently I worked for a company that sold around 500 acer notebooks in the last 4 years. The earlier models were awful and several of our customers ended up with bad batches... they all failed gradually and acer just keeps fixing them until the warranty expires. Some of our customers ended up being 1 or 2 notebooks down practically all the time. Whenever we returned a notebook they'd have another for us to send off to acer. Each notebook we returned to them took around 5 weeks although this has started to improve reciently.

The ones we sold over the last year or so have been a lot better, where we'd generally get atleast 5 problem notebooks per batch of the earlier models we often only have 1 or 2 per batch(batches are normally 15-25 notebooks) that needed to be sent in for repair.

Their email support is a joke. The only responses I've had from them are either "send the notebook to our repair center" or "please re-install the operating system" - no amount of shouting/ranting will get them to change their tune! consider yourself lucky if you get any form of response within 7 days and be prepared to wait another 7 days for another less than helpful response.

As for their phone support... if I ever hear "please be a little patient" while waiting for 30 mins and listening to the worst hold music ever again I'll scream! once you get through they are fairly helpful though.

If your only buying 1 or 2 you shouldnt have too many problems. If you need more I'd go with a manufacturer that provides better supoport.
 
I don't own either, but I have relations that do. (I get to see them both often)

Admitted the ACER is one of the lower price ones (celeron chip job) but the whole thing just isn't good.
It's been back for a new hard drive once (after 3 months) and that took 6 weeks to repair and ACER where hassled with phone calls to get it done that quick. (I was told 8 weeks is normal)
The repair was bad tho. They had either fitted a second hand hard drive in it, or upgraded it from WIN9X.
It had a choice of OS's at boot when he got it back, but the WIN9X files didn't exist. (it was also FAT32)
I sorted that out for him, but the battery life is so bad it's a joke to call it portable.
OK the guy who owns it is a bit of a hammer handle, but even after I tried to condition the battery, it would power down after a few minutes.
Secondly the viewing angle of the screen is really poor. (move head slightly to one side, and you can't see it)
I had both to compare at the same time (the Dell and the ACER) and the DELLs screen is FAR superior.

With the DELL it's a different story. OK it cost a few more quid, and has a centrino chip, but it's in a different league to the ACER.
The battery will do 4 hours and the screen is excellent.

The Dell is just superior in every way, tho I can't comment on DELLs repair as it's never had to go back.

Yes the DELL cost more, so is it a fair comparison?

Prolly not, but unless ACER use a better screen these days and have sorted out the battery problem and the build quality, I wouldn't touch one.
The dells main price increase was due to the centrino chip, and it has blue tooth, but they are in a different league build wise as well.

In fact I am so impressed by this Dell, I shall prolly buy one.
 
squiffy said:
So - both are terrible. :)
Click to expand...

I find it shocking that I said that about Dell after what I usually say about their desk tops.
Fact of the matter is, the one I've had experience with is a good bit of kit.

Shame their other stuff gives them a bad name.
 
Anyone have any other suggestions of a laptop other than dell or acer but with similar spec/price to the two i posted at the top?

Cheers :)
 
I purchased my dell 6000 inspiron though direct from dell, and I can't fault it. Just make sure it has all the discs rather than partition backup.

My vote goes on the Dell.
 
What about this laptop also?

Lenovo C100 Notebook

Intel Celeron M 370 Processor 1.5GHz
512MB DDRII SDRAM
80GB Hard Drive
DVD Super Multi Dual Layer Drive
15" XGA TFT Screen
Integrated Intel 915GM Shared Graphics
Integrated wireless 802.11 a/b/g LAN
Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition Pre Loaded
4.5-hour Battery Life
Weight 2.86kg
1 year warranty - upgradeable to 3 years warranty

£506.95 inc vat
 
Kroegen said:
I hasnt broken yet :D
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well, thats nice to know you havnt broken, but this thread is about laptops. :D

Acer = bad construction quality

Dell = good construction quality

the acer will have the worst battery life you have ever seen on a laptop and the screen will flex like mad.
dell on the other had, has a good batt life and well made screen.
 
lay-z-boy said:
well, thats nice to know you havnt broken, but this thread is about laptops. :D

Acer = bad construction quality

Dell = good construction quality

the acer will have the worst battery life you have ever seen on a laptop and the screen will flex like mad.
dell on the other had, has a good batt life and well made screen.
Click to expand...


Check notebook forum, loads of people complain of Dell build. I will never buy a Dell machine. No problems with screen flex on our two Acers, and in fact the Toshiba has the worst screen flex...and has a stupid speaker/hinge layout that a cable scan snag between the two.
 
I have an Acer (3023WLMi) and in general I like it, but like others have mentioned some of the parts are not of the highest quality. In my case I find the keyboard is not the best and the screen has a very poor vertical viewing angle (you have to sit in exactly the correct position or either the top of the screen looks too dark or the bottom half looks washed out).

Personally if the specs are not too much different I'd go with Dell. I see someone mentioned Rockdirect before and I'd definitely reccomend them. I know a few people with Rock laptops and they are really good. Apparently the customer service is excellent as well.
 
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