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Dell Vostro 220ST Desktop with 19" Monitor - $238.64

8210
R221122AU
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UPDATE: DEAL IS NOW DEAD.
Dell Deal Died at approx 1930hrs (NSW time) 14NOV08 .
It had a public lifespan of approx 3 hours.
Congratulations to those who did get it - Keep an eye on this thread to see if they hold true to their word.

UPDATE2: DELL is trying to avoid the contract.
Read this site: to see why I think Dell are breaching Australian law with this one:
http://www.dodgydeals.com.au/2008/11/why-i-believe-dell-are-…

Read the directions carefully!.
Dell have done it again!!! All new and all cheaper!!!

ORIGINAL DEAL:.
Vostro Slim Tower 220S

  • Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual-Core Processor E2200.
  • Dell 19" Entry (E198FP) Flat Panel LCD Monitor.
  • 4GB (2X2GB) NECC Dual Channel DDR2 800MHz SDRAM Memory.
  • 160GB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive with NCQ.
  • 16X DVD + / - RW WITH Dual Layer Write Capabilities.
  • Integrated Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD.
  • Integrated 5.1 Channel (Audio).
  • 1 Yr Next Business Day Onsite Service.
  • Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Basic 32 bit SP1 Edition.
  • Microsoft(R) Works 9.0.
  • No Security Trialware.

RECOMMENDED UPGRADES:.

  • Dell 22" Entry (E228WFP) Wide Screen = $136.40.
  • 250GB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive with NCQ = $30.80.
    (TOTAL PRICE WITH RECOMMENDED UPGRADES = $397.19.)

DIRECTIONS:.

  1. Visit this link to go directly to configuration).
  2. Use E-Code: R221122AU (It will appear as $799, look at point #4. below!!).
  3. Customise PC as required.
  4. On the 3rd customise page, YOU MUST UNTICK EVERYTHING. IN "More Accessories" (Except those you want obviously - The Logitec keyboard and mouse is actually quite good value).
  5. Use: HK$7SKXL4F?932. coupon code for an extra 5% discount. (Only valid for up to 3 PCs SEE BELOW for more).
  6. I will supply you with a paypal account for donations. to me :).
  7. Get in quick! This is a "LIMITED TIME DEAL!".

EVEN BETTER!.

Spend Over $1,500 and purchase LESS than 5 PCs and get 10%. OFF!!!
USE HN0?F6KG3KZTM3. instead of previous coupon code!

Don't forget to pay by internet transfer…
And this is no mistake! Marty Filipowski., senior manager of corporate communications for Dell Australia and New Zealand says "and we (have) reviewed the process to prevent future mistakes. http://apcmag.com/Content.aspx?id=3192

So obviously this is no mistake - Its all legit!

Related Stores

Dell
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closed Comments

        • We'll see how we go. I made some very detailed submissions to ACA and TT earlier today, so we'll see if anything comes of them.

          Still no word from the evil overlords of Dell today though about any of the orders…

  • At least Oz Bargain is getting a bit of free advertising with all this, one good thing to come out of it.
    Hope you guys get you computers, wish i could of jumped aboard and maybe get the computer i love abusing big companies especially when they have done something wrong by the customers.

  • Called dell today

    they said that they would make an announcement as to what they would do tomorrow

    • that sounds promising

      but i'm sure we consumers will be let down :)

    • Wonder if they'll reinstate my cancelled order…

      • If they let us have our PCs then surely the people who ordered from last week (or whenever the last deal was) will be entitled as well?

    • "An Announcement" - that's Dell talk for "We'll be letting you all know you can get f@cked".

      Well, lets hope not.

  • Finally!!
    I'm sure 90% of people who have bought systems are tracking one or more of the forum threads on this anyway..
    Crossing all fingers, toes and extremities that we'll (or at least I'll) get cheap PC's..

  • As with you all I'm still waiting to hear from Dell. In the meantime perhaps one of you can answer a question about the 220ST desktop. I'm hoping to upgrade the graphics by installing a Galaxy GeForce 9600GT 512MB low profile PCI-e. However this card apparently requires a 400W PSU while the 220ST only has 250W. So I'm wondering if it's easy/possible to install a more powerful PSU into the 220's slim case. Any thoughts? Or can somebody recommend another GPU?

    Maybe I should wait until hearing some good news from Dell before thinking about upgrades :-)

    • Don't get too far ahead of yourself, its not on your doorstep yet lol

      That said, I'm thinking about doing something similar if it ever arrives.

    • You'll need a higher PSU regardless of which graphics card you decide to get. You can pick them up for maybe $40? Not too much in the scheme of things XD

      I was going to put the same card in actually, then I can lan!

      • Dell give you the option of adding an ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB in the order process, so I was just planning on buying the same card off ebay.

        • Ah didn't think of that! Hahah I rushed through those order screens so quickly… XD

  • Dont plan on getting the ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB if you want to run newer games .. or even games from last year. Unless you want to play on 3-4fps =D. But its a great budget graphics for watching movies!

    • I hate ATI, sticking with Nvidia for sure. Dunno if it's worth getting 9800GTS for this computer though, will the processor last 3 or so years?

    • LOL I'm currently gaming on a 128mb card, so I'm sure it'll be all good.

      I'm not exactly the type to want to play Crysis, but a bit of Spore of low quality every now and then would be great.

    • I just want to make this one be a HTPC, ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB is okay for the movie, for $30, nothing lost..

    • Cheers all for your thoughts.
      twlvlksjstlky, I haven't seen a low profile 9800GT, I think that's all this case can handle?

      Regarding the Power Supply, my concern is that the Slim Dell case won't take a standard off-the-shelf PSU. I'll have to wait and see WHEN it arrives.

    • Seeing as these graphics cards are fairly cheap now, what would be a good card to get for under a hundred bucks that won't require me upgrading a power supply?

  • Lets not take no as an answer, anyway i would be very suprised if they didnt tell us tomoro that they will honor the deal…because they have originally said they will NOT honor the deal and suddenly out of the blue they come out today and say "Dell will make an announcment tomoro"

    • I'll be bowled over if the do give us our computers, but if they do, I guess everyone in the family is getting a cheap computer for christmas!

  • I think they might…..might offer to give each buyer one machine and one machine only. A sort of give and take offer, or they will just give us the corporate finger and tell us all to go to hell :)

    Should be interesting to see what happens.

  • The announcement tomorrow will be that they are not honouring the orders

    http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/biztech/halfprice-offe…

    Extract:
    Dell Australia spokesman Marty Filipowski said the offer was simply a mistake and stemmed from Dell accidentally allowing customers to delete certain accessories from their orders.

    "Those who deleted the preconfigured accessories from their order where inadvertently offered the product for $238.64," he said.

    "We are contacting these customers now and believe they will understand the error."

    • That sounds more like today's announcement rather than tomorrows lol

    • What about those who didn't delete the preconfigured accessories? Does that mean their sale will go through? :)

      • Yeah this one is interesting because the statement in the paper to made reference to people taking advantage of a cheaper price by removing all the "pre-configured" accessories. Therefore if you put and order straight thru with a crap load acc. then by Dells definition you should be entitled to the deal. Anyway you look at it, that is a good deal, you could easily get $400 for the listed acc. on ebay bring the purchase price down to $400 or even less.

    • “Those who deleted the preconfigured accessories from their order where inadvertently offered the product for $238.64,” he said.

      Do you think he could have used a grammar checker on his fancy Dell computer to check his speech before releasing it?

      Should be were not where…..

  • "Simply a mistake", hilarious, is this guy seriously learned some PR in uni before?

  • Well, I dont know about you guys but if they dont honor the deal I am going to take it further.bungles.

    How can we ever trust dell again over these two mess ups, which is there faults..not the customers.

  • I don't think it was just a pricing error. Since Friday, they have made major changes to the pricing system javascript code. When the 'error' was live the javascript was calculating price of the system dynamically. Now they have stopped the dynamic updates. They don't update the price until you press continue or 'update price' link. This means there was major flaw in their javascript code which anyone can view because it gets downloaded to your temporary files location.

  • Have we got a figure on how many people have bought the 238 computer?

  • Interestingly, if they're away contemplating what to do (again??) then why the heck is it? Are they conspiring with their international staff with better ways to lie to us and convince us that they're "really sorry it was a mistake" or what?

    If they're bothering to think about an announcement, rather than just use the same old crap they have so, it seems like it might actually be something good. We can only hope.

    Still haven't heard from that supervisor I was promised a call almost a week ago. Gee, their customer service sucks…

    rolls eyes

  • Im just really disappointed with Dell, I bought a laptop from them a few years ago and it was an alright experience buying from them. And I was finally upgrading my computer, so i went to the dell website to buy again and i thought im going to buy a nother comp, but this has put me off dell, im going to have to go else where in future. I hope for there company that they rectify this horrible mistake and maybe not lose customers ..over not honoring the deal.

  • Yeah as previous DELL customer who has purchased bucket loads of laptops from them in past I will not be sending any more money Dells way if they shaft me on this deal. I don't care if they cheaper faster better, whatever; Toshiba, Asus, Benq etc can have my money.

  • mmmm….anyway i have alot of friends online that are thinking the same way.

  • It clearly says:

    "The NSW Office of Fair Trading says traders such as Dell are generally obliged to deliver goods only if customers have paid for them, which creates a binding contract."

    I paid for 3 by EFT, the money is in their account not mine….

    • I thought the rest of the quote went on to say that cases where customers pushed payment into Dell's account was a vague area, as generally Dell has to be the one to take the payment as it signifies acceptance of the offer.

      From the full quote as seen in the APC article the other day, if I recall correctly.

  • Let's not ponder anymore. Our mate Marty Filipowski will apparently make an announcement today. As I have stated previously, after the first price stuff up Marty claimed checks and balances were in place so this would not happen again. So the offer last Friday is not an error and I will soon have my new PC.

  • I just want to quickly say that I have recently (IE This morning) discovered a website called "Buck Scoop". It appears as though they had discovered this deal as well as us here. (And welcome fellow Dell deal hunters).
    I wish to acknowledge sandgroper, as timestamps show actually discovered the deal before I and any other online forum did. And my apologies go out to lilpretzel as I may or may not have been involved in leaking this story to various media outlets thus far without including her site.

    I can only promise and encourage anyone else who discusses this matter with the media to include this site in their release. To date, we have:

    Slashdot:. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/11/17/0234256
    SMH:. http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/biztech/halfprice-offe…
    The Age:. http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/biztech/halfprice-o…

    Whirlpool. http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1084759
    OzBargains. http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/7810
    OCAU. http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?t=728689
    BuckScoop. https://www.buckscoop.com.au/forums/showthread.php?t=12308
    And of course my personal favourite… Dodgy Deals. http://www.dodgydeals.com.au/2008/11/step-by-step.html

    Not to mention the front page results when conducting google searches:
    "Dell deal". http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=dell+deal
    "Marty Filipowski". http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=marty+filipowski
    etc etc.

    • timestamp is bit skewy - as OzBargain time seems to lag 1 hour behind (Daylight saving problem?)

      • Yes. OzBargain is one hour behind (Australian Eastern Standard Time w/o DST, i.e. UTC+10). On the other hand Buckscoop team is Western Australia based so they are UTC+8 (i.e. 3 hours behind AEST DST)…

  • I just checked my bank account today and it looks like the money has somehow mysteriously appeared in my account - as if they have refunded it. I'm not sure if it bounced or if they could find my bank details as they are with Citibank too. Can anyone tell me if I made a mistake while doing the direct deposit?

    This is where I sent the money:

    BSB: 242-200
    Acct #: 106685061

    If its wrong, please let me know the correct number ASAP! Thanks!

    • Account Name        : Dell Australia Pty. Limited
      
          Account Number      : 106685061
      
          BSB         : 242-000
      
          Bank Name       : Citibank Limited
      

      the BSB is wrong

  • quackster - You've entered the BSB wrong. My money still remains with DELL. No refunds or any communication from them as yet.

    • Thanks guys. I've redone the transfer. Looks like I misread the BSB and assumed it was the same as my own account in the rush of it all!

  • It appears that the announcement remains the same. It's an error in pricing, and they are contacting people to get the money refunded. Those who made EFT payments will have to provide their bank account details to have the money returned. Yes, money got through and is sitting in their account somewhere but they have not approved of the sale therefore no contract has been formed. They want to return it as soon as possible.

    Bottomline is, you will NEVER be able to get the deal and that's the final Dell decision. They are willing to face the bad rep as the outcome of this. We can have the whole world watching this and they are alright with the media reporting on this I suppose. They won't budge, so I guess consumers will have to "concede defeat".

    Anyone thinking of escalating this legally? Sounds like a lot of hard work to get a cheap PC.

    • where did you see this?

      • A friend that ordered got a call from Dell.

        I'm guessing if a manager calls, it'd be the same thing. Manager's going to tell you that an apology is all you're going to get. Their view is, it's unethical to process a deal for someone and not approve the deal of another. Which is really interesting because someone here has got their spec'ed up machines confirmed. Will they see their order cancelled as well now that Dell has decided to not honour all orders made through the error?

        What I'd like to know is, fair enough, those who ordered the cheap PCs will not get it. But what about those who paid for the machines without unticking the extras? Are their orders cancelled too?

    • I just got a similar call from Dell telling me that the order is not going any where. I refuse to have my order canceled but the rep said because they are not processing it, it is as good as canceled.

      I complained with many of the arguments provided here on the site, he didn't have the answers and is going to get his manager to call me back.

      Bottom line, unless this goes to court, we are not getting our computers.

      • Agree. I think the fair trading office won't be able to do anything and in fact I think they are not even sure which side is right. The only way is to go to court, but we need to form a group to go together, not individual. Anyone is interested in leading the crowd?

  • i will fight it

  • see you in court!!! dell!!!

  • There is no legal recourse in my opinion.. all the thrashing around here is worth nothing.

    As someone else said here, if you throw money at me, you can't claim that I have accepted the money from you, I may even pick it up to give it back to you without having accepted it…

    The only legal recourse we might have is if they offer the 10% discount off the $799 price.

    Then it is arguably a bait and switch campaign.

    • In this case you advertised an item, people buy, you send email to demand payment, people send money to you. It's totally different with throwing your money to some people's bank man?

      • How?
        When you send the money, you are in effect "throwing money" at Dell.
        They have not "accepted" the money..
        Even though they have asked for it..

        The contract is only formed when they "accept" the money..

        The equivalent would be, in a shop, passing the money to the cashier, then the cashier's boss saying, "hang on that price isn't right.. I'm sorry but we can't sell you that item at that price". The cashier then passes you back the money..

        • lol!
          I study law at unsw. Scubacoles you are wrong. Not gonna bother explaining lol!

          Search up the word "detriment" in contract law and you'll understand.

  • To those who are going to fight it,

    Are you for real? If you are, who are you going to contact? Would it be possible to gather all those who bought the PCs and go through a proper channel, an official legal action? Or are you just announcing to the forum that you're fighting this but when Dell gives you a call you'd give in straightaway?

    Actions do speak louder than words, so maybe you'd like to share your plan and course of action so others can follow suit and benefit from it. Otherwise there doesn't seem to be much hope in all this. :|

    So far the only person that seems to be serious about this is Ben. So Ben, what are you going to do next?

  • OK just got a call from dell saying "because I removed pre-configured accessories" that there was an error. I said this was unacceptable and for senior management to call me back. Now who wants to call their bluff and say I'll take the original offer WITH ALL listed pre-configured accessories. Surely they would need to honour that?

  • In my view it seems like there is a lack of formation in the contract. The term that seems to be the biggest hurdle is the one regarding the 2nd email will be sent to confirm payment and establish that a contract is formed. As we have agreed to that specific term by ticking on the box, the courts will construe that we the consumers have acknowledged this term. There is insufficient evidence to show that the conduct of DELL implies that they have communicated an acceptance of our offer - as already stated, this contradicts the expressed term which is clear and communicated before payment is made . However, I will be cheering for those who do wish to pursue this matter legally!!!

    And those who want to buy my contracts law books can contact me hahaha =D

  • Just got another call from a manager at Dell, they've kept their promise and called back! Anyway, same story as before. They will not honour any orders because they are not treating them as an actual "order" until they've "confirmed" it.

    Anyone who would like to speak to him directly can call Winston Robins on his direct line: (02) 8972 5782

    • So you've got your refund? And will not pursue this further?

      Just want to know what you guys have decided to do. =)

      • I didn't get my refund, I told them I'll sit on it and see if there are further developments.

  • i think we will be more successful if we peruse the matter through the media, that way even if we get nothing out of it, Dell's ways will be exposed

    • Any publicity is good publicity…

      I can't see Dell folding becasue they're getting free advertising on TV and in print!!

      They have enough marketing nouse that they can turn this into a positive for them.

      If I was a marketing person there I'd start by asking TT/ACA to spec up a similar computer at any local store, thus demonstrating that the $799 Dell price is cheaper because they have such slim profit margins (ie. free advertising for Dell) and then saying the loss would be too great to absorb..

      (whether they would actually make a huge loss we will never know)

  • I will be calling the number provided by lxstr to get my refund. I know my legal limitations, but I also know miracles can happen. I'm just not a believer in this case =[ Sorry fellas.

  • hey all.. just registered to let you know i got my call from dell informing the price error.
    i was offered 10% off the 799 price not including the accessories.
    i couldnt be bothered taking this any further so i accepted the cancellation and they are refunding my eft payment.
    its been a pleasure.. good luck to those who continue to pursue it.

    • When I get my call I'll be asking how the 10% discount differs from a bait and switch..

      • I asked that, his reply was "It was a mistake, not done on purpose."

        Maybe you can come up with something to counter that.

        • I don't believe there is a provision in the bait and switch definition for a mistake in the original price..

          It's a bait (mistake or not) and a switch..

          I'm quite comfortable in them saying "it's a mistake here's your money back".. There's no switch in that statement…

          I'm very uncomfortable with them saying "it's a mistake, but we'll be happy to sell you this instead".. There is clearly a switch in that statement!!

  • I haven't heard from them yet but expect to today sometime. I'm not going to fight it either, my life is busy enough right now without further stress. It was always a gamble this one would eventuate… You win some you lose some I guess. In reality I didn't even need the PC, the only actual part I "needed" was a motherboard I just figured for a few bucks more why not get this entire system :) Still got 3 other working PC's, I'll survive.

  • This saga has appeared here as well:
    http://www.insideretailing.com.au/articles-page.aspx?article…

    When I get my call I'll be asking Dell how we are supposed to tell a real offer from a "mistake". How can we have any faith in anything the put on their website if they don't honor this?

    • Exactly..

      Especially having been bitten twice..

  • If you reside in New South Wales and think there is a contract between you and Dell I would be most interested in hearing what happens when you either send a Letter of Demand or brief a Solicitor on this matter.

  • Has anyone submitted a complaint to the NSW Office of Fair Trading, and if so, have you had any response?

  • i have,

    no response can take up to three weeks

    really if we wanted to

    we can sue them for the interest that they have made on our money being in their accounts for the week,

    i know it wouldn't be much for us but every bit counts

  • Latest from SMH:

    Company fails to deliver on price in ads
    http://www.smh.com.au/news/home/technology/company-fails-to-…

    and others:

    Dell Pulls Half Priced offer amid uproar
    http://www.tweaktown.com/news/10618/dell_pulls_half_priced_o…

    Dell in half-price hot water
    http://www.pcretailmag.com/news/30790/Dell-in-half-price-hot…

  • I guess that means Dell reckon their reputation is much less than 90k+, so they'd rather just be stupid than honour the deal.

    • Do we know for sure it is 90k? where is this $90k coming from?

      if they lost $300 per pc the total loss would be $300,000 for 1000 pc sales.

      • There goes annual bonus for mr Marty :p

      • I doubt they'd be loosing more than $100-150 if sold at $250

        • Yeah I'm sure their profit margin would be reasonably large. It'd be interesting to find out exact figures, for sure.

  • Looks like from the phone numbers mentioned that Dell Australia's now calling me: their number wasn't private.

    Ph: 02 8972 5385 for anyone who's keen to harass them. Not sure who you'll get on the other end though..not yet, anyway. Stuff wasting my phone credit on them, they can call me back.

  • Dell say:

    "denied any payments had gone through: "We have not accepted any funds." "

    Well the money has gone out of my account into theirs, so how can they say they have not accepted any funds?

    Does anyone know how us WA people stand in this matter?

  • I would like to see what our next course of action is. To do this, I need to know more information.

    I would like EVERYBODY to complete the form here: http://www.dodgydeals.com.au/2008/11/group-details.html

    Even if you believe it was a silly attempt and have already given up… I would still like your details to give a complete picture.

    For everyone else, this is not a promise that anything will be done, I am just gathering details to make an informed decision as to where we take it from here. I would advise you to take any current course of action you have in mind. (Including sitting it out, contacting authorities, arguing with dell, whatever you have in mind already)

    I may provide occasional general updates as we go along.

    • The 'submit' button didn't work?

    • Submit button doesn't work…

  • Submit button doesn't work Ben, Firefox 3.0 :(

    • And I thought it was just me.

  • crap… wait a sec

  • OK - Moved form off site - Should be working this time.
    Let me know if there are still issues.

    Thanks everyone.

  • Just received my phone call. The caller was surprisingly nice and understanding and saying he would do the same if he was in my position! I was going to just get a refund because of exams but I thought I'd put any action on hold until after exams where I can dig deeper into contracts law/precedent/TPA/FTA/inspect their T&C a bit more. Never thought I'd be using my law degree so early in the course!

    EDIT: the forms work now =] Props to your effort! Have you made the other customers on WP/OCAU/Buckscoop aware of this form as well?

  • Hey Ben V Dell,

    What would you suggest people say when they are contacted by Dell? Dell just called me but I said "he's not at home, call back tomorrow."

    • I asked them to send me email stating clearly what the technical error is, and they immediately said they don't have the right to send out any email and the conversation ended there.

  • Just submitted my details via the form, but when I filled it in, I forgot to enter in my IRN and pressed submit. All the radio buttons I checked had been unchecked, and I didnt realise until I got the confirmation email that the "State" field resorted back to QLD when I'm from VIC.

    • same thing lol, I'm from NSW but got resetted to QLD

      • Make that 3 of us. LOL. VIC too.

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