I regularly get asked where to order technology products, so I decided to post a page about it. This page wil cover how I handle the ordering of technology for The Community Foundation of Sarasota County (CFSC), which is a nonprofit organization that Vangor Computer Technologies supports.
For Microsoft and Symantec software, we use http://www.techsoup.org/. This is a donation site, and we pick up software here for a nominal administration fee. The nearly free pricing is untouchable by any other reseller. To read more about this site, click here.
If there is some Microsoft Software that we can’t get at http://www.techsoup.org/, then we use http://www.insight.com/. Insight is one of the few authorized Microsoft Charity Open License dealers. The licensing from Microsoft is complicated. We’ve been working with Tammie Farthing at Insight for 5 years, and she’s well versed with the Charity Open License program. We typically get software through this program for 25% to 50% of the standard Open License price. To read more about Tammie or Insight, click here.
We don’t use Dell anymore. I used to be a Dell fanatic. However, their quality and service have deteriorated significantly in recent years. Their offshore tech support is terrible, and the quality of their products is mediocre at best. I no longer consider them to be a “tier 1” company. Dealing with their tech support takes an inordinate amount of time, even to get a simple part replacement. This adds to overall cost of the product.
Let me give you an example of a recent experience (June 2006) that I had with Dell Tech support. I had a laptop with a burned out network port. I couldn't get a link light at all. I hooked up another computer to the same cable, and it had a link, an IP address, etc. It was a "cut and dry" problem that required the replacing of the entire system board since the network card was integrated into the system board. However, the overseas technician couldn't listen to what I told her, and simply swap the part. In the 1990's, this wouldn't have been a problem. However, things are different now. Instead, she had me go through one tedious process after another as she read through a scripted play book. One hour and 45 minutes later, the technician came to the same conclusion as me and ordered a new system board. Unfortunately, I've had multiple experiences like this with Dell Tech Support over the past 5 years. I dread having to call Dell, anymore. Time is precious. Because of the excessive amount of my time that is consumed by their tech support department, and the lack of common sense regularly exercised by their technicians, I avoid the Dell product line like the plague.
We have been shifting to HP in recent years. We bought a couple HP Laptops in 2004 and they have been problem free, and HP tech support is better than Dell’s. We’ll be replacing some of our older servers in the near future, and we’ll probably replace them with HP ProLiant servers because of their superior quality, support, and management capabilities.
We have an aging fleet of 6 ProLiant servers that we maintain. Any parts that I need for these servers, I pick up from http://www.serversupply.com/. Yes, the parts are typically used, but so are our vintage 1998 servers! Eric always gives me a killer price and provides fast shipping. And when a used part breaks in the first 30 to 90 days, Eric cross-ships a replacement so that I can use the packaging to send the bad part back. ServerSupply supplies replacement parts for computers, laptops, and servers from nearly all major manufacturers. If you need a proprietary part for a computer, give Eric a call at 800-778-7759. You can also email him at eric@serversupply.com, although I recommend calling for a faster response.
For all other technology purchases, we primarily use www.newegg.com. Why? Well, there are a few reasons. First, they have efficient shipping and EXCELLENT prices. Second, they’re website provides multiple photos of each product, which is extremely helpful in making sure that I’m picking the right unit and seeing what types of jacks are on the unit, etc. Also, each product entry has a link to the corresponding product page on the manufacturer’s site, and let me tell you, that’s really handy! If NewEgg’s page doesn’t give me enough details, I can easily hop to the manufacturer’s site to get what I need. The ordering process is a snap. I fill my cart, enter my password, enter my CVV2 code, and click “submit”. Let’s not forget the customer reviews. Yes, I read through the customer reviews a lot. In my experience, NewEgg has the absolute best website for purchasing technology on the planet.
“What about if you have to return something, Van? I bet it's hard to deal with NewEgg then, isn't it?” That’s an excellent point. Luckily, this doesn’t happen very often. However, when it does, they’re RMA process is an automated system that I perform online. I don’t have to wait on hold to talk to a customer service representative. I box the part back up, post the RMA # on the package, and ship it back. It's fast and efficient.
The bottom line is that NewEgg has awesome prices, provides the most comprehensive information on their website (you can quote me), and the ordering process is a snap. They save us both money and time.
NewEgg probably isn’t for everyone. If you are a non-technical person and are unsure about what you need to order, you are probably better off with a company that has dedicated sales representatives that can guide you through the process. However, if you know what you want, you can't beat NewEgg.
Also, NewEgg doesn’t carry every product we need. In these cases, I run the P/N through http://www.pricegrabber.com/, and pick the most reputable supplier with the best price. You have to watch it because the least expensive supplier doesn’t necessarily provide good service. The suppliers we use from this “tier 2” group are:
So far, there haven't been any problems with any of the suppliers above.
On occassion, I resort to ordering wholesale either through a distributor or directly through a manufacturer. Having said this, Vangor Computer Technologies makes its money on labor. We handle purchasing products and software for customers as a convenience, but we typically pass these along at our cost. We aren't big enough to get any great discounts ordering wholesale, so we usually order products through resellers. Nonetheless, there are a few products that I can only get through distributors or that I can actually get cheaper wholesale. One good example is AVG Anti-Virus software. I order AVG as a reseller, and secure a 50% discount for CFSC. Another example are consumables for Samsung laser printers, which I order through Synnex, a distributor.