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Need a new computer!!
- Thread starter Dimension
- Start date
:ROFLMAO:
ProWraps
New Member
i would assume casey sells an experience more than the hardware. aka, support and the piece of mind for a non computer savy person to buy something that is built by a professional and is supported by a professional.
if he was selling hardware he wouldnt be able to charge the prices he charges.
i could probably build the same system or better for 1/3 of the price he sells them for. but im a computer dork and i support my own systems obviously and its on me if something goes wrong to take the time away from making money in my biz to fix it.
am i his customer. no. i have a frys in my town and was a programmer/computer dork since i was 8 (yeah i ran a multi line BBS out of my bedroom when i was 12, so waaht you waannna fight about it!!!?!?!).
are there people that are his customer and that he provides every bit of support and piece of mind to.. hell yeah.
i mean christ, the more my business grows, i find myself buying things i could do for cheaper but its easier to just get it done, and know its got someone on the backend to make it work because i just "got it done", and paid for that service.
if he was selling hardware he wouldnt be able to charge the prices he charges.
i could probably build the same system or better for 1/3 of the price he sells them for. but im a computer dork and i support my own systems obviously and its on me if something goes wrong to take the time away from making money in my biz to fix it.
am i his customer. no. i have a frys in my town and was a programmer/computer dork since i was 8 (yeah i ran a multi line BBS out of my bedroom when i was 12, so waaht you waannna fight about it!!!?!?!).
are there people that are his customer and that he provides every bit of support and piece of mind to.. hell yeah.
i mean christ, the more my business grows, i find myself buying things i could do for cheaper but its easier to just get it done, and know its got someone on the backend to make it work because i just "got it done", and paid for that service.
WildWestDesigns
Active Member
Let's just hope that you are not repeating the same problem that happened to farmers the last time that they were getting good prices on their crops. When the bottom fell out of the market at that point in time, farmer's had a rough go of it.
Some of them spent money on vehicles (I think Corvette's were the popular choice of vehicles back then too) or they over evaluated the market and expanded too soon too quickly.
Not saying that's happening now, just noticing a common theme here.
CSOCSO
I don't hate paint, I just overlay it.
About selling a service with the computer. Had a little hiccup with a driver. Called Alienware. They logged in on my pc. Checked out a few things. Fixed everything. I am happy. I drive a toyota and not wasting my money on new pc's every half a year. I mush be doing something wrong.
jk
jk
visual800
Active Member
I dont buy a new comp every 6 months, hell I was on window 98 ona gateway till after xp came out, and the stayed on xp till a few months ago I jumped to 7. since 99 Ive only had 4 computers and they have suited me just fine
I like the dell XPS models, they run flexi and illy of course i dont do much photoshop. Im running the i5 right now
I like the dell XPS models, they run flexi and illy of course i dont do much photoshop. Im running the i5 right now
SignBurst PCs
New Member
This thread took an interesting turn...
I would hate to think that any of our customers got "ripped off". We are simply not that kind of company. Do we compete directly on price with other manufacturers? No way. We are pretty close though, if you fairly compare our systems to the true professional workstations that other manufacturers offer. Alienware computers are not professional workstations and Dell doesn’t say they are, they are a gaming line. Dell does have a line of professional workstations that are built with a higher level of quality than the Alienware line and they are priced to reflect that increase in quality. Even at that, it is difficult to create a true graphic design workstation through Dell that will excel in this large format the way that our computers do. There are a few other companies out there that do specialize in graphic design and I can guarantee you that they are not inexpensive, nor do they even remotely price similar to a Dell. We have become so specialized and focused on graphic design that our systems are very difficult to touch in design performance. I can promise you, there is more to this than just laying a couple of specs next to each other and matching them up.
Part of the value of a SignBurst™ computer is the fact that you are getting a hand-built, tested system that is comprised of high-quality hardware and is guaranteed to do what we say it will. We don't skimp here and there to save a few bucks and in the long run, it pays off. We assume that our customers rely on their computers to make a living. We assume that every minute of downtime is costing them money. We assume that if our computers aren't running fast and furious, our customers are losing $$$. The up-front cost of a computer is obvious. The lifetime cost (and benefit) of a computer is often not considered. Our customers actually save money in the long run. The time they save due to performance advantages on a SignBurst™ can be astronomical. Not only can they make up the difference in the cost between a SignBurst™ and a lesser priced computer, the time savings often actually pays for the computer itself several times over.
Another thing to consider is service and downtime. Buying a quality computer will save you both headache and $$$ in the long run. A single incident of computer repair can cost you quite a bit, even if the repair is under warranty, and can get downright sickening if it is not. A computer built with high-quality components can save you hundreds of $$$ in the lack of repair costs alone. Not to mention what it saves you by being reliable and not hurting your business by sitting there like a doorstop when it is broken or waiting to be repaired. Our service doesn’t end when the computer is shipped to the customer. Not only do we build the computer ready to perform, we want to make sure that the customer is actually seeing the advantages. Our customers can, and often do, call just to allow us to log in and make sure that everything is setup correctly for their software and workflow. Our knowledge of the industry and its software give us the unique ability to help our customers setup their workstations in the most productive way. At that time, we can help them with other concerns, such as networking, file sharing, and backup, which most other shops would have to pay a computer tech to assist with. We can tell them what versions of software work with what OS and what versions don’t. I would guess that 90% or more of our customers have no need of technical assistance outside of us.
There are those times when even we can’t answer their questions. When that happens, we lean on our partners in the industry. We can often get you answers to your most difficult questions faster than you ever thought possible without spending a single second on hold. How much time have you spent on hold waiting on a tech support answer?
Some very large graphic companies buy our computers. We are talking companies with entire tech support teams, in-house. These are companies that could buy from anyone, research everything, and could probably build their own computers, yet they keep purchasing from us. Heck, we have sold a very large contract of graphic design computers to Uncle Sam. I have already said that we are not the least expensive computer manufacturer out there, yet our dear uncle finds ways around the “lowest bidder” requirement to buy our systems for their graphics shops. Anyone who has dealt with a government contract knows that this is not an easy thing to do. There is a reason. They know that when they purchase a computer from us, they have the peace of mind knowing that they have a great computer that will do exactly what they need it to do and when they have questions, we have answers.
Interestingly enough, I had a call on Sunday from a new SignBurst™ customer who was at his wits end with his RIP software and had to get a job printed off before the weekend was over. He had tried to call everyone he could think of for help, the software company, the supplier that sold him the software, and his local computer tech, for three days and not one of them would even take the time to help him out. In desperation, he called me on Sunday. In 30 minutes, we were able to get his problems resolved and his job printing. His weekend was saved. He asked me how much he owed me, and as usual, his balance due was $0. We didn’t sell him the software, but he was our customer and I wanted to see him up and running. He thanked me and that was payment enough. I can’t count how many times a version of this scenario has played out, but it almost always end the same way. It is very nice to hear, “that is why we bought from you and that is why we will always buy from you”. It never gets old.
No, we don’t just sell computer hardware. We sell a computer solution for sign and vehicle wrap shops and if you consider the value of what we offer, we really are pretty reasonable.
I would hate to think that any of our customers got "ripped off". We are simply not that kind of company. Do we compete directly on price with other manufacturers? No way. We are pretty close though, if you fairly compare our systems to the true professional workstations that other manufacturers offer. Alienware computers are not professional workstations and Dell doesn’t say they are, they are a gaming line. Dell does have a line of professional workstations that are built with a higher level of quality than the Alienware line and they are priced to reflect that increase in quality. Even at that, it is difficult to create a true graphic design workstation through Dell that will excel in this large format the way that our computers do. There are a few other companies out there that do specialize in graphic design and I can guarantee you that they are not inexpensive, nor do they even remotely price similar to a Dell. We have become so specialized and focused on graphic design that our systems are very difficult to touch in design performance. I can promise you, there is more to this than just laying a couple of specs next to each other and matching them up.
Part of the value of a SignBurst™ computer is the fact that you are getting a hand-built, tested system that is comprised of high-quality hardware and is guaranteed to do what we say it will. We don't skimp here and there to save a few bucks and in the long run, it pays off. We assume that our customers rely on their computers to make a living. We assume that every minute of downtime is costing them money. We assume that if our computers aren't running fast and furious, our customers are losing $$$. The up-front cost of a computer is obvious. The lifetime cost (and benefit) of a computer is often not considered. Our customers actually save money in the long run. The time they save due to performance advantages on a SignBurst™ can be astronomical. Not only can they make up the difference in the cost between a SignBurst™ and a lesser priced computer, the time savings often actually pays for the computer itself several times over.
Another thing to consider is service and downtime. Buying a quality computer will save you both headache and $$$ in the long run. A single incident of computer repair can cost you quite a bit, even if the repair is under warranty, and can get downright sickening if it is not. A computer built with high-quality components can save you hundreds of $$$ in the lack of repair costs alone. Not to mention what it saves you by being reliable and not hurting your business by sitting there like a doorstop when it is broken or waiting to be repaired. Our service doesn’t end when the computer is shipped to the customer. Not only do we build the computer ready to perform, we want to make sure that the customer is actually seeing the advantages. Our customers can, and often do, call just to allow us to log in and make sure that everything is setup correctly for their software and workflow. Our knowledge of the industry and its software give us the unique ability to help our customers setup their workstations in the most productive way. At that time, we can help them with other concerns, such as networking, file sharing, and backup, which most other shops would have to pay a computer tech to assist with. We can tell them what versions of software work with what OS and what versions don’t. I would guess that 90% or more of our customers have no need of technical assistance outside of us.
There are those times when even we can’t answer their questions. When that happens, we lean on our partners in the industry. We can often get you answers to your most difficult questions faster than you ever thought possible without spending a single second on hold. How much time have you spent on hold waiting on a tech support answer?
Some very large graphic companies buy our computers. We are talking companies with entire tech support teams, in-house. These are companies that could buy from anyone, research everything, and could probably build their own computers, yet they keep purchasing from us. Heck, we have sold a very large contract of graphic design computers to Uncle Sam. I have already said that we are not the least expensive computer manufacturer out there, yet our dear uncle finds ways around the “lowest bidder” requirement to buy our systems for their graphics shops. Anyone who has dealt with a government contract knows that this is not an easy thing to do. There is a reason. They know that when they purchase a computer from us, they have the peace of mind knowing that they have a great computer that will do exactly what they need it to do and when they have questions, we have answers.
Interestingly enough, I had a call on Sunday from a new SignBurst™ customer who was at his wits end with his RIP software and had to get a job printed off before the weekend was over. He had tried to call everyone he could think of for help, the software company, the supplier that sold him the software, and his local computer tech, for three days and not one of them would even take the time to help him out. In desperation, he called me on Sunday. In 30 minutes, we were able to get his problems resolved and his job printing. His weekend was saved. He asked me how much he owed me, and as usual, his balance due was $0. We didn’t sell him the software, but he was our customer and I wanted to see him up and running. He thanked me and that was payment enough. I can’t count how many times a version of this scenario has played out, but it almost always end the same way. It is very nice to hear, “that is why we bought from you and that is why we will always buy from you”. It never gets old.
No, we don’t just sell computer hardware. We sell a computer solution for sign and vehicle wrap shops and if you consider the value of what we offer, we really are pretty reasonable.
mark galoob
New Member
Mosh, your basically paying the same amount of money for your computer as most of these other nice computers that peeps buy, you are just spending it over the course of 7 years. but you spend way more time and energy having to replace that computer you bought for 700.00 10 times over the course of 7 years. i think you have to ask whats your time worth. only you know that. i dont have time to screw with it. i need a system thats going to work with no problems and last that 7 years, cause i dont have time or energy to try to fix computer problems myself.
mark galoob
mark galoob