Buying a laptop in the US?

slimgsi

Hi, i've been wanting to get a dell xps15 for when i go back to college in sept. My dad is going to orlando this week and im wondering if i should get him to pick me up one while hes there. Will there be any problems using/charging the laptop here, and will there be an issue of tax when he gets back to ireland. Most importantly, will i save much by getting it in the US?
Thanks guys.

Alanstrainor

As for price, that's up to you to check. See what stores in the locality of where your dad will be staying will be selling it for. Make sure to do the currency conversion correctly to see what your € cost will be. The € has been strengthening against the $, but it's still not too fantastic yet.

There is no problem with charging you'll just need to buy an adapter for a three pin plug.

As for customs, technically your dad will be liable to pay VAT + customs on the laptop. If he was smart he would not walk through the airport with it in a box, he would remove it from the box and discard the cardboard. Perhaps even buy a cheap laptop bag for it to carry in so it looks like his work laptop.

Another question you should be asking is warranty. I'm not sure if the warranty is global or not, you'd want to check that before buying.

naughtysmurf

Good advice above, a US keyboard is also a little different to a European one

loconnor1001

A few years ago I bought a dell while I was in the States. The warranty ended up being an issue. I checked with Dell before I bought it and they said the warranty was "global", however I had an issue with the laptop and it had to be shipped to and from the U.S. to be fixed! So yeah, it was still covered, but at my cost for shipping to and from, so that was a rather unpleasant surprise.

Alanstrainor

sugarman wrote: »

No need for an adapter, just change the cable itself. They all take 2 pin figure 8's or 3 pin Clover leads!

And youre only liable for Customs if the Item is over €430, or its $ equivalent.. but yeah, ditching the box is a sure thing that it wont be pulled up.

Also, Id avoid dell.. for the most part they're overpriced and use cheaper components. You'd get better bang for buck getting a branded ASUS or Lenovo etc.. from a Frys or Best Buy or wherever ...and also look online on Amazon.com, Newegg etc.. and have it delivered to his hotel. Even better offers online.

The XPS range is highly regarded. I wouldn't have any trouble forking over a good wad of cash for one anyway. There's poor laptops in all brands, price generally dictates what you're going to get in terms of quality.

slimgsi

Thanks everyone for your replies. Yea I better make sure warranty isn't a problem. Price wise you get a much better laptop in the US for €1500 than you do here. Better specs plus the touch 4k screen. So if warranty isn't an issue I think I'll take the gamble. Thanks for the tip on discarding the box.

ZENER

sugarman wrote: »

No need for an adapter, just change the cable itself. They all take 2 pin figure 8's or 3 pin Clover leads!

Just cut off the US plug and fit a 3 Pin plug.

Ken

ED E

sugarman wrote: »

Also, Id avoid dell.. for the most part they're overpriced and use cheaper components. You'd get better bang for buck getting a branded ASUS or Lenovo etc.. from a Frys or Best Buy or wherever ...and also look online on Amazon.com, Newegg etc.. and have it delivered to his hotel. Even better offers online.

XPS != Vostro. Perfectly good laptop.

Lenovo have been caught installing spyware in the factory 3(4?) times in a row now. Nice hardware but when your BIOS is invisibly spying on you its time to go elsewhere.