[faraaz]

@kumarmohit: Are we still talking about Dell here?? I've had occasion to purchase 2 laptops and 1 desktop from them and they both came completely free of crapware...in fact, my current ASUS laptop came with quite a lot of crap installed, as did my cousin's Acer.

@iMav: Yeah, in the traditional Indian computer hardware's retail environment, lack of face to face contact hurts Dell....but I dunno. They are still able to compete with all the other companies who go through traditional distribution channels.

The main reason for me switching to another machine from Dell is their service agreements. Basically, my old laptop's hard drive and battery were spoiled and since it was out of warranty, Dell refused to give me spare parts, even though I was ready to pay for them out of warranty. I was finally forced to find spare parts from other retailers and install them myself. The warranty renewal process would have actually cost me more than the parts I needed for my laptop! So I would say this is the only bad thing about them. For my Asus laptop, I can go to any shop on SP road and they will have parts available. Or I can go to my retailer and he will provide full service for me, even if it is out of warranty 2 years from now at a subsidised price.