A Hard-Drivin’ Tour of PC Merchants’ Sites

Computers seem like a reasonable thing to buy online. The customers are frequently tech-savvy; e-commerce site designers know something about computers; and Web pages can serve up the details associated with a PC purchase with ease.

Besides, the Net lets you avoid driving from one store to another.

So why did a brief tour through three computer companies’ Web sites and two comparison services aimed at tech heads make me want to head for Circuit City?

Because most folks in the industry haven’t figured out what has made Amazon.com huge: Put a premium on good, reliable customer service.

During my tour, I was looking for a brand-name home desktop equipped with a pretty speedy and reliable microprocessor, a decent-sized monitor and at least a 56K modem.

I started with Dell.com, the site of Dell Computer. The master of direct selling, Dell doesn’t offer computers at retail.

The experience shows.

Dell promptly recommended two models, with pictures and decipherable specifications. However, the site’s math was wrong on one rebate.

When I tried to modify some details, I discovered that I couldn’t avoid taking Dell’s branded Internet access, something I didn’t really need. When I called the customer-service line, I was told I could cancel this Internet access after a month, but I had to take it initially.

Fortunately, in contrast to what I would find elsewhere, Dell emblazoned the number of its telephone help line everywhere.

Rival direct seller Gateway’s Gateway.com made me hunt a little harder for specifications and hidden rules, such as the Internet access surcharge in rural areas. Like Dell, Gateway answered the help line quickly. But I felt that I was being gently hustled for a sales commission.

My Dell phone salesman made me walk through which features I wanted, effectively taking my order, before answering my question about enforced Internet access.

My Dell human also asked if I wouldn’t mind putting his name on the Web form if I ordered that way, presumably winning him a commission even if he didn’t close the deal on the phone.

The Gateway guy instead told me that there were unspecified “problems” with ordering over the company’s Web site, with delays of up to two weeks, and strongly suggested that I order through him instead. (A Gateway spokesman said there have been no Web ordering problems.)

I next tried the Web site for EMachines, which has taken a nice chunk of the retail market by offering computers for as little as $400.

It sure didn’t succeed because of its mediocre Web site. Full of arcana, it makes you click around to learn the difference between a “complete system” and a “system alone.”

It eventually dawned on me that you can’t actually buy anything on the site, only learn about store locations.

Next, I tried CNet’s Computers.com, a multi-vendor shopping site. It had a jumble of links, ads and news, although posted opinions from editors and previous buyers were interesting.

Typically, the machines that met my requirements weren’t ranked by price, and I was surprised when my innocent click on one model’s “compare prices” button swept me to a manufacturer’s page--a referral that earns CNet money.

Rival Computershopper.com had too many flashing, distracting ads, but it had an effective display. However, it took using a “compare” button within the results display to learn that one of the models had no monitor or modem.

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Computers

Web sites reviewed: Dell Computer: https://www.dell.com; Gateway: https://www.gateway.com; EMachines: https://www.e4me.com; CNet’s computer site: https://www.computers.com; Computershopper.com: https://www.computershopper.com.