BS: Dell values in action

Subject: BS: Dell values in action
From: number 6
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 10:15 AM

Dell community values in action

This recent action of theirs in Ireland is not about a company that is in economic trouble, it's just plain greed.

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 10:24 AM

I'm afraid it is a sign of the times. Can you spell maquiladora?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: number 6
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 10:32 AM

maquiladora... are you kidding .... I have a hard time spelling microeconomics.

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: artbrooks
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 10:39 AM

DHL, a German company, is closing out service in the US. One town in Ohio, population 12,000, is loosing 7,000 jobs. This is hardly a Dell, an Irish or an EU issue.

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: number 6
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 10:54 AM

I know of that DHL closure Art.

All this is a result of greed ... corporations have to be more responsible to their communities.

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 10:56 AM

Without knowing the factual economics of Dell's operations--both actual in Ireland and projected in Poland--it's hard for me to form an opinion about this move.

It may (or may not) be that the costs of production in Ireland are such that they make production there uneconomic, or even threaten the health of the corporation. If that should be the case, management would be remiss NOT to move.

I will say that I know that Dell over-all is an enthusiastically good moneymaker, and in my opinion is greatly undervalued in the stock market.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 11:36 AM

Dell are buggers - all their spare parts are subtly different from the industry standards so spares are a captive market and priced accordingly.

The Polish economy is one of the strongest in Europe right now becase it was about the only place that did not let greedy bankers run riot with Reaganomics and Thatcherwasm.

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: number 6
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 11:41 AM

How long will it be before they pull out of Poland .... due to high costs?

I agree ... they are buggers .... poor customer service ... slow delivery also.

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 12:28 PM

My daughter just replaced the dead power supply in her 2 1/2 year old Dell. The new one, not a Dell spare but a different manufacturer, didn't quite fit, it was longer and narrower. She bent or cut the case so it would go. Cutting a hole so it will fit is, happily, not the same as "if it doesn't go, force it."

The new power supply is very quiet compared to the Dell original, makes it seem like a new computer, she said. :)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: EBarnacle
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 01:29 PM

SRS, If by power supply, you mean battery, have you tried the freezer trick to renovate it? It works.

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 01:44 PM

"Power supply" is not the same as "battery". It's more on the order of a transformer, if I understand correctly.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: number 6
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 01:52 PM

Correct Dave O ... the power supply is more on the order of a transformer.

Rather expensive devices.

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 02:01 PM

I hate Dell "My laptop am Hell" And so was my daughter's laptop and so was our old desk top. All Dells.

Not surprising they are moving operations to Poland. Industry will do whatever to save money.

Wonder if Essex County Council will do that. They are currently in negotiantions to bring in an "external delivery partner." In otherwords outsource services and get rid of lower level front line staff and their expensive pensions. Funnily enough the ECC is still hiring managers, and directors and shifting the golden children into higher level staff up the ladder into even higher paying posts.

Can we move the upper echelon to Poland please?

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: heric
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 02:08 PM

"'Cutting a hole so it will fit is, happily, not the same as "if it doesn't go, force it'."

That was brilliant. I recently brought the wrong (Inspirion) Dell power supply for my (Latitude) Dell on a trip and it caused enormous inconvenience until I finally found a universal adapter kit with about twenty adapters, one of which was the one I needed. Cost me about a hundred bucks I think. I wish I had been so clever.

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: number 6
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 02:20 PM

Dell also pulled the rug out of 1500 employees here in Canada a while back .... and relocated elsewhere .... just a matter of time before they do the same with the newly relocated Polish assembly plant ... no consideration given to the community ... regardless of their commitment to "the Dell community value in action" ... yeah, action to pull out to save 1/16 of a cent on every $1.00 spent in production costs.

biLL

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 05:41 PM

Regrettably, that's capitalism.

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Riginslinger
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 05:45 PM

A good thing to get rid of!

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 08:14 PM

Although it probably doesn't affect consumer products much, it might be noted that a Gateway "Server Division" is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings (Reorganization).

I've seen no news of this, even in the "tech" press and I have no idea of how it will affect employement anywhere; but it was listed on the same docket with the Ch 11 filing for another company I have had recent business with and I got a "notice of a Class Action."

John

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Riginslinger
Date: 08 Jan 09 - 10:07 PM

All of this is very troubling. A company operates for a while; it's legacy costs become higher than the competitor's and it goes through reorganization. That dumps all of the pension and health care back on the public. The public would be better off to shoulder the costs from the outset. At least that way they could budget for them.

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: EBarnacle
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 09:12 AM

I am quite aware of the difference between a power source and a battery. The other part of my comment asks whether the unit was a desktop or a laptop, as most power sources are of similar size and batteries vary all over the place in terms of size.

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 10:50 PM

Well, let's remember the '80s in Ireland: Noritake left, IBM left....

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Gurney
Date: 09 Jan 09 - 11:15 PM

Philips have been doing the same thing for a long time, 35 years at least. They are a Dutch firm, but I once had three tape recorders, the oldest made in Ireland, (that operation closed down) and the other two made in different far-eastern countries (I can't remember which) both of which operations had also closed down.

It seems that governments looking for industry would offer incentives such as tax breaks, but as soon as the price was right, Philips were gone, taking their operation to some cheaper venue.

As Richard says, capitalism in action.

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Arnie
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 07:08 AM

Well I wish I'd read this thread before I ordered a Dell PC on Tuesday! It's now arrived and looks ok but is not compatible with my BT AOL modem for some unknown reason. I've just ordered a new modem off eBay and hope this solves the problem. However, had I known what Dell are up to with their Irish workforce I may have looked elsewhere for a replacement pc.

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: GUEST,daylia
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 09:08 AM

Dell is, of course, not the only hi-tech co to slash jobs. Lenovo (formerly IBM) is moving their call center out of Toronto, restructuring management and slashing 2500 jobs, 300 here in Canada.

Dell Lenovo and IBM slash workforce

Two of my sons have been with IBM, then Lenovo, for years. They found out Wed night their jobs are gone, as of the end of March. Its been a very diffult week

=[ =[

One told me yesterday, the co made the Canadians sit through a conference call/speech from the top exec when the layoffs were announced. The executive was praising the glories of the cutbacks and restructuring, saying the layoffs are just wonderful for the company, will make Lenovo stronger, better, more profitable and competitive -- just what the doctor ordered!

Well, maybe so -- but I'm sure the employees who are losing their jobs, some after 25 yrs of service with families ot support and mortgages to pay -- really don't need to hear about how having the rug pulled out from under them is so great for the company

so insensitive its moronic, acutally ....

anyway, I've been hearing that we're seeing the beginning of another Great Depression, and I'm starting to believe it at this point. Half a million US jobs lost in Dec, 70,000 here in Canada. And other 20,000 Canadian jobs expected to be axed this month ....

Anyway I wish all the very best to the people in Ireland and elsewhere who've been riding the same sinking ship.

Keeping my chin up here, and grateful for the chance to talk about this here on the Cat

daylia

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 04:18 PM

Several big Aussie companies, Telstra, National Bank, etc outsourced their IT stuff to an Indian company, dumping Aussie jobs to save money. I'd probably still be employed if Telstra hadn't cut so many jobs. Close followers of such things will have noticed that not only has that company gone down the toidy, but it appears to have 'lost unaccountably' about a billion dollars - funnily enough, mostly in CASH! Great accountants.... and ow it looks like the Indians will lose their jobs, and we aussies lose what those Aussie companies laughingly used to refer to as 'service'.... :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 06:41 PM

At least it should help the migratory Polish workforce to leave Ireland and shut all the buggers who were whinging about that up!

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Rapparee
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 08:25 PM

Lenovo is Chinese-owned. It used to be IBM's PC and laptop operation, but IBM sold it a couple years ago.

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: artbrooks
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 08:55 PM

Well, this is something else to reinforce my conviction that my next computer (and I'm looking) won't be a Dell or a Lenovo. Dell is known for its non-standard parts and for putting odd things on the motherboard rather than using plug-ins. Anyone have anything on HP, good or bad? My daughter had a very poor customer service experience with them once, but that was years back.

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: Rapparee
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 09:17 PM

My wife has one and we had some trouble with it last year (still under warranty). Their customer service was, ah, lacking.

You might be better off finding someone locally to make it to your specs. The parts are standard, so the warranties are okay.

Subject: RE: BS: Dell values in action
From: artbrooks
Date: 10 Jan 09 - 09:21 PM

I did some checking around in that direction already, but it seems that they cost about twice as much as a name brand from Amazon with similar specs.