So, being a DCSE (Dell Certified Systems Expert) and working on Dells professionally for about 5 years now, when my aunt and uncle needed a new PC I recommended Dell and offered to set it up for them. When I went to the Dell website and arrived at checkout, I quickly and painfully realized that they no longer offered free shipping. Not only that, but it was going to be $100 to ship a $250 system. After doing a bit of surfing, I found a site that advised Dell may offer free shipping if the customer picked up their pc at the post office. I found nothing of this sort on the Dell site, so I called them up wanting to ask if this option was available, and if not could I get a better shipping deal? Well, what I found out is the Dell customer service reps are programmed to get you on their Dell Preferred Program at ANY cost, even if it costs them the sale of the PC. When I tried to divert the rep to answer my simple questions, she hammered away until I gave her my SSN to verify my credit was stellar (a little less stellar now that they've verified it). After verifying, I again tried to ask my question. I was informed that as soon as I'd finished signing up for their credit, I'd get an answer (more or less). At this point, I was done arguing on the phone. Unsurprisingly, the Dell customer service email was not easy to find on their commercial site. Having sent a mail relaying my experiences, I received back an offer for $20 off and next day shipping. They could absolutely do no better than this, the email informed. Having come this far, and tiring from the fight, I went ahead and ordered the $250 PC to be shipped at $80 with "next day" shipping. The funny thing is, it took 2 days to ship it from Dell. So, the whole process to get $20 off a new Dell, pay over $20 in taxes, and $80 in shipping wound up taking about 2 weeks from start to finish. Thanks so much Dell for helping me to understand that I do not want to order another computer from you ever again. Now, on to Micro$oft... Apparently, their new "anti-piracy" program will require the end user to purchase a brand new windows license even if a minor change, such as the video card (which is frequently upgraded anyway) occurs. Yeah. OK, you win M$, I have decided from this day forward I will never purchase another copy of any OS you make, nor will I buy a PC with it preinstalled. You have now lost a customer that has always been honest in purchasing licenses for new PCs, even when you spat in my face by requiring me to call you as I tinkered with hardware. Linux appears to be the only hope at this point. Whew. I feel better now.