Friends Don't Let Friends Buy Dell Computers

Another kind of reason to stop buying Dell

North Carolina spent $318 million to get Dell to open a factory in Winston-Salem to give jobs to displaced furniture and tobacco workers. Now, one can argue that that was not worth it to get 905 $14 an hour jobs, but the workers were glad to have the work and the money.

But Dell took the deal that cost North Carolina all that money. 4 years and 2 days after Dell made the deal, the Americans who own Dell announced that $14 an hour was too expensive for them and they were moving to Mexico. They didn't announce how much they were going to pay the Mexican workers, but my guess is that it will be a whole lot less.

Link: North Carolina Fights Back

"We made it very clear to them (Dell officials), and they already understood it quite frankly, that every red cent of incentives money had to come back to the people of North Carolina," Gov. Beverly Perdue said this week.

Dell promised, "We will continue to comply with the agreements that were structured. If there is money to be repaid, we will," Dell spokesman David Frink assured Friday.

But it is looking like they won't repay any of it. Its expensive to open new plants in new countries, you know.

Link: Dell gets millions in tax dollars to open plant in North Carolina, then closes plant to move to Mexico, leaving taxpayers with nothing

Ten years ago someone got me to buy an Apple and I hated it.

There was very little software and what there was was not as good and more expensive. For example my accountant wanted me to buy Professional Quicken. It cost more and didn't do everything she wanted. Ugh!

It was also hard to translate things to PC people.

Not any more. As I stated above Apple has great software, BENTO being just one example. Its cheaper and better than those made for PC's. You can even buy Office for Mac although I don't know why you would want to , I find IWork so much better. I am making more use of it than I ever did Office. Of course those classes might have something to do with it!

The Apple One to One Training Sessions!

You know the saying "If its too good to be true, it probably is"? Well, forget it in the Apple store.

He offered me 52 or once a week one on one training for a total of $100, yes you read right, $100.

Now, I don't have to tell you that when you buy a PC you are on your own. You might find the right course cheap enough at your local county college, but you have to be there when the class is. Some computer stores offer classes, I looked into them years ago and they were $200 for 10 classes where I sat with more than 10 other people and learned what everyone learned.

With One to One I could come in once a week for a calendar year and sit face to face with a trainer who asks me what I need to learn, or when asks, will tell me what he or she thinks I would like to learn. Its up to me which.

The system has changed since I bought. Now you have the year, but can come in as often as you like. I have had several weeks with 2 sessions. All those years of owning PC's and I didn't know what they could do!

When I bought, the contract was that I could re-up once, now it is twice. I would have to buy another computer to be eligible for the 3 re-ups. I joked with my trainer that the classes are such a deal that it would be worth buying a new computer just to get them. Then I stopped joking because at $100 a year for the One to One, thinking what that would cost outside the Apple Store, the classes would be much cheaper and I would be getting the new computer basically for free!

Oh, and they also teach you how to use all the software. The basic computer has just about everything you would need. However, once I wanted to learn some data keeping for business. She told me how, but then suggested their $49 BENTO might be something I could use for the need. WOW. Its a great program. My PC friends are envious AND while it is pretty easy to use I am getting one on one instruction on everything it does!

But I have never had anyone push a software. I have had many, many sessions to learn how to do photo editing (the t shirt below is something the trainer helped me do!). The basic, comes with the computer program was very good, but I wanted more. The trainers went over all the possibilities and then showed me how to down load the free trials. They then taught me how to use them so I could decide which ones were best for me! Thank goodness because one just wasn't right for me and thanks to my trainer, I didn't have to buy it to find out .

But what is best is the trainers themselves. One is better than the other. They are patient, good teachers and know so much.

At first I would get attacked to one, then be disappointed if I got someone else the next time. However, I soon learned that that is great. They each know something the other didn't. Or have different ways of doing things, I can learn them all and decide which is best for me. This has worked out especially well for the photoing.

If you are a member, they also have daily groups sessions. If you have a project that you would like some help with, you come in with a few others and work on your project with the instructor there to help. These are three hour sessions and great once you have the basics and are ready to go, but know you will have questions.


No matter what you think you know, for $100 I would recommend this benefit.