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Sony offers $500 for Dell laptops
Rebates are usually considered one of those plagues of the PC hardware world. $10 here or $50 there, which can be nice if you remember to do it but often people forget. Sony, though, is offering a rebate that you probably won't. A trade-in more appropriately, and a fairly large one at that. For those buying a BX model Sony laptop you can get a $300 kickback for a working laptop, or a very impressive $500 for a Dell. That's actually a pretty nice deal. The actual terms aren't clear, but I suspect those trade-ins can be altered based on the condition of the laptop, but it's a clever scheme nevertheless. Give back that aging Dell for a shiny new laptop with a discount to boot. It will be interesting to see what response, if any, Dell has to Sony's new marketing tool.
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User Comments (15)
Post a comment| DragonMaster on January 20, 2006 2:33 PM | If my old monochrome 12" screen Toshiba is still working I can get a 300$ rebate? Nice!
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| jassim on January 20, 2006 2:34 PM | Hey, you know, the Panasonic guys here in Kuwait did the same on TVs.
We went to the showroom for the terms and realized that the TV should be working and has a remote control!!!!! Hey, did I mention they said 'any' condtion in the local newspapers?
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| MonkeyMan on January 20, 2006 2:34 PM | Oh believe me, there will be lots of exceptions. The PC that you trade in, will have to be in fairly new condition to recieve the full discount, and Sony knows that in some cases, it just won't happen. Whether this is a good deal or not, still remains to be seen, but as long as your getting a discount, I don't see any harm in that.
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| Vaulden on January 20, 2006 2:39 PM | Wow.. this is something I'll have to look into. I've got an older Toshiba that I wouldn't mind trading in. I'm sure there are exceptions, but regardless this is a very awesome marketing ploy.
And maybe I've missed something lately but why are they picking on Dell specifically?
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| DragonMaster on January 20, 2006 2:49 PM |
Competition. It's a bit like PC or Mac people ; You're a Sony or a Dell guy? In my case I think that they both make POC.
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| exscind on January 20, 2006 3:33 PM | This is probably the funniest comeback tactic by a major brand that I have ever witnessed. And since the details aren't clear, I am sure Sony can exploit many loopholes in its statement and not many people will actually receive the full amount of those $300 and $500 rebates
Originally posted by Vaulden:
Dell sells laptops (and desktops) by huge sales or free upgradable components. Most companies cannot compete with this. Sony's line of laptops are typically very expensive and without any "sweet deals." I guess this is the only strategy Sony can come up with. Again, I hope Sony honors the statement it presented. I don't have a laptop so this doesn't affect me positively or negatively; but with the recent Sony rootkit fiasco, I sincerely hope Sony doesn't try to pull a fast one on current customers and potential customers.
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| mentaljedi on January 20, 2006 4:07 PM | SOny is desperate to be making this move. Dell is good but it still has a long way to go me thinks... If Dell gets some cheap duel-core AMDs, there will be no stoping 'em!
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| paulwuzhere on January 20, 2006 5:06 PM | WOOT! I have an old pentium 3 Dell laptop. GO SONY! This is very nice. I hope dell isn't to mad about it.
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| asphix on January 20, 2006 9:43 PM | Thats a great deal.. but I'm not sure even with that deal I'd want a sony laptop.. I just tend to not like their computing products. I can see this being a very attractive incentive for a lot of people though and its an incredibly smart marketing strategy.
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| otmakus on January 20, 2006 11:29 PM | How much is this new Sony BX model laptop? A $500 rebate for a $1000+ laptop is cool, but the same $500 rebate for a $3000 laptop is not as attractive, IMO.
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| Race on January 21, 2006 12:16 AM | It appears the BX series is a model Sony is looking to close out.
This model is classified as a 'clearance' item at their web site, and ranges in price from $1670 to $2250, and comes with the 14.1" display. Yes, the Sony's pricey indeed! If someone is looking to dump their laptop, this 'trade-in' offer could be a nice deal, but in all honesty, I'm not sure I would even trust what they have pre-loaded on their computers at this point. (Their recent negative publicity will do that).
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| gamingmage on January 21, 2006 10:20 PM | Very good idea by Sony. Too bad I don't have a dell or I would probably do it. Hopefully the terms won't give people headaches.
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| cyrax on January 22, 2006 12:05 AM | It sounds like a good idea. I just don't trust sony. It would seem that the rebate offer may be riddled with traps like everything they have a handle on.
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| AeonXX on January 22, 2006 6:18 PM | It seems like a sweet deal at first glance, but like other people are saying, these Sony laptops are overpriced. Even with the potential $500 off, it’s still over $1,000 for a Sony laptop. Buying a similar Dell laptop is still going to be a better deal and Sony knows it. This trick may help Sony a little bit, but only for a short while, they won’t be able to keep up with Dell’s pricing. By the way, I wonder what Sony plans to do with the trade-in Dell laptops? It would be funny if they produced commercials of Sony destroying Dell laptops, like Sega did to Sony PlayStation and Nintendo 64 during their Sega Saturn ad campaign.
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| buttus on January 23, 2006 9:31 AM | Holy CRAP!!!!
That's huge money. I myself am a Corporate Account Manager for a major IT re-seller. I have worked with Compusmart, Microwarehouse, CDW and now with another firm. A $500 rebate for a notebook is practically unheard of. Although in my experience I can honestly say the following: For multi-media and presentations NOTHING beats a Sony. Apple have the best screeens in the industry...however Sony is a very close #2. If I was doing more mobile presentations where I wanted a large WOW factor, I wouldn't hesitate to use a Sony. On the other hand most of IT is standardized on IBM/Lenovo and even HP (although their market share has significantly decreased). Hmmmm...I wonder if I can dig up an old Dell just to get this rebate? 
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