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BS. Does the guy down the road who buys from a "cheap importer" have a
Q/A team that makes sure the components he buys meet spec and are
reliable?

You can buy from whomever you want, but don't try to claim that buying
from a guy down the road is the same as buying from DELL or HP.

Right, he is better than Dell. I bought about 15 computers so far from
Dennis, both for work and for home.
He does not have a 24/7 help line, but I can drop a unit off in the morning
and pick it up after work.

Yes, he buys from suppliers that are proven reliable., but no, he does not
keep formal records. With the volume of units he produces, it would really
not be that productive. Just like you know who the good and bad grocery
stores are in your area.

Yes, he does have a database of what is in my system, including upgrades.

I don't know much about Dell's reliability or service as I've not bought
from them. Anyone selling the volume of a Dell, Gateway, etc, will have a
few lemons get by as well as some that will perform perfectly for years. My
own experience with the local guy though, happens to be very good. The
experience with my first Gateway was very good, but the second one was very
poor. Dennis only uses reliable, proven components, not the cheapo part of
the week. I'm not going any place else. Just like the major suppliers,
the local guy can be good or bad. Check them out.