Dell increases 16GB unlocked Streak price by $50, then includes $50 Dell promo gift card
Okay, well, this is a little shady.
Remember how Dell dropped the price of the 16GB unlocked Streak to $399.99 last month? Well, the black version has just been bumped up to $449.99, an increase of $50, and oh hey, look at that! A $50 Dell promo gift card is now being included!
The red version of the 16GB unlocked Streak remains at $399.99 and—wouldn't you know it—does not come with a $50 gift card.
In other words, if you buy the 16GB black version, you have to pay an extra $50 to get $50 back . . . that you can only spend at Dell.com. Gee, thanks.
Dell is free to charge whatever they want to for their products and can change their prices at any time, but what I find offensive about this $50 gift card thing is that they're trying to pass it off as a deal. When you go to the "Select a Starting Point" page (the page that lists all the different versions), this particular configuration appears in the foreground. It's the one that pops out at you and immediately catches your eye; how do you think I saw it in the first place?
Check out the screenshot (click to view larger version) below to see exactly what I mean.
A rebate would be one thing, but a gift card is another story. You know that Dell is banking on one of three things happening:
- You never use the card (it expires in 90 days, anyway).
- You use some of it and let the rest go to waste.
- You spend more than $50 when you use the card.
And even if you somehow manage to spend $50 on the dot, it's not like that $50 wasn't yours to begin with. Either way, Dell gets an extra $50 from you simply because you want the black Streak (the one that's been available since launch) instead of the new red one.
[Dell]
