Direct2Dell

I bought an XPS 710 on last days of February, and it arrived home on March 16, enough time before March 31, the last day to submit my service tag. On March 16th I opened www.dellvistaupgrade.com but my service tag was never recognized and I noticed DELL customer care immediately. Now it's June 24th and I have not recieved my Upgrade. People in DELL say that there's another company in charge of the "express" upgrade, but nobody seem to care. They have sent my data for an 'escalation' several times, but I have got no information.

I have the same problem as paul g.I got an email aweek ago that said

HI-I LIVE IN CANADA-I RECEIVED MY VISTA UPGRADE APRIL 30TH-DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT WAS COMING-I AM NOT INSTALLING IT-UNTIL I NEED TO REFORMATE-MY COMPUTER IS RUNNING PERFECTLY-WITH MY WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL-SO I'M NOT MESSING IT UP-WITH A NEW OPERATING SYSTEM-THAT HAS ALOT OF PROBLEMS-BUT THANKS DELL AND MICROSOFT-FOR HONORING YOUR PROMISE OF A FREE UPGRADE-MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!

                             THANKS SALLY

Dell changes the text at the order status page every few weeks. Looking 5 weeks ago it was announced the shipping to all customers will be finished mid of april. at the moment they speek about end of may for worldwide end of shipping. I hope all ships will arrive ;-)). Handling of this Upgrade action is one the worst I've seen in about 18 years experience with computers.

The Microsoft Windows Vista Software Kits orders are shipping in the order that is most convenient to us, and we expect to ship all of the pre-ordered Vista Upgrade units to  all the important countries by tomorrow, and yours by  Christmas, 2007.

An email may also be sent including the carrier tracking number once your Express Upgrade to Windows Vista has  actually been shipped (Dell recommends that customers don't hold their breath).

In response to: A Tech said:

Mark, you should be getting an email from DHL any day now. I redeemed my upgrade on Feb. 2nd and got the DHL email yesterday that said it would be delivered tomorrow. Hope this helps a little bit. I still say Dell should have been better prepared for this.

I ordered and received confirmation the end of OCT 2006 and I can't get an answer from Dell, email or phone.  If anyone has received there upgrade who ordered their computer of Dec let us know so everyone will know that the First to Order first to receive is just a lot of bogus information from Dell

Josh -

I'm with you. Dell knows who is eligable for the update, which machines qualify.  I don't see why Dell couldn't have supplied the information to the fulfillment company without having the customer headache that this registration proccess has been. We whouldn't have had to jump through so many hoops to get this update.

Last night I attempted to register 23 pc's for the Vista upgrade that were purchased/leased this year from Dell by my company. I had checked with my Dell rep to see if there was any way to register them with one process for the upgrade and was told no (after checking the FAQS last night looks like that could have been done).

I quickly found out that the site was buggy - it appeared that every third registration would bomb out with a deadlock error. I attempted to return to the previous page and complete the registration again, and also started from scratch on each one and received a message indicated the COA had been used already. After two of these I started closing the browser and starting over.

I now have 3 machines that are eligible for upgrade and I can't register. I've checked the order status on those and it appears they are not in the system. Unfortunately since you only man the upgrade lines during U.S. EDT business hours, I'm out of luck getting any assistance and today is the deadline for the upgrade registration. I did send an e-mail to the Dell address provided when I attempted to reregister, but expect no one will even check that until Monday. I saved screen prints of two of the errors.

What are my options to ensure I get the 3 upgrades that we qualify for?

Dell is "crashing and burning" on this "Free Vista Upgrade" program.  Attempt to order via dellvistaupgrade.com on March 28 failed, due to admitted website glitch.  Now, my "Certificate of Authenticity" is considered "used" by Dell, and I am unable to resubmit the order.  Dell phone customer service has confirmed that my Vista Upgrade order has not been received or processed by Dell.  Checking "Order Status" on the website results in no information on order status.  Just a loop back to the same data entry screen.  I am now talking to my 5th Dell representative today (after the typical blind transfers, "call this number instead", "I'll transfer you to a Vista Upgrade specialist").  Each person was earnest, but unable to help.  It also appears that either my other 4 conversations were not recorded on my Customer Record OR that each person was not able to access those records, so I had to recount the situation (plus ALL of my customer info, service numbers, etc.) each time.  This, the 5th call, is now into it's 49th minute and counting.

I'm going to just document all this and send a snail-mail letter to Dell and hope they will live up to their obligation to provide me a free Vista upgrade.

Technology (websites, 800 phone numbers, on-line chats have failed me and Dell).

I have got Vista Business from my college. And I want to install it on my XPS M1210.

For this purpose I need the Dell Vista Upgrade assistant DVD. My system is still in the warranty period.

Please provide me the DVD. I am ready to pay he shipment and the DVD cost. 

Dear Dell,

 May I politely point out a few of things?

First, my credit card will expire in 2008.

Second, Microsoft are hard at work on their new OS, codenamed Vienna for a 2009 release.

Third, I personally know of two people who have not purchased from Dell in recent weeks because of the bad word-of-mouth this farce is generating for you. How is your company stock doing recently by the way?

 So please give me what I paid for all those months ago. Thanks so much.

Wow, it's a good think Dell provides such great service.... I opened my mail service today to find an e-mail from them. I was excited because I figured it was going to tell me they shipped my Vista Order!

 Nope! It was an e-mail reply regarding a service inquiry I sent to them almost three weeks ago. Sorry Dell, after 3 weeks, I solved it myself... thanks for caring though.

my system is eligible to the update, still the bebsite says it isn't.

help me out soon as the deadline is near.
 

 unhappy camper

"Why can't they just ship it to everyone who purchaced a system with the update?  How can I redeem my update?"

Simple answer is the harder they make it the more people will just give up and save them lots of money!!!

It is all a sham, I have the same problem. I have emailed them twice and have received emails saying that it should be received by mid march. It past mid march last time I checked.

 At least it isn't as bad as getting an update to MS Office 2007, I have sent the copies of document required twice and scanned once.
 

I have a E1505 that meets the requirements, but the site is not accepting my service tag.  What should I do?

Thanks. 

I think you right about that in proccess thing mines be in proccess for several days now. How long does it take to put a disk in a box and stick a lable on it?

I phoned dell and they said the latest i should recieve it by is April 16th which is 2 and a half months after vista launched.

IT IS ABSOLUTLY RIDICULOUSE! 

One of the reasons I bought the Dell was because of the "free" upgrade to Vista.  The delay in delivery is totally unacceptable.  I would like to know if the problem is with Dell or Microsoft?
 

I've been trying for weeks to redeem my Vista Upgrade.  The website does recognize my service tag number, but when I enter my COA number I get this message:

Invalid COA format

How hard can it be to put in a number?

My packing list shows:

Why can't they just ship it to everyone who purchaced a system with the update?  How can I redeem my update?

I had an un-related problem with my brand-new machine and got terrible customer support.  I spent 3 days reinstalling the operating system and software to fix what the first "service tech" did to my system.  After the 3rd night of phone "support" they offered to send me a new system.  I should have sent it back and demanded a refund.  Why is it so difficult to get any help from Dell?  I've sent e-mails that have gone unanswered, called, and got the run-around and now I'm running out of time before the March 31st deadline.  I will never buy anything from Dell again, and will be relating my bad experiences to everyone who will listen. 

Looks like "In Process" is just there to replace "Pending" since the website update. It's nice to know they keep that up to date after several weeks of being innaccurate.

 New site estimates "mid-April". However, we all know how well estimates are portrayed by Dell.

 I'm severely frustrated with their lack of commitment to this issue. Seems like all the companies involved are pointing fingers at each other as opposed to actually resolving the problem. The only thing that kept me from buying from a store a month ago was the decent price I get on the upgrade. However, it's getting to the point of being more beneficial to buy a clean copy of Ultimate as opposed to waiting until Vista SP1 is released.

I've also recieved the "in process" in Sweden today, but what does it mean? Is it just another name for pending giving the impression that something has happened or will the order acutally ship in the next couple of days?

Canadians take note:

I live in Vancouver, B.C. I received notice today that my upgrade (which I successfully registered for on December 15, 2006) has finally shipped.

 It's coming from Dell's "Fulfillment Center" (sorry Dell, little late for that. At this point, I think you better re-name it the Dell Appeasement Center) in Minnesota via DHL, just as it does for U.S. customers.

 Also, as many have noted in this forum, I received notification via e-mail. My order still shows as "Pending" on the Vista Express Upgrade Site.

So apparently Dell isn't to blame... I thought that Dell was assembling the upgrade kit, but I guess that was wrong. I guess I've been barking up the wrong tree...

"Dear Garth Bishop,

Thank you for contacting Dell Customer Care.

I do apologize for the delay in receiving your upgrade.

Dell does not house or distribute the Express Upgrade software or license.  This is a program through Microsoft only to customers who purchased between October 26th and March 15th, 2007.  At this time we have not been advised as to the release date for this promotion."

 With Regard to Garth Bishop's quote:

"They have advised us that they *hope* to have all orders shipped *sometime* in MARCH or APRIL?"

Good God. Their level of commitment to rectifying this problem is just staggering, isn't it?

What an unbelievably feeble response!

I emailed Dell Customer Service on the weekend.

So much for this idea that they would be shipped in late February. As well, I was under the impression that Dell was responsible for the OEM upgrade, not MS. Here is the email I received. Very disappointing, given that I've been waiting since Jan 30th.

"Thank you for contacting Dell Customer Care.

I do apologize for the delay you are experiencing, waiting for your Vista order.  Your order is through Microsoft, not Dell.  They have advised us that they hope to have all orders shipped sometime in March or April. They will not charge your credit card, until they ship the software.  Once they have shipped the order, they will advise us and we will let you know by e-mail.  At this time, we are not offering any compensation."

I had asked if there was going to be any compensation for the long wait times...

In November 2006 I bought a Dell PC. I ordered the upgrade at 5.1.2007. Till this day the order is pending. I have sent several mails, tried it with phone calls. Till today there is no reaction.

I have the same problem with the upgrade of MS Office via Moduslink. Several mails, phone calls and also no  reaction.

I think Dell and/or MS are waiting till all customers give up.

My last Dell an my last MS. 

hi,

 ive had my dell upgrade ordered since day 1, kept refreshing until it let me do it (i waited for the europe applicants could do it)

anyway, this was in december sometime if i remember, its now 12th march, yes 12th march, no emails, still says pending and am extremely annoyed with dell.

we are not far off 2 months since release, and 4 months from buisiness release, by the time i get it, i live in england and nothing is happening here,

 anyone from england, UK recieved their upgrade yet? i very much doubt it.

 you dont deserve my custom dell.

I can't believe it...

I still don't have my money back. I've cancelled my order 10 days ago.

is this a Dell policy to keep my money as long as they can????

ok, I live in France so I've had my share of bad customer experiences, but THIS beats everything!!!  

Nice to know I'm not the only disgruntled one! Extremely happy with my Inspiron 9400 purhased in January and the service I received when processing my order. Also had no probs registering for the Dell Vista "Express" Upgrade at the end of January... My service tag was recognised instantly and my order "Pending". I bought my computer through Dell Australia so I'm a bit muffled as to why I have to go to an American website to get my upgrade but oh well, I'm a patient person and can wait a few weeks for delivery. (Why not make the upgrade available in every country where there is a Dell based to speed up the process and shipping times? I'd rather be waiting for a copy of Vista from Sydney rather than God-knows-where in the USA. At least I'll know I'll get it within a week or two).

It is now the middle of March and I'm SICK OF WAITING! I don't even have the order tracking number yet. I'm relocating next month and scared to update my details in case it delays the shipping of my disc. Have Dell even got the discs? I've seen a long list of people on this website still waiting for their discs but I'd like to ask, if there's anyone out there who HAS received their upgrade from Dell...please speak up and restore my faith in the company. My computer arrived at my door within a week of me placing my order. Surely a disc that's so readily available shouldn't be taking nearly two months (probably longer) to get here?

I am another whose service tag is being denied by dellvistaupgrade.  I called customer service and the first thing they told me is that I do not qualify which is not true because the system specification sheet for the specific computer I purchased says that I do.  Next he put me on hold to talk to his supervisor and then came back and told me that my system was not vista capable which is also not true.  I bought an XPS 410 which was manufactured Jan 3, 2007 and has no obscure hardware installed. (And yes, the specification sheet also said it is compatible.)  So it really ticked me off that he lied to me again.  When he realized that I was not accepting NO for an answer, he offered to credit my account 100 dollars which is only half the value of the Vista Business upgrade which I am entitled to.

It is this last item that disturbs me the most.  It implies that he knew I was right.  The whole conversation with this Dell Customer Service Representative implies that his compensation is somehow based on how many customers he can get to go away empty handed or be bought off for less than they are due.

This is truly disturbing for a company that built its reputation on customer service.

Doesn't surprise me that Dell would ship to the US first

Dell is an American Company, & its biggest customer base would be in America
Also the Dell Vista Upgrade site was only open to the US at the start

It's going to be a long wait for Australia, UK, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, etc., etc.,....

So much for 'first-in, first-served' shipping basis

There's no real point in complaining, dozens of angry posts in this blog and even more emails have been sent and nothing has happened. 

I just cannot believe it. It's now approaching the third week of March, and yet no indications of our upgrades arriving, at least for me. And I live in the U.S, redeemed my upgrade on first week of February.

I called Dell, multiply times, and the different people I spoke to, said different things. Some reps, says my upgrade will arrive this week, some said It will take 3-5 weeks more, and some say you'll be receiving your upgrade the first week of April. I am tried of waiting for my upgrade, and sick of the different answers I keep getting. DELL, all the information I need, is when exactly will my upgrade ship?  

Shawn

Your computer might not be able to run Vista yet!(even tho is says Vista CAPABLE) If you read my other posts you will see OEMs need drivers and BOIS updates for some of the OLDER computers sold!

I haven't heard of 1 person who bought a computer back in OCT or NOV that has gotten their upgrade! I HAVE heard of people who bought their comuters in DEC and JAN that have gotten them already(not sure if they were dells or not)

They got the money and now they are hoping you forget about the upgrade!

JMHO

We wait and we wait and we wait.

 Pending is such a anoying word isn't it?

Surely ETA: 6 Years or You are 2,999,999th in the que would be nicer?

Well, it's kinda upsetting to see people registered after you and getting their Vista.  I registered on 1/5, and it shows "pending" since then.  According to Lionel, it means the order has been processed and just wait.  How long should I wait if people long after me already received them?  This is definitely not FIFO and more like LIFO, or it's a new definition of FIFO?  Should I just forget about Vista for good?

Still waiting for Express Upgrade from Xp Pro to Business Edition.  I have queried Dell after receiving an email espousing upgrade to Ultimate for $100.  I was told I had to get the first upgrade then the second.  I don't see why I can't just pay the $100 and get the Final version that I want to run with.

You know why they censor the posts? It's because Dell and the OEM's

            "CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH"

Simple fact is if the computers they sold us were able to run vista with no driver or hardware problems we would have gotten them a LONG time ago!

I can order a computer with Vista installed from them today and receive it in less the 5 days but I cant get a disk for 2 or 3 months? Their statement about not knowing there would be such a demand for the upgrade is just crazy! Did they think people wouldn't want the OS they paid for ?

I would like to know how many computers were sold during the program ?I bet it's in the millions and at 150 us and even more for the UK they stand to save a ton of money on the people who give up on getting the upgrade!

People Please dont give up !!!  They could have made this a simple process just send a upgrade disk to everyone who bought a VISTA CAPABLE computer  and a say 6 month timeframe to install and let the consumer decide if he/she wants to install it! VERY SIMPLE !

The only problem with that is there's nothing in it for the OEM's

If you want to censor this be my guess! Nothing surprises me anymore!

They are NOT shipping first in first out. People who ordered on the first day of the express upgrade have not gotten their copy.

I ordered on Jan 25, 2006. Still waiting for mine.

 Also, these messages contain no profanity, only facts. Yet, for some reason dell thinks it's appropriate to censor the truth.

GG

I will NEVER buy a dell again.

Never mind a censored message, I sent a message 2 days ago and it never showed up! I got an email 2 days ago, that basically said "Dell will begin shipping Late February" Why would you bother telling me something that's old news! This is retarded!

UK Customer.

Ordered 26th January.

Still reported as pending. No email from DHL.
Express??? I beg to differ, but in the UK we have strict advertising practices that would make DELL withdraw the false advertising and change express to... "Depressed".

The little things matter, and I have purchased over 30 DELL systems and used to recommend them to others... Well not any more.

I rang up dell customer care today and they told me shipments will commence on 31st of march for all systems, however i also emailed my sales rep who I purchased my xps desktop from they told me estimated time of shipping will be in april.

I guess i can spend another month without vista :(

The "first-in, first-served" shipping does not exists.

I redeemed my upgrade on Jan 5th.
I've had no DHL email, and status is unwavering at "pending" 

I've heard nothing about anyone outside the US getting their upgrades
 

Hence: 

First-in, first-served
Translation
First-US, Then-the-rest

MATT MILLER

DO NOT GIVE UP!!!!

You paid for the upgrade when you bought the computer! They want to to give up and forget about it so they dont have to give you the upgrade!

KEEP all you emails and even records of your phone calls.  

I would send an email to dell telling them that if they dont give you some help with this then you want your money back because the COA that they put on your computer is INVALID!

I bet you will get an answer or at least some proof that you tried to get the upgrade!

LIONAL MENCHACA

Why don't do you show that dells cares and give this guy some HELP!!!!

I just need to know if I should just give up trying and consider this a learning experience.  After 6 attempts at my Vista upgrade...each one failing to recognize my COA...numerous call to tech support without any email confirmation of my problem, I still have no idea if my upgrade will ever go through.  The deadline is quickly approaching.  I have been told 2 times that my case has been 'escalated' and to wait for an email with a case number.  The first time I heard that was about 3 weeks ago, the last time was 1 week ago.  Still nothing.

I really feel let down by Dell.  I don't buy systems very often because I just can't afford to do that.  This whole experience has left me questioning my last purchase.  This was the first time I have purchased a Dell, and this fiasco is not a good way for Dell to establish customer loyalty.  That is something that all companies should strive for, and Dell has really dropped the ball.

I ask you, "Do I quit trying, and chalk this up as a learning experience, and shop elsewhare with my very hard earned money?"

Matt 

David J said:

I am starting to feel very frustrated waiting weeks and weeks, and weeks for what is called to be “Express Upgrade”. First, Dell said that there going to start shipping Vista upgrades in the latter part of February. Then, they said it will take 4-6 weeks to receive our upgrades. It’s now March 6, and still no update or at least an estimated shipped date.

I called Dell; and they kept saying it will ship in 2-4 days. But nothing happens; status page remains “Pending”.

Also, with this deal of first come first serve doesn’t isn’t fair. I think we all have waited enough that all us should have upgrades within days, and not additional weeks. We all paid for our PC’s.

I just hope to receive my upgrade soon.

BTW, I redeemed my upgrade around first week of February (from U.S).

In answer to Brian, who asked about deliveries outside the U.S.  I phoned Dell Canada to see where my upgrade is. A customer service rep told me Canadian deliveries began March 1st. They believe all deliveries should be out the door by March 15th.

My order remains "Pending."

"Has anyone outside the U.S. got their upgrades yet?"

I am from Singapore and I am still waiting.

Has anyone outside the U.S. got their upgrades yet?

Think about it!!!!!

"customers who qualify for an Express Upgrade also qualify for OEM support for Windows Vista, even if their machines came with Windows XP. The last thing a Dell, Gateway, or HP wants to do is start sending out upgrades to customers who might have video cards that do not have particularly stable drivers yet (or sound cards, or RAID controllers, etc.). This could be a support disaster. So the delays appear to be driven, in part, by OEM efforts to essentially whitelist hardware components and configurations, which becomes a matter of testing."

Brian,

 I am also frustrated.  I took advantage of the offer for a customer advocate to help.  So far they at least ask intellegent questions in a reasonalble time frame.  No answers yet but you may want to try that approch also.

Makes me yearn for the days when Dell was small enough to worry.  (If this keeps up those days may be in the future not the past!!)

I've been reading these posts for awhile.  My order status is still "pending".  I've been patient with the process until now, but as I enter my fifth week of waiting, I'm getting more and more frustrated. 

Lionel - you seem to pick and choose which e-mails you answer.   Your's and Dell's communications are very poor in regards this whole Vista upgrade process.  "Latter part of February" is not a date. How many orders have shipped?  How many remain?  What level of additional resources has Dell provided to support this process?  If none, why not?  If any, well clearly they are inadequate and what is your plan to add more?  What is the evidence that Dell is regarding this as a serious problem?

 What is your compensation plan for customers affected by this?  Is DHL and your other upgrade partners supporting Dell?  To what degree?

 Dell should be benchmarking themselves against other retailers and taking steps to address your shortfalls.

Hi i would like to ask, how much does shipping cost for Windows Home Premium to get to the United Kingdom ( London).

The site holds no information about the price so it brings up a few question marks...

 Thanks for any help, i'll check back daily.

As upgrades arrvie I am hoping that those who have driver or other issues will post them here so we know what we are getting into before we attempt to install Vista.  The last thing I want is to be without my  Sound Blaster X-Fi Card or anything else that I paid good money for, for that matter.   

Russell.

Thats because they dont want people to know the truth!!!

I had the same thing hapen to me trying to post here!!!!

Russel... I had the same problem as you . I made 2 posts a only 1 showed up(the one where I say its ALL the manufactures not just DELL).The other one never got posted even tho I posted them 10 min apart!

 I wont re post it ... I would just like an answer to  my question of once VISTA is installed on my computer is it DELL or Microsoft  who is responsiblefor making sure it works? I was told its the oem's (DELL) responsibility !

If thats true .. and dell has already said it was having  problems with drivers for some of the Vista Capable computers they sold!  Isnt that a mis representation of of the product that was sold?

Could that be the REAL REASON for the delays in shipping the upgrade disks????

Thanks for sharing your feedback! If your feedback doesn't appear right away, please be patient as it may take a few minutes to publish - or longer if the blogger is moderating comments.

Still waiting one week later

Russell 

ok so now I get my money back apparently. which at least is something...

I'm waiting for the new MAC PRO & R600 now. I'm done with PC's ....

thanks Dell

Hi

I registered my upgrade in early Jan 07 and the status on upgrade site always show "Pending". By the way, I am in Singapore.

After reading so many adverse comments on Vista I do have second thought of upgrading my MCE to Vista Home!

 

Update: Put the DVD in my non-Dell machine and in "My Computer" is shows up as "VISTA_32_ULTIMATE" and is 2.98 GB in size. Before everyone goes thinking that Dell sent me Ultimate instead of Home Premium, I'm pretty sure that the version of Vista that is installed depends on the key you enter. I'm going to go install this on my Dell laptop and see how it goes.
 

Hi,

        I registered in January, but as yet have not heard anything. 
My order status is still showing as Pending.  I am in the UK.  Another query, I have a Dimension 9200 with the Sound Blaster X-Fi sound card.  I am told that the application software with that will not work with Vista.  Can anyone tell me if I will still be able to set my speakers up for 5.1 surround. Thanks.

Martin

"If the Dell Vista upgrade site does not recognize your service tag number, even though you meet the upgrade requirements, please submit a comment letting me know and be sure to fill in the e-mail field. "

Have tried multiple times.  Last email I received was 1/10/07 telling me to wait 5-7 days.  Called the US/Canada update line today 3/1/07 and was told I "just had to wait, probably 5-7 days" and that there wasn't any other information.

1. WOOOOOHOOOOOO I GOT MY DELL VISTA UPGRADE TODAY VIA DHL  , BETTER LATE THEN NEVER..... IM STILL NEVER BUYING A DELL AGAIN THOUGH, ANYONE WANT TO TAKE BETS TO SEE HOW FAST THIS UPGRADE CRASHED EVERYTHING???? HUMMMMM ANY ONE LOL

I didnt realize this board was censord!!!

Shame on you DELL!!!

I registered (redeemed) my Express Upgrade the very first day it went online (actually, it was in the early morning hours of that day. Everything went smooth and my service tag id was accepted as well as my COA number on the XP Media Center Edition.

Now, evryone is having their systmes shipeed and here I sit. I was under the impression that these shipped out according to when you registered (redeemed) your Express Upgrade.

 Can somebody from Dell please tell what's going on here? Who do I call to find out why mine is being delayed.

I have an XPS 410 with a RAID 1 configuration (Dell "Datasafe" option.

I just emailed Express Upgrade and they told me that they have started shipping orders and my order is expected to ship soon. YAY! :) Finally...

I got notified that mine shipped out tonight.  I ordered mine 12/21 and I had gotten an XPS Laptop M1210.  Hope this helps!

The service and communication from Dell surrounding the express upgrade is simply unacceptable. Vista has been released for nearly 30 days and it has still not been shipped. 

Further, Vista was released to developers in November, hard to believe that Dell has taking over three months to developed its Upgrade Assistant.

I registered for my express upgrade on December 21st . Here it is February 27th, and guess what - order is still pending!!!

Dell needs to make it up to all the express upgrade customers - I know I'm not the only one that will never shop at Dell again unless they offer us something in apology.

The latest response I received today regarding the shipment of my Vista Express Upgrade was ridiculous.  "The Vista Upgrade is scheduled to begin shipping in the first week of March. It will take a little over 2 months for us to ship all the orders that have been placed to this date."  This response is unacceptably vague.  Also, the timing of the shipping is simply terrible.

After numerous messages to get my service tag straightened out, numerous attempts to get Dell's system to recognize my certificate of authenticity, now Dell tells me essentially, "Thanks but now you have to wait until mid-May."

This seems to be an unbelievably inept organization. 

Lionel,

Will the Express Vista Business Professional DVDs be the same as retail?  Could I purchase the software and later sell the Express as a standalone?  If it is standalone, why doesn't it ship for my 410?  Why wait for driver validation if I am getting a retail package?

The ONLY reason I read this blog / comments is to get info on the actual shipping date.

At this point, I no longer care what happens. Unless Dell offers some kind of compensation on the order of $100 or more (unlikely) to all customers, I will never buy a dell again.

Also, I very rarely post on any type of forum or thread on the internet... that's how outraged I am.

 I will have only negative things to say about dell to my family, friends or anyone else who ever asks me.

I think we're done here.

I bought an E1505 during the eligibility period and the dellvistaupgrade.com site says my system is not eligible. After 25+ calls to customer service and 2 complaint calls opened on this case, Dell's "award winning" technical service is unable to help. They admit my system is eligible, but cant make my service code elibible on the website for the upgrade. I have been fighting this issue since early January and am at the end of my rope. If I have to listen to another person who can barely speak english tell me how sorry they are that I am having problems, I will scream!

I have heard every excuse imaginable as to why this is happening and have been told countless times it will be fixed in a couple of days. Google searches of this issue reveal fraud and scam complaints and lawsuits being filed. All I want is what I ordered and paid for. Why cant Dell just send me out a Vista CD?  They all agree I am eligible, I dont see the problem.

I feel my only option at this point is to stop paying on this computer to Dell financial Services until I got what I am paying for.

Well the comments on talking to the upgrade centers are shared by me.  However the Dell site beats heck out of the Microsoft Office site. (moduslink.com)  In fact Dell seemed to work although some word besides "pending" should be possible.
 Once I decided that human contact was not working I began doing email.  Just the way to promote a direct relationship!

  That finally worked, if you have acess to a scanner for emailing copies,and the patience that no long term Dell buyer has ever needed before!!!  I hope the lost focus we are all seeing can be fixed before Dell joins Gateway.

To all above UK customers of DELL.

Is your computer fit for purpose?

If not ask for your money back!

Kind regards Russell 

I AM SO HAPPY!!!

I bought my computer last Nov 2006 because I didnt want to have Vista in my machine. I wanted XP installed and have the flexibility to upgrade when the time is ripe. Microsoft isnt the best when it comes to these things, so Id rather upgrade when the holocaust is over.

Dell isnt ready. They intentionally made their site unresponsive and pretend not to honor eligible buyer's service tags because that buys them more time.

You know, I've been reading this blog for the past couple of days now. I really feel sorry for all the customer who are frustraded with the upgrade process. For one, I bought my computer in Dec. 2006 and as soon as i received it I did the upgrade, didn't have any problems there. I really did not care when I got the upgrade DVD from DELL, as I rather Microsoft fix all the bugs first. I'm posting here today, because I belive the person running DELL has no brain...what is the excuse for the upgrade not beeing sent...drivers?? I got a letter from DELL today telling me how great they are and how now else "knows my computer better" and that Vista is ready for purchase! This is compleatly UNBELIVABLE! I did not care before, but this is a real slap in the face!

 Worst customer service ever!

There seems to be a serious communictions breakdown within the Dell chain. I have just spoken to the supervisor at the Dell Vista Upgrade Call Centre who assured me ALL upgardes will ship as of next week for delivery within 4- weeks. After informing him that Direct2Dell has quoted a delay on upgrades for the XPS 710/H2C he insisted I ignore such information as incorrect.

So, just out of interests, who actually runs the show here?

Hello, I ordered my Latitude D420 Laptop on Oct.30, 2006, but when I enter it's service tag on www.dellvistaupgrade.com, it says that my system is ineligible.

 Any help would be appreciated.

 THANKS A LOT!

Hi Lionel,

I've tried using the upgrade site for my XPS210 purchased in late January.

 It shipped with XP Pro, but the upgrade site says XP Home. I've tried ringing your helpline but have been promised callbacks about the problem 3 times and to date have had no contact.

 I was initially told that I can upgrade my upgrade from Vista Business to Home Premium, but given the comments on here that looks unlikely.

Lil help?

Jas

Folks, don’t expect to see the EXPRESS upgrade till early April.  And even then they are going to stagger the shipments so there meager technical support staff is not overwhelmed.  Since it’ll be OEM software the support will come from Dell India not MS. Good luck to us all!

5 bucks says you don't get emailed anything more than spam mail

I bought a copy of Vista for my Vista Capable computer. What a surprise my Creative sound Blaster didn't work and my wireless card either. This is my third and last Dell. The tech support guy in India was a snot. Your Vista is the same as ours but we won't help as you didn't buy it from us. Thats when I went nuts asked for a person who can speak english.I got a english speaking superviser he did help but said a week or two for the correct drivers. This guy promised to email them to me. Lets see.

I placed my order on 12/15/2006 for the Vista Upgrade on www.dellvistaupgrade.com.  I have been trying to change my information for week and have been posting my experiences on this blog.  Well this is the last installment of my posting.  I called 1-866-409-9542 for the last time this morning, only to be hung up on twice.  The third time I called, I got told that my information could not be changed because once it is in the system, they are unable to change it.  I was also told because I could not change my information, I NO LONGER QUALIFY FOR THE VISTA UPGRADE. 

I would have to say that at this point that I am extremely disappointed in how everything has turned out at this point.  Dell customer service no longer responds to my requests for assistance.  What's so disappointing most of all, is that I love their products and never had an issue with them.  I now have to go out and pay big $$ in order to have a copy of Vista on a machine that I just purchased 2 months ago.

I can honestly say that as a resident of Canada, I will never purchase another Dell product.

I purchased a E520 on 23 January 2007 but my service tag number is still not recognised. Please advise what I should do.

Thanks,

Wai

I read we will be receiving two DVD's for our VISTA EXPRESS UPGRADE, the additional disk giving guidance on the upgrade process. This sounds like a responsible offer from DELL ... but it also suggests that problems may occur ;-) A few questions please:

1.  Will the disk containing the upgrade be a vanilla upgrade i.e. exactly the same content as a DVD bought from a software vendor selling to an unknown PC configuration?

2. The standard OEM installation usually fills the entire hard disk with a usable OS partition and two 'restore' partitions for disaster recovery. This is probably best for the 'average' user: however it is the worst possible allocation for those who prefer to partition their disks as a performance enhancement; to multi-boot several OS's; to separate out data; whatever. Since the almighty VISTA still does not allow partition resizing and relocation, I am forced to pay (an exhorbitant amount in comparison to the cost of an OS) for a utility like PARTITION MAGIC or ACRONIS DISK DIRECTOR.  Will the DELL VISTA EXPRESS UPGRADE allow me to select which of my installed XP copies to upgrade? (Yes, I'm thinking of running XP and VISTA until the newborn grows up a bit.)

 [Guess this is also a plea to Microsoft and DELL to provide a full disk partitioning utility instead of software I can get from anywhere! Now there is a consideration which might make a few disgruntled customers happy after a wait.]

 Thanks for you attention. Apologies if I've posted the same question as the rest of the world.

 H.A.N.D.

(Have a nice DELL).

I am waiting for my upgrade to ship also and I too cant figure out the hold up. I would like to know why is the same model (m 1710 7950gpu) that I ordered a month ago still waiting for drivers when the same model can be ordered from your web site now. thnxs in advance.

this is typical of Dell doublespeak, Express actually means that they will Express your money away from you as soon as possible and, if you dare complain or contact customer service, you will get to speak with  some third world outsourced customer service dweeb who will apologize and apologize and not do anything except put you on hold after asking if it is ok to do so for 1 to 2 minutes.

 My daughter is going off to college next year, I'm buying an overpriced Apple because I don't want her to have to deal with Dell.

Lionel: Welcome to the inaccuarate and confusins world of Uk and Ireland Customer Service and sales team.... unfortunately the information which you were given is incorrect. Currently, the UK and Ireland DO offer the H2C in the UK.  Links can be found here (for the UK version) and here (for the irish version). As can be seen via these links, the 710 H2C in europe doesnt ship from Dell overclocked to 3.2GHz. (Also only has integrated sound rather than Xfi and not even dual 8800 GTX as standard .) Why any one would want a H2C is beyond me with this way below par configuration???? (Main selling point of the 710 H2C is that it ships with overclocking from Dell?)

I like Babboxy have given up hope on this and on Dells customer service and I have purchased an Alienware system. Again, i have to say if it is this hard to get infromation from dell when a person wants to hand over money of 5000-8000 euro, what level of service can be reasonably expected, when we are a cost to the company via complaints and issues. I hope you can clear up the information above for other customers who may still want the 710H2C in europe. Hopefully by the time I upgrade again in 2-3 years time, I will return to the dell fold if the customer service has improved from the dire state it is in today. (I would definitely suggest that Dell should look at the Alienware support model as I have found all information readily available and more importantly consistent throughout)

Lastly, Thank you for your efforts to help us out as I know they are genuine and well intentioned. I appreciate you are only one man and can only do so much in your day especially with the ongoing vista upgrade issues. The incorrect information being given to you on the 710 is not your fault, but it is an indication of the internal confusion within the company, even with its flagship home desktop system.

Regards,

Noel

Noel: I have never got an answer to my questions here. I don't know why they call this website direct2dell. If they would call it directFROMdell I could understand. Anyway, I've bought the 710H2C with XP. At least I'll have a troublefree year before I upgrade to vista. good luck with your alienware, I'm sure it's faster then mine but I just couldn't get over the 'alien' look... I'll be around the next couple of weeks just to see Lionel's blog about H2C & vista as promised. Now they can take their time, I don't realy care any more.

One of the real reasons for the delay: (in addition to Moduslink's delay in getting media to Dell)

Dell cited initial customer demand and server problems for part of their own delays, but now that everything is working, the company is still saying that Express Upgrades will not ship before the end of the month. Furthermore, the company states that orders are filled on a first-come/first-served basis, so some users have longer waits in store. Indeed, the company is warning users that shipping itself may take 6-8 weeks.

Things aren't better at HP, where the company web site says that Express Upgrade kits ship "within 6-8 weeks" of the Vista launch. Readers on the waitng list have said that they are receiving shipping notifications telling them to expect their upgrades in the middle of April, almost eight weeks from today. Ars contacted HP for a response, and a spokesperson told us that "HP is working on an aggressive schedule with the fulfillment vendor and the software product supplier to deliver customer upgrades as quickly as possible." According to HP, the first upgrades would be sent out later this month.

So what's the real cause of the delay? On the record, everyone I've talked to has depicted the issue as one of order fulfillment. Off the record, the matter is more complex. One source at a major OEM who spoke with me on condition of anonymity said that the real issue is that OEMs are still not sure which PCs are really ready to support Vista, and which PCs aren't.

Here's the rub: customers who qualify for an Express Upgrade also qualify for OEM support for Windows Vista, even if their machines came with Windows XP. The last thing a Dell, Gateway, or HP wants to do is start sending out upgrades to customers who might have video cards that do not have particularly stable drivers yet (or sound cards, or RAID controllers, etc.). This could be a support disaster. So the delays appear to be driven, in part, by OEM efforts to essentially whitelist hardware components and configurations, which becomes a matter of testing.

This is probably cold comfort to customers eager to see their Express Upgrade, but as someone who has been wrestling with GeForce 8800 GTX problems in Vista all week, I can tell you that the wait will probably obviate a lot of anxiety for users.

Can you say OEM at newegg in just a few days.

$149 for 64bit business

$199 for 64bit Ultimate

Its hard to believe that we are still waiting on these CDs.  I purchased 1 machine the day before Vista was released, and 1 identical machine the day after it was released.  You'll have a hard time telling me that the drivers aren't ready.  I even went ahead and installed Vista on my XP Machine, assuming that my express upgrade was in the mail.  I sure hope it doesn't time out while I wait.

 Where is the legendary customer service that dell is supposedly known for?  Perhaps the "legend" was composed over in India by the customer service reps in the call center???

Jim makes a great point - if there are driver issues, how can Dell be selling the same computers from their website with Vista installed? Are they delaying the delivery of new computers until March (I'd think not)

I still like Dell's computers but I'm beginning to think of them like I do my  deep discount broker or a budget motel.  You get an adequate product from them, but don't expect concierge service.

Lionel, as with others who have posted their comments on this blog, I am a little dissatified with the slow response of Dell to sending our express upgrade disks. I ordered an inspiron 1501 with a turion 64 X2 and MCE in December 06. I have been trying to find out if Dell will be shipping a 32 or  64bit version of vista home premium but no one can give me an answer ( I keep getting passed between customer services or tech support).. I would prefer the 64 bit version as I have been told it is more secure and the Dell web site has drivers for all the hardware I have on the system. Do Dell intend shipping the 64bit version for users who have 64 bit systems as a default? If not how do users specificly request 64bit versions and are you offering the 64bit version as an upgrade option?

Pls get back to me

Mike

Just called Dell ones again, and told me now my upgrade won’t be arriving until March. What is it with all these delays? Dell should have shipped our Express upgrades shortly after the release (Jan 31^st) , and then we would all be happy campers.

Now, why should I wait 4-8 weeks, when I could just run off to Best Buy, and get windows Vista now? This is quite frustrating to wait this long, for a much anticipated Express upgrade. Please send us our CD’s now.

Like most of the people posting to this blog I am really disappointed it's taking so long to get the "express" Vista upgrade.  But I don't understand Dell's excuse.

If Dell's drivers are not ready then what drivers are they using for new computers with Vista?

Is Dell saying Vista will not work on a Dell machine if it's purchased through a retail outlet?

Sorry if you have had these questions before – reading all the complaints would take too long.

When responding to the above questions please post the correct answers.

Okay, today is February 15, 2007 and If I'm correct that would be considered the latter part of February (2nd half). Can't you just give an estimated date that it will ship out...will it be a week from now?

Thanks,

Tom 

Im swiching to apple  

The only thing that I have a problem with is the fact that Dell is the only 'express upgrade' provider that I have found who charged for the upgrade.  I could have gone with a Gateway, HP, or other manufacturer purchased through Best Buy and paid $0 for my upgrade to be sent to me. (Another person at my work did just that, and he has his express upgrade already)

 So, why is it that Dell requires a $10 fee + now is causing a wait of over 3 weeks for the express upgrade disc to ship?

I bought a copy of Ultimate for my other Dell PC that is Vista Capable, but was ordered a month before the express upgrade.  I just want the license key so I can install Home Premium, but I think I'll be waiting on that, now too.  I should have just bought the $50 upgrade for a second pc that came with my Vista Ultimate.. sure, it would have cost me $40 more in cash, but it would save me several hundred $$ in my time.

Lionel,

 I'm waiting for the XPS 710H2C to ship with Vista Ultimate. I have no problem waiting til you've resolved compatibility issues and bug-free drivers are in place. It would be great though, if you could give people like me  some sense of when you're going to start shipping it. Will it be March or April as posters are suggesting? And will Dell be upgrading the chipset to the Nvidia 680 sli?

I have talked to your Dell representatives so much now - I don't want to talk to them any more.  All I'm told is to wait 5-7 business days and everything will be resolved.  From there the upgrade site and the phone numbers are pushed at me.  Do you honestly think if I could get the upgrade site to accept my cc information, that I would be wasting my time, trying to resolve this?

Let's recap shall we?  Here is step-by-step what I am doing once I reach your upgrade site:

1.  www.dellvistaupgrade.com

2.  I click on order status.  A new page opens up and I enter in my info to view the status of my order.

3.  New page opens.  I can now see that my order is pending.  I scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and click on the link to update my order information.  New page opens up.

4.  I double check my shipping information.  Everything is fine here.  I scroll down a bit to update my billing information.  I make the necessary changes to my information here and scroll down the page some more.

5.  I place a check mark in the box to verify that I want to change my credit card information.  I enter in the updated cc information.  I click on the link to update my order and guess what happens??  I won't leave you in suspense - IT BRINGS ME RIGHT BACK TO THE SAME PAGE!!

You see, when it brings me back to the same page, it is requesting that I enter in a state.  When I chose my province from the list and click on the link again to update my order - IT BRINGS ME RIGHT BACK TO THE SAME PAGE!!  I go through this for a few times until it tells me that it cannot verify my information!!  Do you know why it cannot verify my information?  I choose PE in the state field.  PE stands for Prince Edward Island.  It is a province in CANADA.  You do not have anything else to choose from in the COUNTRY field.  The only choice listed is USA.  I am not American.  I am Canadian.  So if someone within your company could update the source code on the website to allow for CANADA to be chosen as a country, I probably wouldn't be having this problem.

So, since I can't update my information by calling anyone AND apparently I can't update my information on your website - how am I supposed to do it?  

Hi all,
I've bought a new Dimension E520 (Xp Pro) on Jan 12. The only Operative System language available was Italian and in the Vista Express Upgrade site is still CLEARLY written (https://www.dellvistaupgrade.com/faqs.aspx):
Can I upgrade Windows XP Home Edition, Media Center Edition or Professional to Microsoft Windows Vista as part of the Express Upgrade to Windows Vista program?
Yes! During the eligibility period, there are several express upgrade paths for qualifying systems. For US, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Germany, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Nordics, Italy and some countries in Latin America, the following upgrade paths will be available (anticipated pricing noted for US only; subject to change).

No words about limitation on the OS language.
I was surprised to hear from Dell that the upgrade is not possible starting from an italian OS!!! Could someone explain WHY????
It's really frustrating to hear such discriminations!
Of course, Microsoft said that they are not understanding the behavior of Dell Italy: at the end, it's a Microsoft 'added value': why loose use such opportunity (that - by the way - all the competitors are offering to their customers...) ???

Any reply will be appreciated.

Regards,

Luca Papisca

Not shipping until the end of feduary is bad enough, but Dell are also saying you should then wait 4 to 6 weeks for delivery! how are you shipping them? carrier pigeon

In my opinion this is miss selling this is not an Express upgrade when you are told to expect to recieve your upgrade 2 and a half months after release. The driver excuse is unfounded because I can an identical machine with vista already installed.

Obviously dell cares only about winning new business not looking after loyal customers

Happy Valentine's Day!

(Just thought I'd lighten things up a bit...)

Lionel,

 can you PLEASE tell me why the european 710H2C version comes non-overclocked only?! ... at Dell France they tell me that "parts included in the usa-configuration are not integrated in the frech configuration" ...does that meen that it's a different PC? ...so if I read a review about the 710H2C somewhere on the web I don't have the guarantee I will buy the same system...?! ...I don't get it...!!! there is NO update on the vista situation either.... I don't mind buying it and running it on XP for a year but why is it not possible to have some sort of information on your websites?!  ... on the German Dell site they jump back and forth between a configuration with 2x 8800 cards and one card. Today it's back to 2... I'm getting frustrated with this!   bottomline...I have to buy a PC by the end of THIS WEEK and if someone could inform me about overclocking/vista issues I would be very greatfull...merci & danke

Please tell me how to update my credit card info.  Your website for upgrade does not work and the phone numbers you gave me don't work either.  The upgrade is already very, very late in getting to me and I really don't want to hold it up any longer because of an upgraded cc number.

Please email me what I need to do.

Thanks in advance.

My wife and I have been trying for over 1 MONTH to update our cc information for our Vista Upgrade Order # V2019603.  We have been directed to 1-866-634-7426 and to www.dellvistaupgrade.com.  The phone number does not work - the operator that I had try to dial it states that it is not available in my area.  The website is a farce because it only applies to US residents.  Hello here....I am CANADIAN!   We are happy with our dell products.  We just want to change our credit card info as the card on file was lost and is being replaced with a new one.

Can someone contact me or explain to me WHY THIS IS SO DIFFICULT!!???

Signed,

2 very unsatisfied customers!!

To Noel Burke

 Dell acquired Alienware in the 2nd Quarter of 06 (from memory).

 Considering Alienware has operated as it's own entity since the buy-out, hopefully you won't run into any problems that the hundreds of Dell customers are.
 

I Purchased a Inspiron 1501 laptop from Dell in November 2006,

First of all i stated when i placed the order i wanted a 2x core Cpu and the Sales rep stated that it would come with a turion cpu and mentioned a model number that meant nothing to me at the time but i thought none the less il`d asked for Dual core so it must be ok. When the laptop arrived it was a single core Mk 36 (I`ve done some research now) So i contacted Dell and asked why this had happened and was told that was what had been ordered So Sales rep makes a mistake and now i can`t change it to the CPU i wanted in the first place as i was nastly told that it was built specially for my iorder ( Durrr i didn`t want that one when i placed the order).

Secondly: I too registered for the Vista Upgrade and had my service tag rejected i spoke to customer Support and was informed that Dell were struggling with weight of numbers trying to redeem their upgrade offer, but the site would be updated soon with later service tag numbers. Fair enough this happened and my tag has been accepted now BUT i haven`t recieved a confirming E-mail even though my Order Status is set to Pending, Do i assume that everything is ok with my order?

I too feel let down with the customer support and the attitude that i`ve been shown so far by Dell:- Wrong Hardware, Missing Service Tags, and then to Cap it off Late Arrival of Available Software. It strikes me as a classic case of we got your money what u gonna do about it, we`ll decide whats gonna happen with your order when we see fit or can be bothered to deal with you.

It`s my first experiance of ordering with Dell many friend tried to put me off but i thought they`re a global company and they can`t be as bad as people say, Boy was i wrong. It`s really opened my eyes to just what other people have said about Dell and it`ll take a lot for me to ever trust them again. I`m just in the process of compiling an account of my experiances to submit to my local newspaper so hopefully other people don`t have to suffer what i`ve gone through. £700 for a laptop i could of purchased at any local Store for £449 shipped with vista.

Wow, and I ordered my E1505 due to the "old wives tale" (pure marketing crap) that  Dell has good service and equipment, and are quick about things. Now I have to wait until the end of February, possibly later, for my Vista Express Upgrade??? Oh yes, ant its already in stores everywhere???

On top of that they are still charging me about $20.00 to get it home late? Shipping a DVD on time costs a bit less than $4.00 nowadays.

I just got owned by Dell.

But I will own them back later ...

...I know who I'm NOT considering on my next purchase....

Listen Mr. Blogger Dell Man,

Walk into the boardroom at your hed office there and tell them to hire people night and day to start shipping these discs out now!!  We paid our money!  Where's our promised goods?  This just makes you guys even worse with your poor customer service reputation!

Just chatted with one of the Dell Customer service, and said they’ll begin shipping express upgrade after February 22 2007. Can anyone confirm this?

would like to know what pending means on my order, I have the inspiron E1705 it said vista capaible. went to alot of sites but couldn,t fine any information on it, please let me know by e-mail when to exspect my order. soon i hope

thank you

janet dixon

Last December the 7th I ordered for the XPS M1210 with the Windows Media version.

Trying to enter the service tag for the Vista upgrade failed: not recognized. Meeting the requirements, can you tell me why the service tag is not accepted? Would appreciate some help.

Wim

Greetings-

While I eagerly await my Vista upgrade, I'm concerned about the Sound Blaster Audigy Software Edition and audio drivers for my E1705 laptop. I was under the impression that 1- there was actual Sound Blaster hardware installed in the laptop and 2- that this would function under VISTA when I purchased this system in December.

My intention with the system is to use it for recording studio purposes, and I'm really hoping that there will be advanced audio funtionality under VISTA with the sigmatel hardware. I have tested the laptop and VISTA functionality by upgrading it to VISTA RC1 and since discovered a lot of bad press regarding the Sound Blaster Audigy "software edition", and the loss of audio control emulations, sound banks, equalizer, and other options present in the XP and Audigy software- and I'm not happy about what I'm finding in the user forums regarding the issue.

Will Dell be providing Sound Blaster drivers for this system for VISTA? Or should I request a refund for the amount paid for the "upgrade" I believed involved actual Creative hardware?

So if I wanted two weeks to place my order I would have had a machine with Vista sooner than the "Express" Option.    I had planned demo's on this machine but was unable to use it because they needed to be done with Vista. (CodingDemos)

Dear Lionel,

can you update us on the 710H2C Vista situation? ...Alienware France starts to ship their 51+Vista in 7 says .. it would be nice to have at least an idea on when the 710 will be ready... thanks

Stefano Colombara said:

Lionel,

Can you also help me with my situation?

I really think it's a shame that we who purchased our Dells in November have to wait till April (or later) to receive our promised Express Upgrades, when anyone purchasing one since Vista was released to the general public get it IMMEDIATELY at the factory.

This is NOT RIGHT!!!  NOR is it FAIR to us who took a chance on Dell before Vista was released.  You have our money, now where's our products?

In addition, this excuse about "drivers not ready" just doesn't wash, since all the Vista drivers we need are on your Support downloads section at this minute.  In addition, Dell is updating them daily.  I don't need Dell to hold my hand to download and install a driver in Windows.  I've been doing it myself since the 80's.   I'm sure there are many others who would agree.

SEND OUR UPGRADES NOW.  We can take care of any needed driver updates ourselves.

After this, STOP using Microsoft's Offer Fullfillment services.  They are NOTORIOUSLY SLOW.

Donald McDaniel

It looks like the "express" upgrade problems are an industry-wide issue - see the blog/news links below.  Toshiba isn't shipping for another 6-8 weeks and it looks like Microsoft's main upgrade sight was down last week as well - maybe that's why Dell was having problems.  At least we don't need to send in receipts for the PC in the Dell program - that's what the article says that other programs require.  All-in-all though, this looks like another example of where Microsoft is throwing their responsibilities on the backs of PC makers and customers. 

Instead of being slaves to Windows, maybe its time for a change.  Can anyone say Ubuntu :)

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/104011/vista-chaos-upgrades-go-awol.html

http://thevistaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=6973

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic77883.html

http://help.wugnet.com/vista/express-upgrade-Vista-ftopict26481.html

I bought a laptop in December and the site is not recognizing my tag. I have called the upgrade center to no avail. Can you help me?

 Thanks

The upgrade website died in the middle of my order.  Now it says my COA was already used, but my order doesn't exist. (Order status doesn't recognize it, and no auto-reply email came.)

 I ordered 11 laptops, only 1 did not work.

Hell lionel_

Ok I included my email because the dellvistaupgrade didnt recognize my service tage. I would be very gratefull to you if someone from customer care took action and solve it.

Best regards (  dell lover)

I placed an order in mid december and entered the service tag # to check out the status and it said pending. after that i tryed it again and now it doesn't do anything, i called just about every number they gave me to contact and some of the #'s weren't even hooked up.  for example 1-866-634-7426 is not working.  i just want some answers!!!!!!!!!    we should deffinitly received the upgrade by now.  whats with this company?

If someone here anything please let me know

(should have got a MAC?)

Lionel,

As regards the XPS 710 H2C graphics driver issue, the following is what appears on a very similar SLI system for alienware:

"Windows Vista does not currently support NVIDIA SLI functionality. If you choose Windows Vista with your SLI system, only a single graphics card will be enabled. Alienware will notify you once a Windows Vista SLI driver becomes available. "

If Alienware can do this, why can’t Dell, its parent company, provide this alternative option for those who do not wish to wait until end of March for SLI graphics drivers? It seems to me to be the most sensible route to take? (Is bureaucracy, due to the sheer size of dell, preventing common sense from prevailing?)

I have also made queries to the alienware sales team who all had technical knowledge of the issue and proposed solution. When asking the dell sales team the same question, based on my experience, there seems to be a collective shrug of the shoulders and hope that it sorts itself out with time, rather than actively addressing the root cause of the issue like alienware has for its customer base. Given the apparent capability within alienware to adapt quickly and effectively to unexpected issues, it does highlight how difficult it has become for dell to rapidly respond/change to the same issues with any degree of competency/effectiveness. After almost 10 years of buying Dells PCs, at this point I am reluctantly considering making an alienware purchase unless something radical in the dell vista roll out changes for the xps 710 series over the next few days.

Again I realise this is nothing to do with your personal willingness to address issues highlighted on this website, but more so with the various problems and ineffective solutions surrounding the vista roll out, I believe that dells behind the scene problems are so deep rooted it may take years before it returns to the once customer driven focused company it once was.

Regards,

Noel

Hi Lionel,

I have my confirmation email for the upgrade but the site will not display my order status. It doesn't matter what information I pace in the Order Status window, it comes back with nothing. Please have customer service contact me.

Shipping the Vista upgrade nearly 1 month after it's released is absolutly pathetic!!. Any Issues with drivers should have been resolved by now since Vista was released to manufactoring way back in back November 2006.

John

This is crazy...

 HP owners already have their 'express' upgrade.  I purchased my machine in November and expected to have my DVD as soon as it was released, not at the end of March.  Dell has dropped the ball on this.
 

Why is it that an "express" upgrade wont even be shipped until almost a month after the release of vista. Maybe you never intended on having them ready for release, just a way to sell more computers to make the year end numbers. I feel like a chump, thanks for all the delay and poor excuses.

I wish I would of bought an apple.

I have ordered an eligible Windows Vista Capable computer from Dell the 14 of December 2006. I have Windows XP media center in the italian version.When I enter the tag number I have an error message, could you please help me.

will highly appreciate your comments.

I looked up my order status on the upgrade site, and it says "pending". Does that mean it has processed?

Hi Lionel,

 Need to say that I faced difficulty in getting the upgrade site to recognise my machine's service tag which seems weired though I purchased my Dimension 9200 more than three weeks back!

 would't be possible to get this fixed?

 will highly appreciate your comments.

Well, on 5 February, I have contacted customer service of Dell Italy to know why Dell Vista upgrade site does not recognize my service tag number of a Precision M65 that I have buy in late December.

They say (pretty embarrassed)...Sorry but Dell doesn't provide express upgrade for Windows XP Professional in Italian language ( and I remember this was the only choice available through the web order page). More than this, THERE IS NO PLACE where Dell notify that the future upgrade to Vista will not be available for the Italian version of XP.

I don't believe that DELL can do such a misunderstanding with customers.

Please let me know your position on this.

Thanks for your attention
Stefano

Hi Lionel

Thanks for the update. Website seems to work really well. There's only one snag. I was sure that at the time of ordering my 9200 I was told that I could chose the version of Vista to upgrade to, paying a suitable amount extra.

My machine arrived with XP Home although I'd ordered it with Media Centre (I was only charged for Home) but I didn't think it was a huge loss as I could go for Vista Home Premium or Ultimate via the upgrade system.

Filling in the form now I'm only offered Vista Home Basic, which is certainly not what I'm looking for. Is there any way of altering this?

Thanks for your attention and taking the time to keep the blog up to date.

Graham

Hi Lionel,

How long are you planning on leaving XP Pro as an option on the small business systems in the US? Business users don't seem to want bleeding edge technology, and I've had a number of inquiries about the Australian website only having Vista bundles, particularly on the Precision mobile workstations.

Ben Stephens
Dell Kiosk Chermside, Brisbane Australia