Direct2Dell

One of my friends suggested buying a Dell notebook for he said that it is one of the best notebooks available in the market today according to one trusted notebook review he's read recently. So I guess a few days of delay wouldn't be a problem at all:-)

Hooray! Finally got mine shipped. Didn't get it yet but got an email today that it would arrive next business day which is tomorrow. I ordred it on 9/11. Dell kept pushing it back a week at a time. Last week they pushed it back a month to 11/20. So now they ship it. Already have the external drive and spare battery. I got the battery for $28. Don't know why it was so cheap one day, but who cares. I actually ordered 3 of them to see which would come first. Guess now I'll just cancel the others or maybe keep them and sell them. Dell lets you transfer ownership with warranty so it shouldn't be hard to sell. Good luck to you guys waiting. Hope you get them soon. Don't know how Dell stays in business with the service they give. Guess its the advertising.

I don't see how any of you got your computers within 7 days!  I ordered and Inspiron in late August with a ship date of "around Sept 24".  I was okay with that, but on the 24th, I get a phone call that the new ship date would Oct 22.  Then again on Oct 22, the phone call comes in that the new ship date will be Nov 19!  I do not get the call until the day it was supposed to be shipped?  Do they not know on the day before?

I have been told it is because they are having problems securing batteries from a supplier.  However, I see someone on Sept 8 getting his computer (granted it was an XPS and not Inspiron).

Also, I ordered several other items - that, by chance should not have any issue with battery product securing.  All of the other items have also been delayed with each subsequent month!  Some of the items were going to be Christmas presents for the kids, but now I'm concerned that I'll have to find those items elsewhere.

Dell has always been a trusted company and they secure some pretty big contracts with entire states and large companies.  Are the little folks too little for them to care about us anymore?

Dell - my disappointment runs deep. :-(

Hello sir/medam,

I want a desktop. under price of 30,000 Rupees and I am give your monthly rupees 1,000 Rupees per month give you.

So you agree send me a desktop and not agree to koi baat nahi.

Basic colors like black are easier to produce. Premium colors and finishes like we use on the Inspiron models introduce complexity into the process, and that’s holding things up.
--------------
Sally

Viral Marketing

Basic colors like black are easier to produce. Premium colors and finishes like we use on the Inspiron models introduce complexity into the process, and that’s holding things up.
--------------
Sally

<a href="http://www.drivenwide.com">viral Marketing</a>

I ordered my xps laptop (midnight blue) and it gave me a 12 day build before they would ship it out.  Well I received it in the mail in just 7 days total.  And it runs absolutely beautiful.  So far I have been extremely lucky with the last 4 dell comps i have purchased, 3 for friends over the last 4 years (desktops), and this laptop for myself. The first one i ordered for a friend 4 years ago hasn't given him a single problem yet, and so far so good on the other ones my other friends have gotten,  I myself never thought i would purchase one of them myself because of the proprietary software and hardware that makes it harder to upgrade things yourself.  But since i wont upgrade a laptop I decided to get one, I had to purchase a m1330 from dell since i couldn't come close to getting one with all the custom things i wanted installed on a small laptop at such a low price ( after all of the instant discounts and coupons i used).  I did include a 4 year accidental warranty, so I'm set for the next four years without any worries. 

Any word on Studio laptop delays?

I ordered mine on 7/29/08, along with Microsoft Home & Office 2007. My software arrived right on time, but my Studio was delayed from an ESD of 8/8/08 to 8/18/08. Now it should arrive on the 21st. No big deal compared to the problems others are facing in waiting for their systems, but if my ship date is pushed back again, I'll have to cancel my order and shop elsewhere, seeing as though I start classes on the 25th.

I love the pink one!!

It is so cute!!!!!!!!

I just purchased my inspirib 1501 Dell laptop at walmart....where do i find the wireless card number to activate it?

I agree Susan.  This will be my last Dell purchase as well.  I had endless problems and long waits for my last Dell laptop that I ordered with a colored backing.  Now my E1505 like the other poster above is doing the same battery dying trick right after the warranty is up.  HP has a much better product that actually lasts, I suggest everyone buy from HP next time unless you enjoy being treated like you are an idiot because you don't understand why it take 2 months to get a computer that usually ships in a week or less.  Dell quick suggestion as Susan said above and many others have stated before her, I will even write it in caps, DON'T ADVERTISE A PRODUCT YOU CAN NOT PROVIDE!  Thank you.

Susan:

Do yourself a favor and just cancel your order and then head to your nearest Best Buy or Office Depot store and buy an HP computer.  You'll save money, have it immediately and have a superior product in my opinion.

Dell is going through alot of changes and not for the better.  They have closed many of their North American operations and moved their customer service and much of their sales people off shore.  Worse, it seems their attitude has moved....into the toilet.  Ask yourself, if there is a shortage of LCD's, why hasn't that affected the Dell computers that are sold at Wal-Mart and other retailers? 

I switched to HP after buying no less than 8 Dell computers over the years and couldn't be happier.  If Dell doesn't want your business, don't give it to them.

I purchased an Inspiron E1505 a little over a year ago.  Ironically the warranty runs out after one year.  However no sooner did the warranty go out my laptop flashed me a message when I turned it on saying that the battery is still charging normally but will not hold the charge as long anymore.  Ok, now yes the warranty did run out but lets be honest your telling me that the battery in my laptop after being on AC power for most of the year that I have had it is dying already?  When I take it off AC power now it lasts 30 minutes or so.  This is ridiculous.  Then when you go to the website that the computer suggests to order a new battery they cost $200 for a direct replacement and $300 for the 9 cell.  Now the most interesting part is that the ratings for both batteries are incredibly low.  When you read the messages every user has written they all say the same thing.  They have all had their laptops for a little over a year and the batteries are basically dying shortly after the warranty expires.  This is not right, this is not a specific issue, many more people than just me are having this problem and it needs to be addressed.  I have an Inspiron 8000 which is now over 7 years old.  I replaced the battery in that laptop once and that was after 3 years of use.  My Inspiron 8000 battery outperforms the Inspiron E1505's battery and the Inspiron 8000's battery is almost 4 years old.  How can Dell's expect the customer to be spending $200 to $300 a year on batteries for their laptops, it is ridiculous.  I called DELL customer service and I was told that the warranty on my laptop has run out and there was nothing that could be done for me but that my issue would be documented.  Well if the batteries in your laptops are going to die ironically after your one year warranties are up then there needs to be a disclaimer about this because I would have had the battery replaced before it ran out, or I would have extended the warranty if I had prior knowledge of this.  As far as I am concerned this is a scam.  There is no way DELL could expect me to spend that much money every year on my laptop that only cost me $1200, in 6 years I would have paid for the computer again and this is just for the battery no other replacement costs.  This issue needs to be addressed because your product is horribly flawed if your laptops can not perform after one year.  I attached the website link for the batteries where you can see the low ratings and the proof of the issue with more than just my laptop.  Thank you.  http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/category.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&category_id=2999&mfgpid=167760&chassisid=-1

I bought one dell inspiron 1420 laptop on 27th feb. Since then i have got 4 times the blue screens. In my workplace 5 other persons are having the dell laptops and two of them with the same model and configuration as i am having. We all are using the same kind of softwares. but still i am the only one to get the blue screen errors and each time i have to reinstall the operating system. That's the only solution they tell me. I was wondering if the problem is due to a fault in any hardware. The dell techincal support is only giving me telephone support whereas i wanted a techincian to come and take a thorough check up of my system.

The cause of blue screen is software incompatibilty with the operating system. But how come the same software is working on the other laptops without any problem.

Can i get any help from this site. My system is still under warranty, can i got my system replaced with a new one.

I ordered the arctic white Inspirion Laptop cover back in Dec. 2007, and I received my order ahead of schedule by a couple of days. It looks like several people have had major issues with product delays, and thankfully this was not a problem for me.

 However, I was promised a $150 Dell gift card with my purchase, and I have yet to receive it. The Dell representatives are very nice and responsive via email, but I continue to wait for the gift card that was supposed to take no more than six weeks to arrive from point of purchase.

I can't help but wonder if the gift card delay is intentional. If Joe Consumer forgets that in six weeks he's supposed to receive the gift card, and never inquires about it, Dell has saved $150.

It is funny how you post certain things and not others.  Hmmm I wonder what all the people who did not get posted had to say?

I "borrowed" this from the www.ihatedell.net website...very interesting.  Look like Dell will stoop to whatever tactics are necessary rather than try to fix their problems in an honest manner..... 

"This is an authentic internal email from a Dell salesperson to colleagues. Note the part about relating to customers by lying to them. (Identifying info redacted to protect the guilty.)

From: XXX
Sent: Monday, March 24, 2008 12:05 PM
To: XXX
Subject: A few Words
2 Things from the crazy Psych major:
1)Description-if you think about it, we are at a disadvantage as sales people because we are selling over the phone, so we are limited in that we cannot “show” someone how something works or show someone a specific product. So we have to very good at Description and explaining our products. If you can, use Dell.com and the internet to show customers how certain look and work. For example, when I am selling a Lattitude and I am explaining the docking station/notebook stand solution, I as my customer to go Dell.com and to enter “notebook stand’ in the keyword search area. This brings up the docking station and notebook together as a complete solution and gives a picture of what it looks like so it is much easier to explain the total solution and the benefits of having such a solution
2) “Act As if”-Act as if you are whoever you want to be when talking to customers. Use specific examples of certain situations where you were in the same shoes as your customer. For example, when I talk about Precisions to my customers, I explain how I am a DJ/Producer and I use intense programs such as Pro Tools. I say that I own a Precision and I explain how it benefits me, similar to how it would benefit one of my customers. Do I own a Precision, no, but it sounds like a good story and gives the customer a firsthand example of a product, it’s usage, and it’s benefits. Use specific stories and examples from you or your peers experiences to help sell products. Another one I use when selling Lattitudes is that all our managers and executives use the same machines. I explain how they have the docking station/notebook stand solution, how they are on the go a lot, and how they use the commonality aspects of the Lattitudes. To make my point, it helps to use specific stories and experiences when describing and selling these products and we can use that fact that we are on the phone, and not in person, to our advantage.
Just a few words to think about.
Thank you and have a great day!
XXX
Dell XXX
Account Manager
Phone: XXX
Email: XXX
Fax: XXX"

Well, I ordered a jet black 1520 end of January.  I'd been keeping up with the board here and was all but resigned to disaster.  Well, I had one delay and received my notebook after 3 weeks.  After using the notebook for the past few weeks I can say that I'm totally satisfied.  Performance has been flawless (i opted for the top end video card, and screen, went with the mid range processor).  The price was very competitive and the features are sweet.

 I'm not sure I'd recommend Dell for a new purchase right now.  But if you're in the queue and don't mind the wait you'll be rewarded with a solid notebook.

Good luck

Pete Maximale Hypotheek

 Follow up:

Just checked status today, 3-9-08 and Inspiron 1520 is now showing shipped status. Inspiron as stated earlier is Black and shipped status is 11 days earlier than originally quoted. 

Well, I wish I had seen this forum earlier. Just ordered my wife a Black Inspiron 1520 with XP Pro as her Gateway has pretty much lived out its life. Expected ship date is March 20th '08 so will see how the ship date holds up. Hopefully it ships when they claim.

 So I ordered a inspiron 6400 (??!!) (yes, really) on 28th Jan, expected delivery was 18th Feb.  Up to a week before, all contact with Dell returned the answer : yes it will be with you then.

 Until the 14th Feb that is and then they suddenly changed their mind, now it is the 12th March.  But it is still in pre-production.

 
I'm wondering about cancelling the order and going to get a HP notebook instead. And hope they are better!!


 

I ordered an Inspiron 1525 on Jan 7 (a yellow one), the expected delivery date was Jan 21. I called on Jan 22, because it didn't arrive. The person on the phone (who put me on hold for at least 30min) told me that it'll arrive in a week. Ok, a week later, I called again, because it hadn't arrived. Another person told me that my order was cancelled and that I should re-order.

Ok, I re-ordered another one on Feb 1. Since I heard colour was the problem, I ordered a white one. The expected delievery date was Feb 14. It didn't arrive. Feb 15, someone called and told me there will be a delay. She said it should come in early March.

In total, I am waiting 2 months for one laptop, that is, if it actually arrives in early March.

Stop selling products you don't have.

Stop making promises you can't keep.

 

Hey Lionel!

Not too sure if you're aware of this but people are still experiencing delays on Inspirons both in the US of A and over here in the EU.. any danger of an update?

I have made a small observation.  Recently we have seen that DELL has been having a lot of delivery issues on multiple levels.  This was not just computers, but also on regular items as can be seen in this forum above.  Now to my observation.  I have noticed that DELL has now expanded themselves to making their computers avaliable in Wal-mart and just recently I just saw Best Buy.  Is it possible in some way shape or form that DELL may have bitten off a little more than they can chew and expanded into these markets, and not have been able to keep up with the demand from their original online consumers.  Hence the shortages could possibly been caused IMHO by the parts and manpower were being devoted to more areas than previously were not necessary due to their ill timed expansion of their market.  Hmmm I don't know, maybe waiting till after they released their new product line and delivered to their online consumers may have been a good idea to prevent the DELL fiasco of '07.  Just an observation.  A concerned Dell customer.

Jack Bauer

WMIPRVSE.EXE should be in C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\WBEM\WMIPRVSE directory. It there is another copy in any other folder it is very possible that with WMIPRVSE.EXE crashing, a trojan virus is in your system. I suggest you scan your system using your antivirus software or call Dell's technical support particularly "Dell On Call".

As for the "unrecognized AC adapter" issue, try first clearing the NVRAM. If it still does not fix it, there is a BIOS update available at Dell's support website that should fix it.

As for the i2api_debug.log, everytime the system crashes, it creates this debug log which shows what file actually crashed.

Yes, Virginia, there are still Dellays at Dell Corp...my 1721's working fine, albeit a few "unrecognized AC adapter" issues, WMIPRVSE.EXE crashes and a crazy i2api_debug.log or something like that filling up my hard drive...anyone got a suggestion on those issues.....

....anyone?

....anyone?

....Bueller?

....Bueller?

....Bueller?

Uuhg! This is so lame, I should have thought to look at this before ordering. I ordered a yellow and a black one on 12/9. Black shows as delivered, Yellow shows as "in production" I wish I would have ordered them both in black. One of my kids are going to be very bummed out on xmas. Any luck with anyone ordering a yellow notebook?

Ordered a Pink (now, not even available) 1520 and it came in about 2 weeks (three days before projected). Maybe it's getting a little better. Dell does offer customization which you have to expect will not result in immediate shipment.

I ordered two Inspiron 1520 laptops on December 10 and was informed that I would received them by December 18.  One of the laptops arrived on 12/18 but we received notification that the other laptop would not arrive until 12/28.  I contacted Dell to ask why this was the case since I ordered both laptops at the same time.  I also informed them that just this past weekend they were advertising on their website that there was still time to order a laptop and have it in time for Christmas.  Apparently, that was not true.  Isn't that False Advertising?  I ordered a laptop for another person on 12/12 and they received their laptop today.  Two days after the first order -- why is that?  I contacted Dell to find out what was with the delay and was basically told I should be lucky that I received the first laptop.  Can you believe that?  They should be lucky that I am buying a Dell laptop.  I noticed yesterday that Staples had a large number of Dell laptops in their stores but of course I cannot customize it to my specifications so that does not work for me.    I have always recommended Dell computers but lately I am rethinking that so much so I have decided to put off ordering my own new laptops. 

I dont even know what number post this is but it has to be in the thousands.  Anyway to the matter at hand.  DELL, what happened?  You used to be such a reliable and trustworthy company.  You could order a laptop, desktop, etc. and expect it on time if not early and in working condition.  Now DELL all we have to look forward to is multiple delays, cancelled orders, and in certain cases defective products.  Based on these findings lets analyze what the problem must be.

First lets look at the multiple delays.  Now there are many diffeent reasons for delays, more than I care to list.  However, the most used excuses by CSR's in this situation have been painting issues, and or problems procuring products.  Now I will give you a break on the procuring of products for the computers, because most of the time you are dealing with a third party and you can not control their actions, but if this third party is continuously causing you delays they should be replaced if possible.  Now to the painting issues.  DELL is the one that was painting these computers.  Before these laptops were marketed and sold the painting process should have been perfected not in its trial stages as was evident from the responses you get from CSR's.  Now on the other hand there are people who did not even order computers but TV's, Printers, etc.  Why are there delays on these items?  Excuses can not be given for these.  Obviously there need to be improvements in the manufacturing and shipping process.  So my suggestion, don't market products you do not have or have not completely figured out how to build or finish properly.  That is called false advertising, not matter what you say or what loophole you use to get around it.  It may be legal in whatever convaluted way you decide to phrase but it is still bad business and as far as I know, you are a company who wants to have a successful business.

 Second lets address the cancelling of orders.  This topic covers several issues.  First the communication with the customer.  The CSR department needs work.  They obviously have no idea how to treat angry customers.  CSR's are there to assist the customer with there problem not to further aggrivate them.  When CSR's act as if we should expect to wait for our computers when it has been a month from a company that used to be able to do it in under 2 weeks is ridiculious.  The CSR's need to also tell the truth.  If they do not know what the problem is dont make one up because I can assure you the customer is taking note of this and will point out any discrepencies.  You are better saying I do not know and sending the question to the appropriate person.  In addition to CSR's the online ordering system needs some help.  Obviously as most have found out the system will cancel your order if it is delayed and you do not go on and authorize the delay.  Now before this incident I have never had a delay with DELL to the point where this situation would occur.  How would I have known.  The CSR's don't tell you before it happens, and you do not receive an email informing you that it will be happening.  The customer can assume something they dont know is going to happen how can they?  There needs to be clear documentation on this fact for the customer when they order from you.

This entire situation has been completely mishandled.  There need to be some serious changes at DELL because it can not continue like this.  Customers will only take this kind of treatment for so long.  DELL may have great products but no one wants to be ostrasized just for a good product.  I can go to Best Buy if that is the case or any number of other dealers.  The time has come and gone of DELL be ing the stand alone giant in the computer world, and at this rate it will be a long time before it gets close to that reputation again.  Good Luck.

Also in response to 'Heads Up',

These delays are occuring in the UK & Europe, not just USA.

The delays have got nothing to do with the final delivery stage; it's at the manufacturing stage they are occuring. If, as Linda said, you'd read the previous posts you would have understood this, and the fact that most complainers have spent hours communicating with Dell managers & service people, all to no avail, which is why they type on this blog, to let off steam and commiserate with eachother.

Ladies and Gents, Don't blame Dell for your computers being late.  They deliver through UPS and since UPS goes down at least twice a week I'm sure you could understand why your orders are so late.  Aside from all that mess, you do realize that you're only complaining to each other. If you want your computers faster then CALL Dell and make sure you talk to a manager.  There is really nothing that Dell can do for someone who complains under a blog. 

Well, I finally got my Dell Laptop, after waiting since July, albeit without the WXGA+ screen I had originally ordered.  It turned out that was what the hold-up was, but Dell didn't tell me that until the end of October.  I also had to go for the 9-cell battery as Dell have now run out of 6-cell batteries would you believe !  Why will Dell not tell the truth to customers about what is causing the delay on their system and give them the opportunity to change the order.  Apart from the screen resolution my laptop is exactly the same model & spec as I ordered in July.  If only Dell had been honest with me back then and told me they would not be able to supply that screen for at least 6 months I could have made the decision to change it, and saved 4 months of aggravation.  I did get some money refunded in the end but that doesn't really make up for the lost time and irritation. 

Dell, your products are good value for money but your customer service is atrocious and is badly letting you down.  Instead of spending millions on full page advertisements in the newspapers every day, focus your attention on improving your customer service.  That way you won't need to pay to advertise; your customers will be doing the advertising for you.

Dell has shipping issues with products they don't even produce!  I ordered a Canon 40D DSLR camera for $1499 and it's been almost a month and still nothing!!!  This camera is available at every other biq box retailer, yet Dell can't seem to ship the ones they're selling...  The only reason I ordered it from Dell is because a friend owed me money and could finance it through dell to pay me. I will never buy anything from dell again!!! 

BOYCOTT  DELL!!!

Although i got my lptp  3 days earlier than the estimated date. I had and still am getting a lot of problems with the warranty guys at the customer centre.

No rep seem to know anything at dell. U are kept waiting endlessly for an answer and the only thing they want to know is whether the customer is satisfied; which obviously no one is.  The chat session has abruptly ended many times thereby increasing the frustation level even more.

I am seriously thinking of a return and  have now started recommending HP to all my friends. 

You're very lucky then.

I didn't order a fancy colour and there was no mention of delays when I placed my order back in July.  Last week after 3 months of argument over non-delivery Dell cancelled my order.

"Joe said:

I don't get it.

You order a computer with some fancy color that says right out "MAY DELAY YOUR ORDER," and then when your order is delayed you complain?  I don't get it.

I have ordered twice from Dell and received both computers within 2 weeks after ordering.  Of course, I didn't choose the options that said, "MAY DELAY YOUR ODER...."  So my order wasn't delayed.

Oh well, live and learn.
 

Just a follow up...

I ordered a Spring Green 1521 on July 15th for my college bound daughter - finally received it on September 11th.  Computer crashed completely on September 25th - told my daughter they would send out a replacement within a week.  ACTUALLY RECEIVED A REPLACEMENT (exactly as we ordered) on Monday, October 1st. AND the customer service and tech help she received was excellent when she called them when it died.

The NEW computer is working great - I was VERY surprised that DELL came through with the replacement in the time frame that they promised.  When my daughter called and said that "they promised to send it immediately" I laughed and told her not to get her hopes up and reminded her that it took 2 months to get the original one.  Obviously the 'replacement' computers come out of a completely different division of Dell that knows about customer service and keeping promises.  So far she has had the new one for a month and it is working well - is it sad that I'm watching the calendar to see how long a computer will last.  We are keeping our fingers crossed - she is very happy with the laptop so far.

I'm still severly disappointed about my customer service that I received in trying to get the computer in the first place, but in this instance they came through.

Good Luck to all!

PS - never received the $100.00 discount

I placed an order for a flaminog pink inspiron 1721 on sept 13th and was givin so many delays I finally recieved it on oct.22 when I opened it I really liked the color but it was soo huge for what i needed it for...So i decided to order a 1420 which i ordered on 10/27 and i just check and it was shipped today 10/29....I jus think its a little weird that it only took two days to ship after people are still waiting since july...And has anyone ever heard a premium metallic pink supposed its a different shade they use but i just think they told me that to get me off the phone....lets see if i really get my laptop by the end of the week

Today I was channel surfing and came upon "The Dell Hour" on HSN - the home shopping channel.  I couldn't believe what I saw.....

 They were selling Dell Inspirons in every color.  They said the black and yellow Inspirons would take an extra 3 days to ship but every other color was "at once shipping".

I realize that HSN sells thousands of notebooks on their program and that I'm just an individual consumer but that is a total insult.  Basically Dell is telling me that my business in meaningless to them.....so I'll do Dell a huge favor and not only never buy anything from Dell again but I intend to tell all of my friends and fellow business people to check out www.ihatedell.net and view the comments from currrent and former Dell employees as well as current and former Dell customers. 

I ordered my Inspiron 1520, with a high spec, 13 August 07 with a promised 5 week delivery. By 20 Sept 07 the website was still indicating 'pre-production'.  I wrote to Dell with notice of cancellation, imposing 30 day order option to cancel or for Dell to agree a £50 per week delay reduction (from the 20 Sept 07).  The item was delivered exactly one week later with a £100 reduction.

The message is clear - CANCEL or impose financial penalties - when the order (contract) agreement is broken by Dell.

Jason et al,

You're lucky you only had to wait 2 months.  I ordered my Inspiron on 21st July and am still waiting.  Dell have today finally told me the hold-up is with a screen component but they still can't tell me when I will get my laptop.  How can it take more than 3 months to get a fundamental component which no other manufacturer seems to have trouble obtaining.  The first time I telephoned Customer Service I was told the Service line was open from 9am till 5pm and as it was now 1 minute past 5 I couldn't speak to them; this was after it had taken nearly 15 minutes for someone to answer the phone !  My initial emails went unanswered and it was only when I started getting angry that Dell began to respond.  Trying to follow the order status on the web site is a complete waste of time.  Twice my order has gone into production then a few days later gone backwards to pre-production.  Dell will not give me any explanation for this.  They don't update the dates either.

Dell have gone from being the best Computer Manufacturer in the world to one of the worst.

 Inspiron 1720, Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, 1.5GHz, 667Mhz 2M L2 Cache

In yellow!  Finally shipped this morning.  I kind of had a feeling it was about to ship.  My second ship date of 10/10 was changed to 10/17 the other day. 

Reading all of your posts it seems pretty obvious that Dell has some kind of strategy for how they're delaying and delivering these laptops.  Something like: first you get an exceptionally long ESD.  Then you get a frustrating delayed ESD of about 4 weeks.  Then you get a final shorter ESD that they beat by a few days.   My guess is this saves Dell the embarassment and cancelled orders that would result if they just admitted when you order your laptop that it will take them 2 months to deliver it.  I know I would not have placed the order if the delivery date had been two months.  But having waited four weeks, they took the chance that I would wait it out.

 I spent a lot of time on the phone and emailing Dell Customer Service the past two months and have to say it was totally a waste of time.  I got nothing free, did nothing to speed up delivery and worst of all I never received any information from "customer service" that helped me in any way.  Seriously the worst customer service experience of my life.  Does Dell really just pay people in India to regurgitate the same stuff that is on their website??  I needed customer assistance, not help reading.

 And lastly, the idiot calling everybody "whiners" is... an idiot.  If you really think its acceptable to wait two months for a laptop from the biggest computer company in the world, you are a moron.  And I would hardly call people ordering Inspirons "early adopters". 

Good luck to all.

Okay, I got an e-mail from Dell today saying that my order was shipped out! After placing an order for a Flamingo Pink 1721 on July 8th and multiple delays, THEN a cancellation on Dell's part. Then another order placed on August 7th and multiple delays after that with a final ESD of November 26th, I get this e-mail today! I highly doubt it'll arrive smoothly or tomorrow, but it gives me some kind of hope. WISH ME LUCK!

Well, I am bummed to read all of this...as I just ordered my Flamingo Pink 1721 last night.  Does anyone know WHERE these are being assembled?  We ordered a large picture for the wall at a furniture store in July who said, "This will take a month, as it is being shipped from the Far East."  Far East is short for CHINA.  I called them today, for the 3rd or 4th time, as it is now October and they're giving me yet another delivery date of 10/19 and no offer of a compensation.  They've had our money this whole time, too, BTW.  Anyway, with all the troubles we're having with imports from China, I was just wondering...

Wendy, who will be SO discouraged if her laptop takes 60 days, like many of you are experiencing.  This will hamper my business. :(

WELL IT HAPPEND AGAIN...I CALLED YESTERDAY BECAUSE MY SHIP DATE WAS TODAY AND WAS TOLD THAT MY LAPTOP THE 1720 FLAMINGO PINK 17IN MONITOR WOULD BE SHIPPED IN A FEW DAYS. I JUST GOT AN EMAIL FROM DELL STATING THAT MY NEW SHIP DATE IS 10/21/2007SO FAR THAT IS THE SHIP DATES OF

9/25/2007

10/01/2007

10/10/2007

10/21/2007

WHEN I CALLED I WAS TOLD IT NOT THE COLOR ANYMORE IT IS THE LCD PANELTHAT IS BACKORDERED

THIS IS JUST NOT RIGHT I ORDERED THIS STUPID THING ON 8/20/2007 WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON!!!???!!!

I NOTICED THAT WALMART HAD A FRESH SUPPLY OF LAPTOPS BUT MINE IS NOT WHERE IN SIGHT. MAYBE THAT ARE WAITING ON THE LITTLE GRREN MEN FROM OUTERSPACE TO SUPPLIES THE PARTS FOR MY LAPTOP......I WONT HOLD MY BREATH FOR THAT 5TH DELAY ON THE 21ST OF OCTOBER.

I ORDERED MY 1720 FLAMINGO PINK LAPTOP ON 8/15/07 AND IT ACTUALLY IS IN BOXING AS OF TODAY.  I DON'T WANT TO GET TOO EXCITED, BUT I AM EXCITED THAT IT HAS MADE IT OUT OF THE BUILD STAGE AFTER ALMOST 60 DAYS.  I WILL LET YOU GUYS KNOW WHEN IT SHIPS AND WHEN OR SHOULD I SAY IF I GET IT.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE ELSE OUT THERE!

My laptop was a 1521 in Flamingo Pink. It was ordered August 26th and was just received today October 9th. This was a pretty much out of the box system with all the "included in price" options other than battery as an FYI. My husband ordered a black 1521 with the same options as me and got it a couple of weeks ago. He had a problem with the touch pad and after a couple of days with the help desk folks they decided to replace his laptop. They've allowed him to keep this one until the replacement was shipped. It's on it's way now.

So far so good, it's not super light (I did go for the longer life battery) but it's a nice system. The Pink colour reminds me a bit of the Razor phone hot pink colour. 

I placed my order without knowing all these "delays" and "shortages". During the ordering process, none of this was mentioned.

Now people are spending thousands upon thousands for products that are delayed. Aren't we titled to better services than this?

Worse yet are the delivery company - the logistics is horrible. While Dell actually got the computer made quickly (at least for me), the logistics company manage to "lose" my order. It is as if my order never existed to them.

If anyone from Dell is reading this - you guys need to find better logsitics people in Australia, cos they are terrible and can only drag your business down not up.

To Poster "Got Mine"

If you live in a world where nothing ever goes as you plan it - you need a lot more than a new laptop to help you out.  Most adults are able to create plans and execute them.  Sure there are times things don't work smoothly - but in general, they do. 

Boards are a place to vent frustration, express opinions and find out information from others in a similar situation.  As consumers we have a right to expect prompt service, product availability, and information.  Last I checked, this is the good ole' USA.  If you drop 2K for laptop that's "orderable" you want the laptop.  It's actually quite simple, consumers buy, manufacturers deliver - and delivery isn't what some are getting.

I ordered a jet black 1520 end of August.  I'd been keeping up with the board here and was all but resigned to disaster.  Well, I had one delay and received my notebook after 3 weeks.  After using the notebook for the past few weeks I can say that I'm totally satisfied.  Performance has been flawless (i opted for the top end video card, and screen, went with the mid range processor).  The price was very competitive and the features are sweet.  Vista is a real resource hog, but we all expected that - I'll say though, I do like it better than XP.  But that isn't earthshattering, its easier to navigate, interface is better.

Build quality seems good.  Solid feel, great keyboard which surprised me.  Good tactile feel.  Screen is gorgeous, wi-fi catcher is truly convenient.  Wireles reception seems incredibly strong.

Anyway, my point being - it might take a few delays (some of which you have experienced really are inexplicable and inexcusable), but you'll be pleased with your notebook.  I'm not sure I'd recommend Dell for a new purchase right now.  But if you're in the queue and don't mind the wait you'll be rewarded with a solid notebook.

Good luck and happy computing.

Hello,

I am very glad you got your computer.  However aparently you must let people walk all over you in all that you do.  Waiting 2 months for a computer that should take less than 2 weeks to build because of DELL's inability to perform is by far means to be upset.  By the way you in no way waited that long when I ordered mine on July 10th and got it the same day you got yours genius, so I do not expect you to complain.  I am a DELL customer as well own 6 Dell laptops and a printer and have never had problems before.  I am a loyal customer of DELL but DELL will never correct their mistakes if people like you just accept mistreatment.  I do not consider my life charmed by any means and have had countless disappointments.  I am also amazed you own your own business because if you would accept this from DELL I guess you must be willing to do the same to your customers, must be why you are so used to disappointment, business must be haorrible if you like to be treated like this.  You should go work for DELL you would fit in nicely.  Have a great day oh king or queen of customer service opinions.

This is my follow up post after getting my 1420 a bit early. It was shipped on the Friday before the Monday it was scheduled to ship and DHL was kind enough to keep it moving all weekend and delivered it the Monday it was supposed to ship. Excellent.

 If anyone is wondering about my first impressions, here they are. I've spent a week and a half setting it up twice because the first time I unknowingly blasted the special 2GB partition for the Dell Media Direct. The only way to get it back is to follow the instructions which include reformatting the entire disk again. No way to avoid it. Fortunately, my data was backed up nicely and my second set up was a few days quicker. I like the mail, calendar and photo gallery of Vista, but the aero interface is a bit sluggish, even with the 2.0G processor, 2G RAM and 8400 Nvidia card, especially typing speed.  I understand that Vista SP1 will improve overall speed a bit.

 
The machine does seem well built as many people have said. The yellow paint job is nearly flawless and a great color. Now, that it's set up I'm starting to enjoy it a bit more. Civ4 Beyond the Sword plays just fine with no problems. I really like the Media Direct feature. Overall, I'm satisfied.
 

To all of you whiners: Relax!

I ordered my daughter’s Pink laptop August 23 with ESD of Oct 1st.  So I waited.  Patiently.  It was shipped Sept 29.  In the meantime, I have read everyone of your posts.  I can not believe what charmed lives you must live, having NEVER had to deal with disappointment in your lives.  In my world, nothing goes according to plan.  I always have to plan B it (without sweating it).  Instead, you’re notifying the BBB (which by the way, has the authority to do absolutely nothing about anything).  You’re demanding boycotts, rebates, free shipping, free printers, gimme, gimme, gimme.  Remember, you’ve been mistreated! Abused! You’re owed. 

     You’re an early adopter.  You ought to be paying a premium for a colored laptop.  So what if it’s been delayed, this only makes it rarer and cooler than everyone else’s laptop.  Supply and demand, baby!

 I own three businesses, and this is my fifth Dell laptop;  I own three Dell color laser printers, and five Dell desktops.  I will continue to be a loyal Dell customer.  I have never had a problem with a Dell, unlike some of the other computer brands I have owned.

Get over it.

IN RESPONSE TO PAUL CORBETT:

It is very interesting that they just now brought that information to you, because back in June (when I initially ordered a 1420) I tried to order another E1505 and they told me THEN that they were no longer manufacturing or distributing them. I already have one E1505 and that was my primary choice for a newer notebook- but they had already stopped selling them back then. Sorry about your situation.  

I made a comment about the delay of my Inspiron E1505N order a couple weeks ago. Still, i continued to receive delay notifications. After noticing the Inspiron E1505N was no longer being sold on Dell's website, I chatted with a customer service rep last week to get detailed information about the nature of the delay... and whether the E1505N was still available to be shipped.

Here's the conversation:
09/26/2007 11:29:51AM

Me: "Do you know if dell is still shipping the E1505N since it is no longer available on the dell website?"

Agent: "Currently the E1505N,PENTIUM DUAL-CORE and the hard drive are backordered and causing delay."
"Please do not worry, you have placed the order, it will be shipped."

He also offered $30 or a free printer for my trouble. 

The latest delay notification noted the E1505N would be shipped on 10/6. Regretfully, I waited another week and a half until today 10/05 when I received yet another delay notification. This one stated the E1505N would be shipped on 10/12.

Again, i contacted customer service. The service rep informed me that the Inspiron E1505N is NO LONGER IN PRODUCTION!!!

So after 2+ months of waiting, I discover I have ordered a computer which is no longer available. Who knows how long I would have continued to receive these false delay notifications had I not discovered this and canceled my order.

Dell, this is beyond poor customer service. This is false representation.
My experience will be documented in a complaint to the Better Business Bureau.

I would STRONGLY ENCOURAGE anyone else who ordered the E1505N to promptly cancel your order.
 

Here is my question, why is Dell still advertising a notebook when they cannot deliver the ones that were ordered in July/August?  I ordered 2 pink Inspirion 1720/1721 on 8/8 and my current esd is 10/15, I am just waiting for the dreadful news that it is going to be delayed again.  Both my mom and I have to take a day off work to receive the shipment, but we can't even plan it because of this entire mess.  The only reason i am waiting is because I know I won't be happy with anything else, but I really might consider cancelling if it gets extended past November 1.  Also, why if I order the exact same thing online right now, the esd is 10/25, 10 days after my esd and I ordered in august.

Dell, you need to remember that individual sales might only be 20% of your sales but most of us work for larger companies and those companies will listen to thier employees if they hear enough complaints. From what I see that will not be a problem.  Personally I work for a worldwide company and it is one of the largest employers around the world.  We order over 10,000 Dell notebooks/desktops a year.  If enough employees voice thier concerns, the company will consider switching.  Actually we are starting to phase in HP due to the lack of service with Dell.  How do you expect to stay in business when 80% of your sales (large companies) see how you treat thier employees. 

A current accurate update on my orders would be nice.  it has been in the build stage for over 1 1/2 months.

By the way, attempting patience, you can call 1-800-433-9014 to get an update on your computer, it is automated (YEAH) and it will tell you what stage it is in.

HEY,

Ordered a dell inspiron on Sept 13, will have it tomorrow on the 4th of Oct. ordered a black one with the only changes of blue tooth and integrated web cam. Not bad only 3 weeks so im happy with this. On Sept 28th I ordered a inspiron 1501 for the girlfriend...... I thought ok it should only take about 3 weeks as well, so thats good. It shipped on Oct. 2nd and should be here by the 8th. Built and shipped in 4 days and will be delivered 4 days after mine. Now if that aint a 360 degree turnaround I dont know what is.

I'm happy but slightly confused..... 

Vic 

well they shipped 1 day before my first esd....i thought i wouldn't be able to say that....and i was really waiting for that dreaded call with the changed esd....i noticed that the "may delay your order" notices are back underneath only some of the colors though......i wonder whats up with that...i guess its not a problem they are going to fix anytime soon....what a wonderful company eh?

Steve Amerige,

Dell probably operates on a Just-in-Time inventory system, which means that they keep almost nothing wearhoused, which reduces the costs involved with inventory on hand . Vendors deliver items on an as needed basis, and that it probably the root of troubles this summer. Their vendors produce to Dell's forecast, and when the orders for these items exploded to levels not forecasted, they had no inventory to fall back on. When the quality problems surfaced, that added complexity to an already overtaxed system, as certain components became unavailable. I canceled my order and picked up a MacBook.

Thanks!

I ordered a 1420 in July.  Now waiting 3 months with no delivery in sight.  People ordering the EXACT same unit well after me are receiving theirs.  Apparently the queue has been scrambled.  I'm seeking a lawyer... Dell says they don't "promise" but they do - whether implied, suggested, or otherwise, they do...

Anyone with me???

Hi, I ordered a notebook and some assesories for it and I paid it with my debit card. Igot an email written they confirm my order but becouse my money has not arrived to my account they can not deliver it to me. But the confirmation email contained just only my assesories. What happened with my notebook?

Should I reply my order? When the money will be on my account both of us just wait?

thanx

J:

You know it is shocking that here we are on October 3rd, and people are still having problems getting there computers.  I ordered mine in the beginning of July and did not receive it till the end of August.  I was really in the first batch of customers who had problems.  I figured that once I got mine things should just fall into place for everyone else.  However I see people are still not getting their computers in a timely manner.  I suggest everyone should report this incident to the BBB.  It will not solve the problem, but the more complaints that Dell gets the more they have to explain themselves.  Besides what else do you have to do since you are still waiting and want the computer, why not make Dell have do something.  Either way I really hope you all get your computers soon, and DELL apparently you are still giving the people that are still waiting the same tired excuses for your inability to perform.  I assure you all here that I got the same excuses you are getting and they are not warranted.  Obviously not because I have my computer.  DELL you have really gone down hill and if you plan to get back up major changes are going to need to be made at your organization.  Here is a list of things to change:

1.  Customer Service - The customer service department is really anything but.  They can not answer your questions, because no matter what they say they have no authority.  They are pawns of their managers and do and say what they are told.  This makes them unable to do anything for you.  Then they have the nerve to be mad at the customer because the "customer" is not getting answers but repeated lies.  Another thing, after waiting all of this time for my computer I get several calls at my home from your customer service department.  Finally when they catch me when I am at home they try to get me to spend almost $200 on an extended warranty.  Give me a break, yes I want to spend more money on something you took two months to deliver, very funny.

2.  Organizational Responsibility - Stop blaming your suppliers.  The problem is not your suppliers, the problem is you.  The problems that you are having stem from your companies inability to properly design and manufacture your product.  When you build a product next time make sure it works before you market it to the public.  Otherwise when people start ordering them you won't be able to deliver them.

3.   Business Sense - Since when does a company market a product they can not deliver.  The number one excuse I heard about why my computer was delayed was the "paint."  Now it maybe me but for some reason I would think if you were making a product you would learn how to paint it before you start selling them.  Then the response to that comment was that DELL could make them in small numbers but in large quantities there were quality issues.  Let me ask you a question.  How many of these computers did you expect to sell, 2?  DELL is a large corporation that sells all over the world.  Wouldn't you make sure you could paint large quantities of your product anyway?  Absolutely ridiculous. 

DELL everytime I talk about this it honestly makes me laugh that you actually want people to believe the nonsense that you are saying.  Maybe you think customers are inept, but you are not fooling me.  Oh well all I can say is you really think that your current business model is working, please by all means continue, Sony, HP, Apple, etc. will thank you. 

Have a great day.

Oh, and one more thing... your website should show whether you actually have items in-stock or not.  If the item is in-stock, then there should be absolutely no delays possible, right?

Most catalogs I visit on the web show whether an item is in-stock or is back-ordered.  Again, give customers the ability to make informed choices.  If we know that we're ordering an option that is not in-stock, they we know that we're taking a risk.

The problem is: I suspect that Dell.com doesn't have much  in-stock.  But, prove me wrong and put this information into your catalog for all to see before purchasing.

 

Dell, you've broken trust with your customers and need to do something to rebuild it.  I suggest two things:

1. As a person goes through the customization process, show actual estimated delivery dates, not the vague "May delay your order."  This way, a customer can see that adding a certain option pushes out the order by 2 days or 2 months and can decide, before purchasing, whether the option is worth the wait.  Please give the power to make informed decisions to your customers.

2. If you don't meet your estimated delivery date, then for *each day* that you're late, you should deduct some money off of the order.  This automatic penalty rebate should be shown to us before checking out.

If you do these two things, you become accountable and show that you want to be trusted.  If you don't do these things, then you're telling me that you really can't be trusted and we should deal with you (or not) on that basis.
 

I ordered my 1420 on Sep. 8th. My ESD ship date just now got moved to Oct 13th. The strange thing is, if you order the same laptop today, you get ESD Oct. 13 also. Why should I believe the ship date given to me now? Why is Dell lying about their estimated ship dates?

Also, I was told that delays were caused by my choice of color, but I choose the default jet black. Why can't dell offer me a different color without canceling my order. What kind of terrible order system doesn't allow an order to be changed? If I could get someone from Dell to just tell me the truth about one of these issues, I would consider not canceling my order. How many people are ahead of me in line? What is the real ESD?

Why can't you offer anything except next day shipping to apologise for this mismanagment? I reminded of Apple's recent announcement to give early IPhone adopters ITunes cash to apologies for their sudden drop in price. It's time for Dell make some concession to maintain there customer base or this blemish will cripple them in the future.

Very Very Disappointed with Dell.  Would never recommend one again.  Delay after delay after Delay  - the latest estimated delivery date is more than 3 months after my order date - not sure if I believe the new date either. 

Ordered the pink Inspiron 1521 on July 27.  Cancelled on Sept 28.     I could not wait any longer.  My daughter needed the PC for college, which start last month. 

The ESD of  Sept 27, was updated to Oct 5 last Thursday and to Oct 9 the next day. 

I find it hard to believe similar Pink models have shipped in 3 or 4 weeks.  I guess a few Dell customers are happy, not me.

Flamingo Pink 1521...Ordered 8/27...Esd 10/4....Was in build since 9/07.....Today I went into testing!!!  I hope it was worth the wait!

YAY! Finally..after more than two months waiting....my BEAUTIFUL sunshine yellow Inspiron 1721 arrived on Friday! It was up and running in minutes and is as gorgeous as it is fast!

Well worth the wait!

I ordered an M1710 on the 18th September. It has the black cover and the only modification I requested was 2GB of RAM. The delivery date was meant to be the1st October.

Then on the 27th September, the pre-production date moved from the 18th to the 27th. The delivery date moved from 1st October to 14th November.

The Dell UK website did not mention anything about delays and as far as I know still doesn't.

I'm a new customer to Dell. Friends recommend them, but saying that they had their laptops before the current fiasco. I'm not happy - they have taken my money, given me an initial 2 week delivery date and when that 2 weeks is almost up, pushed the date way back. I wonder what the law is on misleading advertising?

I'll consider my response over the weekend to Dell. I still want the laptop, but I think at minimum they should offer things like free extensions over the 1 year warranty.