Subscribe by EmailOrdering from Dell? Be prepared to wait… and wait… and wait
January 29, 2009 by Geeks are Sexy | 37 comments
By Yan Fortin
[GAS] Tech. News
First, let me say this: I’ve been a Dell customer for a long time. And I hope someone from Dell reads this.
I’ve bought systems and servers from them for the past 10 years. As I moved from job to job, I brought them along with me, giving them new business with companies that weren’t using them for their computer needs. The main reason for this is that as a large business customer, I’ve always been really happy with them: Product deliveries are usually on time, and their large business support is excellent.
But as a small business owner, I’m not so happy. On January 7th, I ordered a Dell Mini 12, which I planned to use in early February for a short trip I was planning. I got an excellent price on the system. The expected delivery date was fixed to January 19th – two weeks. Not terribly quick, but I could live with that.
But almost three and a half weeks later, I still haven’t received my system. And, if I hadn’t called Dell multiple times to get a status update on the delivery, I wouldn’t have gotten any news about it at all.
Sure, you can always go to Dell’s website to get your updates via your order number, but when your system is listed as “in production” for three weeks, you have to start asking some questions.
The system is still listed as “in production” today. That means it probably won’t get shipped until a few days, and that I won’t be getting my laptop before the middle of next week, at the minimum.
Now, the Dell Mini line is a very popular line of computers, and perhaps demand is outstripping production. I don’t mind that – what I’m having a problem with is being quoted a time of two weeks, and then getting the equipment several weeks later. If I had been told in the beginning that it would take a month or more to get the laptop to me, I would have decided to order something else. Now, I’ve paid hundreds of dollars for the computer which can no longer be used for the specific purpose it was purchased for. You can understand my frustration.
And this is not the first time something like this has happened with Dell. I thought it was an anomaly when, around a year and a half ago, I ordered a $3000 box through them, and had to live through the exact same thing. When I received it, the system was over a month late – and by the time I got it, the price for it dropped around $75. I called up Dell’s representative, and he said he would reimburse me the difference.
I never received the reimbursement, but unfortunately only realized it six months later. I then decided to drop the matter, as I didn’t feel like arguing with them again.
A few work colleagues and friends have had similar experiences – One of them had a 3-week delay on his order, and when he got told he had to wait, and that there wasn’t anything that could be done about the issue, he called his sales rep’s boss, and eventually ended up speaking with one of Dell’s Canadian VPs. On the same day, his system was shipped by air, and he got it the following morning.
The moral of this story? If you are a small business or an individual and need a Dell product quickly (two to three weeks, if that can be called “quickly”), don’t even bother trying to order it from them. Go to your local electronics store and get what they have in inventory.
I still think that Dell makes excellent products, but when it comes to delivery time and follow-ups for consumer’s products, they’re just not in the game.
Have you experienced anything similar with Dell or any of their competitors? Are they worse than everyone else, or is this kind of thing generalized through manufacturers that deal directly with home customers?
Edit: Followup story: CDW Astroturfs [GAS] with Fake Comments
Update: My Dell Sales Rep. called me yesterday and told me there was some pieces on backorder for the Mini 12. He canceled my order and placed a new one for the same machine, but with an upgraded processor, hard drive, and warranty. This time, the new expected delivery date is set to March 10th 2009.
- Is Dell Abandoning a Direct Sales Model?
- Dell hires Hollywood stars for holiday ad campaign
- Dell Unveils “Green” Bamboo PC
- Dell Embraces Ubuntu Linux
Very glad my last laptop came from ZaReason. It cost a bit less than a similarly-spec’d Dell, and it showed up in 8 days.
I really got an excellent price on the Mini, so I can’t complain there.. unfortunately, when I ordered it, only the atom 1.33ghz processor was available, the week later, the 1.66 became available..
Not that it’s going to matter that much on Ubuntu :)
I ordered a Mini9 12/5/08 the original delivery date was 2 weeks from the order date as always. On 1/20/09, after 2 shipment delays, I logged into my account (I am a Dell reseller) to check on my order (for some reason they don’t send me emails for shipment delays that need to be confirmed I have to log in to see whats going on) and there was yet another shipment delay notification (the 3rd!…WTF Dell?) when it should have been delivered the 21st. I needed it for the next day as I was leaving town for 10 days. Ended up getting an Acer Aspire One at Fry’s and I love it. After all this BS we are not recomending the Mini9. We have had no other shipment delays with other Dell models in the last few months. Over the last four years I think we have maybe had 3 shipment delays. Not sure whats up with the Minis but Dell needs more accurate ship dates for them. Thanks Dell, I love my Acer Aspire One!
I switched to HP a couple of years ago. Got my new system in less than a week. But I haven’t purchased very recently.
I ordered a high end Dimension when they were still in production 2 years ago, right before they stopped manufacturing them, and the system got to my door 2 months late. I’m glad too see I’m not alone!
I ordered my Dell Mini 9 on November 4th and didn’t receive it until November 25. That’s 3 weeks. I was told there was a 5-9 day delay when I ordered it. This turned into a 15 day delay. Very disappointing.
One thing to keep in mind is that typically the home site will take longer to produce orders. This is because Dell’s largest client-base are businesses, so they will work with those systems as priority.
Also consider that the more a system is customized, then the longer it could take to part together. They don’t have thousands of every possible config lying around, and the less one particular part is used, the longer it will take to build a system with. They do note this on some of their component selection in the form of “may delay shipping date by two weeks” or similarly.
While I agree that you can always go to a brick and mortar store and get a system much quicker, you do sacrifice a wider range of model configurations and warranty/support options.
But, if you are a business, constantly haggling your sales rep is necessary if they aren’t giving you the service you think they should. It sounds like a pain, but it does pay off in the end. We ended up getting a new sales rep assigned to us, and we’ve felt better taken care of since.
But all of this shows that if you’re in somewhat of a rush to get a new system (i.e. within three weeks), you really should plan further ahead when ordering from OEMs online. This will ensure you get the specific system you want in time for when you need it.
Yes, but when they estimate the delivery date, they should take this into account. A Mini 12 can’t be configured 2000 ways. When I ordered mine, All had the same processors, same same amount of memory, etc.
But in the end, what really frustrates me is that I called the small business dep. multiple times to know what was up with my order, and never got a real answer. now that is frustrating.
I ordered a Dell Studio XPS on December 8th, estimated ship date was the 16th, and it actually shipped on the 11th. Short story short, I was happy.
Had the same happen to me. Ordered a new laptop with my rep and was quoted 3-5 days for processing and then overnight shipping (for a new sales person.) Three days later I check the status and the estimated build time put the ship date in early February, which would have made it nearly five weeks from order to arrival. This was a stock laptop, nothing weird or custom about it.
I called and cancelled the order. My rep said they were having production issues. Ended up with a Lenovo – which arrived in three days.
We ordered 40 E4300 laptops on December 4th and it is still “in production”….. Hopefully Dell gets their act together soon…
What about when you finally take delivery and need to talk with someone? Forget it. Their phone system is designed to frustrate users. It is pathetic how many dead ends there are to that system (you traverse a branch of the system only to find your option not listed… the only thing to do is hangup and redial).
I’m seriously rethinking purchasing from Dell because of this.
I had the same problem, and every single time I called, they told me they didn’t know why it was taking so long. Then, 3 weeks after my order, their security department called home: my credit card had been stolen, apparently. To find out my delivery address was at home, while my credit card bill is sent to my office.
So I waited for 4½ weeks.
I ordered a Dell Ultrasharp monitor on 1/6 and it’s still listed as “in production.” At the time I ordered it was listed as “in stock.” Immediately AFTER I placed the order the status pages showed an estimated ship date of 1/30! Why in the world does a monitor have to be “in production” for ANY amount of time? Either it’s in stock, or it’s not!
Ridiculous.
I ordered a Dell Vostro, but I asked them to crosscheck if Ubuntu recognises the wireless card (check with a Live CD) and they took 4 weeks to do that! I happened to be buying from my organisation where Dell had a reputation to keep up so they gave me a meaty discount on a Latitude with the same configuration. I was elated and so forgot about the delay!
I used Dell for years and was happy with their products. Until I started my new job and the company is an HP outfit. Dell always took forever, customer service was horrible, and for some reason I always has rashes of bad power supplies (which I stopped trying to warranty because it took 2 hours to get a cs rep on the phone). As much as I hate to admit it, I have crossed over to HP land.
I don’t think you’ll get your Mini 12 in a week.
I ordered mine on Dec. 30th, 2008.
Was to be delivered on Jan. 16th.
Then Jan. 23rd.
Rep told me today that they hope to ship by Feb. 17th.
Crazy. Mad. Yes, all of the above.
I ordered a Mini9, I wasn’t happy with the approximate 2 week shipping date after seeing it in production too long for my liking I canceled the order. The CS Rep wanted to transfer me to “Sales” to discuss. I told her there is nothing to talk about, I needed the laptop for an upcoming trip and didn’t realize it would take so long. I bought a 10″ Asus from Best Buy. Love it!
Something similar happened to me, only when I ordered a Lenovo laptop. When ordering I was told it will take up to 2 weeks, and it actually took 5. When I called them, they said it was because I customized the hardware, still it would be nice if they mentioned a more accurate delivery time on their sites.
Ordered a laptop. Waited, called and was told it was shipping. Waited, called was told they were out of the processor, would be three days. Waited, Called and was told that the COVER COLOR I ordered was backordered. Switched colors and it shipped the next day.
They are very inflexible when there are issues. A few calls would 100% improve the system.
I’ll stick with Dell, at least they send a tech out to you to fix the problem, unlink HP, Compaq, etc where you have to send your system in and wait weeks to months for it to return and hopefully work.
Well, it all depends on your warranty, Robert!
If you order an on site next business day warranty, sure, someone will come fix your computer at home. But if you choose a mail-in warranty (like most people do), you are in the same situation you described with the other companies.
Are these computers really rally good, or really cheap, or what? My last two computers, I just went to the store and brought the box home.
That is one reason I always use CDW for my companies needs, my rep there is magnificent. He always answers my e-mails and phone calls, even if its bad news.
I need to piggy-back on John’s comment above – I have had the BEST experience with CDW. My corporate account manager is the GREATEST!!!!! And Yes, I am shouting, because finally IT Managers like myself are excited to finally be working with a partner that cares.
Hey Everyone check out the Comments from John and Matt above.
John and Matt: You know what I really, REALLY hate? companies leaving FAKE BLOG COMMMENTS to endorse themselves.
Intersting facts about these 2 comments.
1- They come from the same IP address.
2- This IP address resolves to, guess what domain name? CDW.COM!
Bad move.
I too made the switch from Dell to CDW years ago. Dull builds half ass machines with half assed parts.. but that’s what you get when you buy from a company who sells price over value. To top it off Dull will outsource your support calls to India.
Another one from CDW.. resolving yet again from the CDW domain..
Way to go guys. You just earned yourself a nice blog post. I’ll investigate more about this and post something later.
I lived through DELLHELL!
I’ll not do it again.
I actually ENJOY using the custom built machine I have now. It wasn’t at all expensive. I got exactly what I wanted.
Most people say extended warranties aren’t worth the price. If you still decide to opt for a dell, do yourself a favor and go with at least a two yr. war.
By then you’ll probably’ve figured out you screwed up
and started saving for a diff. system.
Looking forward to the post on CDW.
Gave them a thumbs down on SU.
Man, I love this site!
We’ve used Dell PCs and laptops for the past six years for our company and we’ve typically had good luck with them. They’ve been delivered on schedule and we’ve only had a few problems, all of which were fixed quickly. (The next-day onsite service warranty is something we add to every order.) But, we go through Dell’s Premier site for large businesses, which probably makes a difference in the delivery timeframe for new orders. We also haven’t ordered any of their netbooks yet, so I’m not sure if the turnaround time for a netbook would be just as bad for us as what you described in your post.
I like my Dell Latitude D620 notebook and it has lasted through three years (and endured some overseas travel along the way), but the newer Dell notebooks (Latitude E series and XPS) have not received the glowing reviews their predecessors received, and the prices on some of them are not as good as what we’d pay for the same configurations elsewhere. So instead of going with Dell for my new laptop, I ended up ordering a custom-configured Sony VAIO VGN-FW on Monday after spending about a month researching various brands and reading reviews. The estimated delivery date was slated for February 3rd. The laptop was shipped yesterday and the tracking info indicates it will be delivered on February 2nd, so I’m pleased with their turnaround time. Hopefully I’ll never have to make use of their “express ship” warranty service.
I ordered two Dell Latitudes which took two months to arrive, along with numerous incorrect orders and poor customer service.
i ain’t not never gonna buy a puter wid a mikrosuft windoze operatin’ system ever agin, nor am i gonna buy one frum a company that recommends it.
get with the GNU/Linux program, manufacturers, if’n y’all ever wanna see any money frum me.
I ordered a mini 9 on Dec 8. It has been delayed 4-5 times; I can’t even keep track. The new ship date is supposedly tomorrow, Feb 3, but I’m betting that at 9am, I get that email from Dell with a new date and no apology. I am close to canceling the order and just getting something else, though I did a bunch of research and wanted the Mini. 4 of the little trips it would have been nice to have it for are now over. Funny–for everything else but this, I’m a Mac person.
I purchased a Dell Vostro 1510 on 1/16/2009. After a week, the system was still listed as “In production” and an estimated ship date of 2/4. I called (India) and got an update. Was told they were waiting on parts, but they would be in soon and shipping was upgraded to next day at no charge.
Well on 2/4 I get an email from Dell telling me that now my estimated ship date is 2/16. A month later than when I ordered. Furious at this point, I call (India) again and after 3 or 4 transfers, I finally get someone her ein the states to give me the real scoop. According to this guy, the hold up is the processor. He said the 1510 and 2510 models used the same processors and that they were seriously backordered. I offered to get an upgraded processor and he said that wouldnt’ make a difference. He said they were all backordered.
So now is is going to be a month at least before my system ships. WTF Dell?
With the economy the way it is, I would think they would be kissing my ass to get an order. Guess Dell doesn’t need the business. Maybe I should cancel and buy a HP or Gateway.
Oh, man…. I ordered a Mini 12 over the weekend and did a Google search just now (to see if they were underpromising on the delivery date of Feb 16) and came across this post. Now I am uber disappointed that I didn’t just buy something else. I would have bought a refurb (which I know from past experience ships quickly) but I put this on my small business account since this is for my company and the outlet won’t take small business credit. GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Now I am all disappointed.
Ditto. Ordered a loaded, $2200+ Studio laptop on 1/10 thru an institutional account. Was originally due to ship 1/16….then 1/23…then 1/30…then 2/6. Starting to see a pattern? Spent more than an hour on the phone (including many “disconnections”) with no less than 15 different “customer service” people (from no doubt many different countries), all who were unable to give a specific explanation for the delay (all of whom I had to give my order # & customer # to after each transferred phone call – WTF?). Was finally put to a person who told me the T9400 processors are the big holdup. Would’ve been nice to know three weeks ago! Worst part is, after this last delay, we apparently didn’t contact them in time to continue the order, so they canceled it on 2/7. When speaking with their rep, she informed me she’d have to “rebuild” the order from scratch, even though the canceled order is still shown on their site (again, WTF?). So now having had the order canceled, I’ve now lost my place in the queue and my “new” ship date is 2/24…they claim they cannot alter my priority at this point. Wow. Just wow. HP, here I come. Are you listening Dell? Maybe you should consider hiring back some of those 4000+ people you laid off.