Stalled in production: Dell delivery delay

I ordered two Dell LCD monitors Wednesday January 3, yet they are still
“in production�. How long does it take to take a box and put it in a
truck?

I am also not mentioning the several inaccuracies I found in Dell’s
Canada online order system and personal account. I had to use what we
could call “very basic hacking� skills to get the order trough, online!
I had to call customer service to make sure all my info was correctly
received, which it was.

Since Jan. 4, customer service has been telling me that the order was
going to leave the next day, but it did not happen yet.

*** My question:
What steps can I take to find out what is happening? Is the model
backordered (can it even be at Dell?), has my order fallen in the
trashcan, or has my order warped in the wrong “series of tubes�?

P.S.: I post here, because a customer service support ticket opened on
Dell’s website last week, did not even return an e-mail confirmation (I
have a tracking number, and no, it is not in my spam folder).

Thanks for you help,
Max

Follow-up

I finally talked to someone who found it a little suspicious that the
order was not already sent and offered to look for the answer.

This person told me that the products were supposed to get off the boat
today, Jan. 11.

Well, I got my answer… I just hope it is not on that boat:
http://www.digg.com/environment/Phot..._Structure_POV



So

the solution to get the information was to be very calm and patient,
and try to induce doubt in the mind of customer service. It would
probably have been easier on Dell and I if they had just told me from
the start that this item was out-of-stock. How hard would it be just to
display that information online?

Nice work Dell! Your “unique direct business model� [ref.:
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/g...s&l=en&s=corp]
certainly has a frustrating way of keeping the buyer in the dark.

On Thu, 11 Jan 2007 13:16:01 -0500, Max wrote:

Follow-up

I finally talked to someone who found it a little suspicious that the
order was not already sent and offered to look for the answer.

This person told me that the products were supposed to get off the boat
today, Jan. 11.

Well, I got my answer… I just hope it is not on that boat:
http://www.digg.com/environment/Phot..._Structure_POV



So

the solution to get the information was to be very calm and patient,
and try to induce doubt in the mind of customer service. It would
probably have been easier on Dell and I if they had just told me from
the start that this item was out-of-stock. How hard would it be just to
display that information online?

Nice work Dell! Your “unique direct business model” [ref.:
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/g...s&l=en&s=corp]
certainly has a frustrating way of keeping the buyer in the dark.



I understand but based on another thread, Dell is working on it (with
fingers crossed). I try not to call them if possible but I think I
had to about 1 or 2 years ago and I think I had a Filipino on the
phone. Luckily I could understand them (trained ear) so it worked out
but I feel your pain as I have dealt with other support (not Dell's
and it's hard for me to understand them). On paper outsourcing
looked good but the human factors are beginning to show it's not quite
as good as it seemed on paper. Blame it on the CEOs or CFOs.

Your theory is probably right RNR.

However, Dell could probably do better. I order frequently from other
stores. If I compare with Apple, for example, where I ordered an iPod
on a Thursday, they got it engraved on Friday and it traveled from
China to Canada to be on my doorstep on Monday. Now that is rather
quick, since the product is personalized. Same thing with an iMac I
ordered lately: one day for the order, one day for the configuration,
two days for standard shipping.

The Internet era is characterized by a new exigency: get what you want,
where you want, when you want. Yet some online stores do not seem to
get that. If the consumer does not receive the product in a short
period of time, he will get tired from such experiences and go back to
conventional stores. Should not that be obvious to online stores or am
I just missing some business skills?

Max

On 2007-01-11 13:41:50 -0500, RnR said:

On Thu, 11 Jan 2007 13:16:01 -0500, Max wrote:

Follow-up

I finally talked to someone who found it a little suspicious that the
order was not already sent and offered to look for the answer.

This person told me that the products were supposed to get off the boat
today, Jan. 11.

Well, I got my answer… I just hope it is not on that boat:
http://www.digg.com/environment/Phot..._Structure_POV



So
the

solution to get the information was to be very calm and patient, and
try to induce doubt in the mind of customer service. It would probably
have been easier on Dell and I if they had just told me from the start
that this item was out-of-stock. How hard would it be just to display
that information online?

Nice work Dell! Your “unique direct business model” [ref.:
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/g...s&l=en&s=corp]
certainly has a frustrating way of keeping the buyer in the dark.



I understand but based on another thread, Dell is working on it (with
fingers crossed). I try not to call them if possible but I think I
had to about 1 or 2 years ago and I think I had a Filipino on the
phone. Luckily I could understand them (trained ear) so it worked out
but I feel your pain as I have dealt with other support (not Dell's
and it's hard for me to understand them). On paper outsourcing
looked good but the human factors are beginning to show it's not quite
as good as it seemed on paper. Blame it on the CEOs or CFOs.

But it is all a matter of being in stock. Clearly your iPod didn't get
engraved and shipped from China. It was here, in a warehouse. Dell
normally ships fast. You ordered right after the holidays and ordered a
very popular model. They were out. It happens.

I just ordered two whole computer and got them in 5 days, including a
weekend. They weren't out of those

"Max" wrote in message
news:2007011114120350073-max@nowherecom...
Your theory is probably right RNR.

However, Dell could probably do better. I order frequently from other
stores. If I compare with Apple, for example, where I ordered an iPod on a
Thursday, they got it engraved on Friday and it traveled from China to
Canada to be on my doorstep on Monday. Now that is rather quick, since the
product is personalized. Same thing with an iMac I ordered lately: one day
for the order, one day for the configuration, two days for standard
shipping.

The Internet era is characterized by a new exigency: get what you want,
where you want, when you want. Yet some online stores do not seem to get
that. If the consumer does not receive the product in a short period of
time, he will get tired from such experiences and go back to conventional
stores. Should not that be obvious to online stores or am I just missing
some business skills?

Max

Tom Scales wrote:
But it is all a matter of being in stock. Clearly your iPod didn't get
engraved and shipped from China. It was here, in a warehouse. Dell
normally ships fast. You ordered right after the holidays and ordered a
very popular model. They were out. It happens.

I just ordered two whole computer and got them in 5 days, including a
weekend. They weren't out of those

"Max" wrote in message
news:2007011114120350073-max@nowherecom...
Your theory is probably right RNR.

However, Dell could probably do better. I order frequently from other
stores. If I compare with Apple, for example, where I ordered an iPod on a
Thursday, they got it engraved on Friday and it traveled from China to
Canada to be on my doorstep on Monday. Now that is rather quick, since the
product is personalized. Same thing with an iMac I ordered lately: one day
for the order, one day for the configuration, two days for standard
shipping.

The Internet era is characterized by a new exigency: get what you want,
where you want, when you want. Yet some online stores do not seem to get
that. If the consumer does not receive the product in a short period of
time, he will get tired from such experiences and go back to conventional
stores. Should not that be obvious to online stores or am I just missing
some business skills?

Max


I had requested CDs for my D600 that I got off ebay and I got an email
on the 9th that they were sending them and I got the CDs on the 10th.

"Max" wrote in message
news:2007011114120350073-max@nowherecom...
Your theory is probably right RNR.

However, Dell could probably do better. I order frequently from other
stores.

snip

And this is the point I related in another thread.

If I need a predictably fast delivery online at a very competitive price of
any external or univeral internal part, I'm not going to chance it by
ordering it from Dell.

There are simply too many excellent online vendors who offer excellent
prices with incredibly fast and predictable shipping as another option.

(*And as I mentioned, if it is a Dell exclusive part, then I'm going to
price it via Dell spare parts and then shop it on ebay if the price is too
high.)

I'm under the impression that they (Dell) don't seem to put much emphasis on
their accessories department(s).

Stew

"Dan Sgambelluri" wrote in message
news:dixph.615664$5R2.374223@pd7urf3no...
I had requested CDs for my D600 that I got off ebay and I got an email on
the 9th that they were sending them and I got the CDs on the 10th.


Certain things (systems) they are very good at and seem to focus on; other
things seem to be of secondary concern. Replacement parts/CD's they've
always come through for me; in fact above and beyond.

I dunno.

Stew

Tom,

It may be a bit beyound the thread, but yes, the iPod is engraved in
Shenzhen, China and the FedEx tracking is clear about that (Picked up:
SHENZHEN CN). It has been the same for the two iPods I ordered last
fall. But hat makes me wonder where the Dell monitors are from...

Cheers,
Max

On 2007-01-11 15:35:44 -0500, "Tom Scales" said:

But it is all a matter of being in stock. Clearly your iPod didn't get
engraved and shipped from China. It was here, in a warehouse. Dell
normally ships fast. You ordered right after the holidays and ordered
a very popular model. They were out. It happens.

I just ordered two whole computer and got them in 5 days, including a
weekend. They weren't out of those

"Max" wrote in message
news:2007011114120350073-max@nowherecom...
Your theory is probably right RNR.

However, Dell could probably do better. I order frequently from other
stores. If I compare with Apple, for example, where I ordered an iPod
on a Thursday, they got it engraved on Friday and it traveled from
China to Canada to be on my doorstep on Monday. Now that is rather
quick, since the product is personalized. Same thing with an iMac I
ordered lately: one day for the order, one day for the configuration,
two days for standard shipping.

The Internet era is characterized by a new exigency: get what you want,
where you want, when you want. Yet some online stores do not seem to
get that. If the consumer does not receive the product in a short
period of time, he will get tired from such experiences and go back to
conventional stores. Should not that be obvious to online stores or am
I just missing some business skills?

Max

Update on the situation:

Well, the estimated ship date is overdue. It was supposed to be
yesterday, Jan. 15. I just called Dell and the product is apparently
delayed 8 days. Nice to know, finally! But is it true?

I hope the product is worth the wait...

Cheers,
Max



On 2007-01-11 09:17:44 -0500, Max said:

I ordered two Dell LCD monitors Wednesday January 3, yet they are still
“in production�. How long does it take to take a box and put it in a
truck?

I am also not mentioning the several inaccuracies I found in Dell’s
Canada online order system and personal account. I had to use what we
could call “very basic hacking� skills to get the order trough, online!
I had to call customer service to make sure all my info was correctly
received, which it was.

Since Jan. 4, customer service has been telling me that the order was
going to leave the next day, but it did not happen yet.

*** My question:
What steps can I take to find out what is happening? Is the model
backordered (can it even be at Dell?), has my order fallen in the
trashcan, or has my order warped in the wrong “series of tubes�?

P.S.: I post here, because a customer service support ticket opened on
Dell’s website last week, did not even return an e-mail confirmation (I
have a tracking number, and no, it is not in my spam folder).

Thanks for you help,
Max