Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2007 > August > 01 > Entry
Dell customer has a problem
We helped someone with a Dell order problem they had before, so let’s see if we can do it again:
A Dell customer, Kate, writes in:
I have a situation with Dell that perhaps you can give me some insight into.I ordered a new Dell Inspiron laptop on July 8 and was given a July 20 ship date. I thought that was a rather long “build” time but figured it was due to the laptop being new. Now the ship date is August 28!
I spent over two hours trying to find a live person in Texas to talk to me about this order and never did reach anyone in Texas. I spoke with people in India, Oklahoma, Idaho, and finally in Panama City… never got through to Austin. What gives?
Have you heard about problems with Dell’s delivery on this new laptop? Has this awful customer service become the norm at Dell now? I always loved Dell and now I get this type of run around? I’m so confused.
I’m not just some computer geek who wants her “new toy” to play with here. I teach online business courses and must “sign in” 5/7 days a week for my job. I leave Friday morning for an international conference of business professors (you know, the ones who teach all those business students who might become potential Dell customers) from all over the world (7,000 of them!) in Philadelphia. I must have a laptop to take with me in order to do my job! But I can’t get a straight answer out of anyone at Dell.
My husband, also a business professor, toured the Dell facilities last year as part of another academic conference. He was told that all laptop production is done in Malaysia since they are light enough to build offshore and fly them into Austin to get shipped to the customers. I mentioned this to one of the India reps and he assured me that they were all getting built in Austin. Huh? He even put me on hold while he “called the plant” for information.
Thanks for listening to my angst with this. I guess my real question for you, living in Austin as you do, is do you have any Dell contacts that might give us a straight answer on the problems with this new laptop? If they had been up front with me on problems a week ago, I’d have changed my order to something I could use. Now I’m going to have to find a laptop that is physically available in Atlanta since I leave in two days if August 28 is truly the best they can do.
Regards,
Kathryn
I told Kate that short of calling customer support, her best bet would be to post on Dell’s customer blog, Direct2Dell.
Here’s her response:
In my case, I had to cancel my order because I need one this Friday morning for my trip and they said that all the new colors and screens for the Inspiron laptops are back-ordered. Seems funny to me that today’s back-orders are causing a problem for someone whose order was placed almost four weeks ago. My guess is that other orders got pushed ahead of my single computer order. So, unless your contacts can push a magic button and put my particular Inspiron on a direct flight to Atlanta from Malaysia, I think I’m stuck. Not to mention my chagrin when all those people I emailed with pictures of my “new green computer” who will be asking about it at the conference… when I’m obviously not using a “green” computer. Sigh. If someone from Dell contacts you, you can give them my order number: 736627210 with the understanding that my brother (who originally ordered it for me) canceled the order this morning. I’d be THRILLED to give them my credit card number again, though! :) Dell is also, as I found out, in the middle of their annual back-to-school rush… which doesn’t help matters any. If I’d thought I’d be running into that, I would have placed my order back in June. Have a great day!Thank you for trying to help with this! I spent (literally) 64 minutes (on hold for four different transfers) this morning trying to reach a supervisor to explain why this incident caused so much of a problem (to me) and why, from a business standpoint, Dell corporate needs to be made aware of the communication issues here.
It sounds like Dell is doing gangbusters business on those colorful Inspirons. (They are very sexy.) Can someone help Kate?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Austin, Computers, Shopping
Comments
By Kate
August 1, 2007 4:39 PM | Link to this
This is funnier (in a black humor way) than you might expect. My brother odered this for me BECAUSE he works for BOEING and is in the AIR FORCE reserves.
As business operations professors, we know all about not holding inventory. We also know about inventory orders and stockpiles to meet expected order volumes. Since Dell goes through this end-of-quarter rush each quarter, don't you think they'd have some good forecast numbers? This isn't their first new computer introduction; no forecast numbers for that, either?
Finally, thanks for confirming that those of us who ordered our one little computer got pushed aside to meet the needs of your corporate customers.
Kate
By Eric
August 1, 2007 3:42 PM | Link to this
Hi Omar- I had a long winded explanation all ready to go, but not today -There is an industy-wide shortage on monitor/LCD glass right now thats affecting many manufacturers. -part of Dell's low-cost solution is made because Dell does not hold inventory to build machines in ANY of their plants (incl. Malaysia where notebooks are made). Its also the end of the fiscal qtr for Dell, so it is possible that the 500 systems for the Army, Boeing or UT etc... slid thru before Kate's order. It isnt right that Kate was lied to, it doesnt sound malicious, but she is a customer nontheless. Now, to her immediate resolution. Try Dell's outlet store: http://www.dell.com/outlet plus Google "dell coupons" for additional savings. The outlet offers great alternatives, for immediate solutions, already built. So you are sacraficing a little customization. These and not pre-worn machines, some are only cancelled orders that never saw the iside of the shipper's truck. Yes, I work at Dell (NOT mgmt), and have a conscience. No, you cannot contact me direct and no, I'm not plugging my own division. Good luck, hope it helps.