So the big day was fast approaching (just as well as the old steam-powered kit is really starting to struggle!) but then out of the blue, I get an email on the day it's due to despatch telling me that the delivery date has been pushed back by four weeks! Needless to say this was damned annoying, especially when they leave it so late to tell me so I figured I'd get in touch to check what the hell was going on. After a couple of frustrating hours trying to get answers by phone/email the best I could get was:
- I can't cancel the order,
- they're “really sorry about <insert nature of customer complaint>
”, and - they hope that I'll be happy with everything.
Oh and although they can't deliver my notebook for a total of six weeks from order, they absolutely, positively can deliver an identical system in 7-10 days if I place the order right here, right now!
Seems like the super-slick Dell of the past is losing its way; all they can offer now is crappy service, long lead times and industry-standard pricing. A real shame as their kit still looks decent but I just can't deal with randomness like this so I'm finally going to have to bid Dell adieu and see what someone else can do...
Postscript: I finally decided to migrate my work stuff onto by beefy desktop-replacement notebook and go with a Samsung NC10 netbook for when I'm on the move (more on this later). Delivered less than 24 hours after ordering it and whilst I'm unpacking it I get another email from Dell to let me know that my old order is delayed further! Bad decision? I think not!
