UPDATE: After all that horse(&@p from Dell with cancelling my order, a few minutes ago I got an email confirming the order. Of course, in true Dell style, when I go into my account trying to find a way to cancel, it can't the order based on the order ID. Yet when I click on the email itself, it gives me the Dell website order status, without an option to cancel. Sickening....

SirZ said:So here is a real-life, fresh off the press account of the quality Dell Customer Service.

I ordered one of these Vostro's yesterday afternoon. This morning, after thinking about it, I realized that the 1500 deal is better (at least for me), so I wanted to cancel the order and place a new one.

I go online, can't find the order off the Dell purchase ID. Some window comes up, click on the link below if you have the Dell Purchase ID. There IS NO link!!!

I call 1-800-www-Dell. Automated system, I enter my purchase ID, blah blah, finally a human with an indian accent. Can I get your purchase ID. I just entered it. Can I get it anyway. Sigh... ok. After about 10 minutes total time (including being on hold a couple times for 2-3 min at a time), "Ah, let me transfer you to Dell Small Business"... Sigh..

Off into another waiting cue "Your call will be answered by the next available CSR". In the meanwhile message pops in: "if you like, you can chat online with CSR at www.dellcustomercare.com".. While waiting on the phone, I type in the web addy, jump through the hoops.... please enter Purchase ID to chat. Sorry, your ID is not valid. Click here to find personal info. Click... sorry that data is incorrect.. So I try all possible "lookup" fields, name, phonenumber, email, etc. Nothing works...

Guy comes on the phone...yay!!! never thought I'd be so happy to hear a New Joyzee accent. Guy tries to be helpful, on hold for 2-3 minutes four or five times, he is looking for the order in a bunch of databases. Finally finds it. "Ok, I got it and it was in a dababase off the website, waiting for a Sales rep to enter it into the Dell system." it looks like though, it had a problem with it and was not going to get entered anyway. Something about illegal configuration." So I go through a big argument with him about why does the site allow a configuration that is invalid, what is invalid, he doesn't know anything, can't tell anything. I tell him, I was going to order a different laptop instead, but now I am not so sure. (I am fishing for a dollar-off concession for my inconvenience). There is nothing he does, but offers to put me in touch with a sales rep. Ok lets do that. Sales rep, Casey--no detectable accent--comes on the phone after another 5 min on hold.
Casey: "How many employees do you have?"
Me: Wait a minute, I ask the questions, I have this order and....
C: whats the order ID? she cuts me off. I give her the purchase ID. Ok, hold please... Comes back after five minutes, maybe more... So, you don't have a wordprocessor with it.. I cut her off, you don't seem to be listening, at this point I don't want an order, I want answers. What is going on with my order?
C: oh its not placed.
Me: What do you mean its not placed! i placed it yesterday, provided my credit card info, and got an email from you.
C: It was acknowledged not placed. The internet is flaky like that.
Me: What!?!? this has nothing to do with the internet and everything to do with your website.
C: Well it happens to many other people
Me: What are you talking bout, I have done hundreds if not thousands of online orders, and this is the first time a company claims that their ordering is not working because the "internet is flaky", and what kind of justification is "it happens to many other people".
Me: Why wasn't I informed that something is wrong.
C: We'd send you an email in 3-5 days letting you know.
Me: How am I supposed to rely on getting things within my personal time frame if you take a week to let a customer know that their order did not go through.
C: Well, we do 3 million orders a day. Do you want the order or not?
Me: I was going to order a better laptop, but now I am not so sure any more.
C: I can do that, and if you do it on the phone it goes through, but the internet stuff is sometimes different.
Silence....very long silence...
Me: Can I speak to your manager....
C: silence.... sure. please hold.

On hold now, passing 17 minutes...
She comes back : I am sorry, my manager is in a meeting. However, it is possible that your order did not go through because you are in the wrong division, small-medium, instead of large. (I used my real employers'--a very large company--as the business name).
Me: No, its right, I am a small business contractor to the ABCDABC (substitute company name) company.
C: I am confused, do you buy under their name, or under yours.
Me: Sometimes mine, sometimes theirs, depends on the contract and the internal group I work with.
She: well i apologize, but you know, the internet is like that sometimes it doesnt work, other websites too you order 50 times, some will have issues...
Me: (cutting her off) we went through this exercise already.
C: Okay, can I help you with something else, like a printer or something like that?
Me: (incredulously) do you really think after I been on the phone with you for over an hour and not getting any service I would buy anything else from you now or in the future?? Just cancel my order, and tell your manager to call me if he is interested in my business.
C: Sorry.
Me: Hung up.

I think Dell hires idiots, and operates on the "volume is everything" principle. I can't believe that even the "business" branch of their sales dept is staffed with cretins. Dell customer service is like the Model T days. Ford: "You can have any color as long as its black". Dell: "We have the best customer service as long as you don't use it besides, what is your problem! can't you see that the name of our website is dellcustomercare?!?!?"

BTW, those of you without an order confirmation, are probably in the "invalid configuration" bucket. I had the base system with the TL processor and WinXP. Thats it! the only changes, and Dell deems it invalid config.

Given what I heard over the phone from their various minions, it appears the Dell website is outsourced to someone, and Dell sales reps enter the orders from the outsourcing company's database into their own manually.

No wonder that Dell has to compete on price. There is nothing else for them to compete on.

Mine got confirmed, but it shows that the shipping date is 12/10. Another FW effect?

Just got my confirmation that it shipped yesterday and will be here on 11/28. Wohoo.
joey

anyone?

On mine right now...

macki123pi said:anyone?

Anyone
what
if you do not quote when you reply, who knows what you are talking about.

yesidonoitall said:macki123pi said:when do they charge the credit card for the laptop, after they ship or before?


They charge you shen you order, why would they build then find out if the card is good.
Now the charfge may fall off, then they hit it again when shipped.
This can and will put your cc account in a minus condition if you did buy other stuff after the orignal charge fell of.

11/21/2007 Dell MARKKETING L.P.AUSTIN TX
XXXXX COMPUTER PRODUCTS
COMPUTER PRODUCTS
Reference No: XXXXXXX
More Detail
0.01

They actually charged my card $0.01 the day I ordered it, and then when they shipped it they charged for the remaining balance. This is not the same as authorizing my card, since they actually charged my card $0.01.

Porqin said:yesidonoitall said:macki123pi said:when do they charge the credit card for the laptop, after they ship or before?


They charge you shen you order, why would they build then find out if the card is good.
Now the charfge may fall off, then they hit it again when shipped.
This can and will put your cc account in a minus condition if you did buy other stuff after the orignal charge fell of.

11/21/2007 Dell MARKKETING L.P.AUSTIN TX
XXXXX COMPUTER PRODUCTS
COMPUTER PRODUCTS
Reference No: XXXXXXX
More Detail
0.01

========================
Transaction Details

Debit Card Purchase (ID #3N186915FB370183R)

Original Authorization
Date Type Status Details Amount
Nov. 25, 2007 Debit Card Purchase Completed ... -$0.01 USD

Related Transactions
Date Type Status Details Amount
Nov. 23, 2007 Authorization To DMI* Dell BUS ONLINE 800-456-3355 TX Completed Details -$0.01 USD
Nov. 23, 2007 Temporary Hold Placed Details -$0.01 USD
Original Authorization:
Total Payment: -$0.01 USD
-$0.01 USD
Merchant:

Purchase Date:
Nov. 25, 2007

Authorized Amount:
-$0.01 USD
Authorization Date:
Nov. 23, 2007
Time:
15:51:29 PST
Status:
Completed

Net Amount:
-$0.01 USD
Status:
Completed


============================================================


They actually charged my card $0.01 the day I ordered it, and then when they shipped it they charged for the remaining balance. This is not the same as authorizing my card, since they actually charged my card $0.01.

My card did have a 1¢ charge for

uantity Item Number Description Unit Price
1 A0954428 Free Microsoft Office Live Small Business $0.01

Order shipped email signup
Invoices
Request a Return
View My Orders

Sub-Total : $.01
Order Total : $.01

On each and every laptop and desktop 1¢ otherwise the full $399.00
The desktops were $399 and the 1¢ each and 3 of those did drop off due to the delayed shipping.

Mine (my husband's xmas present) was supposed to come on the 12th. It came 5 days ago. I put office professional on it. I like the Visto home basic. Seems like it is just a gui over xp or something. No major changes. The case is plastic like people said, but it seems light. I have to install the ram upgrade I got black friday. It is running fine this way. My husband doesn't game, etc so should be perfect.