Hi all,
Sorry to crash the Dell party, but anybody looking into buying an Xbox 360--or any other discounted product--from Dell should know full well what they might be getting into. After shopping around, I decided that Dell seemed to have the best deal on Xbox 360 Arcades. Using the 15% off coupon mentioned in this forum thread, I could get an Arcade for $169 plus tax, with free shipping. When I figured in the tax, it was only about twenty dollars less then Amazon, but hey, twenty bucks could buy me Bioshock, or the Orange Box. So, on June 11th, I pulled the trigger, and put in my order. Also, while the model I ordered had no specific 'In Stock' notice, there was another model that had a big 'Out of Stock' logo right by it, so I think I can assume beyond reasonable doubt my model was in stock.
This was the initial notification I got from Dell. Note the Estimated Delivery Date:
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DELL USA
Home & Home Office
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Order Confirmed
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Your order is being processed.
We will send you an e-mail after your order ships
Please check your e-mail regularly for updates.
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Order Information
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Customer Number: 1********
Dell Purchase ID: 2************
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Estimated Delivery Date
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You can check the progress of your order at any time by clicking on the link(s) below.
Order Number: 7********
Product Description: Xbox 360 Arcade
Estimated Delivery Date:06/18/2009
https://support.dell.com/support/or...DHS&order_number=7********&validate=1********
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The next day, I received this:
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There has been a delay in fulfilling your Order Number listed below and we have adjusted the
estimated delivery date for this order (see Revised Estimated Delivery Date).
Based on the latest available information, we are confident we will deliver your order on
or before this new date. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience.
When your order ships we will send you an Order Shipped e-mail which will contain
the Estimated Delivery Date and tracking information for your order.
Revised Estimated Delivery Date:
You can check on the progress of your order at any time by clicking on the Order Number(s) below
Order Number Product Description Revised Est. Delivery Date
7******** Xbox 360 Arcade 06/23/2009
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Okay, fine, I can deal with that. What piqued my interest was this phrase, located at the bottom of the letter:
"This email shows a specific Order Number within your purchase that has been impacted by the Federal Mail Order Rule. To learn more about the Mail Order Rule, click here."
This is when I decided to google "Dell" and "Federal Mail Order Rule". Not a pretty picture. Those who want to jump right into that subject should check out the three links at the bottom of this post.
Although I was getting concerned now, I decided to wait and see what happened. Maybe I was just worrying about nothing. Then, on the 17th, five days after my first delay notice, I received this:
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Your order has been further delayed due to a supply shortage and we need your permission today to continue processing it (as required by the Federal Trade Commission).
ACTION REQUIRED: please contact us today (by 9pm CST tonight) to continue with your order that has a new Revised Estimated Delivery Date (see Revised Estimated Delivery Date below).
We must receive your permission today or your order will automatically be cancelled.
It’s easy to provide permission! Simply send an email today to
[email protected]
stating that you are giving us permission to continue processing this order
(please include your order number in the e-mail) or call us at 1-877-868-3355 (8am - 9pm CST).
Revised Estimated Delivery Date
You can check on the progress of your order at any time by clicking on the Order Number(s) below
Order Number Product Description Revised Est. Delivery Date
7******** Xbox 360 Arcade 06/26/2009
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Now I was definitely worried. This was starting to sound like the beginning of one of the Dell horror stories I had been reading about. Still, I sent them an email right away, giving them the go-ahead to continue processing the order. They confirmed this promptly, and so the situation stood. What bugged me was this particular phrase:
"Your order has been further delayed due to a supply shortage..."
Now, as I stated above, when I ordered this system, it was almost assuredly in stock. Besides, that was almost a week ago at the time of the delay. The day after receiving this second delay notice, I decided to check on Dell.com and see if the Xbox 360 Arcade I ordered (Manufacturer Part# : XGX-00055) now touted it's own 'Out of Stock' logo. It didn't. Noticing Dell's 'Live Chat' option, I decided to find out for sure if the system was in stock.
The item referred to in the transcription below is the Xbox 360 Arcade,
Manufacturer Part# : XGX-00055, Dell Part# : A2860223:
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2:21:20 PM System System
You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
2:21:20 PM System System
Connected with BE_PR1_Barbara
2:21:39 PM Agent BE_PR1_Barbara
Welcome to Dell's Sales Chat! I hope you are doing well and thank you for waiting. My name is Barbs and I will be your personal sales agent today. Feel free to email me at
[email protected] or leave me a message at 1800-379-3355 ext. 2160085, from 8AM CST – 12 CST. Please provide your e-mail address and phone number where I can contact you in case we get disconnected. How may I help you with your purchase today?
To better serve you, Dell now offers Secure Payment via Chat for our chat customers!
2:21:44 PM Customer Tim Hamilton
Is dell item # A2860223 in stock
2:22:30 PM Agent BE_PR1_Barbara
let me check that here
2:25:11 PM Agent BE_PR1_Barbara
thanks for waiting
2:25:26 PM Customer Tim Hamilton
Okay
2:25:31 PM Agent BE_PR1_Barbara
the Xbox 360 Arcade for $199.99 is in stock
2:26:05 PM Customer Tim Hamilton
Then why is the one I ordered a week ago been put on back order and delayed twice? I'm doing a blog on Dell sharp practices. This is part of my research.
2:27:18 PM Agent BE_PR1_Barbara
as far as the order you placed only the Electronics and Accesories deprtment can address as to why it is on back order
2:27:31 PM Agent BE_PR1_Barbara
As we are Dell Sales Chat Queue for system building, I'm going to refer you to our Electronics & Accessories Department who expertly handle this item here at Dell. You can reach them at 1-800-915-3355 ext. 726-3805
2:27:42 PM Agent BE_PR1_Barbara
Or reach them thru chat as well with this link:
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/sales_chat_snp?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~lt=popup&~ck=mn
2:28:25 PM Customer Tim Hamilton
Your company has a bad reputation for doing this in the past. Apparently the practice continues.
2:29:48 PM Agent BE_PR1_Barbara
I apologize if you feel that way we do have a customer care department that can address your issue
2:30:06 PM Agent BE_PR1_Barbara
You can contact Customer Care by going to
www.dellcustomercare.com or by calling 1-800-624-9897
2:31:31 PM Agent BE_PR1_Barbara
please do contact them as I do not have the details that you need since I belong to system building department for customizing laptops and desktops
2:33:16 PM Agent BE_PR1_Barbara
any other concerns that i can assist you with?
2:34:43 PM Customer Tim Hamilton
Why was I connected to you when I requested to gaming system questions? Apparently the web site doesn't work right either?
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This run around continued for awhile longer, netting me nothing but the conformation that the Xbox 360 Arcade I am attempting to buy is most assuredly in stock. Now, were I alone in my troubles, I would be more than willing to give Dell the benefit of the doubt. But as it stands, it seems that this practice of endlessly delaying unprofitable orders has become epidemic at Dell. It's sad really, that a once respected company would sink to such lows. If my Xbox is shipped soon, without any more considerable delays, I will be sure to post back and give credit where credit is due. Otherwise, I will cancel my order, and redirect my business toward a company that deserves it, such as Amazon. Notwithstanding the fate of my order, the legions of other disgruntled Dell customers experiencing this problem have ensured that I will never order from Dell again.
Sincerely,
Tim Hamilton
P.S.
While my experience so far has been frustrating, others have had even worse luck, as evidenced by the two stories linked below. Two of many, I might add:
http://sam.curren.ws/index.cfm/2007...excuse-to-avoid-fulfilling-undesirable-orders
http://apcit.blogspot.com/2008/06/dell-problems-and-bashing.html
Also, for those who would like something a bit more substantial then hearsay, here is a record of an FTC fine levied against Dell for the "Violation of FTC Mail Order Policy" While it is admittedly an old case, it does tend to indicated a pattern, no?
http://www.contractormisconduct.org/index.cfm/1,73,222,html?CaseID=66