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About to lose 20-yr. customer over a botched fraud check
I’ve been buying Dell systems for 20 years. They’re on the verge of losing me as a customer.
I ordered a loaded XPS Tower SE system on Oct. 16. I applied for Dell credit to get one-year free financing and 3-day expedited shipping. I was approved immediately, but when I ordered my system and selected Dell financing as my payment method, it said there was a hold on my order and that I needed to call Dell Financial Services.
I called DFS and they said they needed to do a verification. They said normally they’d text a code to my phone to give them, but they couldn’t do that because some directory they checked said my number was a land line, but it’s a cell phone. (It was my land line until I made it my all-purpose cell number around five years ago.) Because of that, they said they’d have to snail-mail me the code, which would take 5-7 days.
First, I don’t understand the need to verify a customer with a 20-yr. purchase history. The system will be shipped to the same address Dell has shipped systems to me before. And if some crook is set up to intercept shipments to my address, what’s the sense of mailing the security code to the same address?
I waited ten days and received no code. I called DFS back and they said they’d send another one. That was nine days ago, and I’ve still received no code.
I’m livid. I’m in desperate need of a replacement for my old XPS system that died. Instead of 3-day shipping, I’ve now waited 20 days, and there’s still no end in sight. I’m about ready to take my business to someone who wants it.
I’d like to know how I can escalate this and get the hold on my order released. The woman who always answers the phone at DFS just recites prewritten scripts and has been no help at all.
Dell-SreejithR
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November 6th, 2017 11:00
Thank you for your message.
We strive to provide a great purchase experience for all of our customers. I regret we missed the mark in your case.
Verification has to be done for the orders irrespective of the number of orders made earlier & this has to be done for security purpose.
Have you received an order number or an Internet receipt number? If yes, please click on my Dell username & send a private message with the order number, registered name &e mail address.
sudio
90 Posts
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November 6th, 2017 14:00
Thanks for replying, Sreejith. I've sent you a PM with the requested info I hope you can help get my order released.
sudio
90 Posts
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November 13th, 2017 19:00
Here’s an update on my case for any who happen to be following it. The Dell rep who offered to look into it said he couldn’t do anything because they had already canceled my order while I was waiting for the confirmation codes that never arrived. He said I’d need to start all over and place a new order, and suggested contacting Dell Financial Services beforehand; otherwise I’d likely run into the same problem.
But it was because I was getting nowhere with DFS that I sought to escalate this in the first place. They refused to offer any other verification options besides the codes they said they said they sent me twice (through the US Mail? They refused to say what courier they used) but that I never received. Why would I want to keep spinning my wheels repeating a procedure that had already failed twice? So that was no help.
I looked at my account online and the order was still there -- it wasn’t canceled. So I called Dell Sales and had them switch the payment method to my credit card, so they’d release the order. But now they had more bad news for me: delivery of my system was now delayed because of a components backorder (it was available for immediate shipment when I ordered it on Oct. 16). The estimated delivery date is now Nov. 29 -- 44 days after my original order.
What should have been a 3-day free expedited shipping (offered by DFS) has now stretched to 6+ weeks from order to delivery. Inexcusable. This is how Dell treats a 20-yr. customer. I sent letters describing my experience to DFS CEO Steven Schofield and to Dell Chief Customer Officer Karen Quintos. I’m posting it on every consumer forum I can find. Finally, I will be filing a complaint against Dell Financial Services with the Better Business Bureau for false advertising - luring purchase with an offer of a year of no-interest financing and then failing to honor it for someone they approved for credit.