Dell lost my package / Dell doesn't want to process the return

Let me share my great experience of dealing with Dell for the first time. I decided to replace my old thinkpad with xps 15 and this is what has happened.

The order was placed on september 7th, 2020. According to tracking number it was supposed to be delivered around september 18th. I reached out to fedex on september 21, they said they are going to assign a manager on my case and call me back in 48 hours. Nobody called me back, i called them again on september 25 - the same conversation. Nobody called me back, i called again on october 3rd - the same story. Finally when i called then on october 6th they acknowledged the package was lost in transit at the end of SEPTEMBER! and provided the case number as a confirmation of the loss. I was hoping this calling marathon was over.

I called dell on the same day 10.06.2020. They said they are going to call me back in 48 hours.
i thought i am having deja vu here but was hoping for the best. Nobody called me back, i called again on 10.09.2020 - the same conversation. Dell needs to confirm that my package was lost by fedex, etc. I told them that fedex already provided case number for the lost package and asked why it is taking so long to confirm this. I also asked why Dell promises to call back in 48 hours but never does but didn't get any clear answer to that. Finally the representative swore that my case will be resolved in 24 hours. Guess what? Nobody called me back. I called Dell again on 10.21.2020. I asked to talk to a manager. Nobody wanted to let me talk to a manager. Also my call got dropped a few times but i kept calling back. Finally after about one hour i was able to connect to a manager. He promised to fix the lost package issue. I also explained to him that it's a bad practice to lie to customers about 48 hours responding time and dropping calls. i guess they don't care but i still wanted to get my point across.

The next day a replacement order was sent out to my address. I was hoping this calling marathon was over.

The laptop was delivered on November 4th, 2 months after the order was placed. There is an issue, touchpad is loose. I decided to ideally replace it or return. I called Dell on November 9th to spend 2 unbelievable hours on the phone.

Representative 1:
The first rep collected all the information, made me wait and mentioned that my call will be transferred to a different group. While i was waiting the call got transferred somewhere.

Representative 2:
The rep asked exactly the same info, made me wait. Finally i tried to explain what i would like to do. She made the replacement process sound so confusing that i decided right away that i want to do a return and i am done with Dell. When i asked for a return she stopped talking and this silence continued for several minutes. Finally i hanged up the phone.

Representative 3:
This time i asked for a manager. The rep didn't want to go this route and assured me that she can do a return. After collecting all the information for the 3rd time and do a lot of waiting she announced that the return is not possible due to original order was created more than 30 days ago. And this is what i told her in the beginning. I explained that it's not my fault that the package was lost in transit and it took 2 months to deliver the laptop. Why promise that you can do a return? Guess what happened next? The call got magically dropped.

Representative 4:
The rep gave me a different number to call. What is going on?

Representative 5:
The same process of collecting info, waiting on the line. The rep told me that there are a lot of errors coming up with my order and she want to transfer the call to a different group. Then i asked for a manager. I said i have been 2 hours on the phone. The call got dropped.

At this point i am going to reach out to Dell headquarters. If that doesn't help i am going to start a dispute process with my credit card company.

To Dell potential customers. If you are considering buying xps 15 or 17, please be aware that loose touchpad is a frequently encountered issue. Unless you are ok with paying ~2K for a laptop that will have a defect touchpad, think twice whether you want to spend multiple hours on the phone with customers service trying to replace or return.

Rejecting a return due to 30 days policy is ridiculous when delivery takes 2 months.