Dell Outlet Problems

Hi Lawnarjax,

Let me see if I can get some help.

So overnight the ship date magically went from the 24th to the 27th.  This after a manager from Dell called me yesterday to assure me that my order was going to ship out in the next 24 hrs.  I have decided to post all of the dell chats and email exchanges I have had so far.  This is not for the purposes of degrading the representatives who have tried to assist, but rather to show how uninformed the reps really are concerning the orders.  

What I really think is happening here, after talking to the most recent manager is this:  Dell advertised a system in their outlet at a price that was was not intended, and upon realizing that they made a decision to not ship.  My order was for a XPS 8500 with an i7 3770, 12GB Ram ,1 TB HDD, Radeon HD 7570 1GB, 23 inch LED monitor.  Price: $829.00

A good deal?  Yes I think so.  Absolutely

An unheard of bargain that will never be duplicated?  No

My most recent conversation with a manager shed some light on the situation, he mentioned there were notes in their systems that indicated that the system I ordered was advertised improperly and that it had to be configured and the parts were not all on hand.  The problem with that explanation is that I can go their "full price" store and order a system that will ship the next day with the exact configuration that the system I ordered from the outlet has.  This is their current model XPS, this just does not fly.  Another manager told me that the system i ordered was sold to another customer, so they cancelled that order and replaced it with another, so who is telling the truth?

Quote from Dells site: "And we’re still fast: systems are built and ready to ship, so most Dell Outlet systems ship within 24 hours of order approval."

I have a 4k credit line with dell, so approval on my end was not a factor.  I need some help here dell.  I am affraind that if I cancel my order and place a new one in the outlet I will just be waiting another few weeks.  

I placed my order on 7/10, it has been 2 weeks today of a system that is supposedly in stock at the time you order it.  

I just want to point out that I realize that Dell is not responsible tor errors in prices, and can really cancel my order at any time for whatever reason they want.  That being said , I have been strung along for 2 weeks now, given 3 different explanations as to why the order has not been sipped, and I am not being provided enough information to make an informed decision to wither wait this out or cancel and reorder with Dell or another company.  

I was under the impression you had, that outlet systems are basically sitting there waiting to be shipped. Maybe that's not the case.

And Dell has deleted my posts showing their inability to resolve this...nice.

I have not cancelled.  And I was under the same impression that the outlet store was for those systems which were onhand.  In fact when you add something the the cart in the outlet you have to put in a verification code to ensure you are not a bot, and your cart is deleted after 15 minutes so that they can keep their inventory updated.  These are the things that make this so frustrating.

Quote from Dells site: "And we’re still fast: systems are built and ready to ship, so most Dell Outlet systems ship within 24 hours of order approval."

Today the manager told me that the delay is from them testing the system...they must have the most intense QC process in the history of computer manufacturing...

Dell only deletes posts that violate their terms of use. You can complain all you like long as you stay within the rules.

Another day another delay, two more calls from very friendly, but utterly useless managers, and the pc still has not shipped.  We are now on day 16 since my initial order or a system that by Dell's own description is "ready to ship" because it's a scratch and dent or customer return.  Even if they had to configure a new system to the specs listed in my order it should have taken a week at most.  This order is for an XPS 8500, their current model, there should be no shortage of parts, and I would bet my bottom dollar if I ordered a full price system today it would ship in no time flat.  This is disgraceful.  The last 2 managers did not even bother with an excuse, they knew I had been told 4 completely different stories by 4 different managers.

It's true that a happy customer tells 3 people about good service, and an unhappy customer tells 10 times that many.  I plan to tell thousands.  Starting with this forum, and every other chance I get both online and off.  I really just want an explanation as to why this is taking so long.  No more apologies, just tell me what is going on. 

I recently purchased an XPS8500 from Dell outlet (United Kingdom) and it was due for shipment about 5 days after purchase and then the shipping date slipped anoth 5 days (Dell emailed me of this delay but not why the delay)

I too assumed Outlet meant that when it was put up for sale it was already checked, reset to factory settings and ready to go but perhaps not!

Anyway I got my XPS8500 and for a scratch and dent model it's nearly perfect other than everso slight marks on the front and a nick in the top. I'm happy as I save over £240 vs a new model and luckily I could check the original service tag (listed on my emailed invoice) so could see it was only sold 3 weeks before I purchased it.

Hey my thread is 2nd in Google results when searching "dell outlet problems"

Going to warn everyone I can about Dell's service.

I placed another order to see what happens.  I plan on sending it right back, if Dell wants to waste my time with their production issues, I can do the exact same.  Dell support tried to tell me that the order that I placed this morning was done by them to replace the order they cancelled.  THE LIES!!!

Also told me that the system that I originally ordered was cancelled because parts were damaged...which fails as a reason because this is their current model XPS system, not some 2-3 year old system that needed legacy parts.

I find this all quite amusing, and infuriating at the same time, poking holes in the stories they have been telling me is fun, but sitting here without my PC is not.  The new order I made cost about $200 more than the system I ordered for $829 only 3 weeks ago.  Configurations are basically identical.  The only major difference is that the system I ordered originally included a 23inch monitor for the $829 and had a 1TB HDD and 12GB Ram

The system I ordered today has a 2TB HDD and 16gb of ram, and I had to buy the monitor for another $200.

I wish Dell would have just came clean with their error up front and told me they goofed.  

So after my initial order on July 10th Dell has quietly cancelled my order for good it seems, no email, no call, no explanation whatsoever.  I think my suspicions proved correct in that they advertised a system they either did not have or priced incorrectly, which is not their responsibility, but then proceeded to tell me 4 stories about what was going on with my order. So now after 3 weeks I am still without a PC and feel like Dell could give a <ADMIN NOTE: Profanity removed as per TOU> .  Unbeknownst to them I am an EPP customer, and will ensure that as many of my 100k plus co-workers and HRBP's know how I was treated by Dell.  All that I have wanted throughout this process is an honest answer, and to be told the truth.  I got a call Friday from a manager who assured me that the order was going to ship this week, told me she was personally going to see to it.  I checked the order status saturday...cancelled.  Not by me it was not.  

So the order i made yesterday, an almost exact duplicate of my previous order, has already shipped.  The only major difference is that i paid $200 bucks more than my initial order.

This further reinforced my belief that Dell simply did not want to sell me that system for the price they advertised.

Ahh now I am nervous, just placed an order for a Alienware laptop which was suppose to arrive on the 24 now its delayed till the 29.  Fingers crossed