XPS 9000 and XPS 8000 delivery delay issues

here is my config i just upgraded a couple parts:

Sorry mine was a base model XPS 9000, the only upgrade I added was a wireless network card. I placed the order on Dec 1. here's what's included:

I guess I should have read the forums before I placed my order.  My previous dealings with Dell back in 03 or 04 were great.  Excellent customer service, timely shipping of my computer, etc.  Well last night I grew very concerned about an order I placed on 12/11.  The original EDD was 12/24 but once I submitted the actual order that night it changed 12/30.  Ok not a biggie at this point.  Then I started reading this thread and grew nervous.  I tried contacting Dell on Saturday over the simple issue that I forgot to use a coupon and was it possible to still use it.  As of today I still have not received a response to that question.  Then last night I noticed that my EDD had changed (but only on one screen) to N/A.  At that point I said the heck with this and sent a cancel notice via their website.  They confirmed that they received the notice but no actual confirmation that they have canceled.  If I don't receive notification from Dell in 72 hours I'll also place a hold on that charge with Amex.  After all that I then placed an order on line with HP for almost the same computer.  I was amazed and skeptical when their website listed an EDD of 12/18!!! WOW.  Also HP has a deal going on through the end of this week for free two day shipping via Fedex.  I called HP to confirm the EDD and spoke to a very nice Sales Rep (who had heard about the Dell delays but didn't say anything else about it...which I thought was a class business move..never bad mouth your competition) who did in fact confirm that the unit would ship around 12/18...at most a day or two later and he did give me a verbal guarantee that I'd have the unit for Xmas (not that I need it by then).  The other plus was he spoke perfect English and was here in the U.S.  I'll report back in a week or so to let you if the HP does arrive on time.  Too bad for Dell as I would have loved to stayed a customer.

When your order ships, can you guys/girls post what type of system you ordered and when it was actually ordered.. Thanks and good luck to everyone else that's still waiting for theirs..

UPDATE

Seems like they got some systems done!  Mine now shows shipped, I have a tracking number, and FedEx has it out of Nashville, TN.  Expected delivery date 12/17.  Fingers crossed.  System went in production on 11/27.  Spec as follows:

To recap, I ordered my XPS 9000 on 11/27, was given an EDD of 12/16 and then last week that slipped to January 12th.  Nothing special about my config.

I run the IT department at a medium sized company and all of our desktop machines are Dells, and we buy a lot of software through them too.  We're not a big account for Dell, but we're big enough that I have a Dell sales rep who knows us and knows who I am.  So I called him last week to see if he could do anything about the order for my 9000.  Consumer and commercial sales are completely different organizations at Dell, so he said probably not, but he'd try.

I got an email from him this morning saying that my machine was 2-3 days away from shipping.  My order status page still shows an EDD of 1/12, but I'd guess he has access to better information than I do.   So it might just be coincidence that I'll be getting it soon, or he might have been able to move me to the front of the line somehow, or he might be wrong and I won't see the machine until the middle of January.  I hope he's right, but I won't believe it until I have a tracking number.

An update on my XPS 9000 order...ordered 11/26 initial EDD of 12/16.  I never did recieve an update stating it would not be delivered today, but was verbally told it would arrive sometime before Dec. 29 (maybe, no guarantee).  Looked today and I have a tracking number!

Here are the system details;

I ordered using my company's payroll deduction.   And I am able to view all the orders placed. All of these are XPS 9000 all i7-920s Ordere 10/9 - Delivered 11/3 Ordered 10/21 - "Shipped" Ordered 11/10 - Cancelled Ordered 11/25 - EDD 12/15 - In Production Ordered 12/1 - EDD 12/21 - In Production

For those keeping score at home.  Ordered my system on 12/1, original EDD of 12/21.  Saw it was adjusted to 1/12/2010 - emailed my contact and was told it was in the final stages.  I looked just now, and it is listed as Shipped, EDD of 12/22.  I see two FedEx tracking numbers.  Not much in the way of upgrades, except more memory.

Looked up the order above, from 11/25, it is listed as shipped as well.

Must say my guy was pleasant to work with - he said he was a supervisor - so that may help.  Dell had listed free 3-5 day shipping when I ordered, and it says 5-7, but not too worried about that, at this point.

Now to find a Battery Backup - since I hear non Pure Sine Wave backups will not work with the 9000 power supply.

I have been following this thread for the past few weeks and was expecting delays with my order.  I ordered my XPS 9000 on 12/03 with an expected delivery date of 12/23. Today I was pleasantly surprised to see that it is listed as shipped and the delivery date was bumped up to 12/22. This was my configuration...

Hopefully, the people on here who have been dealing with delays and difficulties with customer support will have their machines soon, too.

[quote user="chris465"]   Now to find a Battery Backup - since I hear non Pure Sine Wave backups will not work with the 9000 power supply.

I'd be interested to know where you heard that.  Most computer PSU's are fine with a stepped sine wave, and it's devices like electric motors that have to have a pure sine wave.  APC's Smart UPS and Matrix UPS product lines both output a pure sine wave.  They're also a lot more expensive than a standard UPS.

[/quote]

Just for fun, I contacted XPS technical support via chat and their answer was that a stepped sine wave UPS should be fine with the XPS 9000 power supply.  So before you run out and buy a high end unit, once you have the machine, plug it into a fully charged standard UPS, boot the machine then unplug the UPS.  If the machine stays up, you're fine.  If not, here's an APC UPS that outputs a pure sine wave for $240 at amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/APC-SUA750-6-Outlet-Standalone-Uninterruptible/dp/B00024VT6I/ref=pd_cp_e_1

That will give you at least a few minutes run time for a graceful shut down and protect you from power blips, which is what I get all the time where I live.

[quote user="richard_fr"] [quote user="chris465"] Now to find a Battery Backup - since I hear non Pure Sine Wave backups will not work with the 9000 power supply.

I'd be interested to know where you heard that.  Most computer PSU's are fine with a stepped sine wave, and it's devices like electric motors that have to have a pure sine wave.  APC's Smart UPS and Matrix UPS product lines both output a pure sine wave.  They're also a lot more expensive than a standard UPS.

[/quote]

Just for fun, I contacted XPS technical support via chat and their answer was that a stepped sine wave UPS should be fine with the XPS 9000 power supply.  So before you run out and buy a high end unit, once you have the machine, plug it into a fully charged standard UPS, boot the machine then unplug the UPS.  If the machine stays up, you're fine.  If not, here's an APC UPS that outputs a pure sine wave for $240 at amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/APC-SUA750-6-Outlet-Standalone-Uninterruptible/dp/B00024VT6I/ref=pd_cp_e_1

That will give you at least a few minutes run time for a graceful shut down and protect you from power blips, which is what I get all the time where I live.

I'll probably try the one out from Sam's club, another APC with Stepped.  Just returned it today, without knowing my XPS shipped. 

This was the thread which had people with issues: http://en.community.dell.com/forums/p/19271845/19476208.aspx

So this sounds like 9000's are rolling off the production line.  I wonder if 8000 chassis assemblies were in the same shipment and whether they will set up a line for them today/tomorrow/soon????

I ordered mine on 11/13 and currently have a 12.23 ETD.  I am not anticipating receiving it at this point.  I have not heard anyone comment that they have actually recieved an 8000.  What is up with Dell?

Interesting that if this were a Business Computer issue (similar to the 1330 laptop issue in August) they would have blogged about it to let people know, but instead they are still promising speedier delivery if I ordered a new one then the date i am being given now.

Not good.

Interesting development, this, with lots of systems suddenly shipping..  Well, I did visit Dell HQ today and, as I expected, I didn't get past the front desk.  Lots of buildings, lots of people looking busy, but not one live person who would talk to me today.  Oh, except for the receptionist who gave me a form to fill out, and assured me that someone would get back to me in........"24 to 48 hours".  LOL  And she tried to mince words with me as well, when I commented politely on how the fact that no one would speak to me today reflected poorly on the company.  She said, "I didn't say that no one would speak with you.  Fill out the form and someone will call you back to speak with you in 24 to 48 hours."  I replied again politely, "You did say no one would speak with me today, which is what I asked you about.".  No response to that.  So it appears that shipping problems fixed or not, Dell is more interested in corporate insulation, rather than good corporate customer communications.  I'll withhold final judgement until I see if anyone does contact me from corporate, and what they have to say, but, overall, I remain completely unimpressed with Dell's communications to customers as well as their outsourced support teams, and, unless this mindset changes radically for the better, I'll probably look elsewhere for my computers in the future.  As I say, impressive campus.....wonder who'll lease all that space if Dell goes belly-up.