I share your same sentiment. Ordered one for home use and this isn't a very good customer experience from any perspective. Funny how being a purchasing officer for a very large IT company, Dell has inticed me many ways to switch brands. Getting a first hand look as a consumer now shows me a new light on Dell operations and what could be expected on the business side of things. I'm just amazed at these inefficiencies a major PC manufacturer has delivering on their core line of business. You'd think in 2009 with the amount of automation capabilities there are, purchasing systems in a slowed economy,higher competitive market would drive Dell to want to achieve higher consumer satisfactions by delivering ahead of their market peers. It's not like I ordered for custom lighting liquid cooled parts, just the pretested markups. Looks like a call for cancellation and a call to Dell's sales folks.

ixtc:

This is a scripted email I received after many inquires into my order status:

"I apologize you are experiencing a delay in shipment of your order number ***********. Dell is making every effort to ship your order as soon as possible; however, the most current information we have is that your order should ship on or before the estimated delivery date of 03/24/2009. If you do not receive the order by that timeframe, you can opt for cancelling this order."

I'm assuming I could go ahead and cancel my order now, but I never received any email from dell yesterday.

Myself: ordered 2/26, delivery date given as 3/24.  Dell rep I spoke to today told me the new delivery date is 4/17 (still doesn't show this when I log into my account or on the order status page).

Chuck..is your delivery date still 3/30 or did it move back again?

I called number after number trying to cancel and I receive various answers about how I cannot cancel my order. It's stuck in production, and the delivery date again gets moved back to 4/2. Why are emails sent asking if I'd like to cancel my order when I'm told it cannot be cancelled? I've read somewhere that if the order status is "in production" then an order can be cancelled. Can someone point me to a link showing the standard operating procedures for deliveries so I can raise this issue of questionable tactics and legality to the next channel?

My order got pushed back a 4th time to 4/6.  I did negotiate next day delivery at no charge when it ships.  At this point, I am not sure if it will ever.  They said that the Video Card was delayed.  I did try to order it from Dell to see how unavailable it was and there was no indication of any delivery or availability problems.  I was contacted by e-mail and telephone, asking if I wanted to cancel my order (some FTC Rule for excessive delays with my order).  It also said that if they did not hear from me they would automatically cancel it. 

I wonder how many people are experiencing the same thing?  Given the economy, you would think that Dell would be jumping through hoops to keep customers who are willing to buy?  Even upgrade the missing component at no cost.

You would think they would do something to try and keep customers. I guess they just dont care either way. I also find it funny that there are others on her that have ordered the same machin after i did and have recieved it already. i guess they must just grad an order out of a hat to decide who gets their machine when. Way to go dell. You Stink!

BTW ordered mine on 2/24/09 and my date has been changed 3 times so far. the latest is 4/1/09.

Tracy, same order date here, 2/24.  Delayed to 4/6. So now it's cancelled. Have a feeling that it is what Dell is expecting us to do for those that have ordered the 435MT. This number got me right through, so it may help others to cancel: 1800-247-2076 Option #3.  Not a long wait and got an American on the line. Done in 10 mins.

After my HP sales guy cursed me for looking at Dell, he helped me with their comparable spec'd product. Their m9600t is nearly the same thing. I just ordered it and my ship date is amazingly 3/31. I should have stuck with HP since I procured 3.2m with them last year. 

Good luck guys!  

I am really getting concerned about my order.  I am still in the time frame of my original order--I ordered on 3/11 with an estimated delivery date of 4/9--but this is a first for me.  I have ordered Dell computers for years (I believe this is my tenth Dell computer) and they always give a conservative delivery time and then ship long before that original estimated delivery date.  However, I keep seeing this message thread getting longer and longer from people who ordered computers long before I did. I read once that the average time it takes Dell to build a computer from scratch is 5 hours--the record was one hour.  It makes no sense to me why it should take weeks, or months to deliver on a sale. They cannot refuse to cancel an order if it has not shipped. I know they may tell people that, but persistence is sometimes required to get to the correct person to cancel the order.  I am not cancelling yet, but if like so many others I do not receive my computer by the estimated delivery date I am definitely cancelling and switching my brand loyalty to another company. I have no idea if the problem is related to lay-offs at Dell, component shortages, design problems, or a magical spell by He Who Must Not Be Named; that is not my problem,  it is Dell's and I would suggest that they rectify the problem quickly or they will be slipping even farther behind HP in terms of market share.

Thanks for the heads up. I have looked at some of the HP machines my problem was i couldnt get a configuration that i was satisfied with. Maybe another look will change my mind. My delivery date has now been changed to 4/3/09. It just kills me to see people posting on here who ordered after most of us, getting their machines before people who ordered first.

Hello,

I have found your comment about the Studio 435 MT interesting.  I am so sorry this is happening to so many people.  As some of the others have made comments, I have had great luck with Dell computers but not this time.  I did order a new printer along with the 435 MT and I got that printer within four days.  I order my 435 MT March 3rd.  It was suppose to arrive April 4th.   Then I got a email that it was coming April 8th.  Now I wonder when I will get the computer.  I am thinking of calling the number you did.  So it was really that easy to canel?  Did they send you anything in the mail about canceling the order?

Thanks for your information.