@Hooray4Zoidberg:
Actually they're the 2nd biggest now...

Its the Dell Outlet Store.
From what people have said, they get all the built computers that people ordered, but never got sent out. They get the oddballs and one-offs.

If he ordered it directly from Dell, that would be one thing. But he ordered it from the outlet store.

Besides, there's no guarentee that it will take 18 days for him to get a computer. Stores are legally required to ship items within so many days of telling the customer they will, so they give long shipping estimates.

@Happy13178:
You're right. I e-mailed Michael@dell.com and an indian guy claiming to be from the Dell Corporate Office called me back saying the exact same things the previous reps said.

I e-mailed some other executives and one personally replied that he was forwarding my e-mail and less than an hour later someone from Dell (speaking perfect English) called me and resolved the problem.

Take your money back and go buy a laptop elsewhere. That's a ripoff of epic proportions, and frankly unless it's the undisputed King of the laptops you're paying too much. Especially since you'll be relying on these jokers in the future if anything goes wrong.

Michael@Dell.com is getting to be a pretty crappy contact for EECB. The emails go to the same india call centre that the bulk of the problems come from, and I've spoken to one guy there that I know for a fact I've spoken to before as a regular old csr. Unless somebody has a set of actual executive contacts, the "contact Michael Dell" post should be taken as YMMV at best.

@jp7570:

I'm the OP, yes my Dell Account was charged the full amount.

@Conrad:

Yes and when you figure business days + holiday weekend that's more than a month!!!

(I submitted this story...)

@pecan 3.14159265:

18 business days, throw in a holiday weekend is more than a month.

The OP didn't indicate if his credit card had been charged for the purchase when he received the wrong delivery. (I assume this was bought with a credit card since it was purchased online.) If so, he has the option of disputing the charge if Dell can't make good on the order.

At the very least, Dell should issue a credit for the purchase until the correct order is delivered. Or they could also offer to ship the same model with upgraded software, faster processor, increased memory, or something to "atone" for their error.

I have read posts from many on here about bad experiences with Dell, but I have ordered 3 computers from them in the past 5 years (2 laptops and a desktop) and have never had any problems. Then again, that also means I've never had to go through Dell Cusomer Assistance, so I can't say what that would be like. But my experience with the products has been without incident so far.

And where exactly did I ever say $2000 wasn't a lot of money? I'm just putting things into perspective.

Personally, I built my own desktop. Monitor and all accessories, $1500. Price it on Alienware or another gaming computer company, ~3000.

@everyone complaining about the "unrealistic" 18 day window

Any one of you work in manufacturing? Then, anyone work in customized products? Then, anyone ever had to handle returns of custom products?

If not, then stop saying it's unreasonable because you have nothing to base it on, besides "That's what I think." I work for a manufacturing company, and just because something went wrong, doesn't mean all work stops just to please one customer. Things take time to sort out, search, and try to find a replacement.

I'm not saying Dell is right either, but they only gave 18 days as an estimate. And since people don't understand the meaning of estimate, they have had to pad that number. And second, it's business days BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE PEOPLE WORKING ON THE FREAKING WEEKEND.

@aznjoker: $2000 is a lot of money even if you're an "engineer and a gamer". Geez.

I was told that due to this my order would be delayed even further, despite the fact that the actual system was still in the process of being configured. I have a hunch this is a case of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing (as has been my general experience with them in every encounter) as the people who gave him the delivery estimate are not the people involved with the actual configuration and have no clue when the machine will actually be shipped or how any of that works.

Bottom line...you can escalate all you want with Dell (and you should), but you likely will end up just having to wait until they send it which may be god knows when. Hopefully you can at least get an upgrade out of the ordeal.

Chances are Dell will end up sending this individual an actual refurb computer this time. That is why it may take 3-4 weeks...they have to wait for a used one to show up.

If Dell really did want to send a new computer (which they should) it could easily be manufactured brand new. Dell screwed up, and this is how Dell should fix it.

I do not see this ending well.

But that's not what happened. He was simply told that they had to "find" him the computer he ordered, and that it would take until December. Which is pretty crappy of them.

Oh, I need to buy a car ... wait, you don't have any on the lot right now? Wow, ok, in that case I'll take a sandwich instead.

"What color is it" is not a valid computer spec.

Also: we're coming up on Thanksgiving here. By my count, 18 business days from now is.... December 3rd. MAYBE December 2nd, if they're working on the day after Thanksgiving, which I doubt. This is absolutely unacceptable, especially considering he ordered the item on October 30th. I assume he ordered from Dell Outlet largely because of the fast turnaround...they need to make up for this mistake in a big way, and they just aren't doing that.

I got a refurbished MacBook Pro from Apple for less than the OP paid for his computer, and I didn't have to jump through the hoops he's jumping through. Macs aren't always more expensive.

@rdm:

Just got a nice Toshiba from newegg.com for $500...3 GB RAM, Duo Core, Home Premium, looks and runs sharp.

Outlet has 1, read ONE, computer of that exact model, unless there's some freak anomaly where two, or more, people order the same exact specs and return it. In this case, they probably sold the same computer twice.

They will have similar models, but not exact. They are trying to see if they get a return with the exact specs to fulfill the order. If they can't, they'll either refund or upgrade.

And I stand by my earlier comment, if the OP "needed" a laptop in such a hurry, go into a B&M store. As an engineer and gamer, a computer around $2000 with full warranty and accessories is not a lot of money. Certainly above average, but not like the "big spender" he thinks he is.

@UGAdawg:
You're correct, there's some fluff time built into that estimate. Because things do happen, and simple mistakes like selling the same freaking computer twice occur. When my company gives an ETA, we purposely add a few days to cover our ass and look good when we get deliver goods "early". Standard practice.

@larrymac - please put me on your do not call list:

Ummm ... that's not what an analogy is. See, I didn't say "but he's not buying food" because that part is what makes it an analogy. The "someplace else" is what makes it a *false* analogy.

@treimel: It's called an analogy. I'll let you find your own definition link for that.

Dell had quick ship models. They should find one with equal or better specs and send to him today.

I wish it would let me eat them instead of it deleting them...

@rdm: Mac, Windows CD + License, Boot Camp.

Install Windows, use Apple's driver CD, everything works.

@AirIntake: I was just kind of confused by Spin359's comments about Mac software not being useful. I guess if you need Word Processing, you still need Microsoft, but you don't need Windows to have Office. I just have never seen any case in which Windows had any built-in software that was actually useful in a way that OS X software could not be.

Chances are, he'll have it much sooner than 18 days. Places ALWAYS overstate shipping times so that they're covered. Better to say you'll get it in two weeks and actually get it in three days than to say three days and you get it in two weeks.

That's why Amazon has a policy in which you have to wait around two weeks before you report something as lost in the mail.

@ShiningSquirrel: Yeah, what Pecan Pi said. It's not that they shipped his computer to someone else, it's that they seemingly haven't admitted that they shipped his computer to someone else. And yes, 18 days is a long time when they already took your money and promised a computer that they clearly can no longer delvier.

@tonberry: Even though one small corner of the monitor has exposed parts, the computer still runs very well. It's been donated to some young family members though.

@ShiningSquirrel: Servers are from Dell Business. Adamos are from Dell Home (or Hell Dome, if you like spoonerisms). HUGE difference in overall customer service quality between the two.

But, you do make a good point. Businesses always get reamed when they overpromise and underdeliver. Don't you think that 18 business days (3 1/2 weeks) is slightly excessive, though, window-wise?

BTW, Nelling Spazi called. Useally should be "usually", and similier should be "similar".

@MostlyHarmless: I know it's the Adamo, I said so in the first paragraph. I played word association in my head though and thought a laptop with cut off corners was a good idea. Hmph.

@zentex: The cookies were a one-time 'switch to Mac' deal - if you switch from a Mac to a PC, you get an intervention. No cookies, only kleenex.

I'd be more tolerant if they said honestly, "We're sorry, it was just the one computer like the one you ordered and we mistakenly shipped it to somebody else. Right now we don't actually have one, but stuff comes in often enough that it's likely to come in by the end of the month." Followed by a query as to whether I preferred to leave the charge on there in the interim or if I'd rather get a credit, since it wasn't clear when the new one would be available.

@larrymac - please put me on your do not call list:

He said separate order, not "somewhere else."

@katstermonster:
As I said in my other post, "the" computer is probobly already sold to another customer. The OP is making a mountain out of a mole hill. They almost always say something like "within 14 days". Useally it ships much faster, but they have to cover themselves. If they said 5 days, and it took 10, you know it would be posted here.
We had a similier situation with a server. They told us they would "try" to send out a similier computer within 2 weeks. 3 days later we had a MUCH better machine then what we originally purchased. The OP does not even seem to want to give Dell a chance to make it right.

@tonberry: I like Asus laptops for their innards, but the casing is often cheap and terrible. I had an Asus laptop that started splitting near the monitor. Customer support told me that I would have to ship it to them for repair, but that it was a $150 fee just to look at it without a guarantee that they could even do anything about it, even though it was clear that they still made the laptop so they should have been able to just swap the casing around the monitor.

@aznjoker: It's not a simple mistake. They shipped him a computer that was entirely different from what he ordered. They acknowledged their error, but then required 18 days to correct it!

on the other hand if your going to spend that much money on one you might as well get a mac notebook,(i hope you do not plan to game on it).

This is a simple mistake, and yes, mistakes do happen dammit. No company is perfect, they can only strive for perfection. They are trying to rectify the problem and this guy is demanding even more.

If you "needed" something quick, that's what brick-and-mortar stores are for.

Maybe Dell can take a page out of T-Mobile's book and give the OP some porn to keep him occupied for the next few weeks.

@Spin359: What software comes automatically with a Windows machine that you do find useful?

I guess I just don't understand why a computer company (or anyone with a huge internets business in the 21st century) can't manage to have an integrated system that tracks stuff like orders and inventory and is linked in with customer and technical support.

of course I'm still waiting for my flying car.

Keep the laptop, ship me that kitty!

Yes, get a Mac.

But if you don't join our fabulous group of very cool people (we have cookies!), I suggest you call someone higher up in the food chain or launch a EECB. There's no reason why Dell should have sent you a random desktop computer when there is precisely one Adamo laptop in their warehouse with the specifications you ordered.

And praytell, why did Dell not hook up with the people from Battlestar and launch a special edition Adama laptop with cut off corners? Is it because there are no computers on the Galactica? Pshaw.

@ShiningSquirrel: Exactly. They need to stop pretending like they're going to get him that exact machine, do the right thing, and upgrade him, preferably to a new one.

so, maybe there is hope? it seems to me they tend to err on the side of caution when giving ship dates...

Why does he have to wait?
Most likely because the compuiter he actually ordered has already been sold to another customer. The computers in the outlet go rather fast, and there are only a single one of each, so it's not like they just slap another one together. They are waiting for a similier outlet laptop, thats all, and it's pretty normal. I would suggest the OP stop putting up a fuss and keep quit on this one for awhile, because what they useally do is if thay cannot fulfill the original order in the time specified, they offer a better machine at the same price.

Here's the thing I don't get - he ordered a "previously ordered new" computer. Which means that Dell had ONE computer, a specific computer, with the specs he wanted. So they don't need to find A computer with his specs, they need to find THE computer he ordered.

GOOD customer service would be admitting that they lost/sold the computer he ordered, and saying they'll upgrade him to a new computer with comparable specs.