M17x Order Status Discussion - Part 4

That is either sheer incompetence or bait and switch scheme. Take your pick...

 

I will confess the Dell Disclaimer regarding "Canceling an Order" seemed rather well written, implying you have no Consumer protections or rights.

Then I went here:
Business Guide to the FTC's Mail or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule | BCP Business Center

There is a lot to read, and this part seems most applicable, regarding "an unfair method of competition, and an unfair or deceptive act or practice for a seller":

(b)(1) Where a seller is unable to ship merchandise within the applicable time set forth in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, to fail to offer to the buyer, clearly and conspicuously and without prior demand, an option either to consent to a delay in shipping or to cancel the buyer's order and receive a prompt refund. Said offer shall be made within a reasonable time after the seller first becomes aware of its inability to ship within the applicable time set forth in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, but in no event later than said applicable time.​

I followed up my email earlier today, notifying Dell that I became aware of the delay, on my own, as follows:

The Customer does not consent to the delay regarding the Order, placed on 9/11 with expected delivery date (EDD) of 9/26.

Q: Can we provide a delay option notice by posting it on the customer’s "order-status" page of our website?
A: If you provide a delay option notice, you must choose a way that is reasonably likely to provide all the required information within the time period required by the Rule. If the consumer doesn’t visit the order-status page until after she misses her order, you haven’t complied with the Rule’s requirements that the delay option notice be provided within the promised shipment time. Of course, posting on the customer’s order-status page can be an excellent way to back up notification by another means.
​

The Customer again asserts that no other means of notification regarding the change in EDD have been attempted by the Seller, other than the Customer's "Order-Status" page of the Seller's website.
​

I also noticed the "hold" on my payment method seems to be gone. One wonders if the Credit Re-Authorization Attempt is in compliance too.

This seems like an awful lot of work for a premium product. At the end of all this, do I get a Customer Satisfaction Survey too?

Just wanted to clarify (one last time, I promise)...

The following states:

Note: If your order is delayed by Dell, you will receive notice and the option to cancel the order in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Mail Order Rule.​

This then implicitly links the next statement with the "FTC Rule" (technically, Sec. 435.2 The Rule.):

If you have ordered a custom-built PC, we can only cancel your order prior to beginning the production process.
​

This seems fair, given the assumption that Dell would not have accepted your custom-built PC without "reasonable expectation" of fulfilling the order... and then provides you and Dell with a "defined delivery date", or in Dell's language, "Estimated Delivery Date", or EDD.

Then there is Dell's next statement, or "catch-all," the TKO/bye bye:

If your order is listed as In Production or Shipped, we will not be able to cancel it. ​

The reason why you will likely not receive definitive clarification regarding the specific step in the "production process," as defined by Dell, that your particular Order is at, is that the catch-all covers "all the bases" rather nicely, from Customer cancellation.

What is not explained at the Dell Consumer level, and actually covered by "FTC Rule" is the scenario where the delay in the "production process" occurs after Production and prior to Shipment, pushing the completion date (to conclude the transaction) to a previously not agreed upon (Or did you consent?) revised new definite date.

Where the "reasonable" start to have questions, if not already, is when production of new systems, ordered today, are projected to complete prior to previously ordered systems (clearly, days ago) with revised new definite dates, particularly during "promotions."

For that, I defer to the following from the FTC guidance:

The evidence you need to demonstrate the reasonableness of your shipment representations varies with circumstances. The following, however, is important:

Anticipated demand. Is the demand for each advertised item reasonably anticipated?

Supply. For each advertised item, is there a sufficient inventory on hand or adequate sources of supply to meet the anticipated demand for the product?

Fulfillment system. For all promotions in the relevant sales seasons, can the fulfillment system handle the cumulative anticipated demand for all products?

Recordkeeping. Are adequate records kept of the key events (see section headed "Why You Should Keep Records" for a list of key events) in each individual transaction to ensure that items can be shipped within the applicable time, as established by the Rule?​

Now that may provide an interesting basis to question the earlier assumption, that Dell maintains a "reasonable expectation" to meet previous and new demand, as of 22 September 2012.

In certain cases, perhaps it is the basis for an FTC Complaint.:thumbsup:

On the other hand, it is entirely possible that a probable battery supply shortage, for example, could explain how previous and new demand will be met, where the critical path is in testing or shipment, vice laptop manufacturing, since the final product is not likely powered up with the final battery until near the end (if then).. and old and new orders share the same battery type.

FYI: My spare M17x R4 battery, ordered separately, and via Dell Direct on-line, showed an ETA of early October, as of 9/12. My spare power supply arrived within two business days.

 

I hope that was not "sarcasm."

I know the 3610QM is weak, but I had a strict budget and the cost of the 680M prevented me to upgrade anything else on my rig. But who knows, in the future, I will always have the option to upgrade my CPU etc and RAM.

Nevertheless, I am still happy with my machine! =)

 

My order got stuck in Pre-production for 2 weeks then delayed. When I finally called them I found out the order was stuck and had to be cancelled and redone. When they reordered it went through properly and got shipped out about 2 weeks later. The laptop back shipped out within a few days of ordering and it never went out on the first one.

 

Sorry, sarcasm was not intended. I have read that the audible noise should not be a concern with the R4/3610QM/680M, and my G53SX/2630QM/560M certainly clears the area immediately behind the exhausts during Steam/Company of Heroes play.

In fact, I fully appreciate your cost challenge on the 680M.. and politely disagree that the 3610QM is weak, if gaming is your primary objective.

In my case, I opted NOT to hand Dell directly any additional cost/benefit/margin, given their recent track record, so I went low ball on the GPU and was "forced" to upgrade the CPU for the $200 discount offer.

This is despite my solid experience with NVIDIA and likelihood of similar OC potential, as I currently gain with my GTX 560M via MSI AfterBurner as needed. ​

And the following clearly suggests 3610QM is a solid choice in the Ivy round, for anything but repetitive H.264 Video tasks, for example.

Review Intel Ivy Bridge Quad-Core Processors - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

Again, congrats on a successful purchasing experience.

Yep, preparing new Shopping Cart to attempt Order #2, Paypal Advantage on my payment side. They are 100% American. :thumbsup:

I should also mention, on the insane "silver lining" tangent, that FedEx USA will experience a slight increase in utilization.

 

I would say that the 680m setup is noisy with stock settings/fan profile from Dell. I found that the GPU fan was overly noisy and obnoxious when playing games. I researched it and was dismayed to find out that due to a limitation of the BIOS/mobo of the M17x there is no separate fan control for the CPU and GPU.

On my desktop, I would use MSI Afterburner to set up a fan profile for my GPU but this option is disabled on the M17x with 680m. I was able to use HWINFO64 to control the fans but all you can do is set up one profile that controls both fans based on temps from ONE of the components!

So in essence I have it set up to raise the fan RPMs based on my GPU temp which has made the noise much less obnoxious and keeps my GPU temps down but as a result, my CPU temps are higher than I would like as the fans don't ramp up based on CPU temps. This has made my CPU temps go into the high 80's for some games but I have researched the safe temps for my CPU and have decided to take my chances.

Just wanted to let you know about this very shocking limitation if you weren't aware of it. It is far from a deal-breaker for me but totally caught me out of the blue and I am still in shock that there would be such a limitation on a high end machine!

 

Got an email on Saturday, apparently Dell shipped it on a Saturday!? Awesomeness.

Can't wait for my sweet machine!

Hope you get yours soon citisinz

 

My computer wound up shipping a day after it was supposed to be delivered. I spoke to customer service while at school on Thursday, and they stated that there was a delay in the production stage, but that my computer was in fact built already and in testing. I asked why there would be a delay if it was already built before my EDD, and they were persistent in stating "we are sorry for the delay but we hope we keep your service" whenever I expressed disappointment or hoped for some sort of news/compensation. I have needed a laptop for work and school for a while, and luckily it shipped with NBD shipping on Friday of last week. Unfortunately, they don't deliver on Saturday, but it is out for delivery as we speak

Hope all of you with delays get your orders figured out soon. Just keep calling and bugging them to give you updates. My rep that was supposed to keep me updated has not messaged me once since the beginning of last week, and that was a slightly sarcastic assurance that my concerns were unnecessary and everything would ship on time (which it didn't).

 

After fighting with Dell for 2 days, I finally ordered my Alienware MX17 R4. This will be my second gaming laptop. My previous was an Asus G73JH, which got me hooked to desktop replacements. I cannot wait until this thing arrives!

Specs:
Nebula Red
i7-3820QM
AMD Radeon 7970m
16GB DDR3-1600

 

Woot, Dell updated me with tracking info, looks like it's near me, should get it tuesday or wednesday =DD So excited!

Just bought a massive 23 LX thermaltake ultra performance blue LED Cooler 17inch for my new rig from tigerdirect!

 

Awesomeness +1 and Congrats!!! And Thank You. Still no word from my Sales Guy...

I was on the fence Sunday about ordering (again)...

... so this AM, with Order #2, On-Line only, I went with the 3820QM/7970M combo.

And when Order #1 (3720QM/7970M) eventually arrives, I will compare side by side.. and then utilize Dell's Fantastic Free Return Policy for the Runner-Up. Muhahahaha, Dr. Evil Customer laugh. ​

M17x R4 | 3820QM | 7970M 2GB | 6GB 1600MHz | 500GB | 17.3-in FHD 60Hz | DVD-R/W | Centrino Wireless | In Production | EDD 10/8

 

Thx

and nice strategy you put there lol

 

it's out for delivery! Woot. Sucks that I probably won't be home to receive it, got work 8-4, will probably have to drop by at Purolator depot in the evening to pick it up.

 

How long did it take for the production to shipment for you?

 

Ordered on the 13th, got it on 25th

production took 6 days

I am still posting from my old Asus laptop though, just got back home from work and will unbox my sweet m17 in a few minutes!

 

happy for you. though i gotta assume that the 120 hz screen is out of stock because I ordered on the 8th and still no word of shipment

Actually I've been told that they were out of keyboards of all things, a problem which has since been remedied I am told. What this does not explain is why others who have ordered m17x one week later have already received theirs (like they should) and here I am rambling on about my delay instead of playing total war on mine???

 

They have delayed my order twice now first time by a couple days, this time by 5 more days.
Its still listed as "in-production", and delayed till 9th. Any suggestions for finding out what the deal is?

 

Have you called and asked what the delay is? If they won't give you a straight answer insist and if still none get a supervisor so they can help. It took a bit of pushing to find out that my order was stuck in limbo and had to be redone.
@Blondwolf -- the keyboards bit sounds like they were trying to find an excuse.

 

[QUOTE
@Blondwolf -- the keyboards bit sounds like they were trying to find an excuse.[/QUOTE]

Exactly, I don't know why they don't realize honesty pays off in the long run. Well, maybe even in the short run I might have been ok with an upgrade if I thought it would get it shipped on time. Anyhow, I finally received mine yesterday (after 3+ weeks) and it seems to be working fine except for one dead pix cell. I guess it is time for me to move the owner's lounge now... Hope those who are still waiting receive theirs soon...

 

The order is here, but purolator has a tendency to not giving any effort to deliver and wait for you to pick up (and if I may add, never the purolator that's next to you but almost always the one that's further away) so.... Sigh.

I wouldn't really touch it anyways since I'd need to reinstall as well as wait for the keyboard protector and case.

 

I ordered mine on Sep 9 and it was delivered on the 25 (14 business days).

Extremely happy with it, build quality is solid and performs like a dream.

 

Hello PianoForte,

I’m very sorry if we disappointed you.
I would like to follow up on these delivery issues. You can send us the details at [email protected].

After the first attempt the driver brings the shipment back to the main facility, which might not be the closest location. However, we do offer alternate delivery options such as having your parcel redirected to the retail center of your choice or to have it redelivered to the same address. The request can be made directly to us by email ( at the adress above) , via our live chat on Purolator.com or at 1.888.744.7123.

If you have any question, please feel free to contact us.

Thank you,

Catherine Côté
Social Media Coordinator / Customer Care Team
E-mail / Courriel: [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter Purolator Help (PurolatorHelp) on Twitter

 

Thanks for the concern Catherine, but I have picked up the package already. Will keep that in mind the next time.

 

Le Sigh.

Two more delays, still no real information, tried calling numerous times. Have gotten the typical NBD and "prioritized order" (lawl).

the closest to real info was the last delay (today), the rep said there was 'technical problems' with their ordering system and the system i ordered wasn't in the order or something convoluted like that. New date: 12th.

Originally ordered because the date was october 3rd for delivery date. I have back surgery on the 8th, was hoping ot have it ready to go so the following weeks id have something to do, Thanks dell! :thumbsup:

 

Just placed my order today

i7-3630QM
Nvidia GTX 680
6GB RAM
Killer Wireless-N
720GB
1080p Screen

£1677

Decided to take dell up on the 10% discount!

Also just ordered a Crumpler Chester Stallion Bag

 

got my R4 last week.

3820QM, killer 1103, 16G, 680M, bluray drive

Placed the original order (for a R3 in Feb). Was delayed as the 580M was out of stock. The final model (which was upgraded to a R4 along the way as the 580M was discontinued) arrived last week. all in all, a long time to wait. but happy that the GPU is much faster. not sure about the change to Ivy bridge with the R4 (and newer slower clocked CPUs). need to do the benchmarks to see if it really is faster than the older Sandy bridge CPUs.

Raj

 

Ordered my r4 on 3rd Oct, EDD 29th, and it has been at pre production stage for 7 days, is it normal? have refreshed the order status page for like hundred times

i7-3740QM
Nvidia GTX 680
16GB RAM
Killer Wireless-N
750GB
1080p Screen

 

Just got the news after having called my CR at Dell...

Emailed me back saying

1
2012-09-26
ALIENWARE M17XR4
CON
IP
ALIENWARE NOTEBOOKS
COMPAL
ANZ
2H8DG 2012-10-05/TWVVF 2012-10-09
SHORTAGE

12
Pending...due date


Any idea what this p/n refers to?... Also do u recommend hosing off the whole deal and going with Aussie based EBAY item

 

Hi man, we are in the same shoes right now..

I ordered the exactly same spec as you on 2nd and EDD is 26th though, it's been 8days now still in Pre-Production.

Btw you ordered with Dell UK?

 

Same situation with me

 

Same here! What are they made of? Unobtanium?

 

I have heard the 680m is once again out of stock. They expect to fill all current orders by the 24th of October.

 

anyone have news on the stock status of 7970m?

 

Just placed an order a couple of days ago for my first AW machine with the following specs:
i7-3740QM
12GB RAM
7970M

With an EDD of 9/11/2012 its going to be a long wait!! I feel like a kid at christmas i'm that excited.

It is currently sitting on Work in Progress and I can't stop refreshing the page...

 

Have you called to check on it? When my order got stuck it was in Pre-Production for 2 weeks. I'd check and make sure nothing is wrong with the order that is causing it to stick around there. The second order had went to In-Production immediately after it was placed.

 

Yep, same thing happened to me. Had to cancel and re-issue to fix it.

 

Ok so I placed my order on 9/29 and was given an EDD of 10/16 with free two day shipping.. I was getting super excited as the days got closer, expecting a "shipped" email any hour now. Then, I check my order status and I get an updated date of 11/6...
My specs are:
i7 3610QM
680M
8GB RAM
500GB
3D Screen

I will be calling Dell soon, but I dont expect to get many answers. What gives?? This seems like a rather large push, would I be better off canceling my order?

 

Yeah I would call to find out. I ordered mine on 9/28 with a EDD of 10/15 and it just got pushed back to 10/22. If the order center was open today I would call too.

Specs:
3720QM
680m
12GB Ram
3D Screen

 

Well I Contacted dell and they reasured me that the order will be sent to me by my delivery date of the 1-Nov-2012.

 

Edit: This was meant for DarthGater14.

I wonder why your EDD is sooner than mine, yet you ordered only a day before me. Maybe this is good news for me because it'll arrive sooner than the new 11/6 date? lol idk. If I had to guess, hopefully we are being delayed because of the new processors that were just released. Maybe they're putting them in our machines. In any case, can you please let me know what Dell says when you call them, and also when you get yours delivered? I will do the same.

 

Just ordered same spec, except 500gb hard drive. Ended up being £1370.

 

how did you manage that? not though Dell I imagine as the 680 and the laptop alone is £1768!

 

So if you buy right now its automatically save £205 on an alienware m17x. Base model + gtx 680m is £1550, then you can add on a 10% off and free delivery. The base model in the offer has the killer wireless and 1080p normal panel as standard.

The link on the special offers gets you the deal, go through the normal alienware portal and you will get the broken link. The customise will include the ati 7970? Thats not an option on the offer I chose. If you chose the ATI card you will get the conflict of power supply message, which you cannot rectify (you are on the wrong link, had to use dell chat to give me the right link).

 

Ahhh... I see. well I wasn't aware of the further 10% and free delivery.

have you got the link you used?

 

Ok, so had a look...

Gaming Laptops - Customise a Powerful Alienware Laptop | Dell UK

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

You can get that configuration page through the alienware portal of the website. Note in the graphics cards options (ati is selectable but causes a conflict). Also no automatic discount and display is the basic one (900p) and wireless is basic one (not killer).

With this link, through the special offers page/laptops page i think.

Browse Dell's Best Gaming Laptop & Computer Deals | Dell UK



Configure a m17x from that page and you get the automatic £205 discount and better screen and wireless as standard, plus the gtx 680 is only a £150 option. Bit harsh since the other page over charges you for the same spec.

Plus you will generally be able to get 10% off code (google dell vouchers) and usually there is a free delivery code too! Just google both of them as they tend to expire within a few days.

 

Ordered an M17xR4 w/680m last monday only to have the order cancelled today. Is there any way to get a customer service rep from North America?

 

same here buddy! I ordered mine on the 6th of Oct!

 

What specs did you both order? and what stage of the order status was it at?

Mines on pre production at the moment.

I know that they recently updated the processors and that the links to the same product configuration are different (if you had a option to choose the ati card it may be the wrong one?)

 

There was also another 6.06% off if you went through topcashback.

 

Oh My God...

OK so, this laptop has been a pain in the since I first thought of ordering it.

The day I place my order the bank stops the payment and I have to contact them, they tell me I will have to re do the transaction.

I call up dell tell them the situation and they assure me that the order will go through "this happens all the time"

4 days later the money is still in my account I get my contact at Dell to re-submit the order.

5 Days ago, I ask Dell why my Order is still in Pre-Production "Is there an issue with my order" were my exact words. I am told that all is ok and I am to expect my order on or before the 1st of November

Today, order cancelled. I ask why, they say that the GPU and PSU are incompatible and I must have made a mistake, I told them that the order was made by a Dell Sales Assistant. I explained all of the above and I say that I think I am due some compensation as this is an insane amount of complication for a £1700 laptop.

Been told they will get back to... I'm not holding my breath.