From China to the UK - has anyone seen my laptop?

On Monday 6th we ordered an M6800 laptop through our company 'sales rep' (who is as useful as a wet paper bag)

I tracked it on the Dell website. It was assembled in 24 hours, I was given a shipping reference and clicked through to the Walsh Western website.

There is was listed as departed Manu. facility... then... nothing...

8/10/14 10:45 CHINA DEPARTED MANU.FACILITY
8/10/14 02:45 PENDING.

And that is all there has been. Our happy chappy (but useless) sales rep said we would have the laptop this week, because I really need it for next week.

I've read that Walsh Western / UK mail are pretty bad and that this is not an unusual situation. Have other people had similar experiences to this with WW / UKM and had the thing arrive when you are expecting it? I am started to get worried. When I ordered from Lenovo there was an update every step of the way. Now I have no idea if the thing is in China, the UK or when it may turn up (estimated delivery date is blank)

 

Over the weekend an ETA of the 20th turned up on the website.

Well, it's the 20th today and I'm still looking at...

8/10/14 10:45 CHINA DEPARTED MANU.FACILITY
8/10/14 02:45 PENDING.

This is infuriating.

 

Yep. I've got an ETA of today, which I've had since it first shipped a week ago, and an e-mail yesterday from a sales rep saying I'd have the laptop within two days, but according to my tracker it hasn't even moved from China. Exactly as above.

Did you get your laptop yesterday?

 

Hi I have the same and my eta is 24th. Have yours arrived yet?
I called them and they told that was going to arrive next Wednesday lol Thanks

 

Well, I didn't get it yesterday, but the tracker updated with all the WWI Lutterworth stuff this afternoon and I got a new ETA of tomorrow. UKMail sent me a text just now confirming that it is indeed scheduled for tomorrow, and hopefully I'll get another one tomorrow regarding the time slot.

 

I'm not getting it Tom!!!! I called then and they said ETA is only a estimated date it doesn't mean that it will be delivered lol and it is still in transit for the last 7 days hahaha in a airplane u need to laugh with the worst costumer and deliver service that I had to deal with. They send a packet from China and stops all the way and travels all over to get here because it is cheaper it takes the time they want because the least important is the costumer and u wait if u want and nothing u can do..... I'm considering cancel my order and send it back. I rather go to a shop or Amazon and buy it than wait 20 days (13 of the 20 in transit) for a laptop. Definitely first and last that I buy from dell.

 

I got my laptop. The hardware is good, but damn, Windows 8 feels like it hasn't even left beta. So many bugs and half-done parts. I'm not even talking about the weird hybrid interface either, it just seems buggy. Hopefully Windows 10 will be more refined.

I'll also say, that I had to disable Intel Rapid Start because ironically, it slowed down system resume by several orders of magnitude. Not to mention having to use the power button to initiate resume. After disabling it, it's perfect. Lid up, screen back on in a few seconds.

And honestly, since finally disabling the flickery automatic brightness, the Inspiron 7537 I ordered is just amazing. It's a shame how much software is letting this down - like, I'm sure the ambient light sensor works just fine, it's just not being used very well - but now even that's okay at least until Windows 10.