What's the point in order tracking/status?

Hello all,
ordered my XPS M1530 on the 10th June, estimated delivery 24th june.
Now it's the 18th and order status on the dell website still says: Stage 2-Pre production.
So I emailed CS and they said that there is a technical problem with the website and my order is in production and on target.
Does this sound like BS? What I mean is, what's the likelyhood of the website order status being broken for 8 days, and if that's true, what's the point in it?
I am in the UK, anyone else experiencing similar?
I get the feeling they are trying to cover up a delay.

 

My experience with talking to Dell reps about order status is that they will never admit to the possibility of a delay until there's actually a delay. Meaning that if your ESD is June 24 they will always tell you that you'll ship on or before June 24...until June 24 actually comes around and you don't ship. My feeling is that they're not lying or trying to cover up so much as they simply don't have access to any information beyond the official ESD.

Whether the website is broken or not, obviously we couldn't say. But you're still 6 days away from your ESD so there's ample time to get your order built and shipped regardless of the current status. I'd not read too much into what a CSR tells you. They don't know any more than you do.

 

Yeah, I'm in the UK as well. I ordered on 13/06/08, and my ESD is 26/06/08. I've also been stuck on Pre-Production, and I've read that this stage rarely shows up. Then again, I've also read a lot of people telling me to ignore the status page and just wait until the ESD, because the page is always wrong apparently.

 

UPDATE
I was right! Just checked order status, still says pre-production after 10 days and the ED had changed from the 24th of June to the 3 of July.
No email, no sorry about the delay and no explanation.
This after 2 phone calls to CS who assured me my machine was in production and I would receive it by the 24th.
I don't like the way Dell does business, and that's before we've even started!
Gonna call em now and get it off my chest.

 

I had the exact same thing from Dell UK, ordered on 11/6, estimated delivery 25/6. Phoned Dell every day for the past week and the last time I phoned the rep promised I would have the laptop by my delivery date. If I don't have it by then all hell is gonna break loose as he shouldn't have promised if he couldn't guarantee it.

Have heard that the order status page doesn't work though, someone ordered and was on pre-production for a week and then it suddenly changed to being shipped or whatever it says at that stage.


What specs are you getting machineman?

 

What did they say after you called? Really feel for you.

Best of luck with you laptop.

 

Well,
they weren't fazed at all when I threatened to cancel.
They are so big and independent that they clearly don't need the business.
That's why their customer care has gone out the window.
I asked them why they kept telling me it was in production when it clearly is not.

They are still insisting it is and the order status page is not updating properly!
Well it updated OK to show the new ED.
They must think I am stupid, I recon it takes a couple of hours max to build an XPS and maybe another hour to load the software, so they obviously haven't started yet.

I asked if the battery was holding things up, but he reckons not.
I'm gonna stick with it simply cos of the price for the spec, but if there is the smallest thing wrong with it when it finally arrives, it goes back straight away.

Redwish thanks for the good wishes- likewise.
Sminp spec is:
XPS M1530 Tux black
upgrade to T8300
Upgrade to 1440x900
3 gig RAM
8600M GT
320GB HDD
wireless N
6 cell battery.
Was £750 at checkout, got 15% discount voucher and paid £633!

 

be more polite, i hear it makes taking it up the anus slightly more easier

 

I live in Barbados, which falls under their Latin America and the Caribbean market/section, and I can testify that the CSRs sometimes are not privy to the updated information. I will suggest though that if you are having problems with the phone service, try the chat service, it worked for me.

 

I'm italian!

I ordered 06/12 with EDD 06/30.

However, I have called Dell because my order status is now "pre-production".

They say that missing video graphics board (Nvidia 8600GT).

Now, after reading this forum, I question myself:
It's missing 6-cell battery or NVIDIA 8600GT?????

Because I have ordered an XPS M1530:
T9300
Display 15.4" WXGA+ Widescreen 1440*900
Hard disk 200 GB 7200 RPM
NVIDIA 8600GT
6-cell battery

 

post pics plz

 

Well what I really love is seeing Next Day delivery as shipping method, yet when they ship on a Friday they dont tell you DHL (yeah, only DHL - not FedEx) will not deliver on weekends... Argh.

I called DHL and asked them to hold it for me at the Hub and DHL responded with 'Sorry. Dell has a policy we must attempt delivery 1 time before we are allowed to hold it.' When I explained I had held Dell deliveries before - she said it was a new policy per Dell. Hmmmmm....

Oh and the DHL rep told me they shipped it 'Ground' - not Next Day. LOL Figures.

 

ok attach my jpeg order

 

Update:
After 11 days pre- production, and the EDD changing from the 24th of June to July 3rd. Yesterday 21st system says Production, I think YAY about time, then today 22nd it says shipped!

So it looks like I may get it on the original EDD after all.
All the order tracking/status page has done is unnecessarily upset me, it seems there was no need to change the EDD.

 

Ha, having read that post I went to check on my order status today.

It says it's in production now (as of 16/06/08). Which is a bit of a laugh because it said it was in pre-production as of 16/06/08 yesterday.

You've been a big help machineman. :] Enjoy your laptop whenever it comes!