Still Waiting for Dell...

"We can never really be prepared for that which is wholly new. We have to adjust ourselves, and every radical adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem; we undergo a test, we have to prove ourselves. It needs subordinate self-confidence to face drastic change without inner trembling." -- Eric Hoffer

Earlier this week I wrote that I was waiting for Dell. I'm still waiting. I ordered a brand new Dell laptop on July 4th. It is now July 27th and I'm still not using it. Actually, the first laptop showed up within 10 days, great.

But I now have a policy that when I get a new computer I don't install any new stuff on it unless I am sure the thing works with the basic stuff first. So off went all the trial software and then I networked it to my desktop. Then I installed a virus program. All seemed to be running okay. I left for a few hours (had to go see the Wizard of Oz at Mesa Community College), planning to register my virus software when I returned.

Upon attempting to register my virus software there was a problem. The laptop couldn't connect to the Net. I restarted and tried again. All was fine with the world.

Later that night I was online with the new 'puter and suddenly (like five minutes into being online) it dropped the signal and I couldn't get it back. Now I had a similar problem with the laptop I am writing you from at this very moment. It happened when I got it (again, a Dell). We used it for a month thinking that wireless was going to drop a lot, not knowing any better. Then one day we tried to download a Windows update and it dropped us during the download (right at the very end). The download said it was 100% complete and we installed it, which is when the computer really had problems. After being on the phone with Dell for three hours the problem was resolved and all has been fantastic for two years since.

Back to the new laptop...
So I try the troubleshooting things that I did with the old laptop. Nothing seemed to work. I call Dell at 3:00a.m. for help. After being bounced around to five different people I finally got a department that could help me and they eventually blamed my wireless network (***Remember that my wireless network is FINE with my other laptop***). So I call Belkin, the folks that make my wireless router and they tell me that if my desktop and other laptop are fine (which they are) then it isn't the router. Back to Dell...

Another call to Dell (this time I got through to the correct person immediately) and again no luck. He wasn't blaming my wireless router this time. Instead, he wanted to send me to the Dell Help Desk, which is a paid help desk. Wha????? Umm, hello, I've had the laptop for 26 hours and I haven't done anything to it except try to make it work... DUH... I don't THINK I'm going to PAY to get help fixing something that was defective when it came out of the box. Oh yeah, not to mention I have like a super duper warranty on the product... So I give up (this was a Friday) and off I went to Chuck E Cheese to attend a 3-year-old's birthday party and drown my sorrows in carbs and tokens.

I took the weekend off of my Great Dell Crusade.

Monday I decide to call Customer Care. I tell my story and they offer to send a replacement laptop. I say, "Sure, sounds great." And here starts the second phase of the Great Dell Crusade.

After 24 hours of waiting for an order number for the new Dell I finally call the girl I spoke to the first time (from India). I get her supervisor's voice mail. Annoyed, I try to connect to the department instead of leave a message and the system won't let me (even though it said I could). So after four or five tries, I hang up. I call the main Customer Care number again and get a new girl from India. She gives me the order number I was looking for and assures me all is well with the new member of my computer family.

I track the process of the computer online through Dell. I see it probably won't get here until the 26th/27th, which I think sucks. In the meantime I get a call from the original Dell girl sounding a tad bit annoyed that I contacted someone else in Customer Care while she reassures me that she's tracking the progress of my replacement Dell. Another day passes and I get a message from someone who sounds American who wants to make sure all is well with me since I had to get an exchange; name and number noted.

Friday, the 21st I check the Dell site and I have now been given a Dell tracking number and Fedex reports the package should be delivered on Monday by 3:00p.m.

Monday I get a message from one of my India girls saying the package should arrive that day or the next at the latest.

Monday at 4:00p.m. I have no Dell. I call FedEx and they say that they never received the package. They say the tracking number is attached to information that was transmitted to them but no one actually got the package to them; in other words someone printed a label.

Monday at 4:10p.m. I am now thoroughly annoyed. I call the American who stupidly left his name and number on my voicemail. His name is John. I get John (not a voice messaging system) when I call. He sounds concerned. He tells me that it appears the package is lost. Bummer. He says he'll contact logistics and get back with me and that there was nothing else he could do.

Tuesday: Earlier in the day I receive a call from one of the India girls (can't keep track of which one is which). They are following up with me and I tell them the package is lost. They sound mortified and promise to get a new order out immediately (i.e., 24-48 hours before an order number is generated and then 3-8 days before I get a new computer).

Tuesday 4:00p.m. I call good 'ol John. He forwards me the e-mail from logistics which states that indeed the package is lost and a new computer has been ordered. UGH. After many minutes of John digging around for more info and explaining everything he possibly can, I ask John when I'll have a new computer. Guess what his answer is? "I don't know at this moment." Cool.

Wednesday at 5:30p.m. I see that the Dell website now shows my package has magically made it to FedEx and should be to me today, Thursday, by 3:00p.m.

Thursday 8:30a.m. I check the site again and indeed FedEx still seems to know where the package is. They say it is on a truck to be delivered.

Will it make it here?