Dealing with Hell in Ordering an INSPIRON 1521 from Dell

RM Clock for 64-bit Processors

2011-03-12T20:41:00.000-08:00

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hardware-components-aftermarket-upgrades/235824-undervolting-guide.html

Nice little guide to de-sabotage the work done by Dell to speed throttle the Retardaron 1521s. This nice little piece of Russian software forces the CPU to run at max speed 24-7 no questions asked regardless of what the Dell Bios thinks. I like.

Utility to set things right with wrong-headed Dell power supplies

2011-03-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

http://cpu.rightmark.org/download/rmclock_235_bin.rar

Apparently, this utility will allow the CPU to run as normal when a non-Dell power supply is plugged into a Dell. This is especially useful because even Dell itself badges non-Dell power supplies as Dell power supplies, and then we are left twisting in the wind!

Thanks CPU Rightmark! No thanks to you, Dell!

Slow Inspiron 1521 Problem Revisited

2011-03-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

According to Wikipedia, all Dells have issues with slowness after being plugged in because of proprietary, chipped power supplies. In other words, they want you to buy the official Dell stuff for 3x the price. That these proprietary powers supplies and adapters are also subject to breaking down easily and causing the computers to run slow doesn't bother them at all. In fact, it's probably a great marketing strategy to convince you to "upgrade" to the next "generation" (if you can call their warmed-over models that) of the Retardaron or whatever. See the Wiki entry:

Power supply issues

Most Dell laptop computers have a special external power supply (PSU) which cannot be replaced by a third-party universal supply. The PSU has a chip which produces a special signal identifying the PSU as by Dell and specifying its power, and a special 3-pin connector (minus, plus, and ID). If a power supply not made by Dell is used, and the cable near the connector becomes damaged as is not infrequent after some use, the battery stops charging and the CPU runs slower, although the computer can be used indefinitely so long as it remains plugged in. If this problem is present at startup the message "The AC power adapter type cannot be determined. Your system will operate slower and the battery will not charge" is displayed. This will continue until the external PSU is replaced. A few third-party suppliers make power supplies with specific provision for Dell computers at lower prices than Dell's. It is possible to work round the slowdown, but not the battery charging, by installing a CPU clock utility ^[14]. On some models (the 9100 for instance), the problem can be worked around by starting the computer without a battery installed and fitting the battery after the computer has booted.

Another problem arises after much use with the motherboard power connector; springy metal parts which contact the outside of the plug lose their springiness and fail to make contact so that power does not reach the computer. The "official" solution is to replace the connector on the motherboard, which requires partial disassembly of the computer and unsoldering of a part with several pins; many companies charge a considerable sum for the work involved. Various simple alternatives have been suggested; for example a thin "skin" of solder on the outside of the barrel of the connector on the PSU (with care not to overheat the connector's plastic parts; and this thickened connector should not be used with other, not faulty, Dells as it will stretch the springs).

These problems are discussed in detail, and solutions and workarounds suggested, in a discussion on the Tom's hardware site ^[15].

Inspiron 1521 running slow as hell with power cord plugged in

2011-03-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a couple years since I bought this machine and I can tell you it's been one ordeal after another. About 8 months into use, the machine start slowing down like you wouldn't believe (slower than my old desktop P2) just doing simple things such as viewing gmail or working in Microsoft Word. Sometimes it would just hang there for about 2 minutes while the little clock icon ticked annoyingly by. Clean installs of Windows doesn't work; neither vista nor 7.

I turned off Powernow! and turned on highest performance for the hard drive in BIOS, but the problems remains. This is a fairly well documented problem on the net, with some people suspecting CPU throttling when the CPU gets too hot (not an issue as I have a mains fan blowing right into the underside, and it's still slow as frozen syrup), use of bargain bin thermal paste, or some other issue.

This Inspiron 1521 is now out of warranty and my only recourse is to not buy Dell again in the future. $400 is not cheap when you have to deal with a 1-2 second lag for every character that you punch into the keyboard (like is happening right now as I type this blog post).

One other item that bugs me is the horrific static noise when I listen to music or try to record something with this laptop. Apparently, the designers didn't think to solder a few things well enough and everyone who has bought the 1521 is now dealing with static noise. During the first year I had this laptop, I sent it in twice and they pretty much just cleaned the fan without addressing the static issue. They may have replaced the sound card with a refurbished one, but if the basic design is at fault, this doesn't change anything and indeed it hasn't.

I won't buy a Dell again. It's just not cost effective having to deal with such problems every single day; I suffer too much of a drop in productivity. Right now I'm looking into a Sager which costs nearly $1K, but of which there are nothing but accolades in regards to its performance and reliability. I do believe that laptop makers can make a quality $400 laptop and still make profit; Dell just doesn't want to. And when they drop the ball, they don't admit it. In fact, it's like they've dropped the ball, it got punctured by a couple of stray nails, and then run over by an 18-wheeler car, and then they sell you the ball and tell you it's brand new and of great quality and value. When you find out the truth and ask them to fix it, they pretend like nothing is wrong.

Dell, you had your chance. You blew it.

Getting nothing but Linda Kelly's answering machine

2008-09-25T11:12:00.001-07:00

I recently filed a complaint against Dell with the BBB asking for them to refund my $25 shipping fee. I paid $25 to have them ship it in 3-5 business days, not 5 weeks. Dell responded to the BBB and asked me to contact Linda_Kelly@Dell.com (1-800-624-9897 ext 72-62156). Every time I call I get her answering machine. I have left two messages, and the other 2 times I hung up. I also e-mailed her twice. No replies at all.

This is the essence of Dell customer resolution: they simply ignore the problem.

Static Hiss from Inspiron 1521 Headphone Jack

2008-09-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

More joy from my brand-new laptop. It appears that the components Dell uses creates a static hiss whenever the volume is turned above "2." The only solution is blast the music so loud it drowns out the static. Way to go Dell. And thanks for not offering a fix for this. It's just like you.

See here for more info on frustrated users with this problem:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=197809&page=8

Deal Tech Support

2008-09-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Spent 4 hours this morning with "Surinder" from Dell Tech Support fixing my 1521's mousepad (which would "phantom" click) and the built-in microphone which didn't work by installing newer driver.

While the tech did a good job, I don't see why Dell can't just ship new, fully-functioning laptops to their customers.

Dell provides contact number of Linda Kelly of Escalation

2008-09-18T07:27:00.001-07:00

Dell is maintaining that Azam Mohammed and Reena Dominic called me. Funny how it was ME who tried to call them many times and was told by their secretary that they were not there. I also wrote e-mails which they did not answer. I will keep fighting them on this. They have now given me the contact details for resolution manager Linda Kelly.

Escalation has gone nowhere

2008-09-17T13:01:00.001-07:00

Despite promises from Escalation's secretary, no one has called me or e-mailed me from Dell. Fine. They can speak directly with the BBB now.

Dell refuses to put me in contact with Escalation Team Members

2008-09-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

I received 2-emails from Dell's escalation team in regards to getting a refund of my shipping fee. I tried calling one of them, and was told that he had switched departments. I called the other, and was told she was on break. I tried again this morning, at 9 AM, when they would not be on break, and was told by the customer representative that they cannot put me in contact with members of the escalation team, but that they would call me back. Just WTF is going on?!

9:45 AM
Called the Global Escalation Team phone # that was given to me again and was again transferred to just regular customer service

Rupiner (#887063) told me that she could not connect me with the escalation team even though their e-mail said they work from 8-5 PM M-F. She gave me the regular "they will call you back in 24 hours" nonsense. No one at the escalation team has responded to my e-mails or the messages that I have previously been able to leave (up until yesterday, I was able to leave messages with the secretary at the escalation team office)

9:58 AM
Finally managed to get through to the same Global Escalation Team secretary that I had been talking to all last week trying to get in contact with members of the team. Karthik (#145772) told me that both Reena Dominic and Azam Mohammed were not at their desks. Interestingly enough, although the secretary previously told me Azam Mohammed had switched departments, he apparently forgot what he had told me last time, and tried to page Azam. No luck.

Inspiron 1521 finally arrives after 5 weeks; 2nd reboot fails

2008-09-10T07:44:00.001-07:00

My Inspiron 1521 finally arrived after 5 weeks of stalling by Dell last night. It booted up the first time, but then failed to boot every time after that. I had to wipe the hard drive and use the recovery disk that Dell gave me, but after I finished the recovery, 4 drivers were missing.

I'm chatting with a tech now to locate these 4 drivers.

Many people have mentioned that Dell assembles "new" laptops from refurbished parts. I hope this has not been the case with min, but with everything that has happened so far, I would not be surprised.

Apparently, Inspiron 1521 has "shipped"

2008-09-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently using a blog works a lot better than trying to reason with Dell's customer service representatives or their chat staff.

Although I signed up for e-mail notification of when my order will ship, I have never received an e-mail from Dell. I have to go the Dell.com site myself and check my order every single time to get any updates (which usually involve delays).

I received an e-mail from a Dell2dell company blogger yesterday offering to looking into my order delay.

Shortly after, my status at Dell.com changed to this:

Customer Number: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Dell Purchase ID: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Order Number: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Order Date: 8/5/2008
Order Status: Shipped

Shipping Method: 3-5 Business Days
Shipped Date: 9/5/2008
Est. Delivery Date: 9/10/2008-9/12/2008
Carrier: Data Temporarily Unavailable
Tracking Number: Data Temporarily Unavailable

It's been like this for about day now, so I wonder if this is just a further delaying tactic by Dell to put a bandaid on the situation, so they can say that my order has "shipped" while not providing any solid information like carrier or tracking data.

As you've probably noticed, I've lost all faith in this company. IF I get my order within the next month, this'll be the last time I ever order anything from Dell.com. I just hope the laptop doesn't start having tons of problems, making me have to deal with Dell's technical chat team.

Dell Inspiron 1521 Order Delayed for 4th Time in a Row

2008-09-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

Here's what I received from Dell.com.

A 4th order delay.

Due to unforeseen circumstance, we have experienced another delay with your order number xxxxx. Our new anticipated ship date will be on or before 9/11/2008.

Order Description: Inspiron 1521, AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 (2.0GHz/1MB)

Shipping Information
To view shipping information for the order:
Sign in to My Account
Shipping Method: 3-5 Business Days
Est. Ship Date: 9/11/2008
Est. Delivery Date: 9/16/2008-9/18/2008
Carrier: Not Shipped
Tracking Number: Not Shipped

This is bizarre, as I spoke with "Gupta" on the phone on Tuesday, and he said that "production is all finished, and your order will be shipping out on 9/4."

Anyhow, I called Dell's customer service again this morning and spoke with
Puja (Employee #: 106259), who repeated what Gupta said. Apparently, they have decided to take another week to package my order.

This whole process with Dell has been highly frustrating, as I have already been waiting 1 month for my laptop--which should have been delivered on 8/20/2008--and still see no solid delivery date on the horizon. Dell simply moves back my "production date" 1 week every time their cross their own arbitrary new deadline.

I starting to think that BBB complaint to Michael Dell is the only way to get my needs addressed. I will draft a letter to the BBB later in the day and continue to post the results of this ongoing saga of "Dell Hell" here.

Labor date update on my Inspiron 1521 order

2008-08-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Well, the customer center is not open on Labor Day Weekend, but sales chat is. I guess Dell needs to keep selling to new customers, but feels no need to service existing clients during the holidays. I teased some more information out of the following CR today:

13:09:10 ME
Initial Question/Comment: ME@gmail.com
13:09:15 System
You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
13:09:15 System
Connected with BE_RR_Rep_James
13:09:20 BE_RR_Rep_James
Howdy from Round Rock, TX! :)
13:09:20 BE_RR_Rep_James
My name is Coy and I'll be your personal sales consultant here at Dell. Just in case we get disconnected, save my email address – it's james_melancon@dell.com.
13:09:20 BE_RR_Rep_James
What can I do to assist you with your purchase this afternoon?
13:09:28 ME
Hello.
13:09:33 ME
Please check on order # : 409820366
13:09:47 BE_RR_Rep_James
Ok, give me just one moment
13:09:54 ME
I have received conflicting information from chat and by e-mail about production and delivery dates, and would like more accurate information.
13:10:15 ME
I was told by one of your customer reps that it would ship on 8/20/2008, but now it's 8/31/2008, and still no show.
13:10:30 BE_RR_Rep_James
for future reference you can go to support.dell.com to check on the status of your order
13:10:54 ME
I see, pls check it for me.
13:11:20 BE_RR_Rep_James
I am
13:12:35 BE_RR_Rep_James
Your current estimated ship date is 9/04. All this information should be reflected on the website for future reference
13:12:45 ME
What's the reason for the delay?
13:13:45 BE_RR_Rep_James
Delays in manufacturing, what specifically I don't know. Probably had some parts that were backordered
13:14:25 ME
Can you deduct the $25 shipping fee from my payment since the laptop is essentially 2+ weeks late?
13:15:00 BE_RR_Rep_James
No sir I can't. The website clearly states that all shipping dates are just estimates
13:15:36 ME
Very convenient for Dell, since the company can simply just keep backpedaling without making good on promises to deliver.
13:15:50 BE_RR_Rep_James
Actually that's not true at all
13:16:05 ME
My laptop has been delayed 3x, how is that now true?
13:16:10 BE_RR_Rep_James
If an order gets delayed by a certain number of days we are required by law to cancel the order
13:16:14 ME
Your customer service centers also have no answers.
13:16:20 BE_RR_Rep_James
and refund the money
13:16:35 BE_RR_Rep_James
I have answers
13:16:53 ME
What stage of production is my laptop currently at then?
13:16:59 ME
And what parts are causing the backlog?
13:17:40 BE_RR_Rep_James
It's at manufacturing station 5100
13:18:15 BE_RR_Rep_James
It doesn't say, but usually its AMD that is causing the hold up because they get behind in production of their chips
13:18:24 ME
The AMD64 chip?
13:18:55 BE_RR_Rep_James
Yes, that would be my guess, since none of Intel machines are on back order
13:19:42 ME
Is manufacturing station 5100 located in the U.S., or abroad? I ask because I want to know if 9/4/2008 is a realistic ship-out date for Dell, or if they will send me a 4th delay e-mail with still no firm dates.
13:21:01 BE_RR_Rep_James
It doesn't say
13:21:08 BE_RR_Rep_James
It is in production though
13:21:08 ME
I see.
13:21:33 ME
Are you able to tell me "% complete" or some kind of metric like that, so that I know how far along it is?
13:21:52 ME
I just need to know something, because I am without a laptop right now until this order comes in.
13:23:06 BE_RR_Rep_James
It doesn't give me that much detail, it just shows that its in production at station 5100 and is esitamted to ship out on 9/4 with an estimated delivery date of 9/9-9/11
13:23:21 ME
All right.
13:23:37 ME
Ship out date is when Dell sends it to the carrier like DHL or Fedex, right?
13:23:46 BE_RR_Rep_James
Correct
13:23:50 ME
OK.
13:23:53 ME
Thanks for the help.
13:24:02 BE_RR_Rep_James
No problem ME, have a good one!
13:24:11 BE_RR_Rep_James
If you need anything else just shoot me an email at james_melancon@dell.com
13:24:12 ME
I've called in after each of the 3 delays, and you're the first person to provide me with some inkling of real information.
13:24:22 ME
So I thank you for that, and wish you a good labor day weekend.
13:24:31 BE_RR_Rep_James
:) Glad I could help
13:24:31 BE_RR_Rep_James
You too!
13:24:35 ME
Bye.

So apparently my laptop in still in production at the nebulous "production station 5100." I googled this and got zip. If this production station is located abroad, I'm thinking I probably will see another delay from 9/4 pushing it back to 9/15 or something. Apparently AMD parts of backordered.

Inspiron 1521 ordered from Dell.com on 8/5/2008 delayed 3x and still has not arrived

2008-08-28T09:49:00.001-07:00

Here's the skinny:

I ordered a "Inspiron 1521- AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-60 (2.0GHz/1MB), Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1" from Dell.com on 8/5/2008, and was given a shipping date of 8/20/2008. I figured that 15 days for them to build my laptop was reasonable.

Here are the specs of my order:

Inspiron 1521 - AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-60 (2.0GHz/1MB), Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1

-- Inspiron 1521 --
-- AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL-60 (2.0GHz/1MB)
-- [222-8596]
-----------------------
-- 2nd Processor --
-- Ruby Red
-- [313-5437]
-----------------------
-- Memory --
-- 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
-- [311-7198]
-----------------------
-- LCD Panel --
-- Glossy, widescreen 15.4 inch display (1280x800)
-- [320-5380]
-----------------------
-- Video Card --
-- ATI RADEON® Xpress1270 HyperMemory
-- [320-5378]
-----------------------
-- Hard Drive --
-- Size: 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
-- [341-4701]
-----------------------
-- Operating System --
-- Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1
-- [310-9073]
-- [420-5769]
-- [420-6436]
-- [420-7027]
-- [420-7622]
-- [420-8566]
-- [420-9100]
-- [420-9106]
-- [420-9128]
-- [463-2282]
-----------------------
-- Network Card --
-- Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
-- [430-0493]
-----------------------
-- TBU --
-- Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 8.1
-- [420-7468]
-----------------------
-- CD ROM/DVD ROM --
-- CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive)
-- [313-5165]
-- [420-8183]
-----------------------
-- Sound --
-- High Definition Audio 2.0
-- [313-4783]
-----------------------
-- Wireless --
-- Dell Wireless 1395 802.11g Mini Card
-- [430-2680]
-----------------------
-- Camera --
-- Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam
-- [320-5737]
-----------------------
-- Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed) --
-- Microsoft Works
-- [420-8051]
-----------------------
-- Anti-Virus/Security Suite (Pre-installed) --
-- McAfee SecurityCenter with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, 30-Days
-- [410-1160]
-----------------------
-- Battery Options --
-- 85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell)
-- [312-0501]
-----------------------
-- Warranty & Service --
-- 1Yr Ltd Warranty and Mail-In Service
-- [960-2780]
-- [983-3060]
-- [987-5417]
-- [987-8159]
-- [990-7989]
-----------------------
-- Dial-Up Internet Access --
-- 6 Months FREE EarthLink Internet Access
-- [412-0934]
-----------------------
-- DOMS Camera Mod --
-- Ruby Red color w/ 2.0M pixel Camera
-- [320-5469]
-----------------------
-- Label --
-- VISTA PREMIUM STICKER, INSP
-- [310-8628]
-----------------------
-- DataSafe Online Backup --
-- Included 3 GB DataSafe Online Backup for 1Yr
-- [420-7091]
-- [420-7092]
-- [987-4817]
-- [988-0099]
-----------------------

On the morning of 8/20/2008, my order still showed as "in production," so I used Dell's sales chat to see what was up. Here is the trasncript of my chat with "BE_RR_Rep_Hugh":

10:15:39 AM Customer ME
Initial Question/Comment: ME@gmail.com
10:16:42 AM System System
Thanks for choosing chat for your Dell Purchase needs. A chat agent will be with you shortly.
10:18:50 AM System System
Thanks again for your patience. Chat agents are eager to help you with your purchase, so stay on line and the next available sales consultant will assist you.
10:20:15 AM System System
You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
10:20:15 AM System System
Connected with BE_RR_Rep_Hugh
10:20:15 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Hugh
Hello, and welcome to Dell's Sales Chat! My name is Hugh.
10:20:22 AM Customer ME
Hello Hugh.
10:20:26 AM Customer ME
My order # is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
10:20:35 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Hugh
Just in case we get disconnected, save email address - it's hugh_zarria@dell.com. How may I assist you with your purchase today?
10:21:12 AM Customer ME
My order was supposed to ship today, but it still says "in production." Can you provide me with more information than this? What's holding up the process?
10:21:45 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Hugh
let me look into this for you
10:21:52 AM Customer ME
All right.
10:22:00 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Hugh
thank you
10:22:10 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Hugh
just one second please
10:22:24 AM Customer ME
Sure.
10:22:50 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Hugh
it is showing today as the ship date, so it should be out the door sometime today
10:23:09 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Hugh
so, give it through the rest of the day
10:23:20 AM Customer ME
I see. Will I be receiving an e-mail when it gets shipped and the shipping number from the courier you use?
10:23:26 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Hugh
and maybe check a little later today
10:23:30 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Hugh
exactly

Shortly after this, I received an e-mail from Dell.com saying that my order had been delayed, even though "Hugh" said that it should ship on 8/20/2008:

At Dell, our customers are our top priority and we regret when we are unable to ship our products by the original estimate provided. Although we anticipated being able to ship your order sooner, we are experiencing an unexpected delay and have adjusted the estimated ship date as reflected below (see Revised Estimated Ship Date). We value your business and appreciate your patience.

Now my ship date had been moved back to 8/27/2008.

I used Dell chat again and "BE_RR_Rep_Noelle" could tell me nothing except that my ship date was estimated at 8/27/2008. I told him that I did not pay $25 in shipping so they could deliver it to me 2 weeks later. I asked him to refund me the $25 that I paid but to continue to producing and shipping the 1521 to me. He said that Customer Service at 1-800-624-9897 could help me with this. He said that they could give me a case number that Noelle could then help me with.

I called the Customer Service number and spoke with Dell Representative Gaurab (employee number: 137941) and he told me that "Due to the nature of Dell's business, we cannot give you exact production or shipping times, those are just estimates." I asked him what was holding up the process and he said he couldn't answer that. When I asked him to take $25 off my order price because it was being seriously delayed, he said he could not do that, and replied in an annoyed voice: "If you don't like it, you can cancel your order." Gaurab did not give me a case number, and I had to pointedly ask him for his employee number before I could even get that.

I continued to contact Dell Chat, whose agents provided me with no answers. I also clicked on the link to check my order status everyday, and was surprised to see on 8/26/2008 that they had added some information to my account telling me that if I did not approve of "all future delays," my order would be automatically canceled. I received no e-mail warning of an automatic cancelation. Since I had already put in so much time customizing my laptop and speaking to all these Dell representatives, I grudgingly pressed the "I agree" button agreeing to all future delays.

Right after that, my order was delayed for the 3rd time to 9/4/2008. I contacted Dell Sales Chat on 8/27/2008 and spoke with "BE_RR_Rep_Christopher_W:"

10:27:23 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Christopher_W
not sure.. you can call customer service do you want that number?
10:27:59 AM Customer ME
I called them before, they didn't provide any details.
10:28:09 AM Customer ME
The shipment has been delayed 3 times, surely you must know the reason?
10:30:38 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Christopher_W
i do not... unless it is the AMD processor?

He hinted that the AMD processor was on backorder, and I asked for more info, and then he simply dropped the connection. Thanks, Christopher, for nothing.

I talked to some friends that have had many experiences buying corporate from Dell, and they told me that AMD processors were probably the culprit. So I contacted Sheila at Dell Chat this time:

10:42:49 AM Customer ME
Initial Question/Comment: ME@gmail.com
10:42:54 AM System System
You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
10:42:54 AM System System
Connected with BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
10:42:59 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
Hey Welcome to Dell Sales Chat! My name is Sheila, and I'll be your personal sales agent. I can be reached at sheila_aguero@dell.com if we happen to be disconnected. How may I assist you today?
10:43:18 AM Customer ME
Please check order # xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
10:44:05 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
sure one sec please
10:45:55 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
its in production, the estimated ship date is 9/04
10:46:20 AM Customer ME
Have you been experiencing a shortage of AMD processors?
10:47:20 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
yea, we don't sale them any more............you can also call 1800-433-9014 to check order status
10:47:50 AM Customer ME
I see. And that is the reason why my order was delayed 3 times?
10:49:50 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
I am not able to see that kinda information, I think its because of the lack of the AMD processors. They are only in retail now
10:51:01 AM Customer ME
Are they going to cancel my order if they cannot mate a processor with the rest of the components?
10:51:12 AM Customer ME
I need to know because I've already waiting 3 weeks.
10:51:31 AM Customer ME
I'm sure you can understand the frustration if I have to wait another month after that and still get zip.
10:53:10 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
I can give you the # to see if you can further investigate, 1800-624-9897
10:53:49 AM Customer ME
Is that just the customer service number? I tried them Monday and they didn't help me.
10:55:00 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
is there a reason you choose the AMD processor?
10:56:27 AM Customer ME
I prefer AMD.
10:56:40 AM Customer ME
I've used Intel before and had very many reliability issues.
10:57:00 AM Customer ME
I also build custom white-box systems for myself, friends, family, and colleagues and always use AMD chips.
10:57:18 AM Customer ME
Usually they're cheaper for me and for some graphics applications superior to Intel chips (in my opinion).
10:57:37 AM Customer ME
Since I can't build a laptop, I wanted one with an AMD chip in it made by a systems integrator like Dell.
10:58:26 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
I am probably not suppose to say this but, retail Dells, have AMD processors
11:00:17 AM Customer ME
I don't quite understand what that means.
11:00:35 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
dells in walmart and bestbuy
11:00:38 AM Customer ME
So "retail Dells" have AMD processors, but built-to-orders don't, or something like that?
11:00:43 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
have AMDs
11:00:49 AM Customer ME
OK, I see.
11:01:01 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
yea, we stopped having that option recently
11:01:04 AM Customer ME
So what are the consequences for the built-to-order that I paid for?
11:01:21 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
you can cancel it
11:01:39 AM Agent BE_RR_Rep_Sheila
since its still in production, you wouldn't be charged anything

Hmm, the first real information out of these people are repeated phone calls, chats, and e-mails. So Dell gave me the option to build an AMD64 Inspiron 1521, but decided that it didn't want to make them anymore, but was happy to take my money anyways, and then wants to cancel it?! I honestly do not know what kind of 3-ring circus they are running.

At present, I'm hoping to receive my notebook by the middle or end of October 2008. I will post blog updates here everyday detailing my chat and telephone conversations with these wonderful & helpful (I'm being facetious) people.

I remember when Dell used to be respected for their service and quality. I honestly don't know what happens to that. IF I receive my Dell Inspiron 1521 from Dell.com, it will be my last order EVER with this company. They don't respect their customers and would rather put up roadblocks to problem resolution because it saves them a few bucks. In this economy, companies cannot thrive on such a lack of service. From now on, I'll be buying Acer, Asus, or Gateway. Those Taiwanese companies know how to make a mean laptop and they charge less for it.