Shipping "Dell-ays"

As students head back to school there might be something missing from their backpacks -- the new Dell laptop they ordered weeks ago. Shipping delays on the new Dell Inspiron and XPS line of notebooks are causing people to wait several weeks longer than they anticipated for their notebooks as Dell keeps delaying existing orders and pushing out delivery dates.

Here at NotebookReview.com we've actually witnessed a 200% traffic spike in our Dell forum for the past 4-weeks, and a majority of that traffic is coming from people visiting the forums to discuss their problems receiving Dell notebooks they've ordered. There were so many posts in our Dell forum concerning this issue, we had to open up a new forum dedicated to Dell shipping questions. So what's going on?

Dell hasn't said much regarding delays on Inspiron notebooks, but they have publicly indicated that they're having trouble with XPS M1330 orders due to quality control issues with such things as the paint job and component supply shortages. It seems this is also occurring with the Inspiron line of notebooks now as well. The Inspiron 1420, 1520 and 1720 are all in sharp demand (good for Dell) and Dell and its suppliers apparently can't keep up with the volume of orders they have received (bad for customers).

To demonstrate the amount of frustration consumers are experiencing with these shipping delays, witness a thread called "Post when XPS M1330 ordered and when/if shipped", it's approaching 9,000 replies to it in the past month, that's far and away a record for our popular discussion forums, and indicative of the number of frustrated customers. Heck, we even have long threads dedicated to XPS M1330 delays broken out by regions: UK M1330 Order Status Thread, European M1330 order progress.

In regards to Inspiron delays, customers are coming up with metrics for what's causing the longest delays on shipments. One forum poster was nice enough to make a post informing others how long their order would be delayed based on the color lid they selected. For instance, here's the breakout for the expected delay if you order an Inspiron 1520:

• Black, white = no delays
• Brown lid = 5 days extra
• Yellow lid = 6 days extra
• Blue lid = 8 days extra
• Red, green, pink lid = 11 days extra

Want a pink lid? That'll be 11-days extra wait time

So instead of ordering the color lid they really want, people are opting for the black or white colored Inspirons to get the notebook sooner. Other known delays appear to be due to options such as graphics cards.

If you've ordered a Dell notebook and are experiencing large delays receiving your notebook, our condolences to you. Forum member Flamenko recommends using some strategies to win concessions such as warranty upgrades, OS upgrades, or even money back for the inconvenience of delays in his very useful post here: how to get money back and concessions from Dell for shipping delays. And, if you're one who likes to compete, you can enter your name on the list for "Who has waited the longest" to see if you can win the waiting game