Why is Dell always so damn slow with their shipments?

[Spooner]

Their 3-5 ground shippin always takes 7-10 for me :disgust:

 

[hoihtah]

complain, my friend, and you'll have it in no time.

 

[Murpheeee]

I think it's because they manually check every order for pricing errors....don't want to repeat mistakes of the past

 

[dullard]

That 3-5 days is the time it takes to ship. It doesn't include the time for Dell to recieve the parts, assemble them, and test them.

Dell has a business model that is based around having virtually no inventory. This way they don't ever buy items at a high price and then watch the price tumble the next week and lose money having to sell at the new low price. This is why Dell usually has the cheapest computers. However this means that if a part they order is delayed, then you also are delayed significantly.

Go to http://delltalk.dell.com, click on customer care, then click on frequently asked questions. There they list the delay before they ship. From that delay, add the 3-5 days shipping and you will see their best estimate of when you will have the computer.

For example someone ordering a Dimension desktop with a DVD+RW/CD-RW combo drive is screwed. The drive is on a 10 day waiting list. The Dimension line itself is on a 3 day leadtime. Then you have 1 day for assembly and testing. So if you order a Dimension with that specific drive you must wait 10 days for Dell to get the drive, wait 3 days for Dell to be able to assemble your computer, then wait 3-5 days for the computer to be shipped. These days don't include weekends or holidays. So 17-19 working days translates into a 3-4 week delay.

 

[Spooner]

Originally posted by: dullard
That 3-5 days is the time it takes to ship. It doesn't include the time for Dell to recieve the parts, assemble them, and test them.

Dell has a business model that is based around having virtually no inventory. This way they don't ever buy items at a high price and then watch the price tumble the next week and lose money having to sell at the new low price. This is why Dell usually has the cheapest computers. However this means that if a part they order is delayed, then you also are delayed significantly.

Go to http://delltalk.dell.com, click on customer care, then click on frequently asked questions. There they list the delay before they ship. From that delay, add the 3-5 days shipping and you will see their best estimate of when you will have the computer.

For example someone ordering a Dimension desktop with a DVD+RW/CD-RW combo drive is screwed. The drive is on a 10 day waiting list. The Dimension line itself is on a 3 day leadtime. So if you order a Dimension with that specific drive you must wait 10 days for Dell to get the drive, wait 3 days for Dell to be able to assemble your computer, then wait 3-5 days for the computer to be shipped. These days don't include weekends or holidays. So 16-18 working days translates into a 3-4 week delay.

All I ordered was a dman digital camera. No excuses!

 

[dullard]

Originally posted by: Spooner
All I ordered was a dman digital camera. No excuses!

I took a quick glance at the digital camera section. About half say there is a 1-3 day wait until it ships the other half say 1-2 weeks before they ship. Then add your 3-5 day shipping time.

Also watch your payment method. Here is a quote from Dell.
"Your estimated ship date may vary based upon the payment method you choose and other factors. Customers using E-Check as their method of payment should add 3 days to their Usually Ships Date."

 

[ElFenix]

i ordered a computar tuesday and UPS says it was out for delivery this morning.