Back on March 11, 2009, I ordered a new Dell laptop. And I customized it, adding some upgraded options. Originally Dell's website said it would be shipped out to me in a couple of weeks.

But since then, I received their famous automated phone calls telling me that the order is being delayed.

But the delays were very short. Instead of being shipped out in two weeks as was originally stated, they would be adding a few more days to it. "Ok", I thought, what's a few more days? So I press "1" on my phone to accept the new delivery date.

I had since received another such call, adding a few more days on top of that. "Sheesh!". I press "1" to accept the new delivery date. And then, I got another such call, and again I pressed "1".

But then the calls stopped coming in. And just a few days after my expected delivery date came and went, I checked my order on Dell's website. Now it said the expected delivery date is May 7, 2009.

So as it is today, I have another two weeks to wait.

Since then, I've been shopping for a new laptop by going to competitor websites like Lenovo, Toshiba, Sony, and HP. I've been checking out similar laptops, and comparing prices, and of course estimated delivery dates. But I haven't submitted an order.

If I go back to Dell's website, and notice the date has moved back even further, I'm cancelling the order, and finding something else. That'll be it for Dell, at least with me anyways. No more of my money.

Oh and then today, I read this on CNET (link)...

According to the study, which asked 4,500 U.S. consumers to rate the usefulness and enjoyability of products, Dell received a "poor" rating in overall customer experience. The company mustered a "very poor" when it came to the customer's enjoyment using Dell products. HP's experience was rated as "poor," while Apple led the way for computer manufacturers with an overall "good" experience.