I have a case number pending with Dell and one of their customer care specialist is handling my case. I have proved to them that several orders that were placed after mine have already been shipped. One order number was placed more than 20 days after mine and has been shipped. Since the last time I spoke with Dell, I have been collecting more order numbers from others that placed their orders after mine and have already received them, and that were kind enough to share them with me.

I am done waiting quietly! I am writing an email to Dell tomorrow telling the specialist handling my case that if by Wednesday I have not heard of a firm delivery date of sometime before the end of the year, for all of us that ordered on November 5th, I am going to start processing and organizing a massive complaint to the Better Business Bureau.

To do so, I will use one of my very popular technology blogs to make the situation very public and to gather and organize people who have been likewise victimized.

http://www.themaemo.com/

or (depending if the folks at themaemo.com approve or not)

http://temporaryland.wordpress.com/

(I am sure other fellow bloggers, like Engadget and Gizmodo, will help us run the story as well.)

I will be gathering names and order numbers to include in the complaint to the BBB. (People who have ordered through vendors other than Dell will be welcome to join the complaint.)

If you are interested in joining the joint complaint, you can start sending me your emails with the following information:

Name - Order Number - Date Ordered

Send me your emails to rmcorrespond@google'smailservice.com
(substitute google'smailservice for gmail, trying to thwart the spammers )

The information will be shared with the Better Business Bureau (to prove the merit of our complaint) and with no one else.

Who is in?

Does this information (Name, order) become public information once it goes to BBB? I think with just the order number and Name, someone else could cancel the order?

I'm in once you confirm how our information will be distributed (e.g only to Dell to show how many of us are pissed)

No, the information will be given to the BBB (no names or order numbers will be shared with any one else). Maybe we will share it with Dell, maybe not. In any case, I am only giving them till Wednesday to avert this.

Send me you emails. Right now I have to go to bed. Talk to you tomorrow.

I will have to be out most of the day today. I will be back in the afternoon to answer any questions you might have. I will also write my email to Dell then. In the mean time, do send in your emails.

People that have already complained to the BBB are welcome to join on this joint complaint too. People who canceled their Dell order due to the delays can still join the complaint. The complaint will be worded to include all complaints received, even those not from Dell. But, I do think they should all be from US orders.

I just sent my info.
Thanks for organizing this complaint.

Thanks to those of you that have sent your emails. Some of you are wondering if we are going to seek some form of monetary damages. Personally, I am not interested in that. I just want to voice my complaint and let it be that. Whatever the BBB does beyond that is up to them.

If some of you think that the mismanagement of your order has resulted in monetary loss and want some form of restitution then you will have go at it on your own. However, if you do start something let us know and we can discuss whether or not we can be of any help to you. But, as I said above, I will personally not disclose any of the names and order numbers that we have to any one other than the BBB.

Here is the email I am planing to send to Dell. Please continue to send me your emails with your names, order numbers, and order dates. If you have any questions let me know. (Real names and numbers have been removed below.)

_________________________________________


Dear Ms [**********],

As you are well aware of from handling my service request ( # 8888888888), I placed an order (# 99999999) for a Nokia N900 on November 5, 2009. The initial estimated date of arrival given was December 10, 2009. As the weeks passed, I began to received reports of colleagues, consultants, and friends receiving the same item I had ordered, in spite of the fact that they had ordered the item at a latter date than me. Some of them were even willing to share their order numbers with me so that I could verify it. At the time I figured they were probably being delivered to everyone and some just happened to get theirs a day or two before me. However, days became weeks. When I realized that I was not going to receive my device by the date that had been given me, I decided to contact Dell to see what was the problem. I was told that the item was simply out of stock. However, when I provided proof that other people had been receiving their devices, even some that order much latter than me, I was told that no explanation could be given to me, but that they would investigate and contact me with an explanation.

Unfortunately, instead of that, a few days latter my order page was updated with a new expected delivery date of January 20, 2010. When I saw that, I decided to contact Dell again. I explained my situation again and politely expressed my frustration. I was told that it was not Dell's fault bu that it was Nokia that was for some unknown reason not fulfilling the orders in the order that they were placed. I did not know what to believe. I was told that there was no way that I could purse the matter directly with Nokia, and was told, again, that the matter would be investigated and that I would be contacted.

In the mean time, I have been contacting other customers that are in the same or similar situation that I am. They have been willing to share their names, order numbers, and order dates with me. We are now getting organized in order to submit a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I also happen to be a writer in two very popular technology blogs (with a readership in the thousands), and I am planning to also make this matter public and to invite more people who are in the same or similar situation to join our complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

I am telling you this because I want to give you and Dell one last opportunity to resolve this situation and avert this trouble. So, I am giving you until Wednesday, December 16, to give me a firm date for delivery of our devices. If by that time we do not have a firm delivery date or if the date given is after December, 2009, we will proceed with our very public outcry and our formal complaint to the Business Bureau.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

[rm42]

Recommend changes to the following:

- the first sentence should spell out your intention to file a formal complaint on behalf of several customers. Did should grab their intention as the content is kinda long
-... if the date given is after ???? December, 2009

From the BBB point of view, you have to give a reason why you consider this Decemeber date to be important. I would mention:
- several other retailers having it in stock. amazon, buy.com with date+screenshot
- nokiausa themselves seem to have it out of stock, so Mmmmmm
- menion the loss of the $50 rebate as another reason to receive it by X date

Thank you. I like your suggestions. I am not planning on taking advantage of any coupons, but I am going on a trip on December 30. So, that is why I am putting that as my latest target date. However, if some of you have an important date to target please let me know and we can include that in the complaint.

Here is the revised email so far:

_____________________________________

Dear Ms [********],

As you are well aware of, from handling my service request ( # 888888888), I placed an order (# 999999999) for a Nokia N900 on November 5, 2009. Due to what I perceive to be a mishandling of my order I want you to know that I am planning to file a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Many others in the same or similar situation are joining me on this complaint. Further more, since I also happen to be a writer in two very popular technology blogs (with a readership in the thousands), I am planning to make this matter public and to invite others who may be in the same or similar situation to join our complaint

The initial estimated date of arrival given was December 10, 2009. As the weeks passed, I began to received reports of colleagues, consultants, and friends receiving the same item I had ordered, in spite of the fact that they had ordered the item at a latter date than me. Some of them were even willing to share their order numbers with me so that I could verify it. At the time I figured they were probably being delivered to everyone and some just happened to get theirs a day or two before me. However, days became weeks. When I realized that I was not going to receive my device by the date that had been given me, I decided to contact Dell to see what was the problem. I was told that the item was simply out of stock. However, when I provided proof that other people had been receiving their devices, even some that order much latter than me, I was told that no explanation could be given to me, but that they would investigate and contact me with an explanation.

Unfortunately, instead of that, a few days latter my order page was updated with a new expected delivery date of January 20, 2010. When I saw that, I decided to contact Dell again. I explained my situation again and politely expressed my frustration. I was told that it was not Dell's fault but that it was Nokia that was for some unknown reason not fulfilling the orders in the order that they were placed. I did not know what to believe. I was told that there was no way that I could purse the matter directly with Nokia, and was told, again, that the matter would be investigated and that I would be contacted.

In the mean time, I have been contacting other customers that are in the same or similar situation that I am. They have been willing to share their names, order numbers, and order dates with me. All these names order numbers and order dates will be provided to the Better Business Bureau for their consideration.

I am telling you this because I want to give you and Dell one last opportunity to resolve this situation and avert this trouble. So, I am giving you until Wednesday, December 16, to give me a firm date for delivery of our devices. If by that time we do not have a firm delivery date or if the date given is after December 29, 2009, we will proceed with our very public outcry and our formal complaint to the Better Business Bureau.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

[rm42]

The email to Dell has been sent. Good night every one.