Dell cops to XPS 700 delays

Apparently consumers who ordered Dell's XPS 700 gaming PC have not yet received their machines in the mail, and in the face of increasing complaints, the company has finally come clean on the issue. According to Dell's new one2one blog, the Pentium D- and Pentium Extreme-powered versions of the tower have indeed been delayed, though no specific reason is given -- all that's being said is that inadequate processor inventory is not to blame. While Dell isn't currently providing customers with a solid ship date, folks who ordered their 700 prior to July 18th will receive either a free upgrade to a Core 2 Duo CPU or a gift card for some unknown amount as a bribe to keep them from canceling their orders big thanks for being so patient. If you already have one of these desktops on order, expect to receive a call from Dell customer service in the coming days outlining your options and presumably apologizing for keeping you waiting. And if you haven't already ordered one, well, maybe you can get a good deal on an XPS 600 Renegade on eBay.

[Ferny @ Jul 21st 2006 4:03PM]

wow that is a good deal...
upgrade from pentium D to core 2 duo.

[roland @ Jul 21st 2006 4:19PM]

For those who have ordered, try to cancel the order anyway. Not only will they upgrade the processor, I got a free upgrade to 4gb ram also.

[Bryan @ Jul 21st 2006 4:41PM]

Some folks who have merely modified their order had the whole deal cancelled and resubmitted, putting them at the back of the queue and ineligible for the free upgrade.

I'm one of the unlucky saps waiting around for this thing, and after 50 days of delays, Dell requires you to consent to the delays otherwise they cancel the order automatically. Something to do with FTC regulations. However, the online links to consent are broken and the only way to consent is via an obscure 877 voicemail number. Also, Dell doesn't alert you to this consent process except on the online status page.

I wonder if there are any saps patiently waiting around who've had their orders cancelled and who've lost out on the free upgrade as a result.

[Allen @ Jul 21st 2006 4:51PM]

Dude, you are going to hell!

[Ian Jardine @ Jul 21st 2006 4:53PM]

Why would ANYONE have order one of these machines w/o wanting the Core 2 Duo CPU?

[James Dehnert Sr @ Jul 21st 2006 5:02PM]

Support will be interesting on these. I once bought a Dell system, and over time upgraded the OS from ME to XP, and added a better (i.e. good) graphics card. Several months after those upgrades the system started just powering off. Blip! gone. I did my troubleshooting bits, but to no avail, so I called Dell and I was informed that...

"You will need to re-install the older graphics card, and downgrade back to Windows ME before we can offer any assistance."

Once I was sure Dell wasn't joking, that system hot the trash bin.

[glacia00 @ Jul 21st 2006 5:22PM]

James I have to say your story is fishy. I can't imagine anyone seriously expecting support from any company on earth after changing both the hardware and software configuration.

Did it occur to you to contact the graphics card manufacturer? And then you threw it away? I'm just not buying this story - you just wanted to jump in with a 'I hate Dell post."

[James Dehnert Sr @ Jul 21st 2006 7:25PM]

For the record, I'm not a Dell hater. In fact I still recommend Dells to people with the caveat that if they like to tinker and upgrade, and if they value the support that comes with a new PC like a Dell, then they will probably be happier looking elsewhere.

WRT the Graphics Card, I saved that, and it still runs in another computer (an older one, but it works just fine). While trying to troubleshoot the system I changed the RAM, Graphics card, even the hard drive. The problem was CLEARLY with the motherboard, but Dell didn't care what I had done, they just wanted me to downgrade back to ME and the old graphics card. If I still had the old card I would have done that, but downgrade from XP to ME?? Give me a break!

After all, It's not like I installed Plan9, or even Linux for that matter. I've upgraded my old G4 Powerbook from OS9 to 10.4.7, and Apple still offers support. I think I, or anyone else, can reasonably expect Dell to provide support for the current Microsoft Consumer Operating System. The one they were shipping on all of their systems at that point in time.

I only mention all of this because the people most likely to upgrade their computer are ... wait for it... GAMERS!!

So, lets hope Dell can deal with this new customer base. How good will Dells reputation be one year from now if they try this tack with all the gamers who buy these systems now and then upgrade to Vista, and new graphics cards only to fnid that Dell wants them to downgrade before that will offer ANY assistance.

Dell has enough credibility issued, earned or imagined. I just wonder if Dell is prepared to deal with the customer base they are courting.

[glacia @ Jul 21st 2006 11:40PM]

Sorry James but this is didn't help you. You're guessing that your motherboard was the problem on your old computer. Anyone who works on computers will tell they see very few truly bad motherboards.

The reason that they wanted you to go back to the OS they sent is that there are drivers specifically for your computer. Now instead they could have asked you to go file by file to ensure you got the right drivers.

Your Apple analogy doesn't fly either. You would have had to had gotten everything from Apple so they should support their own products. But I agree you personally should stick with Apple.

By your own tale they were willing to support what they sold you. You were just too pissy to go through reasonable steps.

Don't worry about gamers. I think most are able to take care of themselves. Or they could run their games on a G4 powerbook like you right?

[Mark 2000 @ Jul 21st 2006 11:44PM]

Maybe its delayed while they figure out how to make it not look like a space heater.

[James Dehnert Sr @ Jul 22nd 2006 2:48AM]

Help me how, Glacia? I have seen a few failed motherboards in my days. It wasn't a guess. I changed EVERYTHING (ram, graphics card, hard drive, power supply, and OS) else and was still getting the same inexplicable failure.

Calling me "pissy" to downgrade my system to ME, well, perhaps you never has the opportunity to run ME (lucky you). My Dell had plenty of crashes and issues while I ran ME. Those pretty much went away the day I formated the drive and installed XP.

I have sat through hours of "reasonable steps" with Dell and Alienware (over 20 hours to get a replacement simm for a brand new Alienware system that liked to crash) ,including formating my system and reinstalling from scratch, usually after I have tried all that already. Downgrading the OS is just too much to ask IMO. They support XP. By the time I has the issue they didn't ship systems with ME any more.

The gamers will take care of themselves, but the point I'm making (and that your missing) is that Dell isn't going to make any friends with the gaming crowd if they insist that the gamers downgrade (hardware and software) from their highly tweaked up Vista systems, before Dell will ship a replacement Simm

My Apple analogy... Lets see. I buy Apple hardware with an operating system (OS9). I later purchase a new and very different operating system (OS X). I Buy Dell hardware with an operating system (ME). I later purchase a new and very different operating system (XP). In both cases the hardware vendor fully supports the operating systems. I dunno, seems pretty much the same to me.

I have run games on my G4, but frankly, it pretty much sucks for games. I keep 2 PC's at home for Games (1 for me 1 for the kids) for games. My Intel MacBook runs WOW pretty damned well (the G4 only so so), but anyone who works on computers will tell you they see very few games for the Mac. I do stick with Apple for anything I worry about, like my job, for instance. It's not perfect, it has crashed or hung from time to time, but it has never lost any data, or just powered off spontaneously.

The point is not what YOU think about ME. The point is that Gamers will tweak their systems to get everything out of them. I patch, tweak, and tune my game systems quite a bit. When they get gunked up, I reformat, and start from scratch. I spend hours re-installing, and re-patching, and recovering data from backups. My old Dell couldn't even get through re-installing the Dell drivers and basic apps before .. poof! Dell needs to be able to deal with that. Gamers will run Vista. They will spend hours getting Vista working the way they want. They are NOT going to want to go back to XP just to see if it's a Simm or a Driver (that they aren't running under Vist anyway) thats making their system crash.

[David Marshall @ Jul 22nd 2006 12:10PM]

Everyone please listen up!! I have it in writing from a customer care rep that I will be called within 24 to 48 hours. Promised that my computer will not ship, and that I will be given the opportunity to modify my order and change the processor to the Core 2. That chat took place over 60 hours ago. We all have it in writing that all orders placed before July 18 will be contacted and given the opportunity to modify or accept a Dell gift card. We have it in writing that an order will NOT ship before we are contacted. And to seal the deal, I have the infamous sign of Dell trust, "DON'T WORRY" Anyone that has ordered a more expensive Pentium D or 4 needs to keep this in mind: You paid a significant amount of money to upgrade your order to a better processor. If you ordered the 965 EE then you paid $1000 more then the person that ordered the 930. Unless Dell is going to give you a $1000 gift card, then it is foolish to except shipment of the order with the plans of upgrading later. I have tried to be clear on this issue, and I do not think I was being heard. DELL IS NOT GIVING US A "FREE" "UPGRADE". If you ordered the 965 EE then you paid for Dell's best. It is no longer Dell's best, and you would not spend $1000 for old technology. Please re-read the post that I sent a couple of pages back. I intentionally stay away from this forum for over 250 posts, 1) because I was very disappointed in the termination of "OUR" thread, and 2) I wanted to sit back and think a bit, and read what everyone was thinking. From what I see, we are getting swept up in this thinking that all of a sudden Dell really cares, and is looking out for our interests, and we just need to sit back and give poor Dell some space to sort things out. I DISAGREE!! Dell is a multi-billion dollar a year mega corporation and they can afford to "fix" this issue without us worrying about clogging up their phone lines. While we are sitting back and "trusting" Dell, orders are mysteriously going into PRODUCTION!! HELLO!! That thread of OURS ( I say "OURS" because, we the customers started it. The larger that thread grew, the more the watching world could see that we were strong, and gaining momentum. The media was on the verge of taking notice. They had to. It was getting TOO BIG. Honestly, is the world's largest computer company unable to support a thread with 1100 posts, and therefore had to lock it down?) was hijacked, and we lost our focus. Please re-read this post. I surely hope that I am not now going to have to ship back a XPS 700 computer and monitor, and get customer care to set up the shipping for free, and on and on and on. Unless you have agreed to accept the order as is, then you shouldn't accept it. Refuse the order and let it be taken back to Dell. You have it in writing that you must be contacted and given the opportunity to modify. We are not even close to an agreement that is fair and looking out for the interest of the customer. PLEASE READ AGAIN



Hi No I have not abandon the forum, but I still am not liking the change in direction. You have got to get them to see that Dell did not give them anything FREE. And it is not an UPGRADE. When I purchased my xps 700 on May 31 I ordered Dell's best processor for an additional $1000. That technology is OLD, and I would NOT pay for that process now. No way. Who would pay $1000 for a Pentium D now that the Conroe is on the market. So what Dell has realized, is that they OWE customers the current technology at the current prices. It just so happens that the price that we all paid for the pentium D's corresponds nicely with the price of the current technology.. In fact some are arguing that the new technoloy is cheaper, as Intel is looking to undermind AMD. I would cancel right now, if I knew for sure that Dell was not going to modify my order with a Conroe x6800 EE. Now if at least they were modifying and getting us the orders on time as promised, July 22, then it would have been a decent deal to get the modification, and not have to reorder. But as it is, you could probably cancel, and reorder, and have the computer right about the time that those that hang on get theirs. Therefore I contend that what Dell has done for us is "Nothing" right now. All they have done is add to our frustration and anxiety, as we all wait by the phone, for the infamous phone call!! And then the issue of other technology that will be hitting the market, such as the 590 "all new" chipset, the 1950 ATI, .... etc. What Dell should be doing is modifying the orders with Conroe, taking an additional % off, apologizing directly to the forum, answering ALL of our questions directly on the forum, and showing us the restructuring that will be taking place within Dell, and indicating to us that they want our input and will take is seriously. We have not even come close to hitting the target yet. And when I see people on the forum getting mad at the person that wants to know, and bashing him and defending Dell it makes me upset. Dell is not our wonderful savior that is taking care of us, and now all of a sudden we can trust them. The issues are still there, and the fact that they answered the questions on the Dell blog, and shut down our thread bothers me greatly. But NO I have not given up, and I will be back. But after reading the last 20 pages of the new thread, I am very concerned that Dell has WON. I posted the following on the PC Mag website, and I plan on contacting more media now, NOT less. What do you think? Your new forum friend!! David


Dell is still in hot water with it's xps 700 release that has yet to be shipped. 53 days past the first orders, and another 30 to 90 day wait has forced Dell to listen to it's customers. On the Dell community forum you will find a thread that I(gbakmars) began on July 3, because I had had enough of being tossed around by Dell for nearly 7 months now, waiting for a functioning xps computer. On January 17 I placed an order for an xps 600, and after massive delays and multiple replacements I got bumped into an extension of my nightmare, the XPS 700! As the thread on the forum reached an unheard number of posts (over 1100) Dell finally responded on their Dell one2one blog, that all orders placed before July 18 would be given the option to receive a free upgrade to the appropriate Intel Core 2 processor. As was expressed on the forum, over and over, no one wanted yesterday's technoloy with yesterday's prices. And who would? The world of computers is always rapidly changing, and Dell this time has been unable to keep up. Dell is trying to call the order modifications a "free upgrade", when in reality it is simply giving the savy computer customer nothing more then they are paying for. All of the reviews are boasting on Intel's behalf, and the pricing appears to be compatible with the old Pentium D line. So seriously where does the word "Free" and "Upgrade" fit into the. The big question now is, " Will the Intel Core 2 be so impressive that it will literally bail Dell out of a very tight spot"? I for one have been waiting so long for a Dell computer, that I have seen all kinds of technoloy come and go, and I am just hoping that I will be able to get a couple of days use with my "old" new Geforce 7900 GTXOC 512mb video cards, before it is time to upgrade again!!

[Hoppy @ Jul 22nd 2006 9:55PM]

By the way if you are considering buying from dell, don't pay what they have listed.. go to http://www.whatsyourdeal.com/forums/dell-coupon.html and grab a free Dell coupon code to save at dell.com

hth

Personally I would rather get an HP these days...

coupons for HP http://www.whatsyourdeal.com/forums/hp-coupon.html

[_man1c_ @ Jul 23rd 2006 12:37AM]

i actually like that designs by Dell. very different from the norm they do.

[Gypsy Computer Owner @ Jul 23rd 2006 1:00AM]

Dell tech support is a joke. No,seriously,it is. you might as well have a goddamn recording tell you to reboot in safe mode. Outsourcing has done wonders,yep. I once called up and told them i fed a bottled starbucks frappuchino to my PC because it broke up with my printer scanner copier combo and the guy gave me the same answer. Normally i'd say that being an out-and-out scumbag has it's benefits but that just made me hold the phone at arm's length and and go "wow."

My current machine (which appears to already be obsolete) is an evolution of a computer which i bought from a now-defunct shop in brooklyn in july 2003. They set me up with a dirt cheap,reliable system that has had little or no interference from the install of 3.5gb of ram (at one point i was running 4,but i melted the cards. d'oh) the installation of two new video cards,a new CD-R drive,a changeover from linux,to XP,and back again,various types of video cards,constant commuting abuse (to and from lan parties)

Right now i have an insane system for cooling using a junkyard A/c compressor out of some french car,Two conical breather filters,mandrel bent tubing and a bunch of fans. i have never had any problems i did not cause myself and could not solve.

Dell is a joke. Then again,look at sony's troubles shipping PS3. This may be the way of the future.

[Blogger @ Jul 23rd 2006 6:34AM]

Looks weird, but cool.

[Aaron @ Jul 26th 2006 2:54AM]

I haven't looked at the prices for these things, but wouldn't it probably be cheaper to buy a crap Dell and switch out the mobo, graphics card, etc.? I don't think I'd ever buy a gaming machine from Dell, unless I had money to blow and really didn't feel like working on the thing myself.

Also... Glacia, don't be a jerk. Motherboards are bad sometimes, it happens. And downgrading to Windows ME is NOT, N-O-T, a reasonable step. Ever.

[Cheesefumbler @ Jul 28th 2006 6:38AM]

I ordered an XPS desktop system and after waiting a little over 2 weeks checked the order status only to see it was still in pre production and was not expected to be ready for several weeks. I contacted DELL customer services and their response was immediate, it was explained to me that there was a delay on the system of atleast 35 days and even this could not be guaranteed. I was given the option to keep me order or cancel it and a sales person to contact me with the view to speccing an alternative system. The spec came and on initial inspection seemed an improvement but then I got curious and specced the same machine on the dell site, it was actually £200 GBP cheaper than what they wanted to charge me. Considering this was supposed to be enhanced to compensate for me for the inconvenience it totally sucked. I let them know and they came back with a 3rd option which was effectively a server build with some bolt ons, total waste of time. Interesting thing is I decided to order an Alienware system instead the other day only to find they have a 40 day delay on the 700W power supplies. Given the DELL/Alienware relationship I wonder if this is what the underlying problem is.
I've now ordered from a completely seperate supplier a better specced, cheaper and with better finance system which has a 9 day build time.

[jim @ Aug 9th 2006 10:14AM]

What are you buying?

Is it the 590 chipset or is it leftover nForce4?
Why only supporting 533 and 667MHz memory (the 590 chipset specs represents 800MHz capability)?
Does it support RAID 5 & 10 like the other 590 chipset motherboards coming out?
Does it have two 1Gig Enet ports like the other 590 chipset motherboards coming out?
Will it support C2D Cpu overclocking?
Does the SB X-Fi have all the functionality of the retail?
Why is Dell forcing SB X-Fi on all configs when the 590 motherboard has 7.1 sound integrated?
Is the Dell's current top of the line 7900 GTX video card really leading edge of technology?
Is the 7950 GX2 video card going to be leading edge technology when Dell finally ships these systems in Oct or maybe even Nov?
Did the customers who have waited for months really get a "free upgrade"? Or did they just get what they paid for (top of the line Intel processors at current market value).

Will the XPS 700 be customer upgradable as shipped? to Kentsfield quad core? to 800MHz memory? (without a motherboard change!)

Is it really a "cooling problem"? Why then are they changing optical drives? Removing XP x64? Why aren't they shipping, at least, single 7950 GX2's like everyone else?

What about all the other "minor" problems? Plastic flimsy front panels, power button, cracking paint and whatever else the public doesn't know about.

What is Dell selling? What is the XPS 700? Better yet, how can Dell start charging several thousands of dollars for something they refuse to define, with specs, for months?

[michel @ Oct 4th 2006 12:54AM]

EVERY WORD IS GOLD!!! I've ordered XPS700 and got it fairly quickly (much before the stated shipping date) -- but what a piece of cr--p. Flimsy plastic of third class. The power switch button broke in few days, the standard keyboard is the worse I ever had, it really feel as junk...and I've paid $3K+..Ahhh -DON'T buy Dell!!

[Ivon @ Aug 31st 2006 12:22PM]

I also ordered an XPS 700 and also received the phone call promising me an upgrade or a gift card and then also had my order cancelled when I asked to switch the credit card I placed the order under. So, I guess no gift card for me. On top of that, after my "XPS representative" cancelled my order, he failed to create a new order for me until I called back a couple of days later (after checking the Dell website and seeing only the cancelled order there). In addition, when he created the new order, he substituted a different monitor for the one I had originally ordered. I only discovered this when my shipment finally arrived a few days ago. I've tried e-mails, Dell's online support and phone calls to express my frustration at how badly my order has been handled and everyone is so cheerful and "sorry for the inconvenience" and so on. Yesterday, I wrote again to try and exchange the monitor I got for the one I wanted and alas my original order has been wiped from the system ... Dell used to be so good

[GEAR @ Dec 6th 2006 11:35PM]

well here it is December..I ordered my XPS 700 11/08/06....it arrived 11/21/06...pretty good delivery time i reckon...ive had good luck with Dell.ca since i ordered my Dimension 4300 5 years back...the 700 came with the conroe x6800 dual 7900 gtx's 2GIGRAM and i gotta say...its a beauty....guess Dells come a long way on this machine since these blogs were posted

[Kev @ Jan 23rd 2008 7:46PM]

I have owned a XPS 700 for 13 months now and the power button broke. I did some research and found many others had problems with that button and that Dell had done a redesign to fix the problem. When I contacted Dell, they said my warrenty had just expired, so I would have to pay for the part. I asked them why I should pay for what was an obvious bad design. If I had known how badly the button was designed in the first place, I may not have gotten it. I also feel like I spent $3000 on this package, so I think Dell can spend $10 on a new button. They said no. It is nice to know Dell believes in taking care of their customers, as long as they paying their warrenty fees. Basically, I think Dell has decided they cut corners and use bad designs, because that will increase their warranty sales. I have bought Dell computers for the last 12 years and after being treated like that over a $10 part, I will not be buying anymore.

[jimmy_p @ May 20th 2008 11:44PM]

Dell = TOTAL JUNK

Not only is the company a deceitful giant that comes up short all the time, they actually do not give you what you paid for. If they ever do respond to you without making you run in circles you are met with apologies and nothing else.

I just had my XPS 700 system fry on me and in the end the Mother Board fried causing a hard drive failure and a ram failure. This board has known problems and Dell actually fessed up to it and offered replacements last year. Not getting the email from them (imagine that) I did not know about this and did not receive the free upgrade and free install.

Now I am stuck with a large silver coffee table that was once a computer. I cannot really even use the case because it is BTX and finding mobo's for that leaves you real short. I can't re use the 750 Watt power supply because it only works with Dell mobos. I can salvage some other parts but will not be surprised if I come up short again.

Knowing that they had issues with the mobo Dell still refused to work with me on resolving the issue. Their answer was to transfer me to the part dept. to spend $450 on a new mobo. What are they nuts? Why would I still work with a company that has been nothing but a pain since I paid for my machine? I won't and will never give them another dime.

From the order placement it was a nightmare. I order the pc and am waiting for delivery. Instead I get an email a while after order confirmation that they are delayed and should be ready asap. Then comes another email, then I just have to call to find out what is going on. TWO MONTHS go by and I still do not have my machine. I finally get a call that the computer has been shipped when I was supposed to get a call when they were getting ready to build the machine. Since this all started I moved to another state and DELL in their continued stupidity mailed my pc to the old address. They did not do as stated and contacted me when getting ready to build. I had to kick and scream for them to deal with this and mail to the correct address. 1.5 years later I am stuck with a hunk of junk.

DELL IS THE WORST COMPUTER COMPANY hands down and nobody should spend a dime with them. These threads are all over the web because they suck over and over again. All that they have in their corner is a good marketing campaign so the first name you think of is DELL. In the end they have a terrible reputation and are not a company that will stand by their product or customers.

I will never buy from DELL and please do not fall into the trap yourself. Tell everyone you know not to waste the cash on computers that come loaded with crap and fail constantly. I won't even go into how you can't understand a single person in customer service. STAY AWAY FROM DELL!!!!!!!