Sometimes, I trust too much in human nature :(

[Siphorous]

You may wonder why I'm posting this here - it's because of a laptop.

I didn't *need* a new laptop, the only thing wrong with my old one was a lack of hard drive space. My rationale was that it would be something to last me a good few years.

Anyway, I ordered an Alienware lappy from Dell Outlet. It was supposed to arrive Friday.

I waited and very early - I noticed a guy taking a package to the opposite block of Flats. I rent near work and it has always been a constant pain- deliveries going awry etc. Anyway, the previous two things I'd ordered from Dell Outlet came ok so I thought it'd be fine but alas, no.

The guy goes back to his van and goes off. I check the tracking, in case it had been marked as delivered but no. So for a while, I think I'm ok and that it was just a coincidence.

Later... the tracking updates to 'delivered' and signed (but not by me). My fears are confirmed.

About 8 minutes after the package had been delivered, I see the young lad in the same Flat number from the neighbouring flats go out.

That evening, I see their light on and go around. The mother answers and says there was no package delivered. Politely, I verbalise that I'll have to contact the delivery company (I wasn't going to mention Dell) and see where it had been delivered.

To cap it all, on that day as I tried to contact Dell - my phone provider had major downtime due to a burst water pipe somewhere. I had to email. They won't see that until Monday or later I guess but I'll ring Monday. In the time since Friday, no one has come around or left a note to say they have it.

I have my suspicions that the young lad has taken delivery of my package, given a false name for the signing and has not the slightest intention of owning up to this. I know his real name as someone tried to delivery a package of his to mine a week or so before - and I took the missed delivery card to his after checking the address with the post office. He seemed grateful at the time after initially telling me "I'm glad you didn't take delivery of my package - I had some expensive Dr Dre headphones for my business in there!".

I guess I hoped he'd reciprocate my courtesy but the lure of a package marked with "Dell" probably was too much.

Very disappointed - takes me back to a time when I had a car stolen and no money from the insurance for it.

[pjbleek]

wow...they couldn't deliver to your work? the police should get involved if you ask me....especially since the delivery people do not ask for identification when signing for any packages....

[Niamh]

have you told anyone that you saw Dell deliver to that house?

[NoDak]

wow...they couldn't deliver to your work? the police should get involved if you ask me....especially since the delivery people do not ask for identification when signing for any packages....

have you told anyone that you saw Dell deliver to that house?

Right, on both counts.

[Zorak]

Sucks pretty harshly. It definitely sounds fishy. You seem a pretty level-headed bloke though, you don't know for *sure* yet that that was your new laptop.

Anyway, it could be worse, my friend bought a dell laptop, and when they delivered it, it was just an empty case. That was lols.

[Siphorous]

wow...they couldn't deliver to your work? the police should get involved if you ask me....especially since the delivery people do not ask for identification when signing for any packages....

Work doesn't like deliveries (they used to but stopped personal ones due to 'abuse').

have you told anyone that you saw Dell deliver to that house?

I did try to contact Dell through the day but phone service wasn't working (my provider had downtime). I sent an email and when customer support resumes tomorrow, I shall call them.

Sucks pretty harshly. It definitely sounds fishy. You seem a pretty level-headed bloke though, you don't know for *sure* yet that that was your new laptop.

Aye, although it looked laptop sized, I wasn't 100% sure it was mine - but when the tracking updated to 'DELIVERED' then I was pretty sure it must have been as there were no more deliveries that day.

Anyway, it could be worse, my friend bought a dell laptop, and when they delivered it, it was just an empty case. That was lols.

Ouch...

[Siphorous]

sidenote: I want to report it to Dell first, so that they can decide what they want to do. They may chase up the delivery people or whatnot. If Dell want me to report this, I will of course.

[Francis]

Just curious.. If you saw all this happen, and its been a problem before, why did you not go down and ask ?

I have chased delivery trucks for personal items blocks away as they don't leave stuff at my door and it was a pain until i got a delivery spot. Now all my stuff, regardless of business or personal purchases, all get sent to my UPS Store which use to be Mail Boxes Inc store.. The cost of one of those locations is fairly reasonable by the way..

[Siphorous]

I was tempted to but two small things prevented me from doing so.

1) The van size was smaller than normal

2) The guy wasn't carrying one of those electronic signing things but a normal sheet.

With previous deliveries from Dell coming in a bigger van and always with a guy having an electronic signing thing, I decided not to chase.

I certainly won't be having things delivered at this flat again though.

[Francis]

I was tempted to but two small things prevented me from doing so.

1) The van size was smaller than normal

2) The guy wasn't carrying one of those electronic signing things but a normal sheet.

With previous deliveries from Dell coming in a bigger van and always with a guy having an electronic signing thing, I decided not to chase.

I certainly won't be having things delivered at this flat again though.

Hummm... Siph... Sounds like you had a bad case of ASSUME...

Seriously tough, I don't know how much you get shipped to you but look into a delivery spot ( box ) location. Replacing a Laptop is a pain in the butt, but if you get camera and software shipped the same way in will disappear just as fast..

Delivery spots also make it easy when you travel.. They will hold shipments as long as you are away..

Maybe even share the place with someone else, split the cost..

[Siphorous]

Hummm... Siph... Sounds like you had a bad case of ASSUME...

Seriously tough, I don't know how much you get shipped to you but look into a delivery spot ( box ) location. Replacing a Laptop is a pain in the butt, but if you get camera and software shipped the same way in will disappear just as fast..

Delivery spots also make it easy when you travel.. They will hold shipments as long as you are away..

Maybe even share the place with someone else, split the cost..

I could be making much of too much circumstantial evidence but even the tape packaging the box the guy was carrying looked the same. And Dell didn't make a delivery that day (to me) but marked my order as delivered on the tracking - delivered at the same time I saw that guy arrive. That is too much of a co-incidence for me.

Delivery wise, I've never really had any trouble outside of this flat so I'll be taking advantage of the offer of friends who've said I can have stuff delivered to their homes (not flats) so if I'm at work and expecting a delivery, that's what I'll probably do.

And not often really - just from time to time. I don't order a new laptop all the time

[Siphorous]

Update...

Dell Support still have the mis-delivered laptop on 'investigation' but they were pretty amazing. They built me a brand new spec to match the outlet item I was missing and shipped that out to me (which I have now received).

All in all - a happy customer here. I've not set it up as I'm waiting for an anti-glare cover to ship from the States (early to mid May for delivery).

[HK]

Aw, that's good news then glad they got it sorted for you.

[Panacea]

Great they did that for you! So you really do think the neighbor stole it??

[Siphorous]

It's fantastic when things go well of course.

I do believe the neighbour stole it. I thought I'd mentioned the other piece of circumstantial (or whatever) evidence here but I hadn't (in bold below).

On that fateful day - this was the series of events:

8.30am - delivery guy comes with what is a typical laptop shaped parcel (I've had a few deliveries before from Dell - always similar boxes). I check tracking but no update...

8.38am - neighbour goes out with a laptop sized side satchel.

8.48am - another delivery from Royal Mail turns up with 2 small boxes (headphone and laptop cover) that I'd arranged. This goes to the other place. I check tracking and it says 'delivered' I scurry over and they are outside the door (my parcels, my name and address on them).. Evidently no one in. I collect them and go back to my flat counting my blessings that I managed to get something back. The laptop was not outside the door though...


12.50pm (ish) - I check tracking for the laptop and it says delivered - the time of delivery was 8.30am... so the delivery that went to the other flat must have been mine - I'm darn sure of that. No one is in so I wait.

7pm - I see lights on so I go around. Only the mother in and she says that she's not had any delivery or seen anything that was in my name.

All through the day I couldn't phone Dell to say the guy appeared to have mis-delivered as that was the day my darn phone provider was having major network issues so I couldn't ring anyone but had to email.

I saw the lad before I moved out from the flat and didn't do anything but maintain a cool demeanour. He said that he heard I'd not got a parcel from his mum and the first thing he said after that was "I was in XXXXX that week" (a town not many miles away). I hadn't even accused him of anything.