Why I Won't Buy ANYTHING EVER AGAIN From Dell

One week ago I ordered a laptop from the Dell web site. There is an option to split the cost of an order onto two credit cards. I placed $1000 on a card with a limit of $1000, and $400 on a card with no limit. Dell placed the entire amount on one credit card, the one with $1000 limit.

I began getting emails from Dell telling me my order could not be processed because of a billing problem. No shit? I wonder if that's why I told you to not put more than $1000 on card A. So I went online to my Bank, paid off the $400 excess immesdiately, so I would not have to cancel and reorder the laptop. A day goes by, and I get another email from Dell. I go onto my bank site and the card shows that the $400 has cleared, come from my account, and gone out to Dell. $1000 is the balance on card A for me, but that amount has been approved and gone to Dell. So why is my order not progressing? I call Dell, and of course get a guy in India. I am so damn sick of Indian customer service. If I could spend another $100 and get someone who is actually AT Dell, in America, I would buy it. The guy in India, after I've explained all this asks if I want them to try the card again. "No!" I said, "You already have $1400. If you run it again, I will be charged twice." He assures me I will not be. Ten minutes later I go into my bank account and sure enough, they have run a new $400, this time on card B. I immediately call back and say cancel the whole order. I will reorder once the money is all back where it belongs.

The next day, I notice Dell has only cancelled $1100 of my order, and I still have a $300 balance. I go online and the software that was to be put on the computer is still showing it is active. Huh? How are you selling me software if there is no laptop to install and ship it on? I call again, explain all this, and tell them to cancel ALL of the order. At this time I am informed that my software cannot be canceled, as it has shipped. WTF? I ask how it is that they can ship software for a laptop I don't have an order in for. They explain that they shipped $300 of original disks to me, even though the ship date on the site is estmated as 5/12, and the site says the status is not shipped. I am told that they cannot cancel this order, and that I will have to put in a request for a refund and return it.

I went off on them. "The hell I will. I am going to cancel the $300 through my credit card and you jackasses can figure it out." I also explained that I was going to reorder the laptop once the card billing had been cancelled for the previous f' up, but that now I would not buy a bottle of Aquafina from Dell if I was dying in a desert.

This was the most assinine experience I have ever had with online ordering. The India customer service was just the icing on the cake. Screw this. I'm going to buy a second HP tomorrow and Dell can kiss my ass.