Customers looking to take advantage of custom built computers from Dell this holiday season could end up without a gift under the tree. According to various internet rumors the company appears to be suffering a lack of parts due to the way their ordering system handles part orders for their computers.
Electronista is reporting that some customers have reported being delayed four to five times after placing their custom orders, in many cases pushing back their arrival time into January 2010. When those customers have asked Dell what the delay is they’ve repeatedly been told that Dell is waiting on certain parts for their custom builds. Under their current ordering processes Dell doesn’t keep stock on hand of certain parts, instead deciding to order parts as orders arrive. If a certain supplier experiences any issues those problems are then passed on to Dell.
On the other side of the spectrum Apple and many other providers use completely pre-assembled units, then modify them as requested by the user, allowing for more parts to be held on-hand and typically faster fulfillment times. Of course Dell’s approach does allow for more customization than standard systems which is required by many of their buyers so we can’t completely fault their buying logic.
Dell has experienced a large decline in sales over the last several years, for their sake hopefully they get this issue sorted out as soon as possible.
