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BILL SINGER: Then things got even more absurd. Nigel confirmed that Dell had not merely delayed the production of my laptop but had canceled my order. Of course, this is the same un-built and unshipped laptop that Dell thinks was stolen. Nigel then added that Dell had also re-entered a new order for the Studio XPS 16 laptop. A new order for what? I impatiently asked. For the XPS 16 with the new wi-fi, Nigel answered. And when will that be shipped? I asked. Unfortunately, Nigel could not give me a firm shipment date. Nigel then transferred me to another department. Trust me, at this point I was in no mood for the "please hold while I connect you to ..."
To read more of Bill's weekly Forbes column, visit:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/12/singer-computers-bureaucracy-intelligent-investing-dell.html
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