It seems Dell wants to do everything but get its new Venue Pro, a Windows Phone 7 smartphone, into the hands of the masses. Even now, most friends and acquaintances are telling me that tracking one down has been difficult. Microsoft stores, of which there aren’t very many, seem to get sporadic shipments of them and there is no telling when they’ll be coming in. And it’s not like you can just waltz into a T-Mobile retail store to grab one, either. What’s going on with the Dell Venue Pro?
TMO News reports:
Those attempting phone call inquiries into Dell Customer Care have turned up 11 different answers for every 10 questions. Needless to say those who ordered the devices with estimated delivery dates in the next few days have received no indication their devices have shipped, never mind are ready for delivery.
Dell sure isn’t setting any gold standards in customer service or transparency here. The least the manufacturer could do is give some sort of update to its loyal customers rather than having them storm Twitter or support forums for answers. Perhaps Dell hasn’t figured out Twitter quite yet since it would have been the perfect medium to get out some quick updates on Venue Pro shipments if there are any delays.
Sorry to hear of your woes, would-be Venue Pro customers, but it is Dell so it should get resolved sooner or later. Although right now it seems like it’s more the latter. Until then, enjoy the video that the manufacturer put together so nicely so that folks like you would drool over the Windows Phone 7 device.
If any of you have pre-ordered the device and are getting some sort of shipment confirmation, please do let us know so we can help get the word out! But as it stands, it looks like Dell isn’t even dropping a morsel as to the whereabouts of pre-ordered Venue Pro units.
[Update]
Dell gave TMO News a non-answer confirming that there are some hardware issues, but didn’t specify and also didn’t specify a ship date. Word is that January 6, 2011 is the day, but there’s no telling how accurate that will be. Dell says it is working closely with Microsoft to fix this issue. I have a hunch that it may have something to do with SIM card activations. A friend of mine managed to get his hands on a Dell Venue Pro, but returned it because it wouldn’t recognize his T-Mobile SIM card, or it wouldn’t activate. It could have just been his phone, or perhaps it’s a widespread issue. Or maybe it goes beyond that, too.
[Via: TMO News]