By Christopher Elliot | Problem Solved
Q: I’m a 19-year-old college student. I recently ordered a new Dell G15 laptop computer for school. The computer cost more than $800. Dell shipped it via FedEx.
FedEx claimed it delivered the computer, but I never received it. Here’s the problem: Dell says they can’t help without a shipper’s waiver and FedEx says they need Dell’s authorization before they can do anything. Can you help me? — Benjamin Marmer, Miami
A: You paid for a computer but didn’t receive it. That’s Dell’s responsibility.
Dell has an obligation to ensure its customers receive the products they order. If a product is lost in transit, Dell needs to work with the shipping company to locate the package or issue a refund. While it is understandable that Dell wants to protect itself from fraudulent claims, refusing to help a customer whose package was genuinely lost is unacceptable.
What could you have done to protect yourself? Many shippers require a police report if they believe an item was stolen. But a review of the correspondence between you and Dell doesn’t show they wanted a police report. You can also ensure the package isn’t dropped off, for anyone to take, by making sure FedEx requires a signature at delivery. But it looks like Dell did that — and someone signed for the package.
So whose responsibility is this? It’s Dell’s. It should have held your hand through the process of filing a claim with FedEx (if necessary) or just replaced your computer. Instead, it sent you a curt email that read, “Since FedEx has confirmed good delivery of the order, Dell considers this matter closed and therefore we cannot assist further.”
Huh? I think a brief, polite email to one of the Dell executive contacts might have helped the company see the error of its ways.
Dell doesn’t explicitly guarantee the delivery of its computers. But there’s an implied guarantee that if you buy a computer it will be delivered to you and not handed off to someone pretending to be you, or to a thief. At any rate, companies like Dell typically are insured against losses incurred during shipping and can file a claim. A review of your paper trail suggests it didn’t even get to that point.
FedEx has a fairly well developed system for reporting packages that get lost. I don’t see anywhere in the process where it refused to help you. It just needed authorization from Dell, which it didn’t get.
Instead, you were caught in a loop. The correspondence between you, Dell and FedEx shows FedEx needed an authorization from Dell to pay a claim, but Dell wouldn’t provide it. That should have never happened. Dell should have taken care of you the moment you reported your computer wasn’t delivered.
I contacted Dell on your behalf. A representative called you and agreed to send you a replacement computer, which it did.
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at [email protected] or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/
