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If you are one of the thousands who thought you were getting a deal last year when you signed up for the Windows Vista Express Upgrade program, you may suddenly find yourself in a familiar position with other PC users who joined the program. Each and every one of you is asking, "Where the #$*%@ is my upgrade?"
Good question folks. And believe me when I say, "you're not alone in asking."
So what started all this mess anyway? Well, the discounted upgrades were offered starting last October to buyers of Windows XP-equipped systems, and were a response to Vista's delay amid complaints from computer makers that they would miss out on holiday hardware sales. At the time it sounded like a great idea - a way to boost sales when software wasn't even out yet. And getting this to customers should have been easy.
Consider this a great idea gone sour. Users expecting a fast turn-around of Vista DVDs have found this Express program to be anything but.
I don't even have to describe the, hrm, unpleasant atmosphere surrounding this situation. Some comments at Dell.com say it all.
"I could have waited until now and bought a brand new machine with Vista pre-installed, but instead I have to wait until the end of February or beginning of March for an upgrade."
"Why is it that an 'express' upgrade won't even be shipped until almost a month after the release of vista[?] I feel like a chump, thanks for all the delay and poor excuses. I wish I would of [sic] bought an apple."
"I drop over $3,000 on an XPS 710 and have to wait longer for my upgrade? Waiting until the end of February to receive an OS that I could walk down the block and get a week ago is crazy enough...now I call and I'm told the earliest is late March for this to ship."
Dell and others have now tried to fend off these customers by informing them of the fine print wording, "It may take 4-8 weeks... "
Not the strategy I would have used, but hey... that's just me. HP has taken a similar route.
Neither Dell nor HP officials will say whether the Vista upgrades are shipping, and if not, when the first kits would go out the door.
In any event, it could be another month before some users see their express upgrade. Looking back, I'm sure most of them wish they'd just waited and gone out and grabbed a copy off the local shelf. Instead they have to deal with vendors pointing fingers, fine print, and an express system that has proved to be as fruitful as watching paint dry.
-John C. Derrick
Founder
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