Dell Cancelling Orders

Dell order cancellations are a big frustration for holders of the Amex Business Platinum card. After Rick went 12 rounds with Dell over his order cancellations, it was my turn to get in the ring. Thankfully, I had an easier time than Rick, but there are still some lessons to be learned about Dell cancelling orders.

What Is the Amex Dell Credit?

The Amex Business Platinum card offers $400 annually in statement credits for shopping on Dell. The credit is split into $200 semi-annually, with half available between January 1 and June 30, and another half available between July 1 and December 31.

With the prevalence of no lifetime language offers, it's common for folks to have multiple Business Platinum cards. In turn, this means lots of Dell credits to use to help offset the card's high annual fee.

For more details on how to use and maximize these Dell credits, check out Rick's original post.

Dell Cancelling My Orders

I have had no shortage of uses for my Dell credits over the last couple of years. I moved into a new house last year and found a lot of home electronics available on Dell's website. These included Ring doorbells, security cameras, flood lights, smart light bulbs, surge protectors, etc. I also ordered a laptop, a monitor, and a printer for my parents.

This summer, I needed to order a new laptop charger. I placed my order, and when I checked on the order a few minutes later, Dell showed it had been canceled. I decided to try again without logging into my Dell account. Canceled again. I also tried ordering incognito and from a different browser. No luck. I figured I would leave Dell alone for a few months and try again later.

Fast forward to October and I decided to try again. I ordered a new wireless mouse and keyboard for my home office and my order was canceled instantly again. Of course, Dell doesn't even bother notifying that the order was canceled. It's on the customer to check back on the order status.

Calling Dell

It was now time to duke it out with Dell. I called their 1-800 number to check on my order. I was told my account was suspected of being a reseller and was transferred to a different department.

A rude agent came on the line and told me my account was flagged for reselling and that all my orders would be instantly canceled. Dell would keep cancelling my orders. The agent came short of yelling “No soup for you!” (When have you ever heard of a retailer telling a customer to not order any products?) I asked whether there was anything we could do to lift this embargo, and he said I could request my account to be reviewed. I said let's do it.

The agent said I ordered a lot of different products to a lot of different addresses. I explained that I had moved to a new house last year. So many of my orders were to my old address, and everything went to my new house after we moved. That also explained the large number of home electronics orders. I further explained that my parents had also moved, and that's why I ordered items for them to two different addresses. Over the last 2 years, every single order went to either my current home or my parents' current home at the time. No product was ordered more than once and everything was for personal use.

The rude agent said the team would review my account and I would hear back via email within a day. This call was on a Thursday. By end of the day Friday, I had not heard back. I figured I would wait until the next week to check in.

Dell Cancelling Orders: My Resolution

Tuesday came and I still had no email from Dell. I decided to call them again. I called the directly line to the Reseller Counter-Ops Team (not a real name), which is 866-383-4713.

As soon as the agent looked up my account, she told me I was good to go. I asked whether I was no longer flagged as a reseller. She refused to go into detail and just said that if I placed an order again, it would go through this time.

I gave it a shot and it worked. Of course, Rakuten was no longer offering the same bonus as when I placed my original order.

Dell Cancelling Orders: Lessons Learned

The main takeaway from my experience is that those making lots of orders to their home address should not have to worry about any permanent bans. Dell clearly has some threshold for the number of orders anyone places to be flagged as a reseller. But if all your orders are placed to your home, you shouldn't have a problem clearing your account, especially if you're not ordering repeat items.

To fly under Dell's radar, you could try to bundle your orders. This could help avoid the impression that you place too many orders. In this regard, Dell lets you split payment across up to 3 credit cards. (This can also be helpful when trying to maximize Amex offers across different cards).

Lastly, I will definitely mention this experience the next time I call for a retention offer on my Business Platinum card. Small business shouldn't have to deal with this nonsense over a “benefit” offered by a small business card.

Dell Cancelling Orders: ToP Thoughts

Dell's crusade against resellers has become one of the most obnoxious aspects of the points and miles hobby. If your account is flagged as a reseller but you're placing orders to your home and not ordering multiples of the same product, you should be fine. It should only take a phone call or two. Or maybe I was just luckier than Rick!