I bought a pair of new Dell dual-core machines, one in December and another in January. Both came with Express Upgrade options entitling me to a copy of Windows Vista for the cost of shipping and handling – $10 each.
According to Dell, one of those copies is due to arrive tomorrow morning. For those keeping score, that’s exactly six weeks after the retail release of Windows Vista. Express? Eh.
It will be interesting to see what’s in the package. I’m expecting a utility to remove and/or replace incompatible programs and drivers, plus the Vista media itself. But Dell doesn’t make this software available for download, as far as I can tell, so who knows?
Anyone else get their Express Upgrade package yet?
Ed Bott (@ wordpress.com) 
Take a look at this article:
3w{dot}consumerist{dot}com/consumer/dell/dell-absolutely-free-vista-upgrade-70-off-243037{dot}php
He needs to write to Customer_Advocate@dell.com.
Personally, I would’ve cancelled my order and placed it again to ensure I got the upgrade.
I haven’t even seen a coupon yet. I bought one computer a day before the coupons were available and then two about a week after that. I haven’t received an email or a snail mail coupon. I asked my Dell rep. back in and he said he could get me one for all three computers. That was back in December and I haven’t heard a word.
James, you won’t get any coupon. Just go to Dell’s Express Upgrade site and enter your service tag number. It’s all automated. And you have until March 15, so hurry!
https://www.dellvistaupgrade.com/default.aspx
Whoops. Just checked. You have to purchase a system by March 15, but you can redeem the offer until March 31. Still, why delay?
Received my Dell in early January and finally got my Express Upgrade last week. The package does include a drivers disk called the Upgrade Assistant as well as the Vista disk. BTW both are DVDs. Please alert people not to throw out the card board backing which prevents the disks from being bent. The back of the card contains the COA !
Got mine last week.
I order 2 dell systems for a customer in Januray. In Feb my customers tried for 2 night to sign up for his vista upgrade. He gave up. I said I would try. Every time I try it says the coa has been used for an upgrade. Every time I call dell they say is is Microsoft’s problem. But it is a month later, 5 hours on the phone w/dell later, 2 promises that it will be fixed in X days, and 1 promise that we will send you e-mail when it is working. Still my customer (or I) cannot complete the process. and I am tired of spending time on the phone with dell
This process is broken, and either A-dell can’t fix it, B-dell doesn’t care, or C-both A and B above. Very frustrating.
Mike,
You need to send a note to Customer_Advocate@dell.com with your story. Their job is to fix problems like these.
It’s just a card board with a few DVDs wrapped in plastic. Nothing special at all.
I posted on mar 12 and you said I should send to Customer_Advocate@dell.com which I did on the 13th. I have not heard back and it is getting close to the deadline to get the upgrade. I know Michael Dell wants Dell to be customer focused, but I am not seeing it???????
I got my express upgrade from HP last Wednesday or so. What came in the packet was a slip with two DVDs — an Vista install DVD and a DVD full of drivers, an updated version of Sonic CD-DVD burning software and trial versions of Office 2007 and Norton Security 2007. (HP Home saddles you with those two programs even if you don’t ask for them). Interestingly enough, the HP had me run essentially a clean install of Vista — the instruction asked to reboot from the Vista DVD, instead of launching it from in XP. Launched from the DVD, “upgrade” is disabled.
(Interestingly enough, this package came the same week as the Mac Mini I had won in a contest.)
The situation with Sony is much worse. Although Sony’s Web site claims express upgrades were sent out on March 9 (http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/support-info.pl?template_id=1&info_id=137 ; earlier the Web site said they were sent out at the end of February, but this was changed in early March to “March 9”), if you call Sony customer support they’ll tell you they only started sending out upgrades on that day (which also is apparently wrong!).
Sony then directs you (!) to Q-Media Solutions, with whom Sony has apparently contracted to distribute the upgrades. Q-Media Solutions tells you that they only started sending out upgrades earlier this week (not on March 9), and that they can’t tell you when your copy will go out.
Q-Media will tell you, however, that they may not send you your copy of the Windows Vista upgrade until June(!!), which really is quite amazing. After all, it’s not as if there’s a shortage of Windows Vista DVDs when every electronics store in the country has had copies available for $160 (or less) since January 30… Anyway, I did file a complaint with New York’s BBB, so we’ll see what happens.
Sorry for the long and somewhat off-topic comment, but I haven’t seen any comments from Sony customers so I thought I’d give that perspective.
Not off topic at all, James. Thanks for the report.
I suppose the worst part is that Sony’s Web site claimed when I bought the computer that the upgrade would ship in February, while their Web site currently claims that the upgrade shipped on March 9. That’s pretty impressive, given that it hasn’t shipped yet and may not actually ship until June!
Yeah, I’ve called Sony and they just bounce you around from agent to agent. And trying to get in touch with Q-Media is near impossible, and when you do, all they say is, if you haven’t received an e-mail from them, then you should be getting the upgrade when they ship. Nice job Sony. This is my first and LAST sony I’ll ever buy.
finally somebody is complaining about Sony/Q Media! I’ve also been calling and have been bounced from agent to agent.
I wish I would have waited a month and bought a laptop with Vista pre-installed. Their eta of June is ridiculous!
I have been playing the Sony/Q-media game for two months now. It seems that after I faxed them all the necessary information, placed several phone calls, and sent countless emails, I am no closer to getting the upgrade then when I began this saga. I have not heard of any Sony customers getting thieir DVD’s yet. Oh well, “All good things comes to those that wait”, I guess???
@ Shanahan,
plz contact Dell customer care for this issue. they will be able to help you.
“I have not heard of any Sony customers getting thieir DVD’s yet.”
Just wanted to let you know that I JUST received my sony vista home premium upgrade dvd. I believe I submitted all my information around Jan. 10th. So maybe this might give you guys some kind of time frame of when you can expect yours.
Its a single black dvd that has the vaio logo on it. Hope this isnt a pain to install!
I just received my Vista upgrade on April 10th. I actually put my order in on Feb. 3. And i just received it by USPS. They said it was shipped on March 28th. I think it took very long but again we are dealing with Microsoft and there putting the supply out for the demand. I am going to wait to install it with all the issues with Vista….
I just received my Vista upgrade on April 10th. I actually put my order in on Feb. 3. And i just received it by USPS. They said it was shipped on March 28th. I think it took very long but again we are dealing with Microsoft and there putting the supply out for the demand. I am going to wait to install it with all the issues with Vista…. By the way, I am a Sony customer….
thanks James and every Sony customer, just yesterday I was bounced for the numerous time. I’ve just been trying to cfm receipt of all info…. the only way I could tell they must have it, is by trying to re-submit via online, my tag # and it was already “used” (by me of course)
can’t get anyone on phone. Understand Dell customers r getting theirs. Sony website still says vista upgrade being sent Mar 9th….Ha! I’m tempted to buy one and send them bill, but know that would b fruitless. I f I end up messing up my notebook for this, I too will never buy another Sony. We bought ours 2 wks b4 vista came out, wanted to listen for all “bugs”
Let me know if anyonw receives sony vista anytime soon.
Can’t belive it’s not until June.
Anne
All above comments are very helpful, but I thought the missing bit was Q Media phone number. I rang them this evening (18/4) about an order placed on 31/3. I managed to get straight throught to them by dialling: 1-888-549-9660 and quoting my order number. They said that they still havent got a clue when they’ll ship the CD but asked me to call back in 2 weeks time. Apparently they are shipping 70,000 CDs a day, a lot more than 3-4,000 as anticipated!
Well then…