Is my PC going to arrive on time?

[JonYork]

I ordered an Omen CTO PC on January 11th. It said the ship date would be January 31st (tomorrow). But today, the status still says it's in the queue. Is that a bad sign? It hasn't even moved down to the Gathering Components stage.  Yet it's still showing tomorrow as the estimated ship date. 

I'm just curious how accurate is HP in marking off the steps? Is it normal to show "In Queue" up until the day before shipping and then suddenly all the other steps are completed within one day? If it's accurate it means that literally nothing has been done on it since I ordered it nearly 3 weeks ago.

[NonSequitur777 · Accepted solution]

@JonYork,

Welcome to our HP Community forum!

Your concern is valid, but HP's order status system isn't always, well, let's say: the most transparent. Here’s what you should know:

1. "In Queue" Status: It's not uncommon for HP's system to show "In Queue" right up until the last moment. This doesn't necessarily mean that nothing has been done; rather, it could be that the backend logistics and production updates aren't reflected in real-time on the customer's order tracking page.

2. Order Processing and Production: HP builds custom-to-order (CTO) systems in batches. Often, multiple orders are processed simultaneously, and the visible tracking status may not update until right before the unit is assembled, tested, and prepped for shipment.

3. Sudden Status Jumps: Many users report that their order stays "In Queue" for weeks, then suddenly progresses through multiple stages (Gathering Components → Production → Final Assembly → Shipped) within a very short time—sometimes even overnight.

4. HP's Shipping Accuracy: While HP generally tries to meet estimated ship dates, delays can happen, especially with CTO builds. If the system still shows "In Queue" on the shipping date, give them 4 days. If nothing has been updated by then, contacting HP’s order support would be a good idea.

5. What to Do? If the order doesn’t move by the expected ship date + 4 days, you should:

   • Check your email for any delay notifications.
   • Contact HP customer support for a real status update.
   • Be prepared for a potential short delay but also note that many orders do ship on time even if the tracking looks stagnant.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[JonYork]

Wow! That was a great answer! You actually read and understood my question and gave the kind of response I was hoping for! Somebody should give you a great job managing a large support team.

Anyway, I suspected it might be possible that they could update all that at the last minute, so I appreciate your confirmation of that possibility. 

[NonSequitur777]

@JonYork,

Thank you very much for your kind words!

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[bobby207]

Hi Jon, did you end up receiving your system on time. I am in a similar situation with a March 13th expected ship date and still in queue. 

[JonYork]

Hi there Bobby!  Well, I have received it but it came 2 weeks after the original date. Which wasn't as bad as it could have been, I guess. Some people said it could take up to 3 months! 

Here's what happened, though. The original shipping deadline was on a Saturday. I kept checking the status that day and it never budged. It was stuck on the step that comes before shipping. The one that says it's still looking for parts.

They didn't give any update until the following Monday. On that update they extended the deaeline one more week to that Saturday. And in the message they said they would do their best to meet the deadline - which left me feeling like I couldn't trust any delivery promises until they actually shipped it. 

On that next Saturday they missed the deadline again - with no change of status showing on the website. But on Monday they sent another email saying it might be shipped on that Wednesday. And this time they got it right! The status on the website moved to the next step. But a few hours later it moved back to the previous step! Then the next day it changed again to the next step, where it stayed until it finally shipped. So if you see the status change back and forth like that, don't freak out. I think any movement of the status is just a sign they're working on it and getting close to shipping. 

It seemed to take forever, though, for them to get the computer to FedEx. Several days went by before FedEx said they had received it. But a couple of days after FedEx received it that it arrived at my door! I think I got it on the next Monday or Tuesday after their last email. So about a week after that email. 

Reading here and elsewhere about other people's experience really helped make the wait more tolerable, just knowing that missed deadlines are kind of par for the course. In fact, because of reading the stories of others, I didn't go into a panic when they missed the deadlines and I didn't even bother calling them! Turns out, they'll send it when they send it without you having to call.

Anyway, best of luck to you. Please come back here after it ships and let us know when it did. 

[bobby207]

Thank you Jon for the detailed reply, this is helpful. Let's see.