September 5, 2007 2:35 PM PDT

Six weeks later, still no $150 laptop

(Credit: Medison Europe Limited)

Sadly, it looks like I'm going to have to call shenanigans on the $150 Swedish laptop. When I placed my order for the Medison Celebrity laptop on July 25, the Medison Web site estimated the Linux-based laptop would ship within four to six weeks. Well, today marks six weeks, so unless I see the UPS man within the next hour or so, Medison will have failed to honor its commitment to ship me a laptop in the stated time frame. The company hasn't even bothered to inform me how much it plans to charge for shipping the laptop, let alone provide an update on when I might expect to receive it.

The laptop is sold through Columbus, Ohio-based reseller 2Checkout.com, which has been thoughtfully answering questions from understandably concerned customers who have a Medison laptop on order. A 2Checkout.com rep named Kristen has been active on a forum thread and stated in a recent post, "All customers who pre-ordered will have shipping costs identified via re-invoice and be asked to re-authorize the order." I haven't received an e-mail from 2Checkout.com since the initial confirmation of my order on July 25.

I spoke with a 2Checkout.com support person this afternoon, and she was able to tell me that my order was among the first couple hundred, which means I should be among the first to receive the laptop if and when Medison actually starts shipping the thing. (She did say Medison started shipping the laptop in Sweden--a small consolation to this U.S. laptop user.) Though helpful and knowledgeable about the situation--I wasn't the first person to call customer support about Medison--she seemed as perplexed as I did about the lack of detail Medison has provided since it announced the availability of the Celebrity laptop. Even a simple item like shipping--how much I'll be asked to pay or how the charge will be handled--has yet to be explained. I certainly want to avoid dealing directly with Medison if it involves giving the company my credit card number.

I'm going to keep my order open with the hopes that a $150 laptop shipped late is better than a $150 laptop shipped never. My credit card has not been charged, and I trust 2Checkout.com to not bill me until it has received proof--a tracking number--from Medison that my Celebrity laptop is in route. More as I know it, but as it stands now, I'm far from impressed on how Medison is doing business. If it weren't for 2Checkout.com staying on top of the situation, I would have canceled my order by now.

How about the rest of you with a Medison Celebrity laptop on order? Have you been given any indication you'll be receiving the system? Have you given up and canceled your order? Know anyone in Sweden who can prove the laptop has really started shipping?

Matt Elliott, a CNET editor since 2000, heads up coverage of computer hardware, from desktops and laptops to their assorted components and peripherals. Prior to joining CNET, he worked for PC Magazine. When not writing about computers and wrestling with their shipping boxes, he likes shooting with his Nikon D50 camera. Matt is also skilled with a tape gun. E-mail Matt.