HP TouchPad Availability Update

Today, HP emailed me with an update about the HP TouchPad tablet.  Read on for details!

HP emailed information about availability of the TouchPads that I ordered for myself and my father.  I was lucky enough to get an order in before the HP Small Business Store cut off orders on August 22nd.  Here is the text of the email that HP sent to me:

HP Small and Medium Business Customer,
Thank you for your interest in webOS and the HP TouchPad – the response to our price reduction has been overwhelming – both in terms of volume and in the energy and enthusiasm it has generated in our customers.

It has taken us longer than anticipated to work through the high volume of orders that were received. We apologize for any uncertainty this caused, but we are now in a position to understand our ability to fulfill your order.

Your order will be fulfilled at the discounted price. However, we do not have enough stock to satisfy your order at this time. It will take 6-8 weeks to build enough HP TouchPads to meet our current commitments, during which time your order will then ship from this stock with free ground shipping. You will receive a shipping notification with tracking number once your order has shipped. We apologize that these timelines are longer than indicated on the website at time of purchase.
At the significantly reduced price, the HP TouchPad does not qualify for our standard 30 day return policy and is not returnable.

If this delay is not acceptable, please send an email to TouchPadCancel@hp.com with your instructions for cancellation within a week. Be sure to include your HP order number and the name and ship-to address on the order. Also please indicate clearly if this is the only order requiring cancellation or if you wish all orders in your name to be canceled. You will receive an automated cancel notification when your order cancellation request has been processed. Please be aware, however, that cancellations cannot be reversed, and our US SMB store has sold out of HP TouchPad and will not make any further available for sale.

We are pleased that we will be able to fulfill your order and look forward to you joining the exciting community of webOS!

Sincerely,
Your HP Small and Medium Business Team
http://www.hp.com/go/touchpadFAQ

Since HP is cranking up production to meet my order, I’ll have to wait 6-8 weeks before I’ll get my units, but at least I’ll be getting my order filled.  My father will use one unit to get onto the internet and I’ll keep one to be able to support him.

Here is some detail on the Small Business Store orders:

For orders placed after 4am CT on Monday 22nd August, US SMB had already Sold Out of HP TouchPad and had posted this on our SMB webstore. Due to this overwhelming response to webOS, we are unable to fulfill these orders. All of these orders have been canceled. If you saw a reserve hold for the amount of your order on your credit card, no actual charges have been made and this reserve hold will be released now that the order has been cancelled.

If you placed an order prior to 4am CT Monday, August 22, we are working through the large volume of orders, verifying payment details and seeking to source inventory for fulfillment. This process is taking longer than first anticipated. We apologize for any uncertainty this caused, but we are now in a position to understand our ability to fulfill your order.

As long as your order passed all payment verification, your order will be fulfilled. However, we do not have enough stock to satisfy all orders at this time. It will take up to 6-8 weeks to build enough HP TouchPads to meet our current commitments, during which time your order will then ship from this stock with free ground shipping. You will receive a shipping notification with tracking number once your order has shipped. We apologize that these timelines are longer than indicated on the website at time of purchase.

Thanks to HP for striving to fill my order, and I look forward to being able to review this tablet in detail.  Stay tuned for my review in a few months’ time and I’ll also keep you posted on webOS developments as they occur.