Depending on where you are on the planet. Two stand-out vendors are OWC
http://www.macsales.com and Crucial. If you are in the US, I prefer OWC...anywhere else Crucial is a very solid vendor.
Thanks for the advice but I am dealing with the largest Apple reseller in Australia.
----------
That argument also doesn't hold water and is likely not the full story. Apple is an extremely well run business. This means that if a reseller is not keeping up with their part of their contract with Apple for example not paying their bills to Apple on-time, not keeping their staff trained, etc.. Apple will enforce the contract and may withhold product until the reseller is in compliance.
If I were a reseller I certainly wouldn't want my customers (you) to know I wasn't running my business per my contract agreement.
I suggest you ask tough questions, and the next time you are in market for an Apple product and are considering a reseller research delivery times ahead of putting your money on the table.
I know of other resellers that rarely have issues getting product from Apple, from what I can tell they are well run businesses.
I appreciate your comments. I doubt that there is a problem between my reseller and Apple (I can't be certain) because they are the largest independant dealer in Aus. The deal I got was a 'special' advertised on their site as an end of financial year special. It is a powerful special build iMac 27.
I did question the reseller about delivery prior to ordering and was told (as stated in my original post) 10-15 days which became 2-4 weeks which lately has turned into 4-5 weeks. Now... well who knows?
In addition, I searched the Whirlpool forums (here in Oz) about the reseller and their reputation in Australia and overwhelmingly the hundreds of comments were positive. There
were comments about slow delivery but they invariably related to new product lines where delays could be expected. My reseller has been an Apple dealer for for over 15 years.
Each time I talk to the reseller they tell me that EVERY RESELLER IN AUSTRALIA has issues with Apple and their delivery times. The tell me that Apple disadvantage (my language not theirs) their resellers by offering preferential service to direct Apple customers and that communication with Apple is sparce.
I find the whole scenario frustrating because I reckon I can place a special order on a European motor vehicle and have it delivered in less time I would think.
If, and I add 'IF' my reseller is correct, and Apple intentionally disadvantage their 'hand picked' resellers in Australia, I still believe that is an appalling business practice.
