Apple leaving open orders unresolved?

Looks like Apple has apparently fumbled on a Mac mini order placed by one Edward Ho, from our sister site Joystiq. Check out the full story on his
blog, but essentially, his order got lost somewhere between Apple and FedEx, neither is willing to take responsibility, and Apple is not moving on the issue.

The Apple Store claims that it will resolve any such unfulfilled order issues within three business days. However, the current status is that, eight business days in, Apple can neither refund Ed's money nor ship out another Mac until the logistics team figured out what happened between the Apple Store and FedEx.

Has anybody had a similar experience purchasing from the Apple Store? Does anyone have any advice for obtaining the speediest possible remedy to the situation?