If you're one of those big-hearted individuals who ordered one of the much-awaited XO laptops as part of One Laptop Per Child's "Give One, Get One" campaign, there's a strong possibility you haven't received it yet.

I've been reading through the accounts of more than a handful of people who have stopped holding their breath that the laptop is going to arrive on their doorsteps anytime soon.

The "Give One, Get One" campaign, launched on November 12, gave eager buyers the opportunity to purchase two XO laptops for the bargain-basement price of $399.

One laptop purchased went home with the consumer, while the second one was shipped off to a child living in one of the world's least developed countries.

The campaign closed on Dec. 31, 2007 and it was governed by reasonably rigid guidelines, such as one that essentially forbids refunds.

If you buy it, you keep it; no backing out once you've clicked "confirm payment" (barring product malfunctions).

And that's fair. As someone who has participated in a number of fundraising events and efforts, you can NEVER leave wiggle-room for back-outs because you just get screwed in the end.

But on that whole "screwed" topic, one thing you ABSOLUTELY do not want to do, even when you are a struggling non-profit at the mercy of volunteers and shoestring budgets, is not deliver on a deal.

Unfortunately, the first deliveries of the "Give One, Get One," campaign are off to a rocky start.

Though no one has been able to pinpoint the exact source of the problem. It seems to be either OLPC's third-party company, which was hired to track orders and manage other customer support tasks; or; the other possibility, is the manufacturers of the XO laptops, have simply not produced enough of the machines to satisfy the initial round of purchases.

It should be said that consumers were warned.

One of the terms and conditions of purchasing an XO laptop is knowing that:

"OLPC Foundation depends on the assistance of manufacturers that are committed to providing XO laptops and accessories to children in the developing world at the lowest possible cost. Delivery of your XO laptop may be subject to delays, and neither OLPC Foundation nor its suppliers can be responsible for any delays in delivery. OLPC Foundation's upmost [SIC] priority is the fulfillment of its humanitarian mission and the delivery of XO laptops to children in the developing world."

I don't want it to seem like I am coming after OLPC and snarking them for being at the mercy of the goodwill of its generous suppliers, but this still just straight-up sucks.

And I state the obvious when I say OLPC is going to have to figure out not only a better way of delivering laptops in a prompt manner, but getting a handle on the orders.

When people spend money, even if it is for a charity, they need to get what they pay for. If it's an item, such an XO laptop, it needs to come on time, otherwise, people are going to feel like they've been gypped, and that can spell disaster for a well-intended charity such as OLPC.

People will begin to think their money is being mismanaged and it's already raised bigger questions about OLPCs ability to successfully supply the children of developing nations the laptops they stand to receive.

It's a tricky thing to be a non-profit. You need people to understand your limitations, but in the same respect, you sort of only get one shot at making that valuable first impression.

Throw a gala that runs out of food or wine, and trust me, that is what will stand out in people's minds, far more than the charity that gala ticket price went to fund.

Hopefully, this isn't OLPC's first shot and hopefully, it's only a matter of time before these initial kinks get worked out.

So far it seems that customers, while pissed, aren't set to give up on OLPC, and neither I am, but time is ticking.