05/27/2008, 9:25pm, EDT
Tuesday, May 27thDell breaking promises over XP, warranty, financing
Dell is being accused of breaking two promises it has made to customers, pertaining to its continued support of the Microsoft Windows XP platform, next-day repair service, and promotional financing plan. A note from the computer manufacturer's Small Business sales team reveals that its earlier plans to offer Windows XP on machine sales past Microsoft's June 30th deadline are null and void, instead stating that it would cease to offer the operating system past June 30th.
The note reads "Dell offers you the choice that best fits your business. But act fast, because after June 18, Windows XP will no longer be offered on Dell™ laptops and desktops," followed by several links to Dell's Vostro line of computers.
A series of complaints against Dell have resulted in a New York judge concluding that the PC maker engaged in false and deceptive advertising, Yahoo reports. Dell is accused of hiding eligibility criteria for the two programs, a ruling that came from New York State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Teresi.
"It appears likely that there are many more New York consumers who are entitled to restitution who are not included in the complaints," Teresi wrote.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo brought the lawsuit to Dell last year, when Teresi gave him until December 1st to provide a complete list of all that were impacted by the misleading plans.
"For too long at Dell the promise of customer service was a bait and switch that left thousands of people paying for essentially no service at all," Cuomo said. "This decision sends an important message that all corporations will be held accountable for the promises they make to consumers."
Filed under: computers, industry, software
Other story tags: Dell, finance, XP, warranty
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Bleeeech
I work at a computer retail store and this date of June 30 is scaring me to death. The same thing that happened last May will happen again this June. When we ran out of new XP computers we ended up selling more older refurbished PCs than new PCs. And buying a new PC with Vista and trying to install a copy of Windows XP is nearly impossible on a lot of new machines that don't have XP drivers for most os the components. It is actually easier to buy a Mac and install XP on it. Currently we are selling more Dells with XP on them than the rest of the Vista Machines put together. This artificial drop-dead date from MS just doesn't make sense yet. They spent so long getting XP driven into everyone's skull they are going to have problems forcing a change especially to an OS that has been around almost 10 years.
Clarification on XP
I realize the email that went out earlier this week may have some people confused given the announcement that we were offering a way for customers to continue to get preinstalled versions of XP after the Microsoft cutoff. After June 18, we will no longer offer Windows XP skus, and XP Home will no longer be available in any fashion.
That being said, Dell recognizes that not all of our customers are ready to make the transition to Vista at this time, so we are offering a solution that will enable customers to continue to use XP Professional and transition to Vista at a later time. We are doing this through our Windows Vista Downgrade Service. With this option, a customer purchases Vista Business or Vista Ultimate with Downgrade Rights, and we will ship them a PC with Windows XP Professional installed along with a CD for XP Professional and a DVD for the version of Vista that they purchased. This enables customers to stay with XP Professional for now and still have an inexpensive path to Vista in the future. For more information on the Downgrade Service (also called Windows Vista Business Bonus or Windows Vista Ultimate Bonus), please see www.dell.com/dellhasanswers.
Thank you,
Jenni @ Dell
Software Marketing