Does Dell Owe You Money?

[SIW2]

If you've ever received shoddy service from Dell, now's your chance for payback -- literally.
Massachusetts attorney general Martha Coakley's office, along with 33 other state attorneys, reached a $3.35 million multi-state settlement with Dell and Dell Financial Services, for allegedly misleading consumers about financing terms, warranties and rebates.

So how can you cash in? If you bought a Dell product between April 1, 2005 and April 13, 2009 and experienced any of the following, you may be entitled to a slice of the money pie:

* A problem with a Dell financing offer
* A problem with a Dell rebate
* A problem with Dell financing
* A problem with a Dell repair, warranty or servicing

Go to the Dell Settlement Claims webpage (or download the PDF form here), fill it out and send it in by April 13, 2009. It's important to note that you may not receive restitution based on your claims but hey, it's worth a shot



Read the full article here:

Does Dell Owe You Money? - PC World


I have never had a Dell product, so I can't comment. Posted for general information.

SIW2

 

[johngalt]

This will be good for the woman who bought an Ubuntu machine as well....

 

[smarteyeball]

* A problem with a Dell repair, warranty or servicing

I don't like the sound of that.... my monitor has started to play up....

This will be good for the woman who bought an Ubuntu machine as well....

lol, perhaps they'll credit her with two semesters

 

[darkassain]

lmao now that would be nice if i had that possible....

but them again only a women could have pulled that off...

it make dell reputation look a lot worse compared to a man....lol

 

[johngalt]

My parents have a Dell that they bought in Jan 07 - just before Vista was released - and they got the upgrade - but they have never been able to get DVD burning working (for the first 3 months, *I* couldn't get it working because the Vista upgrade broke Roxio - and there was not a fix for it other than trying to download from Roxio - but that required the retail product, not an OEM product....

Needless to say, I have already emailed my mom the link.....

 

[darkassain]

$1.5 million of the settlement will be deposited into an account specifically for customer restitution. The rest goes to attorney fees, litigation, and other legal mumbo jumbo.

only 1.5 for customers???
wow the lawyers got a good piece of the pie...lol

Specifically, today’s agreement compels Dell to reform its business practices involving Dell credit accounts, warranties, rebates and customer service. These reforms include the following:

• Dell cannot report any late payments to collection agencies if a consumer has alleged that the debt is invalid and has offered documentation supporting his or her claim.
• Dell must mail rebate payments within a reasonable or specified time that is disclosed to the consumer. Where timeframes are not specified, the rebate must be made to the consumer within 30 days of receiving a properly completed request for a rebate.
• Dell must provide the States with a proper mailing address, fax number, and email address to which consumer complaints may be forwarded. Dell must then respond to the States concerning those complaints within 20 business days.
• Dell cannot claim that it provides warranty or on-site repair or technical support service unless it first clearly and conspicuously discloses that the consumer must first attempt to resolve the issue through telephone-based troubleshooting or similar activity before the consumer will receive on-site repair.
• For its Dell Credit Accounts, Dell must clearly disclose its credit terms, including that credit applications are for a revolving open credit account and that the range of annual percentage rates may increase or decrease. Dell must also disclose minimum monthly payment requirements, including the amount of such payment or the method of calculating the amount; the mode of calculating finance charges; any and all penalties imposed for late and partial payments; and whether subsequent purchases using the Dell Credit Account will be subject to the same or different terms from any financing terms offered to the consumer as part of the financing promotion.

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now it makes me think if i should have gotten the dell multi-touch tablet notebook...

 

[SIW2]

Hi John,

I wish your mom luck with it.

Can't be right the lawyers get that much. Imo, it would have made more sense to award damages plus legal costs, instead of letting the lawyers take out of the damages pot.

SIW2

 

[johngalt]

She told me that her and Dad worked on it for several hours, and have sent the document off...

*fingers crossed*