"Geico Caveman" <spam@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:455383f6$0$561$b45e6eb0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Oliver Wong wrote:
>
>> "Dell does not have an official program that accommodates the return of
>> the operating system. In general a customer would return the PC if
>> unhappy
>> with any pre-installed software end-user license agreement (EULA),
>> including the operating system."
>> </quote>
>>
>> I wish those who are "fighting" for refunds the best of luck. It's
>> unfortunate e.g. the government (or some other official body with some
>> sway) hasn't stepped in and straighten out the terms of the refund for
>> the
>> benefit of all consumers.
>>
>
> Its a commercial contract (EULA) that clearly states that if do not accept
> the terms of the contract and do not use the product in any way, you are
> eligible for a refund. I do not see what straightening out is needed.
The straightening-out that is needed is "Who pays the refund?". Does
Dell pay the refund, or does Microsoft? I've heard stories of people trying
to get the refund. Dell (or whoever they bought the computer from) tells
them to ask Microsoft, and Microsoft tells them to ask Dell.
If the government (or someone else) stepped in and said "Microsoft has
to pay" or "Dell has to pay" or something along those lines, then it'd be a
lot easier for the consumer to get their refunds. And we're all in agreement
that making it easier for consumers to get refund is a good thing, right?
>
> Dell's response above is a clear CYA. They do not want to anger Microsoft
> by
> setting up a formal mechanism for the return of the Microsoft, and yet,
> being legally bound by the terms of the EULA, they have no choice but to
> refund the customer for an unused product.
Well, let's hope you're right.
>
> I think that the community should include this in our HOWTOs (largely
> becoming superfluous due to the ease of installing Linux). Just before
> disk
> partitioning etc., the step 0 should be - get your refund :
>
> 0. Get your refund.
> 1. Decide how to partition your hard disk.
> 2. Choose packages you need.
> 3 ...
Hopefully step 0 would be elaborated a bit. E.g. perhaps the installer
could try to autodetect the manufacturer, or have the user select a
manufacturer from a drop down list, and then provide an 1-800 number so, and
a general guide on explaining to the user exactly how to phrase their
request to maximize the probability of successfully getting a refund. For
example, it might tell the user they have a better chance of getting the
refund if they make it clear that they did not run Windows XP (or Vista) at
all. Stuff like that. Make things as easy for the user as possible.
- Oliver
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