News Dell accused of flaw coverup

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2009/12/03/dell-accused-of-flaw-coverup/1

Issues with certain Dell laptops are currently plaguing users - and those affected accuse the company of removing forum threads detailing the issues and issuing bans.

 

pretty typical play by a massive company. They think they are bigger than everyone and dont give a crap about customers. MAXIMISE SALES AT ALL COSTS.

i know there a profit making company but its a known fact that the bigger the company the less they care.

directly proportional i believe

 

Hence why, despite the recent ads on the run up to Christmas claiming that there is a "Dell for everyone", I never have or ever will buy a Dell or any other manufacturers pre-built PC as the time spent sourcing my own components and reading a number of reviews from trusted and reliable sources like here on Bit-Tech is worth so much more and have never had a bad build, the odd DOA or faulty component, but those are easily replaced.

 

well they are laptops being talked about not desktops

 

Still makes me laugh when the Dell Laptop adverts come on the TV, showing Dells being made from Plasticine Turds.

 

Dell laptops are the pits. My XPS M1530 is supposed to be a gaming PC but it can't even handle TF2. Dell doesn't want to do anything about the fact that I can't rest my hands on it after using it for 2-3 hours.

 

I wish you could build your own laptops. I bet it's not as complicated as it sounds.

 

Well the problem on the Latitude E6400/6500 doesn't affect everyone.. mostly users with the Intel GPU.

 

first paragraph of the pdf - Problem effects XP install with SP3 - iirc these models shipped with Vista as standard (I know mine did) and installing XP was a PITA at the best of times (cus I tried). Me thinks this issue maybe effecting a minor group therefore?

Mind you Dell didnt handle this situation well at all at a forum level.

 

Fairly shocking tbh. Dell have been good at releasing bios updates though. Thankfully, my Vostro performs like a champ (touch wood) and only required a bit of driver hunting when under Vista x64 and 7.

 

is it just me that also thought about them going along with intels bribes

 

That's Dell struck of my potential supplier list. For good. Can always tolerate the odd dodgy bit of kit from an otherwise decent brand, but not underhand tactics.

The former can be the result of any number of minor issues, but the latter tarnishes the entire brand, making every promise they make questionable.

All too often in the past couple of years we're hearing about firms going to such depths in all sorts of cases.

Maybe the leaner times mean firms are getting more desperate to protect sales.

 

Dell recently released a new BIOS for the Latitude E6400/6500. Some Dell developer is at notebookreview.com forum gathering user feedback on the issue.

My goal is not to advertise another forum.. just keep the situation updated.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=348221&page=39 (it start at the last post).
So, it's good that Dell is really ensuring that the problem is solved, and that no other issues occurs.

 

I tried to buy a dell computer for family and was emailed saying it will take 3 weeks. i tried to cancel order (right after they told me 3 weeks) and they told me i couldnt all i could do was wait till it arrived and not accept delivery. Doesnt sound like good management policies to me. Unless it really means that much to them that they keep my money for another month

 

I can say that no user has been banned for talking about throttling concerns on the Dell Community. In general, some comments may be unpublished if they are a TOS violation (profanity, publishing private contact information, etc.), but short of that, we don't censor conversations.

Here is Dell's response to throttling over on Direct2Dell: http://en.community.dell.com/blogs/...009/12/02/dell-on-laptops-and-throttling.aspx

 

I've read about people building there own - normaly from clevo parts but it is still very limited as to what bits go in.

As to the question of being shocked in the article, i'd have to say no. As most others have pointed out the bigger the company - the less they care about they customers. And there is definately a point in a company's expansion where they seem to be able to get away with that practise. Which is probably caused by other large company's bulk purchasing crap systems to get what they think is a good deal upgrading.

I wonder if dell's buisness ethics also affect alienware these days !

 

i hate to see people treat Dell as if they were a single company. Dell is a Brand™. i really hate to see people bash Dell on the assumption that every machine they build being exactly like that $299 celeron powered (underpowered?) P.O.S. that their technologically challenged family member bought.

i administer about 600 laptops and about 1300 desktops. every single one, a Dell. yes, they have some problems. the GX620 USFF chassis is horrible, especially if your end users are not cleaning them properly, or if the contractors that set them up crammed the cables into the cable cover on the back completely blocking airflow.

don't get me started on the ones that think a laptop and shag carpet should even be in the same room.

but overall, even a full year out of warranty, these desktops are still running in fairly hostile environments. our company has experienced a failure rate of about 4% on them - mostly blown caps due to heat. not bad on a 4 year run.

as for the e6400 heat issue, while we only have about 40 of them in the environment currently, we have had no complaints yet. the e5400 power issues (screen goes nuts on dock/undock) have led us to move to the 6400's for everyone.

whenever we have an issue, we just email our account manager, and he deals with the internal tech people, and gets the right person in contact with us. our old Systems manager is now our Dell server rep ... that tends to expedite things too.

but to outright say "Dell is evil" from a small issue like this, is fairly ludicrous.

</rant>

 

And heres me thinking that only overclockers.co.uk resorted to that level of pettiness?

 

As far as I'm awaire you can build yor own laptops. It was covered in an issue off custom pc but I forget the issue number.

As far as Dell sensoring post's, It come's as no surprise seeing as we live in a society wich places the right's off large company's on the same level (or even above) the right's of the individual human being!!!

It IS wrong but it's hard to blame dell to much, they are after all competing with other company's who given half a chance will do exactly the same thing.

If we want things like this to change we really need to look at the big picture and fundamentally change the sytem.

Singaling out one company (when there all as bad as one another) is a bit unfair,,,,but hey if the shoe fit's !?!

(either that or use it to slap the face off any dell reps you might bump into XD)

 

Creative used to this with the X-Fi Vista issue. The box said Vista ready... but Creative refused to make Vista drivers in favor in releasing a new version of the X-Fi sound card with Vista drivers. I think what Creative did... is far worse than Dell's. At least Dell, doesn't release a new laptop where the problem is solved and say "go buy it!, your not getting it for free".

Apple did the same thing with the iPod Nano scratch issue.