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Pressure mounts on Dell over Linux PCs
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Comments (22)
Hoist on their own petard
I agree - it takes time to make these things happen. I, too, was amazed at Dell's speed to launch here. I'm sure they'll move fairly quickly in other markets as well.
In a way, you can view the complaints as a measure of how well Dell is done. If their offering were crap, nobody would care whether or not it was available outside the US.
But it doesn't hurt to keep up the pressure.
This did not rate the Newswire, I felt, but it should be interesting.
This public posting to the Dell linux-announce mailing list found its way to my inbox this evening:
*Join the discussion with Live Linux Experts on Dell’s Linux Forum where you can ask questions, share ideas, and learn from Linux professionals. *
--------------------------------------------------------
*Topic:* Ubuntu Linux on Dell Systems – Discuss with the Experts
*Date/Time: *Wednesday, June 27 8-10 AM & 8-10 PM CST
*Experts:*
* *John Hull* - Manager of Linux Technologies at Dell and other members of Dell’s Linux team * *Ben Collins* - Ubuntu kernel developer at Canonical
*Click here for more information * http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?boa... Click to join the Linux discussion!
------------------------------------------------------------
_________________________________________ Linux-announce mailing list Linux-announce@dell.com http://lists.us.dell.com/mailman/listinfo/l inux-announce Please read the FAQ at http://lists.us.dell.com/faq or search the list archives at http://lists.us.dell.com/htdig/
This public posting to the Dell linux-announce mailing list found its way to my inbox this evening:
*Join the discussion with Live Linux Experts on Dell’s Linux Forum where you can ask questions, share ideas, and learn from Linux professionals. *
--------------------------------------------------------
*Topic:* Ubuntu Linux on Dell Systems – Discuss with the Experts
*Date/Time: *Wednesday, June 27 8-10 AM & 8-10 PM CST
*Experts:*
* *John Hull* - Manager of Linux Technologies at Dell and other members of Dell’s Linux team * *Ben Collins* - Ubuntu kernel developer at Canonical
*Click here for more information * http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?boa... Click to join the Linux discussion!
------------------------------------------------------------
_________________________________________ Linux-announce mailing list Linux-announce@dell.com http://lists.us.dell.com/mailman/listinfo/l inux-announce Please read the FAQ at http://lists.us.dell.com/faq or search the list archives at http://lists.us.dell.com/htdig/
the day dell refused to sell a computer
Quoting:I had a surreal experience with Dell today.http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=478975
My boss asked me to order a new computer for our small, non-profit business. Wanting to support Dell in their decision to sell computers with Ubuntu installed, I decided to order one.
First, I talked to a small business representative, who informed me that I could not order one of the Ubuntu-based computers through the small business department. I had to go through the "home and home office" department.
I called the Home office department. I asked the representative if I could buy one of the ubuntu computers for my company. She said (and I quote), "these Dell computers are designed for personal use only, as long as you use it for personal use, you can purchase one."
So I lied and said I would....
Next, I tried to buy it on our business credit card. They would have none of that. She told me that I had to buy it through a personal card. Now, as a non-proft, our business does not pay sales tax (10% in Tennessee). Had I bought it with my own card, I would have had to pay tax (~$90), which my company would not have reimbursed me for. So.....no Dell today.
I really wanted to support Dell and I am just blown away that they would REFUSE MY MONEY because I was buying it to use for a business. What company goes around telling its customers how they can use their products? What business model does that fall under?
More importantly, are they really supporting Ubuntu and Linux? They didn't seem too supportive to me.
Posted to the news queue. Henke, please post stories like this to the queue instead of the forums. The queue is starving from a lack of news during the summer!
>I really wanted to support Dell and I am just blown away that they would REFUSE MY MONEY because I was buying it to use for a business.
Too weird for words. I can't even come up with any reasonable business rationale for that short of making sure the right division gets credit for the sale...except that...no sale ends up being made.
Stupid is as stupid does - or doesn't do.
Too weird for words. I can't even come up with any reasonable business rationale for that short of making sure the right division gets credit for the sale...except that...no sale ends up being made.
Stupid is as stupid does - or doesn't do.
Sounds like big company bureaucratic rigidity. Also sounds like the Ubuntu thing is a publicity thing for Dell rather than serious business...
>Sounds like big company bureaucratic rigidity. Also sounds like the Ubuntu thing is a publicity thing for Dell rather than serious business...
I think A is right and B is wrong. People are able to order Ubuntu desktops and it's not all that hard to do. Getting that to work for a corporate behemoth like Dell is no small thing.
But... Somebody's got to snatch away the stupid pills from those Dell workers.
I think A is right and B is wrong. People are able to order Ubuntu desktops and it's not all that hard to do. Getting that to work for a corporate behemoth like Dell is no small thing.
But... Somebody's got to snatch away the stupid pills from those Dell workers.
Sounds like hooey to me. What happened to all that healthy LXer skepticism? I bet we all know people who buy Dell for their workplaces and they buy from whatever category gets them the best deal. The Dell droids don't care if their purpose is to use them as boat anchors or for target practice, or to possibly even perform acts of computing. Granted, this could be an isolated incident of an exceptionally clueless Dell droid, but come on- this alleged customer didn't demand to speak to a supervisor? Feh.
TC -
Yeah. I can sort of imagine a low-on-the-totem-pole worker, new to the job, cleaving to the rules a little too tightly. I can't imagine Dell having a policy of actually refusing money.
Yeah. I can sort of imagine a low-on-the-totem-pole worker, new to the job, cleaving to the rules a little too tightly. I can't imagine Dell having a policy of actually refusing money.
> Sounds like hooey to me.
Well, one thing didn't sound right to me. At one time, Dell did not charge sales tax unless you were ordering from Texas. However, I just checked, and when I priced a system and asked them to calculate shipping and tax, they charged me sales tax. I have no idea why they're charging sales tax, but given a choice I don't deal with out of state companies which charge sales tax. If I want to pay sales tax I'll pick up my Dell at the local Walmart.
Well, one thing didn't sound right to me. At one time, Dell did not charge sales tax unless you were ordering from Texas. However, I just checked, and when I priced a system and asked them to calculate shipping and tax, they charged me sales tax. I have no idea why they're charging sales tax, but given a choice I don't deal with out of state companies which charge sales tax. If I want to pay sales tax I'll pick up my Dell at the local Walmart.
Quoting:...they charged me sales tax.
In the U.S., they are required to charge sales tax in every state in which they have a business presence. That means if they have a kiosk in a mall in your state, they have to charge you sales tax.
>...or to possibly even perform acts of computing.
By the Flying Binary Bros. no doubt.
By the Flying Binary Bros. no doubt.
> they are required to charge sales tax in every state in which they have a business presence.
I'm aware of that. AFAIK, Dell has no business presence in WV (I could be wrong of course, it wouldn't be the first time). If they do, it's been established sometime in the past 3 years, as I know of at least one person who bought from them in that time frame and was not charged sales tax.
Added:
In any case, it still makes sense for me to get it at Walmart if I'm paying the sales tax anyway. Walmart has a satisfaction guarantee and a returns policy.
I'm aware of that. AFAIK, Dell has no business presence in WV (I could be wrong of course, it wouldn't be the first time). If they do, it's been established sometime in the past 3 years, as I know of at least one person who bought from them in that time frame and was not charged sales tax.
Added:
In any case, it still makes sense for me to get it at Walmart if I'm paying the sales tax anyway. Walmart has a satisfaction guarantee and a returns policy.
West Virginia! Now that's a different story. I did specify in the U.S. ;^)
In WV it's probably known as the Honorary Robert C. Byrd Tax Act.
In WV it's probably known as the Honorary Robert C. Byrd Tax Act.
jdixon:
Probably a kiosk in a mall somewhere, lol. I think that counts, but I ain't no accountant or lawyer. :)
Probably a kiosk in a mall somewhere, lol. I think that counts, but I ain't no accountant or lawyer. :)
> In WV it's probably known as the Honorary Robert C. Byrd Tax Act.
Well everything else around here seems to be named for either him or Mollohan, so there's precedent. I'd vote for making it illegal to name anything after a politician till after they were dead.
Well everything else around here seems to be named for either him or Mollohan, so there's precedent. I'd vote for making it illegal to name anything after a politician till after they were dead.
" illegal to name anything after a politician till after they were dead."
We need more Statesmen.
We need more Statesmen.
My old high school was combined with another to form Robert C. Byrd High School. It's interesting they built the new school while the wagon trails in the Southern part of that county are practically overrun by brush. State Road never did have a very good reputation. With any luck, the kids will be smart enough to avoid living along the wagon trails.
And if someone on this site knows about Duck Creek Road in Harrison County, I'll croak.
And if someone on this site knows about Duck Creek Road in Harrison County, I'll croak.
> And if someone on this site knows about Duck Creek Road in Harrison County, I'll croak.
You mean the one this park:
http://www.watterssmithstatepark.com/location.html
is on. Of course, I don't count. I live in Mannington, after all. So I even know where Wyatt, Peora, and Joetown are. :)
You mean the one this park:
http://www.watterssmithstatepark.com/location.html
is on. Of course, I don't count. I live in Mannington, after all. So I even know where Wyatt, Peora, and Joetown are. :)
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For a major company the speed with which they rolled out the initial offering is nothing more than mind blowing. Most any other company would have taken a year or more to ramp up and deliver the product. They did it in mere months from the time ideastorm kicked off to initial product offering. That they did it in a market that they knew well is no knock against them.
I was a bit shocked that Argentina and Brazil were not included in the initial offering or actually first out the gate, the market demand for Linux being higher there than in North America. However while there are other markets where Linux is more accepted I am sure that they too will see an offering. Give it a little time though, Dell is doing a good thing here and with luck and some market analysis they too will see where they can leverage the market for their linux products.
Come this time next year though ... they had best have something out there for the rest of the world, I can see and would rightly agree with market hostility at that point.