For those wanting to refund Vista

Here is how I did it, sending an email to their Customer Service.

I was able to get $53 back for this simple email.

 

hey wts there email?

 

hahaha this is more and more common nowdays. i think this email will help many other who want to do the same thing. such as downgrading to XP and such.

thanks

 

E-mail addy please? I need to email them to get another license for Office 2003 since I reformatted my laptop that had Office on it, so I lost a license.

 

Very funny.

 

just download office 2007 off mininova.org lol

 

any way wts the email?

 

Go to their support website, and go to customer service - then contact by email.

Fill out your address, order number etc in for form, then in the comment box, paste that (with the correct machine model)

 

So what about this thread where you said you did it over the phone?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=151184

Story changing a bit much?

 

this irks me. you buy the computer, WITH the software, which you have agreed to pay for at time of purchase.

then you "decide" you dont wanna use it. If you dont wanna use basic, thats more than fine...but getting a refund from dell because of it? sad.

 

kgeier for one it's int he license that you are allowed to and two you only agree to pay for it at the time of sale becuase they don't offer you any other option...

I would say the latter of those two is the really sad part.

 

Sure you have other options, you can buy a laptop with no OS or Linux on it.

 

Customer service does not hav email! only the other ones, look:

http://support.dell.com/support/top...ntact_us_options?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~tab=2

 

I don't see where you can configure a 1400 to have no OS or Linux...

 

k, dont worry i figured it out, thnx

 

found the link

http://support.dell.com/support/top...rt/en/emailcustomercare?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

 

What is wrong with excercising your rights under the EULA?

If Dell asked you to agree to the EULA BEFORE you placed your order then it would be a different story.

People have the right to read the EULA and if they don't agree to it they have the right to request a refund as MS said in the EULA. Dell doesn't loose any money on it. Dell just forwards that to MS who will give Dell the money they paid for the license.

 

yeh, by the way how long did it take them to email u back?

 

I called regarding this a little while back, got $75

 

Just sent in my e-mail Hope it works! Did they request you to send in your restore CD and license key sticker from the laptop?

 

Yeh i sent mine, im also interested as to if they asked for the cd and sticker?

 

So you're attempting to defraud Dell and MS then?

They should require you to send in the COA and Recovery CDs and MS should deactivate the product key. Though all MS has to do is deactivate the product key! As Vista's Windows Genuine Advantage will lock you out so all you'll be able to do is use IE for 1 hour at a time...

I don't recommend you resort it to Piracy (which you are doing) as it can cost you more to buy Vista back again...

 

How am I resorting to Piracy?

I have my own copy of XP Pro from 2002 that I keep using, along with Windows Vista Ultimate which I got for free from the beta testing. Why should I pay for something I don't need to when it is in the EULA that I dont.

 

Yeh i also have vista ultimate....

 

Relax and don't be so quick to have a fit...

My comment was directed to the person I quoted... Which is why I quoted that person... Them asking if they also had to send back his/her physical copy of the OS and COA made it sound like his/her intention was to get the refund, but keep using the pre-installed copy of Vista. Doing that is piracy...

 

So, does this actually work? I don't want to pay for Vista either since I already have the XP cd I got when I bought my last Inspiron and HATE Vista and just don't want it and if there's no way for me to de-Vista my laptop while buying a Vostro (with the hardware I want) then I'm definitely doing this.

 

what you plan to do is technically illegal, that XP license is for your old Inspiron.
Everyone all claims theres a refund clause in Vista, did anyone actually bother to read the EULA(i sure didn't)

Anyways, whether this will work will depends alot on your luck, on what CSR you get.

 

Thats true, but whatever I decide to put on my new laptop when I buy it, it sure as hell won't be Vista and since Dell doesn't offer anything but Vista on their online ordering page (and I sure as hell want to take advantage of their coupons) I'm going to definitely not allow myself to use Vista if I can do anything about.

 

Aw, c'mon. Do you call that a 'choice'?
Very few systems are available without OS or with Linux.
Sad part is that they happen to cost even more than those with Vista. Find me a laptop like the Vostros 1400, 1500 asnd 1700, with the same specs, the same price and the same quality you can get from Dell (because it's fairly good quality with respect to the mainstream average laptop) and without OS that is for sale to non business customers.

Then we'll talk about having a choice.

The real option is to read the EULA and, if you don't like it, refuse to agree to it.
There is a good reason if a refund is due.

 

No one cares to comment on the fact that the original thread starter has claimed to have gotten Vista refunded to him twice through different methods?

 

I would think people who are going to do this has read the EULA. I did and recieved a $100 credit. It states quite clearly that if you do not agree to the terms and conditions to contact your manufacturer or installer for info on recieiving a refund. Dell will try to pass off that they did not manufacturer vista so you need to go to microsoft, BUT they ARE the installer. Microsoft will tell you to go to dell. Dell is BOUNDED by the EULA, and are not legally able to sell the product if they do not honor the terms of the EULA.

There are legitiment reasons for not wanting vista. After i read the EULA i found that it only allowed for 10 reinstalls (this has been changed in updated EULA's but i guess i got an older copy).

I told them i would send in my coa and reinstall disc but they never gave me an address or told me to, so I was basically given credit to get me off the phone. This IS after i recieved 75 dollars in credit after the first delay, so they CAN and WILL issue multiple credits. Just don't try to BS your way through, understand the EULA, know what you want, and make that clear to Dell.

 

In the first thread the laptop is said to be an Inspiron 1520.
The system in signature for this thread seems to be a Vostro 1400.

Could'nt it be: two laptops, two Vistas, two refunds?

Now , home much of a choice have you managed to find in the same price and performance range of the Vostro lineup?

 

I think I’ve posted this several times before. But since these threads keep popping up, here we go again. If you read the complete EULA (including small print), then you should have read the Product Refund Guidelines.

Under What Products Are Not Eligible for a Refund? You can find Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) software preloaded on a PC (contact the PC manufacturer). It continues to say that You can easily return any Microsoft retail product* to the retailer from which you purchased it, subject to that retailer's return policy.

To my understanding this means DELL is not legally bound to refund you anything if they choose not to. Its their business practice to bundle Vista, if you don’t like it then I don’t think you can demand a refund.

Anyways, there is nothing wrong in asking. And they will give you credit just to get you guys off of their backs, but I really don’t think it’s an actual refund. If more people starts asking, and when this becomes a real problem for them, I don’t think they will be so quick to refund.

 

I am pretty sure the credit is just to get you off their backs and not a refund, but also isn't Dells' return policy on all unused software 21 days?

 

If Dell does not offer the choice to purchase a pc without an OS (as their current practice) then they have to give a refund, atleast that is what the microsoft rep told me.

 

That document applies to MS retail software purchases. In that case MS is disclosing their refund policy in case the retailer doesn't offer a refund (and I can't think of any that do for software). Since the EULA says you have to be offered a refund MS absorbs that responsibility (as you see all software companies doing that offer a software refund).

MS is telling you to contact your OEM for any OEM version pre-installed on your PC so that MS doesn't have to figure out how much you paid for your copy of Windows. They charge different prices to different OEMs (Dell does not pay as much as the guy picking up an OEM copy on NewEgg, for instance) so this allows them to ensure they refund exactly what they charged.

 

Indeed, and several times you received an answer explaining why it is not the way you think and why the DELL (not MS, DELL) has to give you a refund should you not accept the terms of the EULA.

What is it that is unclear to you?

 

I'm resorting to piracy? Where have you come to this conclusion? I own a VERY legal copy of Windows XP and I have every right to use it under my own name.

Jay

 

Then you should have said this in your original post to me. If it matters, I already formatted my harddrive as soon as I received the 1420, so no, I don't wish to use Vista in any way shape or form. Of course, I could just be saying this to make it look like i'm not trying to pirate my copy of Vista, but I really do use XP on my Dell 1420.

 

And I still haven't received any response from Dell regarding the e-mail I sent about this yet. I have a feeling they "accidently" delete e-mails like these so that they don't have to deal with giving refunds.

Looks like I will have to talk to a CSR.

 

i just ended up chatting with a rep and asking for a $50 concession coupon which he gave me with no problem.

 

Yep, the 1520 was for my dad, the 1400 is for me

 

i was unable to get a refund for this.. even though i got crazy refunds for everything else this they would not budge one

 

I finally got an email back, very long winded, the gist of it was:

Sorry for the delay getting back to you, we have been swamped with email. Your vista was free with your laptop, we cannot determine the price to refund you for it since it was free. The best we can do is credit $100 back to your credit card. Please tell me if this is ok.

Also we see you are getting a replacement laptop which should ship by the 3rd of next month, we will follow up with you on that one also.

I said that's fine, gimme the $100. This seems to confirm they just want to get you off their back, not actually refund you anything.

So far I got $50 for the delayed shipping, now $100 for Vista which I don't even think I am actually returning...

Hopefully they ship my replacement in a decent amount of time as I don't feel like trying to chewing any more ears to get a credit back for a delay on that one....

 

chances are you wont return it they will just cancel the registration key. Also i would of pushed it alittle bit more as the 100$ is kinda already there but i rekon you might of been able to get $150 or however much it costs in the shop

 

yeah, according to the rep I talked to, you can not in fact get a refund for Vista, period.

 

I had to work them up to 100 from 50, and they know they don't pay retail price for it. Most online places charge around 85 bucks for home premium and Dell knows that.

 

I could probably have gotten somewhere as that was their first out of the blue offer... but it seems like a fair enough offer to me... $150 is the standalone OEM cost... I am ok with the thought that the bundled cost would be lower... might not be in the end but either way, it seemed fair to me.

I am not trying to ruin them or scam them, just trying to get fair value where I see it as fair.

And besides since they aren't returning my licnese but rather buying me off, I am thinking they won't even cancel the COA... in the end I can't really cry too much if I don't get full retail back on a license they don't cancel anyway...

 

Thanks. Got my refund back for Vista Business using this method.

 

any Canadian users got refund so far? Dell Canada said no one in Canada got refund for preinstalled OS, and they are telling Dell Canada is different from Dell US.