Getting Dell to refund Windows Vista?

I will be getting my Vostro 1400 anyday now and I already have a copy of Vista Home Premium and won't be needing the Vista Basic that is pre installed.

I read that one guy has successfully gotten Dell to refund the cost of Windows OEM, because he was going to load his own OS on his Dell.

So... has anybody attempted this recently? What would be the easist way to approach this? I know I have challenge ahead of me trying to get the Indian customer service to even understand what I want done.

 

Don't even bother...

 

Well, you don't ship a 'puter without an operating system, and what you're asking just plain seems unreasonable to me. It's like buying it with 512k ram and demanding a refund because you have 2 256k chips at home. Huh?

 

No it's not unreasonable. If you build your own computer, will you buy RAM if you have already enough from your previous purchases? Surely not. Same for the OS, he has already bought Vista Premium, why buy it another time? Of course he doesn't not pay it full price, but he pays it. And don't tell me that it should come with the computer, you surely need an OS to make your computer work, but OS doesn't not mean "windows". You can choose what to put on your computer.

Sadly it's not easy to get it refund. And a Vista Basic will probably be refunded 40 or 50$, minus some operation fee. Forget about it, you will spend too much time to get almost nothing. That could be more interesting for a Home Premium. And what would be perfect would be the ability to choose. The 1420 is not available with Ubuntu? Then it should be slightly cheaper.

 

Read what I wrote. The point is, if you're gonna ask for something like that, do it BEFORE you buy the computer, NOT after.

 

It's Dell's own fault for not offering a NO OS option, because YES, you can ship a computer without an OS.

After much research I have found quite a few people have been successful in requesting refunds.

$50 is worth sending off a couple e-mails.

 

Dell offers some models with Ubuntu Linux, free of charge.

It should be the customer`s call to decide which OS to use in a given hardware.

Eventually cancelling the order and having it redone might be an easier path for a better price.

 

You can also ship a laptop free of RAM but do they do that for you? No
Your request is unreasonable

 

It gets even worse than that. Where I live (italy, third world) it's impossibile to buy a laptop without the Micro$oft Tax. When I asked the Dell rep I did not want Vista (here in the third world the Vostro don't have the XP option) he said that if I could ever get a refund it would be at most 10 euros (about 13 bucks).
I wonder why, then, they charge 79 euros (nearly a hundred bucks) for upgrading to Vista Business OEM.

Bottom line for most manufacturers is: we force the O$ onto you, and you pay big money for it (but we won't tell ya). If you don't want it we give you back one tenth of what we charged and make your life miserable in trying to get a refund. Either by asking you to ship the laptop back, or by voiding your warranty...

True, I choose Vista Business because (that was the only OS available with the 160 GB HD I wanted and because) I could downgrade it to XP. But my main OS will be Linux. Sometimes I think I should ask for a refund...

 

Hmm, no.

Most people these days know how to install and reinstall an OS, so if they already paid for one, they shouldnt be obliged to pay for another.

For example, I received my 1501 yesterday and the first thing I did was smite Vista and install my copy of XP Pro. Then this thread gave me the idea to send an email.

 

I agree don't bother they are not going to ship it to you without the OS

 

I don't think MS allows system integrators to ship any system without a preinstalled OS (through their licencing/distribution agreements).

 

Take your political agenda somewhere else.

 

I don't know how a political agenda would fit into this at all...

Anyway, the whole idea with the OS being refundable is because when you turn on the computer two things happen:
1) The first start up you are forced to read the EULA and accept it.
2) The EULA clearly states that if you do not agree to these terms or you do not want this software, to please contact the manufacturer for a refund on that software.

 

I believe the Ubuntu systems cost more.. Or at least they did when I bought mine. I don't think MS is going to allow Dell to offer a cheaper out then windows.

 

Are you trying to say that most people do not know how to install RAM? C'mon.

 

The no in my post was referring to you saying the request is unreasonable. I don't think unscrewing 2 screws and sliding in some ram is hard at all.

 

I gave it a try today. They gave me a number to call microsoft. Will do that tonight!

 

That's the point. And basically that's all there is to it.
The fact that the customer should accept a second agreement with the manufacturer of the software. Since Dell made an agreement with MS to honor the terms of the EULA, the customer is entitled to ask for such terms to be fullfilled (sorry for my bad English, I do not speak legalese at all).

John Doe might not like the fact that MS eula is limiting his freedom to use the product, and then - since the eula on that product can only be read on screen - he should be able to to refuse it.

And it's the manufacturer of the laptop, and not Microsoft, that should give the customer a refund. Because the manufacturer accepted said agreement with MS.

Here is a link from another thread in this forum:
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/7040?from=200&comments_per_page=50

I've heard, though, that things have changed a little bit (in worse) with Vista's EULA. Moreover, certain manufactures try to add other binding conditions such as "if you do not accept M$ Eula then you could not use this computer", which virtually forbid the installation of other OSes.

 

Refund for Vista cuz you don't want it, huh?

That's priceless.

Why don't you also get a refund for them sending you a colored lid claiming you didn't want a color anyway. Yeah! Where do they get off forcing a color on you in the first place?! Just like Vista being included AT NO CHARGE, insist on a refund for getting a black lid and say you didn't actually want any fancy micro-satin finish in the first place- an unneeded built in cost that you should NOT have to absorb (even if it's in the base config). That surely should warrant some kind of refund.

And if that works, insist they refund you for the automatically pre-installed keyboard! Why do they ASSUME you need one- you use a full sized external keyboard plugged in via USB and NEVER use the one built into the laptop. Why should YOU flip the tab for that cost?!?!

Starting to see the absurdity in your request yet?

 

Hahahahaha I love it.

 

Because those things do not come with an EULA you have to accept and you might not like.

What if the colored lid came with an agreement you are required to sign, saying "Opening this colored lid is not allowed in parks, on busses and trains and whenever it rains. If you do not accept this agreement contact the maufacturer for a refund". Would you accept that agreement or would you ask for a refund?

There is nothing absurd in that request.

 

Agreed.

If there's something absurd here is requiring a given hardware to run ONLY with a specific OS.

 

The point is the EULA (which I don't really think is a legit argument anyway) is NOT even the reason the OP wants a refund, but rather that he already has a copy (legal?) of Vista. So yeah, that's why it's as ludicrous as asking for a refund for an unwanted color lid or keyboard.

 

How is this ludicrous?

I don't want Vista, it was forced on me. I would have preferred Linux, but Dell doesn’t' give the option on all configs. Nor does Dell states as a term of purchase that I must accept the OS.

They're forcing an OS I don't want or need. AND IT CLEARLY STATES IN EULA I CAN REFUSE THE TERMS AND SEEK REMEDY FROM THE OEM.

It is NOT unreasonable, it is perfectly reasonable, THE TERMS CLEARLY SPELLS IT OUT. SEVERAL people have been requesting OS refunds since 2002 with success.

Not to mention the color lid comparison is completely retarded. The OS is not a PHYSICAL HARDWARE component of the unit and can be changed at will.

 

Agreed, I was thinking about the reasons I would not want it
And yet the EULA says that if you do not want that software you can refuse it and ask for a refund (I'm not sure about the actual phrasing in Vista's Eula, though - I have to wait for my Vostro to arrive to read it).

Besides, paying twice the same good seems absurd to me.

As for being legit, it is a legal agreement AFAIK (but IANAL). So, if we (the customers) are required to fullfill it, why shouldn't the manufacturers (Dell)?

It's a matter of reciprocity.

 

id love to know how this pans out for you..

 

Then don't buy their computers if you don't agree with their business practices. Save yourself some trouble.

 

Come on... you originally said you wanted a refund for the preinstalled Vista because you already had a copy (still don't know if it's legal or not, but that's irrelevant right?). Now your saying you really wanted Linux??

NO one's forcing an OS on you any more than my admittedly stupid analogy or "forcing" a keyboard or lid color you'd never personally use based on the manner in which you use your PC. It just comes with the freakin laptop man- take it or leave it. Geez- do you go to McDOnalds and ask for a Whopper insisting they're FORCING you to buy a Big Mac? Of course not!

 

Actually, since 1998
http://www.netcraft.com.au/geoffrey/toshiba.html

This one if for a Windows 95 refund.

 

well, after 3 pages of discussion on whether or not to get a refund, what's the conclusion? did anyone successfully get a refund yet?
And getting a refund from MS is a joke .. not to spit any venom, but a bunch of shrewd businessmen wouldn't easily give customers their money back

 

People are smart asses and try to get refunds on the OS all the time. The success rate is close to 0%.

Also, no one FORCED anyone to buy a PC with Vista on it. The people with the PCs chose to buy those computers knowing they came with Vista. If you did not want Vista, nothing prevented you from shopping elsewhere.

 

Show me a laptop you can order without vista

 

Any idea what we could get refunded? The OEM value of the Home Premium perhaps? Which is $112 according to Newegg..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116202

 

Here you go, 8 sites you can order a laptop with no OS installed, and 18 sites you can get laptops with Linux on them:
http://mcelrath.org/laptops.html

Try pulling your head out of the sand before you say something stupid again.

 

Dell pays a small fraction of that per license.

 

Notice the price on most of those? A hell of a lot higher then most standard dell configs or your weekly B&M deal.

And I wasn't saying anything stupid. Besides Dell and Asus offering limited options with Linux, who else with a brand name actually does it? HP does on their business notebooks (1000+).

I'm a student. I have my own copy of Vista Business along with XP Pro. Why Do I need to spend money on a licence for Vista Home Basic or be forced to spend $100 more for something I already have?

 

Still thats the MSRP and therefore the value of the included OEM license software. As you could see in the Windows 95 case the consumer was refunded $110 AUD for his Win95 OEM license.

 

You having a problem with the prices is your problem, not Dell's. I fail to see why you think you are spending $100 more on the PC, when the actually license value is closer to $30 on the actual cost of the PC. If you really have an issue with the price of the system, you can easily get $30 credit from Dell.

 

hey, 30 bucks is 30 bucks, and when you are making 7.50 an hour, thats 4 hours of work

 

That goes against your point because earlier you said most people know how to install an OS so, if they own an OS, they should have the option of not getting one.

You cannot just make up your own customizations.

 

it is perfectly unreasonable. you are buying a product, and agreeing to what comes with it. Then you get it and want dell to refund you money because you dont want the OS that you actually bought?

get real. you agreed to the terms of sale, if you didnt like them, you wouldnt have given dell your cash.

 

I did not want the centrino sticker on my laptop! I demand a refund for it!

 

I'm pretty sure it was free of charge

 

I don't care! I did not ask for it! I DEMAND MONEY FOR SOMETHING EVEN IF I SOUND STUPID ASKING FOR IT.

 

There are few things to consider.

1. No one forced you to buy a DELL or Vista. If you really didn’t like it then you could have either gotten another notebook from some other manufacturer or a Linux preloaded one. Its true that they don’t give all the options with their Linux systems, but like it or not, that is their business practice.

2. Read the complete EULA, including Microsoft North American Retail Product Refund Guidelines ( What Products Are Not Eligible for a Refund?). It clearly says that Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) software preloaded on a PC (contact the PC manufacturer) are not eligible. At least Microsoft is not bound to give you a refund for OEM copies. Looks to me like it is up to DELL, and if they say NO, I don’t think you can do much about it.

3. It is widely known that DELL brings down the cost of consumer notebooks by installing a load of bloatware on Windows (trail and adware). That is why DELL Linux systems are not as cheap as you would expect (and even sometimes slightly more expensive). If that is the case, then asking for a refund is not reasonable.

 

Did you accept Vista's Eula before Dell shipped your system?
I don't think so.

It may be because you don't like the restrictions you find in the Eula and - chiefly - because the Eula itself allows you to do so.

The terms of sale of the software product must be accepted afterwards, and since they can't be forced on you, you must have the possibility to refuse them.

It's as simple as that. The Eula is a contract. Why shouldn't Dell honor it?

 

Five pages and still arguing...
Ok listen up.

Dell is known for giving customizations to it's customers. That's why so many people choose them. The warranty the support, everything.

But Microsoft also give deals to big manufacturers on it's OS so the company uses it because it is usually cheaper. Of course Linux is FREE, but the knowledge database for newbies isn't really high here. So Microsoft seems the preffered choice.

Ya Vista may be "cool" because it's new, but I don't want it. I'll take my 1420 with Windows XP and an Ubuntu dual boot, please.
Dammit, it's just like Starbucks! You go in and choose what you want. Whip, no whip, cream, no cream.
It's your choice, and that's why people like it.

So when I do get my 1420 which ships on the 23 of this month, I WILL call Dell and Microsoft and talk to them about getting a refund. I don't want Vista as of now, and I don't have a need for it. EULA binds us to it's rules. Just like we can't make pirate copies of Windows (even though some do), we get punished because it's in the EULA (and because it's illegal). But that same agreement can help.

So I plan on recording all my phone calls to Dell and Microsoft once I recieve my laptop, and I will get my refund and return to my standard enviroment.

PS: For all those who said that they had a color forced on them is absurd, in that you at least have a choice. If you don't want one with color get another one! But as you can see EVERY Dell comes pre-loaded with Vista now. And the ones that come with Ubunutu ARE more expensive....

 

Wow what a pointless thread.

1. Dell has an option to put Vista in the system (or XP or whatever), and they choose to.

2. You have a choice whether to buy the system that you speced out, or not. No one is forcing you, it's your money.

End of story.

Wait stop, for a good laugh (for us), go into an Apple store and try buying a MBP and then have them refund you the cost of OSX.

 

as in the post above yours stated, no one is obligated to refund you any money if you reject Vista's EULA if you buy from an OEM.