In China, there are more than 400 customers suffered a "dell gate" .

In China, there are more than 400 customers suffered a "dell gate" .
About 15 days ago, one customer posted a Thread on a big computer forum, he said dell changed the cpu modle without his agree.
This customer siad , he ordered a dell 640m from dell online shop with a cpu t2300, but after receiving the laptop , he found that the cpu is a t2300e , not the t2300.
In the past 15 days , more and more customers reported this issure , DEll changed the CPU without their agree.
Dell decleared that there was few difference between t2300 and t2300e , and the Virtualization Technology is useless to prviate customers.So , No compensation !
Now, in Beijing , Shanghai,more and more customers contacted layer to accuse Dell .

 

I think this happened already over in Canada or here... somewhere i've heard about Dell doing this already. Technically, I don't think dell has to get a customer's consent to put the 2300e in instead of the 2300. It is similar to sending your laptop in for repair. If they don't have that part, they can substitute to a point.

 

The only problem is that the user purchased the laptop with the T2300! Counting that as a "repair" substitution indicates that the computer "needed" repair before even leaving the factory.

Any substitution that could leave out a feature on an order that you might want or need (regardless of it Dell thinks the end user will want or need it) should require approval by the end customer.

How would you feel if your new notebook was ordered with a Hitachi or Seagate HDD (and you were able to explicitly select that brand or was told that the HDD was that brand), but you instead recieved a Maxtor (if they even produce notebook HDDs) or Fujitsu? Same capacity HDD right, so no problem right? WRONG...lower quality and performance. What about ordering RAM with one advertised latency but instead recieved some generic junk modules?

Same concept with the processor. From my experience, Dell will not substitute "downwards." If anything, I would have expected Dell to offer the customer an upgrade to the T2400 at a discounted price (or no charge at all) and the choice of changing the order to the T2300E.

 

I'm inclined to agree with you guys. Downgrading is downgrading. Doesn't matter if Dell believes the feature to be negligeable, it's not their decission to make.

It would be like saying 'I bet they don't really need that 1 MB cache. They'll be fine with 256kB.

 

ok now i'm paranoid. i recieved my m1210 from china (i live in hong kong) and assumed that it has everything that i specified: T2300, 1gb ram @ 677mhz etc.

how do i actually check if it is what i have specified (and even if i check using 'system information', is the information actually trustworthy? or do i actually need to physically take it apart and inspect it?)

 

Download CPU-Z to identify the CPU in your notebook:
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

 

If Dell wants to substitute a part, they should contact the customer & ask for their consernt. Unless of course, they are replacing it with something better. Replacing the T2300 w/ cheaper T2300E, hoping to "pull a fast one" on the customer is a display of poor business practices on Dell's part.

 

thanks so much for ur help!
i ran the program and got the results. (looking at the invoice) i'm SUPPOSED to have T2300 (2mb L2 cache, 667mhz FSB), 1gb (2x512mb) ram @ 667mhz dual-channel ddr2 sdram. and this is wot i have from running cpu-z:







what is wrong? for now i can see that it's T2300E, and that my RAM is not as stated... or have i misunderstood?

thanks!

 

Yes, you have a T2300E. If that's what you ordered, then nothing is wrong. If you ordered your notebook w/ a T2300, then Dell replaced it w/ a slightly inferior processor. You probably won't even know the difference unless you use VT.

Your RAM is correct. See here.

 

This is nothing new Dell has been doing this for years

 

alright then thanks! i'll contact dell and see what they have to say about it... it's really not about 'oh no i'm getting t2300e instead!' as as you said, i won't be able to tell the difference. but it's really, REALLY about business ethics, changing something inferior to something that i have paid for and not even letting me know! i am for now utterly disappointed, but (don't worry, i have a good temper ) i will let them explain themselves first before i decide what sort of action i'd like to take.

one more thing i have noticed: under "SPD" tab, it says that my RAM 'was' manufacture'D' on week 32 of year 06, which is between august 6th to 12th. now, i know i haven't traveled back in time, so unless this chip has, i'd like to hear find out why they have done this also... if you're so dishonest with even the manufacturing date, i really dunno if i can trust wot they say/claim...

getting more and more disappointed, i am...
will see what they have to say, we shall...

 

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/pro...1210_hk?c=hk&l=en&s=dhs&~section=specs#tabtop

lol awesome... NOW it says it's T2300E... it says T2300 when i bought it, it says T2300 on my invoice...

 

that's a lot of huffing and puffing. if you're so disappointed i recommend returning the notebook to dell and buying from a different company.

 

what exactly is the difference between the T2300 and the T2300E

 

as close to none as you can get without actually being none

 

T2300E doesn't allow to switch between different OSes without reboot, T2300 does. The former is much cheaper too.

 

Power consumption.

T2300 = 31W
T2300E = 15W

 

No, this is incorrect. Both are 31W.

 

Sorry, I was looking at an incorrect chart: http://www.laptoplogic.com/news/detail.php?id=949?www.dailytech.com

I see on Intel's website that they fixed it, and they both say 31W.

 

You should get what you pay for, regardless of what company you're buying from.

 

I agree with that. You should get what you paid for, but at the same time, you have to look at it from Dell's side. They run out of the 2300, they are not about to call up thousands and thousands of customers saying "Oh by the way, we have to put 2300E in your system instead of the 2300 - i hope that is okay with you"...

There are two sides to this - one it is unfair for the customer and Dell is cheating, but on the other hand, how many customers do you think really care about if they get the 2300 or the 2300E? Most of us would because we are laptop gurus, but that doesn't mean that everyone would. I don't think that majority of the consumers that buy laptops from dell would even notice the change.

Look at this way, if you get the 2300E, you can return your laptop with no restocking fees/shipping fees since your laptop was not received as you ordered it (Dell's fault = no restocking fee).

 

i don't think i get your point?

what does it have to do with "if you're that disappointed, return it and buy from another company" ? i mean, if what you say is true, then isn't what i said the next logical statement?

 

Well, basically Dell took the easy way out. They could've e-mailed everyone & had them confirm whether or not they would accept the slightly downgraded processor, but this is inefficient and costly, so they went the other route. If they are willing to eat the cost of a few disgruntled customers and returns, then I have no problem with what they're doing.

Now, if too many people start complaining & Dell starts to argue that the T2300 & T2300E are EXACTLY the same processor...

Also, has anybody else noticed that on some systems the T2300E (1.66 ghz / 667 FSB) has been phased out and replaced with T2050 (1.60 gh / 533 FSB)? I wonder if anybody who ordered a notebook w/ the T2300E this weekend will be receiving a notebook with the T2050

 

Dell wouldn't make a mistake like that; it is understandable that the T2300 was switched to the T2300E - after all, it was replaced by the latter. Dell could have run out of T2300's. 99% of people won't care.

 

i think he was kind of responding in regarding to the 'huffing and puffing' comment? dunno.

this site is by all means awesome, with helpful reviews and friendly members. i hope that it will remain the same

 

It looks like Intel is replacing the T2300E for the T2300.
So what choice does Dell have, anyway?

 

Plenty: ask the customer's permission to downgrade; issue a credit; offer a concession coupon; offer a free upgrade to T2400, etc.

 

Has anyone read Dell's Online Policies? Here's point #7 for the US customers:

Dell is well within their rights when they switch parts. That includes the processor swap described in this thread. It always pays to read a company's policies before purchasing from them.

 

while u're absolutely right, kegobeer, but there's also this whatever term them lawyers like to use: "reasonable expectations" or something along the lines of it. there're always these 'terms and conditions' and fine prints and this and that, and this is when the "reasonable expectations" thingy kicks in: it's perfectly reasonable for a consumer to expect that you will be recieving what you have been told that you are paid for.

there have already (or i've read, at least) been some cases where although the company has stated that they will not be responsible for something cuz of blah blah blah that they have stated in their 10 pages terms and conditions (which, may i add, are usually very, very long-winded) or fine print. the court has ended up ruling in favour of the consumer.

if it's not cuz of this, i guess it's so easy to just add "i will be allowed to take all your possessing assets and steal your wife" within some T&C statements when i'm selling something and get away with it

 

Conversely, isn't it also perfectly reasonable for Dell to expect that you would read their terms and conditions and to question any statement prior to making a purchase? Point #7 is very cut and dried, and (just guessing here) has been looked at in great deal by Dell's legal department. Reasonable expectations doesn't come into play for a like item swap.

Something tells me that your lawyer (I'm sure as a huge company CEO you would have a few on retainer) would advise against such a statement.

Really, I doubt that Dell will sweat this, especially since they will gladly accept a laptop return without a stocking fee if the consumer complains. Don't you agree?

 

yes totally. i don't see them accepting the return as a hassle for them at all.

u're still absolutely right about the T&C, and i guess i only have myself to blame for only skim reading it and missed that point then (and kudo's to u, who actually read the T&C word for word )

ah well... i guess i just need to decide wot to do now then... to return or not to return... hey that asus w3j is looking rather sexy

 

This is a little bit off-topic but Dell China uses Samsung for the RAM?
I believe Samsung is a premium brand(well at least in Japan) RAM that is used on expensive computers like Mac.
My E1505 came with Hyundai(Dell USA).....

 

In the past 7 days , dell have changed the cpu to t2300e after this issure , and later to t2050.
Many customers called the dell toll free phone , but the representative replied they didn't have the right to deal with this issure .

 

Replacing a T2300 with a T2300e if you ran out of the former seems like something that would fall under the "reasonable expectations" clause to me. Courts ended up ruling in favour of the consumer when something ridiculous like what you described towards the end happens, but not for swapping a T2300 with a T2300e.

 

My comment was in response to your whole post. It seemed as if you were criticizing him for being a reasonable consumer.

You should get what you pay for, regardless of what company you're buying from.

I'm defending him for wanting to bring up the issue w/ Dell. It's also in response to your comment "if you're that disappointed, return it and buy from another company." The point is that he shouldn't have to return it & buy from another company, because "you should get what you pay for, regardless of what company you're buying from," be it Dell, HP/Compaq, Sony, or Asus, etc.

 

While I agree to some degree, I think what's bothering most people is that Dell was replacing the processor for one which they were probably able to purchase at a lower price... w/o passing on the savings to the consumer. Sure, they're not obligated to do this, but the fact that they made no note of it makes them come off as "sneaky," even if it may not have been their intention.

Also bothering people may be the fact that they are generally accustomed to GOOD customer service. While what Dell is doing may not be considered "bad," in similar situations, most companies would generally substitute the product with one of "equal or greater value." Of course, some MIGHT argue that the T2300 & T2300E are of equal value...

 

Dell should offer a free upgrade to those who care. Some people may well have expected the feature. If they expected it and didnt get it then its false advertisement. It plainly said T2300 without the "e" so I fail to see the issue here. Dell said it is selling something when it is selling something different. Now their argument very few people will care is true, however they should offer an upgrade to those that does care and does want the feature.

 

This is the way I see it. I'm not trying to debate with anyone or anything like that. I'm just trying to point out another side. I'm not supporting what Dell did, but what else can we do.

For one it is in the agreement as it was pointed out that Dell can substitute if they need to. Honestly, if you don't like your system, then you really don't have any choice but too send it back. Its not like you'll be able to call Dell up and expect them to say "oh yeah, we made a mistake, we'll send out a tech to replace your T2300E with a T2300" when the T2300 has been phased out.

I honestly doubt that Dell is the only one having this problem. I'm sure all manufacturers are having this problem since the 2300e replaced the 2300. Dell probably kept the 2300 on their site until the ran out, then have updated to reflect the fact that they are no longer able to put the 2300 in.

Look on the bright side - at least you got the newest chip

 

I don't really see the big deal. It's not like it's a huge change. Now, if they had changed my T2600 for a T2500, that's something to complain about. I don't think that many people are going to notice the difference between a T2300E and a T2300. Here's where we run into a problem: the T2300E was quite a difference in price the last time I checked. I think it was about a $100 or more upgrade to get the 2300, so if you payed that and got a T2300E, you have every right to complain and get a refund. But I think going over the top and sending your computer back or demanding they give you a 2300 or you'll sue (especially considering they can't get a 2300 anymore) is a bit much. Just MHO though.

 

who ever said anything about suing

 

In china , many other manufacturers replaced the t2300 with t2300e, BUT, all of them notified the customers and advertised it was a t2300e , not a t2300.
Dell, who advertised he supplied a t2300 ,sent a t2300e. dell have more than 15 days to revised the webpage, but he didn't untill many customers complaint.

 

Come on already. This is a weak arguement.

If you don't know the difference, can't tell the difference, and don't even know what the difference is, you don't need to be complaining just to get freebies.

It's the EXACT same processor, other than a minor function that 99.99999999999999999999999999999% of users will never need.

 

Just curious about the OS switching, how do you switch without rebooting? also i thought the t2300e would be better for battery life. i understand totally about being ripped off because the E model is $100 cheaper. can someone explain more about the differences between the two?

 

http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/T2300-T2300E-ftopict189514.html
http://www.laptoplogic.com/news/detail.php?id=949?www.dailytech.com

 

The above are outdated & provide incorrect information, due to a mistake on Intel's part. Here's an update to the article you provided:

http://www.laptoplogic.com/news/detail.php?id=963

 

You can use VMware or similar products.

 

They can write anything they want in their policies; it doesn't mean it would stand in court. In fact, it almost never does. This particular case is a potential class action suit in the making.

 

Buying a Dell is a grab bag. Some times u get seagate, sometimes WD. Those are built on design so they use what ever parts are available as long as they are the correct specs. This is Dell, you want to argue down to such small detail? call customer service, I am sure the guy over the phone would be more than happy to get it replaced for you.

 

i just went through CPU-Z on my T2300 (non-E)
and the specs are exactly the same so unless you use virtulatization,
dont worry

 

can you elaborate please on the "almost never does" stand in court statement?