[clug] Fwd: Ubuntu compatible laptop

steve jenkin sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au
Mon Sep 27 18:16:19 MDT 2010


Warren Gardner wrote on 27/09/10 8:14 PM:
> Well I was on the phone to India to inquire about Dell Vostro.

<snip bad stuff>

> That story changed a little over the length of the phone call. By the end of
> the conversation: I would be able to dual boot but if any driver
> configurations etc are changed, I void the warranty.

Do we have anybody on-list with real legal knowledge, or with access to
someone who has?? Or has somebody ever asked this question of the ACCC
or a Fair-Trade commission?

There are 'statutory' warranties that a customer cannot give away...
Like all electronic equipment carries a 12-month warranty.

I suspect what this lady said may not nearly be the whole story.

Yes, you could destroy your laptop by installing dodgy software of your
own or others making.
But equally well, malware could damage your hardware or destroy your data.

How can they say *for sure* that you've damaged the hardware? [Onus of
Proof]
and how is downloading a distro different to malware?

I wouldn't spend any money paying for a legal opinion.
In the way of these things, you'd expect someone else has already had
the problem and gone to court over it... Anyone with Good Google Fu?

[To the GOOG-ers on the list. I presume the laptops you get don't
normally run Winders and you have the normal range of failures and
warranty/maintenance issues.
Did your Legal Dept. have to get involved, or is this Dell Sales person
just trying it on?]

> 
> Now I wonder how anyone manages to buy a computer with peace of mind.
> 
> 
> Warren


-- 
Steve Jenkin, Info Tech, Systems and Design Specialist.
0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915)
PO Box 48, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA

sjenkin at canb.auug.org.au http://members.tip.net.au/~sjenkin


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