Dell is not alone in PC fraud

Yesterday, New York's Albany County Supreme Court found Dell guilty of false advertising, fraud, deceptive business practices and improper debt-collection practices. But based on that ruling, virtually every PC maker should be found guilty as well --- they all engage in similar practices.

Computerworld reports that the court ruled that

Dell deprived customers of technical support that they bought or were eligible for under warranty in several ways. Among those practices cited were requiring people to wait for long times on the phone, repeatedly transferring their calls and frequently disconnecting their calls.

Excuse me, but isn't that standard operating procedure for virtually every PC maker in existence? Who among us hasn't been put on hold for eternity, been constantly transferred among agents, and has been disconnected for no reason?

I've got a few more complaints to add to the list. How about speaking to tech support people for whom English is their seventh languages...if that? Or talking to tech support staff who apparently have never used Windows. Or having tech support simply not pick up the call, even after 45 minutes on hold.

That being said, it appears from the suit that Dell may have engaged in sleazy financial practices as well. According to Computerworld, the court ruled that:

Dell and affiliate Dell Financial Services LP also advertised special no-interest financing but denied those terms to almost everyone. It often sold customers products without informing them that they didn't qualify for the special financing terms and then charged them interest rates as high as 30%.

There's some other nastiness as well, and that's not standard practice for PC makers.

But when it comes to tech support practices, Dell is far from alone. The entire PC industry is guilty as well.

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