On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 14:23, <lev@levlafayette.com> wrote:
I used to work with a guy in Adelaide who had successfully achieved a refund for Windows bundled with his laptop, back in the late 1990's: http://b4.vu/g/toshiba.html
In that case, however, Toshiba paid out $110 and didn't go to court, so I guess it didn't set a legal precedent.
There are quite a few cases of the "Windows Refund". It takes some time and effort through the courts for not much return, but it does establish a nice legal precedent.
With Dell, the time and effort is minimal in my experience (at least in Europe), and it usually just requires an email after receiving the machine. I don't even bother arguing with the sales people about not installing Windows any more. I've received a lot of refunds over the years, for myself and for clients, the last one being in 2007 according to my records. My template for the request is as follows (copied from somewhere online): === Hello, I received the machine, the ordering went flawlessly. Thank you! :-) Unfortunately, it was not possible to order/buy the machine without Windows Vista. I do not need Windows Vista and would like to make use of my right to return it. I have declined the license and have formatted the hard disk. So, the conditions as designated in the Dell/Vista-license are fulfilled and I would like to get the purchase price for Windows Vista Home Basic refunded. Please inform me about how to proceed further. Thank you! === and the typical reply: === Dear Sir, Thank you for contacting Dell Online Customer Care regarding your refund for Vista. I have arranged for you to be refunded for Vista Home Base. You will be credited by € 35.05, please allow 5-7 working days for this to show in your account. === You can then proceed to request refunds for any bundled software (roxio creator, dvd software, etc). I have also received refunds for these. Marcus. -- Marcus Furlong