Giving back OEM Vista to DELL

[Orange_and_Green]

Hello friends!

I have purchased an Inspiron 1545 from DELL, it was a special offer (very good performance and top price, really satisfied!:KS)

Only problem: it was only available in bundle with Vista...

However, it came with a booklet called "DELL Software license agreement" (I am attaching the first page of the English version) stating that you could send back the software if you didn't agree with it. Which I immediately did.

I am living in Germany right now, so all the documentation is in German (I posted it here (http://forum.ubuntuusers.de/topic/oem-vista-rueckgabe-bei-dell/#post-1926847))

I guess the results should interest the whole community, I will keep you updated with DELL's reactions. Wish me luck:KS

[SoftwareExplorer]

Good luck! It will be interesting because I have considered buying a computer with windows and then returning the windows part of the purchase for a refund because I don't agree with the terms of the windows license. That isn't hard at all to say if you have ever even read part of their terms.

[abn91c]

search for the same issue in the forums, I believe other users have tried the very same thing without success, especially if you ran the initial new user Windows setup already.

[Orange_and_Green]

Hi SoftwareExplorer, hi abn91c :KS Thank you for reading and replying!

I never activated Vista - in fact, together with the returned CDs, I also sent Dell a CD with a video of me not ticking the box "I accept the EULA" and then installing Ubuntu onto the PC. :guitar:

I know there have been mixed results in the past over this issue. There have been success stories as well though, so I just wanted to try it out and see what happens, especially considering that they sent me that license agreement booklet explicitly inviting people to return the CDs.

I am also thinking that maybe, if more people tried to return the unwanted software and make the results public, Dell might want to reconsider their policies in order to avoid bad publicity... After all, it is unfair to be forced to pay for a piece of software I don't want, isn't it...

[armandh]

don't forget to mention saving copies of all corespondence for the german equivilant of the Federal trade commission. or its EU counter part.

[vigyani]

In past in a few cases people have got refund. I think as per EULA they should refund for something that have returned.
Best wishes.

[aysiu]

I wonder if success rates would be higher if people didn't ask for a refund (actual money back).

What if people just said "I don't want any money back for my unused Windows license. I just don't want you to include my purchase in your numbers when you report to Microsoft how many Windows computers you sold"? Would that make the OEMs more likely to cooperate if you've shown them you installed Ubuntu over Windows and then returned all the CDs?

[Cowchip7]

The image you posted is too tiny. I can't read it! :D But I know what you're getting at. I wonder if anyone went through the whole arbitration process (as I am sure your limited to arbitration as a remedy via shrink wrap agreements) to get a refund for your OS. Worth the fight to prove a point.

[hesjnet]

I would like to be removed from that list as well. Since I have used and agreed to the Dell/Vista lisence earlier, my hopes for a refund are zero. It would be great to not be a part of Ballmers brag-list.

[aysiu]

I would like to be removed from that list as well. Since I have used and agreed to the Dell/Vista lisence earlier, my hopes for a refund are zero. It would be great to not be a part of Ballmers brag-list.
You know how there's a Linux counter of Linux users?

Maybe it'd be better to have an unused Windows license counter? Obviously this wouldn't apply to those who buy a Windows-preinstalled computer and then dual-boot. But for those of us who use Linux exclusively, it'd be nice to have a backup against Microsoft's claims that X% of people prefer Windows just because they buy Windows preinstalled.

Unless you go with Apple, the options for not buying Windows preinstalled are quite limited.

[Orange_and_Green]

Hi friends! Thanks for reading and for your comments!

Aysiu, you certainly have a point there. The laptop was so cheap already, I almost feel bad for asking any money back. I would actually settle for anything, only if I got some sort of assurance that none of my money is being sent over to Redmond...

Well anyway, the guy at customer support just said that it is not possible to return just the software. I can't really blame him, he was very friendly and tried to help as he could after all, I guess they just gave him a few sheets with standard answers to give to the most usual questions (that's what they do at most call centers, at least) and my question just wasn't on his list.

I asked to speak to his manager, who of course was busy and "would call me back"... Yeah, sure... Oh well, not that I would have expected this to really happen anyway on a Friday afternoon. They'll be hearing from me again on Monday:D

I'll keep you informed. I hope I can reach some sort of settlement (or at least get an explanation a little more convincing than just a "you can't because you can't end of story")...

[unutbu]

Here is one report of a person successfully getting a refund:
http://odysseus.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/it-happened/