Midwest-Linux
July 22nd, 2008, 08:51 AM
HP customer scores refund for unwanted Vista
http://vista.blorge.com/2008/07/21/hp-customer-scores-refund-for-unwanted-vista/
A blogger who bought an HP computer claims he persuaded the firm to give him a $200 rebate after opting to not use the pre-installed copy of Vista.
The writer, who uses the name uncle_benji, reports buying the laptop for $599.99 from Best Buy. Upon switching it on, he noticed a clause in the End User Licence Agreement stating “If you do not accept [the terms], do not use the software. Instead contact the manufacturer or installer to determine their return policy for a refund or credit.”
At this point he decided he’d use Linux on the machine and see if he could get some cash back from HP for the unused Vista.
While it doesn’t set any legal precedent (having not gone to court), the case does show that persistence can pay off if you really don’t want to run Vista. And while the process required a lot of patience (it took almost two months in total), $200 certainly isn’t a bad payoff for spending two hours on the phone and firing off a few e-mails.
http://vista.blorge.com/2008/07/21/hp-customer-scores-refund-for-unwanted-vista/
A blogger who bought an HP computer claims he persuaded the firm to give him a $200 rebate after opting to not use the pre-installed copy of Vista.
The writer, who uses the name uncle_benji, reports buying the laptop for $599.99 from Best Buy. Upon switching it on, he noticed a clause in the End User Licence Agreement stating “If you do not accept [the terms], do not use the software. Instead contact the manufacturer or installer to determine their return policy for a refund or credit.”
At this point he decided he’d use Linux on the machine and see if he could get some cash back from HP for the unused Vista.
While it doesn’t set any legal precedent (having not gone to court), the case does show that persistence can pay off if you really don’t want to run Vista. And while the process required a lot of patience (it took almost two months in total), $200 certainly isn’t a bad payoff for spending two hours on the phone and firing off a few e-mails.