Consumer Watch: Return to Sender--If You Can

Sandra Marton had a problem. The final copy of her novel was due to her editor in two weeks, and her computer was on the fritz, leaving her stranded--an author without a word processor.

The plot thickens: Marton's PC, a Dell 4100, had already been replaced once. She'd had the first system for only a few weeks before it started displaying error messages at start-up. After spending hours on the phone and online with Dell support technicians, who diagnosed a faulty motherboard, Marton asked for a new system. Nope, the company said, you're too late--no returns or exchanges after 30 days. But Marton, who lives in Storrs, Connecticut, pointed out that the system had started malfunctioning before the 30-day deadline. It was Dell's lengthy diagnostic efforts that had stretched things beyond the deadline. Dell finally relented and sent her a new machine.

Within days the replacement system took up its predecessor's bad habits. Exasperated, Marton asked for a refund. Impossible, Dell replied. Not one to take no for an answer, Marton kept trying. One representative told Marton she "might" be able to get a refund but would have to pay a 15 percent restocking fee plus shipping charges. Not fair, Marton countered. Why should she be penalized for Dell's problem?

Dell eventually found a software fix for her PC, but Marton maintains that the company needs to take a "long, hard look" at its return policies. "I ended up spending hours online and on the phone, and was repeatedly told that I couldn't return the computer. I never expected to get such a runaround from a company as well-respected as Dell."

If it seems from Marton's experience--or your own--that computer manufacturers will do almost anything to avoid taking back a problem PC, you're not imagining things. Dell's executive support manager, Geoffrey Sanders, acknowledges that the company's tech support representatives try first to fix a problem PC and prevent a return or refund.

Of course, sometimes fixing a balky or broken machine is the right approach. But there are also times when a repair just won't do. Perhaps you're fed up after losing too many hours to previous, fruitless repair efforts. Perhaps the system, even when it's working, just doesn't do what your business requires.