Okay, so this excuse is one of the funniest I've seen for a product failure:

Dell: the reason that our computers are failing is because you've asked them to perform unusually difficult mathematical computations.

In reality, however, as noted in a recent New York Times article, Dell's desktop PCs were rife with defective electrical components that were leaking chemicals and causing the malfunctions. In fact, documents from the North Carolina case confirm that Dell's employees actively knew that their computers were likely to fail, but were following a corporate policy of denying the problem, and then replacing defective parts with other defective components. For example, one internal e-mail from a Dell employee states "[W]e need to avoid all language indicating the boards were bad or had ‘issues' per our discussion this morning."

Naturally, this tactic prevented Dell customers from protecting their businesses' valuable data. Indeed, and ironically, the law firm representing Dell also experienced problems with their Dell computers.

Amazingly, Dell's own Internal documents demonstrate that Dell shipped more than 11.5 million computers between May 2003 and July 2005 that they knew - or should have known - were likely to fail because of the defective components.

Has Dell learned nothing from Toyota's tactics? Apparently not.
Jonathan Cooper
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Non-Compete, Trade Secret and School Negligence Lawyer
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