Urgent! Computers are being recalled. IF you own a dell computer please read this.

[Gogatsu]

On August 15, 2006 The New York Times reported that Dell would be recalling 4.1 million laptop batteries in what is the largest safety recall in the history of the consumer electronics industry. Dell is recalling the Sony manufactured lithium-ion battery packs because they can potentially erupt in flames.

Notebook Battery Recall

Dell has identified a potential issue associated with certain batteries sold with Dell LatitudeTM , InspironTM , XPSTM and Dell Precision Mobile WorkstationTM notebook computers. In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and other regulatory agencies, Dell is voluntarily recalling certain Dell-branded batteries with cells manufactured by Sony and offering free replacements for these batteries. Under rare conditions, it is possible for these batteries to overheat, which could pose a risk of fire. For more information click here. [Announced August 15, 2006].

this is a link that takes you to the dell website. It will tell what you need to check to make sure your notebook is not one that has to be recalled.

https://www.dellbatteryprogram.com/Default.aspx


All information provided was pulled from the dell website.

~Gogo

[YamPuff]

What? A problem? What-------BANG!!! :eek:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! MY EYEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! THEY BURRRRRRRRRRRRN!! IF ONLY I HAD READ THIS SOONER!!!




:p Naw, mine's an Averatec. Too bad.

[Aratos]

Auhust 15th? This year? Wait, so y'mean that magazine I read at the hospital wasn't years out of date after all?

Anyway, Dell're contacting all the folk that have them, so it's not really to much of a worry really...

...not to mention my laptop's dead.

[Gogatsu]

lol. Its only though notebooks though not desktops. I already checked my battery and it wasn't on the list.

On your battery they give you a warning that it could explode, depending on temperature and other stuff.

edit: yes this year. if you read it you'd see I had wrote that the information was pulled from their site. the date is at the bottom of the second paragraph.

[Aratos]

Ah, waiting rooms where you live don't do five-year-out-of-date magazines?

[Gogatsu]

of course.

[Aratos]

Another reason I love the NHS then. Great.

[SweetNymph]

What? A problem? What-------BANG!!! :eek:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! MY EYEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! THEY BURRRRRRRRRRRRN!! IF ONLY I HAD READ THIS SOONER!!!




:p Naw, mine's an Averatec. Too bad.

Hey, so is mine. ^^

My G-pa asked me about the brand, but I assured him it was safe.

[YamPuff]

Famous last words. ;)

On your battery they give you a warning that it could explode, depending on temperature and other stuff.

Suddenyl I feel so...safe.

[Aratos]

Yeah, but they also give you a warning that you packets of peanuts may contain nut traces and that you shouldn't attempt to stop a chainsaw blade with your hands. They don't expect you to take these things seriously, it's just to stop you suing.

[nikitia]

its also so they can say "i told you so" just like when someone tells you not to make faces, "the wind might change and your face will stick like that!"

hmm perhaps its a good thing i didn't take up that offer on that laptop i saw a few weeks ago...it was dell. *shrugs*

[Aratos]

What? They still run on mains electricity, so as long as you stay near a plug you can use it while waiting for a replacement.

[Gogatsu]

its also so they can say "i told you so" just like when someone tells you not to make faces, "the wind might change and your face will stick like that!"

hmm perhaps its a good thing i didn't take up that offer on that laptop i saw a few weeks ago...it was dell. *shrugs*

Dell has really good products and I like their costumer service, except the waiting. Besides the recall they're pretty good, though they do seem to have one every year.

[Aratos]

I hate Dell with a vengeance, personally. Overpriced computers with a bunch of crap drivers hardwired in so that you can't use the official ones, bad performance for non-office use and a customer service I consider quite unfriendly. Guess it's all a matter of opinion.

...says Aratos, who think Fujitsu-Siemens laptops are the best.

[Kaoru]

I hate Dell with a vengeance, personally. Overpriced computers with a bunch of crap drivers hardwired in so that you can't use the official ones, bad performance for non-office use and a customer service I consider quite unfriendly. Guess it's all a matter of opinion. Same here. When my parents decided to upgrade our computer they got a Dell. A Dell 8200 or something. When we first got it, we were told that who line of 'oh yea, it's totally upgradeable, we're giving you the best...blah blah'. I never really used this computer, being as I had my own, but all I remeber is having problems with it. Ingnoring all the problems we had with windows, first their stock CD burned gave way for no reason, then after my dad waited 2+ hours on hold, he finnaly got a human to talk to in customer service, then was told the they'd replace it. But we learned that the extened warntiy we had bought for the in-home service wasn't valid because we lived more then 2 hours from a service station or some crap (a detail they DON'T tell you when you buy the plan). So they send us another of the same CD burner. So after that the DVD player drive decides to stop reading stuff. Again the samething that happened before with the burner happened here. This all happened within 1 year of getting the thing (we got it in like 2002 or something). It's too long to go into detail about other problems it had, but what made us replace it with the iMacs (best desision ever), was 1, the memory wasn't upgradeable. It was 128mb, and something called "rambus", so to find a compatable upgrade would of been expensive and not worth it (the biggest memory sticks we found were 128mb, so the max in the computer would of been 256mb, only 2 slots in the motherboard). And 2, another problem was all he USB ports were 1.1. You think a computer from 2002 would have atleast have a couple USB 2.0 connections, but no.
Basicly what I'm tring to say it Dell will sell you an over priced machine with really bad customer support, and the system, you can't upgrade worth beens.

So I hate Dell. Jokes on the suckers who bought on of he laptops with the exploding battarys.

[preciousstarnhsnt]

They should have caught the battery mistake BEFORE they sold it to 4.1 million people...........idiots.

[Aratos]

Which shows that you know almost nothing about how an assembly line works. Idiot.

[ewlmonkey]

i heard about the battery explosion thing on the news i was thinking about getting a dell notebook but i guess i might change my mind now. wow i can't believe i was this close to actually getting one.

[preciousstarnhsnt]

Sorry, but they're a proffesional buisness they should have something there. No I don't, explain then.

[Aratos]

Look, laptop's aren't teh same as normal computers. What y'basically gotst is a circuit board with everything attached to it, jammed into a plastic or metal frame that integrates a screen with a hole for the battery. Batteries are made in batches, and one or two samples from each batch are quickly tested to ensure they're not all duds and won't blow up immediately. If, like the current batch, the chance of a serious fault is low enough that it will happen after extended use, that may not be picked up on at quality control, see? It's the same as any electronic goods.

[YamPuff]

I can't help but think they'll re-release the batteries they're currently recalling with little stickers on them saying, in tiny, hard-to-read letters:

Warning: may explode if used. Buy at your own risk.

[Aratos]

Well it's what I'd do.

[preciousstarnhsnt]

Sorry gone for a while. Okay so they tested the battery and it had a low chance of blowing up, so why are they recalling now? I sound stupid

[Aratos]

Becasue there's this mentality prevailent in certain parts of the world, mainly America, that if something happens and you get hurt, such as a battery bursting into flames, it's the fault of the manufacturers and you should sue them for all they're worth. And it happens. So companys are better taking a "just in case" policy rather than risking an angry, obese, bespectacled, spotty 40-year-old with 3rd-degree burns stealing their Q3 profits.

[kite.]

a somewhat of a friend of mine told me her dad took away her ibook's battery because he said that those were being recalled. I wasn't aware of the problem with Dell, but I'm not surprised.

As well, I hear what you're saying Aratos, but I must say in all honesty, if I landed myself into a situation like that of these obese 40-year-olds, I can't be sure if I'd try to sue them or not. In my opinion, I think the best action to take if you don't like the company is word of mouth. They need people to buy their products to make their money, if you build up a strong enough arguement, other people will listen to you and hopefully steer-clear of them.