Dell users get claws out over laptops that stink of cat pee

The Guardian ^ | October 30,2013 | Samuel Gibbs

[Hojczyk]

Computer maker forced to offer replacements after buyers complain of smell from Latitude E6430u like 'tomcat's litter box'

Dell was first made aware of the issue in June 2013 when a Dell user called “three west” first posted about the smell of a new Dell Latitude E6430u saying “the machine is great, but it smells as if it was assembled near a tomcat's litter box. It is truly awful! It seems to be coming from the keyboard”.

Dell first suggested cleaning the keyboard and air vents around the laptop to cure the smell, but as more and more users complained of the same stench being emitted from the laptop from different countries and regions, it soon became clear that it wasn’t users to blame but the actual laptop.

“Well .. here I am Sunday doing some work on the couch and my wife says ,"What stinks like cat pee?". I said ... I think its this laptop ... she puts her nose up to the keyboard and BAM! It really stinks,” said gambit29.

The smell was narrowed down to an issue with manufacturing, which was apparently resolved in October, meaning that new machines running off the production line were cured of the cat-pee smell.

For all those suffering from the smell, the only solution was to return the affected laptops to Dell for a replacement, although Dell was initially worried it wouldn’t “have sufficient stock for everyone and also that any parts we are sending out do not also have the same issue”.

Unfortunately, not all of Dell’s replacement machines were free from odour as one user complained: “I just received my 5th replacement 6430u yesterday and the smell is still there ...”

[Ramius]

It must’ve been the Cat-5 cabling packed w/ the units ....

[groan]. :-)

[Roses0508]

Nice that someone has the guts to same something positive. We run a IT support business for small businesses. We are vendors for Lenovo and Dell. I prefer Dell for three reasons: (i) I can get tech support from real English speakers located in the US (just by the pro support package); (ii) I can find drivers and other updates online just using the Service Tag (instead of clicking through various products to get to computers and then to the base model name and then to the complete model name (if its in the list) and then sometimes as far as the S/N); and (iii) I can get direct vendor support. Also for servers, the 4-hour support is very reliable in our service area.

Some of the computers have been good and some of them not so good, but the average is more than good and for a business, anything that lessens the down time is a money saver.

Lenovo builds good machines, their tech support is frustrating and getting pricing is frustrating (spreadsheets and phone calls) and hands on support is through third party vendors (with varying skills sets and delays getting parts). These things add up.

Apple makes great laptops, they are just do not integrate into a Windows environment very smoothly and the vast majority of businesses run in a Windows environment.

I recognize that most people on this board view their computers through a personal prism, but the business world is a pragmatic world and I would be a poor provider of services to my customers, if I did not look for ways to lessen their downtime and decrease their frustration.