[MississippiMan]

I believe this was either an honest snafu as Dell has stated, or else a misguided liberal within the company. In either case, it's ridiculous to continue to beat the company up after they've retreated and offered the guy a free notebook. I'd take that free notebook in a heartbeat. Who among us has not made a glaring error or two in our lifetimes? It took far more courage for them to speak up as they did once the media spotlight was on them than it would have to have stuck by their silly decision. Give 'em a break.

MM

[the]

But I want more than that from Dell.

I want Dell to publicly take a stand for freedom & liberty.

I want Dell to not hide behind an EXPORT regulation as an excuse for not selling a computer to someone in Pennsylvania!

It is. as a company, lying, spinning and back-pedaling on this.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

In the interest of full disclosure, how much DELL stock do you own?

[Redcloak]

I believe this was either an honest snafu as Dell has stated, or else a misguided liberal within the company.

You're likely correct, but there's something Clintonesque about the utterances from Dell on this that leaves me doubting. I'm well aware that Michael Dell has given lots of money to the GOP and Republican candidates; including NRA A-rated candidates like John Ashcroft. But still, I'm left wondering if they're sorry about what happened or sorry they got caught.

(BTW: That little "R" at the end of a politico's name doesn't guarantee that you have someone who respects the 2nd Amendment. That's why it's called the National Rifle Association and not the National Republican Association and why the "G" in GOA doesn't stand for GOP.)

[Texbob]

You give them a break, not me or thousands more like me. Dude I will NOT be getting a Dell.

[Don Joe]

"I believe this was either an honest snafu as Dell has stated, or else a misguided liberal within the company. In either case, it's ridiculous to continue to beat the company up after they've retreated and offered the guy a free notebook. I'd take that free notebook in a heartbeat. Who among us has not made a glaring error or two in our lifetimes? It took far more courage for them to speak up as they did once the media spotlight was on them than it would have to have stuck by their silly decision. Give 'em a break."

You seem to have missed something. That "something" would be them apologizing for the breakdown in effectively applying their policy, not for the policy itself.

Let's go back a few years, and pretend we're a neigbor of Rosa Parks, and we're Black. We try to get on a bus, and we're denied. When we ask why, we're told "we found out you're negroes."

We raise a stink, and the president of the bus line rises to the occasion, says that it was an oversight, and we should have been allowed to get on the bus. To make up for the "misunderstanding", he offers us free tickets good for any seats in the back of the bus.

Let's go back a few years. This time we live in Germany, and we're Jewish. We're arrested because we're found walking down the street without yellow armbands. When we protest that we never received our armbands in the mail, the local gestappo chief apologizes, and says that to make up for the "oversight", he'll give us free armbands.

It's that sort of "resolution" to the matter that has people so irate. No one likes being told they're second-class citizens.

[onehipdad]

I have found Dell to be an excellent company to work with: Competitive pricing, the best bang for the buck, excellent service in shipping and technical support and would recommend a Dell to any friend shopping for a new computer.