Slashdot Mirror
Alienware Refusing Customers As Thieves
ChrisPaget writes "Thinking about buying Alienware (now owned by Dell)? Think again. After buying an almost-new Alienware laptop on eBay, I've spent the last week trying to get hold of a Smart Bay caddy to connect a second hard drive (about $150 for $5 of bent metal). Four different Alienware teams have refused to even give me a price on this accessory, instead accusing me of stealing the machine since I didn't buy it directly from their eBay store. They want me to persuade the eBay seller I did buy it from to add me as an authorized user of his Alienware account — they have no concept of 'ownership transfer' and instead assume that if you're not in their system, you must be a thief."
Working audio ports on the front which interface properly with the sound card (instead of stupid rear-panel pass-through crap), such that the sound card can detect when headphones are plugged in and reconfigure itself automatically.
What kind of horrible case has this?
Diamonds are great for cutting hard metals and sharpening knives.
I pointed it out because it shows one example in law where removing identification numbers that might hide a crime is a criminal activity in and of itself. Other such examples can be found in FAA regulations, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and construction.
In this case, removing the serial number plate may not be a primary crime, but it would likely be used as evidence of criminal intent.
John