Dude, You're Getting Stuck With Spyware

from the sorry-Dell dept

Submitted by John and also seen on Slashdot is the fairly insane news that Dell has told its tech support staff not to tell people about spyware removal products like Spybot Search & Destroy or Adaware - even if it's clear that the problems they're experiencing with their Dell machines are due to resource hogging spyware. Dell tech support has been told they're not even allowed to point the user towards potentially helpful resources on how to remove spyware. Dell's reasoning for this is hard to comprehend, but appears to be that removing spyware may go against some license agreements. Isn't that for the end-user who owns the computer to figure out on their own? Besides, if that's really what's causing the problem on the machine, isn't it the responsibility of Dell's tech support to suggest the proper solution? There's also an open letter to Dell asking them to reconsider their position on this matter.
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  1. identicon
    furry mouse, 3 Dec 2003 @ 5:38am

    dell sux donkey penis

    dell sell cheap (reasonable) computers. they are subsidised by the micro$oft monopoly. their support is shit. their salesmen are shit. they make token efforts with lunix. their support is shit (again).

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Al, 3 Dec 2003 @ 6:28am

    Re: dell sux donkey penis

    No, really don't hold back. Tell us what you REALLY think of Dell.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Ollie Tabooger, 3 Dec 2003 @ 6:35am

    Would have to disagree...

    dell sell cheap (reasonable) computers
    Can't agree with that. Their machines suck ass -- they'll skimp on some important part to save a nickel making the machine useless. As far as I am concerned this is yet another reason to not buy a dell.
    As for making your dell machine faster, uninstalling all of the crap they pre-installed usually helps alot but Dell support probably isn't allowed to tell you to do that either...

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    AMetamorphosis, 3 Dec 2003 @ 6:38am

    Big Surprise

    What can you expect from a company that exports its tech support out of America ?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 3 Dec 2003 @ 8:45am

    Re: Big Surprise

    Yeah, you should buy a computer from a foreign manufacturer that ALREADY has all its support outside the U.S. - Acer, Samsung, etc.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Mount Baldy, 4 Dec 2003 @ 3:47pm

    Re: Would have to disagree...

    I can't really say. The sales girl screwed me so bad I just sent the friggin' thing back.

    Dell sucks, Gateway sucks, there both criminals. Where the hell can I buy a PC anymore?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Jerry, 14 Jun 2005 @ 2:56pm

    Dell and preloaded spyware

    Dell has now done it better. Just ran the latest ad-aware and apybot on a friend's new Dell and was (after past experience) surprised to have it come up clean... which lead to why the browswer re-directs and the url hijacking on this brand new laptop from the Dell Dudes.

    Because it is now part of the operating system!

    Check the apps running at start-up. Delete the un-needed one at a time and the hijacking goes away. Zone Alarm stops a lot of outgoing stuff that you can also research. That was my first lead to the source of the problem.All kinds of apps trying to access the internet that I had never heard of.

    Viel Spass as the Germans are wont to say. ,

    link to this | view in thread ]


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