DELL with a subscription of 10$ a month option "hidden" on prebuilt system page

[Quackers101]

Summary

(it seems to be US specific)

Some people noticed that DELL had an subscription, might have been talked about since the LTT video on buying a prebuilt and their support. DELL shows that they have been auto OPT-IN people on these subscriptions, and they are so far down the page it might go unnoticed with a cluster of information to confuse the consumer of what you are really getting. In DELL's response to GN they stated:

Quote

From Dell to GN:

We noticed your tweet earlier, and we wanted to clarify a few points with you as some of the details of the tweet were inaccurate.

 

Currently, Dell.com is running a sitewide promotion across a number of Dell and Alienware PCs. This specific promotion gives customers our Premium Support subscription free for one month, with the purchase of an eligible PC by default. Customers have complete control over choosing their service options, and can opt to accept the Premium Support offer, downgrade to the free, basic 1 Year Hardware Warranty, or further upgrade to Premium Support Plus. And as indicated by the large yellow disclaimer shown in your screenshot, never did we intend to cloak this offer within the page. We have messaged this mulitple times throughout the full Dell.com customer journey to help avoid confusion. Please note that this deal is not available on newly launched PCs, such as the new Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5.

 

My thoughts

When you buy something, it should always be clear of what exactly you are buying. This becoming more and more of an issue in tech or always has been bad. From using only marketing buzzwords rather than the physical capabilities or the components you get. Worst is that some consumer wouldn't think of there being a subscription with your PC, and mostly would focus on warranty? So having it in rather omnions places while having doing just enough legal nonsense to cover it up, to me just sounds shady as ****. Also how we shouldn't allow companies to OPT-IN (unless a good reason for it) us in everything they want to sell us or taking advantage of, either it being for marketing, sharing data etc. Like with phones or operative systems getting their fair share of the same "either you get into our system or you are not getting the full use of your device" no matter if their systems are any good to make certain things function.

 

Sources

 

[Tieox]

Ahh Dell once more the lingering speck on the butthole of pre-built systems.

[Kisai]

12 minutes ago, Quackers101 said:

 

My thoughts

When you buy something, it should always be clear of what exactly you are buying. This becoming more and more of an issue in tech or always has been bad. From using only marketing buzzwords rather than the physical capabilities or the components you get. 

 

 

Honestly it is overblown and when I went to confirm it, it wasn't even shown to me.

 

Here's what should happen, like globally.

 

If you:

a) automatically opt-in customers to things that charge fees

b) automatically opt-in customers to marketing things that will send them spam

or

c) automatically opt-in customers to receiving things that can't be canceled via the same process they signed up for it

 

Then your company is full of people who need to be fired. You betray the customer's trust and bury the reason with "well they could opt out, legally we are right", no, the problem is that you intended for them to opt-in by skipping past that section.

 

I've encountered this nonsense while working for big companies before, and genuinely there are people who believe their customer service department should be trying to upsell the customers who called/contacted them for serious service issues on what is otherwise garbage bolt-ons.

 

Retail:

- selling shovelware security software because the company got a kickback on it, and punishing staff who didn't upsell it and service plans

 

Telecom:

- Renewing contracts for customers for no benefit to the customer by giving staff a dollar every time they did.

 

Like, this is just a standard thing that someone thought was a good idea at the time, and sees it as free money because people forget to cancel things.

 

[TetraSky]

I tried to see it for myself.

I'm not seeing any such subscription thing on Dell.com.

I checked a few laptops(home and business), Alienware desktop and Inspiron desktop...

All of them, as far as warranty went, was like this :

Spoiler

 

Makes me wonder if this is a US only thing and is not enabled if Dell detects that you're in Canada (I haven't watched the entire video, ain't got the time for that)

[IkeaGnome]

3 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

Makes me wonder if this is a US only thing and is not enabled if Dell detects that you're in Canada

Looks like it.

[Quackers101]

1 minute ago, TetraSky said:

Makes me wonder if this is a US only thing and is not enabled if Dell detects that you're in Canada (I haven't watched the entire video, ain't got the time for that)

GN stated that they went on certain PCs, so some didn't have it but I'm also unsure where or which ones.

Might be GPU related systems, like those that are out of stock else where.

[TetraSky]

1 minute ago, IkeaGnome said:

Looks like it.

Which PC in particular did you go to to see it? Maybe it's specific SKUs like @Quackers101 said.

[StDragon]

Caveat emptor.

 

But I agree, this can't be good PR for Dell. Typically such things backfire.

[IkeaGnome]

Products>Dell Gaming>G Series Desktop.

https://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/gaming-and-games/dell-g5-gaming-desktop/spd/g-series-5000-desktop/dg5000_sb_s1e

The Canadian one doesn't have the warranty auto subbed.

USA does though.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/dell-g5-gaming-desktop/spd/g-series-5000-desktop/gd5090g520s

[Radium_Angel]

1 hour ago, Quackers101 said:

Also how we shouldn't allow companies to OPT-IN

Until there are serious repercussions to the company for this, it will continue to be the norm.

[Moonzy]

Dell is tired of asking, since yes means yes and no means yes anyways

[Quackers101]

4 minutes ago, Radium_Angel said:

Until there are serious repercussions to the company for this, it will continue to be the norm.

Sure, or if they mess up badly.

Like having an OPT-IN that you can't OPT-OUT of, and is destroying peoples stuff or creating an attack vector. or if it's about competition and the "free market" related stuff. That just some of it, might be regulated by law.

[Radium_Angel]

4 minutes ago, Quackers101 said:

Sure, or if they mess up badly.

Like having an OPT-IN that you can't OPT-OUT of, and is destroying peoples stuff or creating an attack vector. or if it's about competition and the "free market" related stuff.

This is why I tend to buy used stuff, their BS opt-in crap doesn't apply and with software on a rent-forever-you-never-own-it, I look for alts, or use the stuff before they went rent-only (looking at you adobe!)

[Tech Enthusiast]

1 hour ago, IkeaGnome said:

Looks like it.

Yeah, very likely only legal in the US.

The country that screws over people left, right and center, just to please big companies that clearly need those 10 bucks!

 

Pretty sure Dell would get a few billion on "subscriptions" in the form of legal trouble and fines if they would try that in the EU.

[TetraSky]

1 hour ago, IkeaGnome said:

Products>Dell Gaming>G Series Desktop.

https://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/gaming-and-games/dell-g5-gaming-desktop/spd/g-series-5000-desktop/dg5000_sb_s1e

The Canadian one doesn't have the warranty auto subbed.

USA does though.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/dell-g5-gaming-desktop/spd/g-series-5000-desktop/gd5090g520s

Thanks for confirming my suspicions. It's a US only thing.

Glad to know they aren't doing this kind of junk in Canada, at least.

[IkeaGnome]

1 minute ago, TetraSky said:

Thanks for confirming my suspicions. It's a US only thing.

Glad to know they aren't doing this kind of junk in Canada, at least.

Neighbors are looking better every day. Care to take Alaska?

[mon1ka]

5 hours ago, TetraSky said:

Makes me wonder if this is a US only thing and is not enabled if Dell detects that you're in Canada (I haven't watched the entire video, ain't got the time for that)

same in australia: cant see anything. Must be a US exclusive thing.

 

Glad steve spoke out about it.

[elfensky]

I wonder if this counts as a dark pattern, given California will soon be banning them ^^

[Bombastinator]

7 hours ago, Tieox said:

Ahh Dell once more the lingering speck on the butthole of pre-built systems.

Lingering itchy speck.  Dumb too.  They may get a few fools to pay but eventually some  mark is going to beef and they’re going to get really seriously sued.  Might even have to pay back the money to all the people who didn’t know the company had been hitting their bank accounts for $10/mo which is what they’re apparently counting on.  It’s arguably embezzlement.  Of course the shot heel who thought it up will have taken his bonus for his “million dollar idea” that actually wasn’t, and  if he’s smart, left the company.  That one there is an institution killer.  Could actually destroy the whole company long term.

Edited April 27, 2021 by Bombastinator

[shaz2sxy]

Its a bit sneaky, it automatically selects the $4.99 month subscription so it shows as included for the 1st month. Then in the yellow box explains it is a subscription

 

its typical sales tactics to throw people off and catch them out