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Did DELL Lie? See for yourself.

DellLied.googlepages.com — Dell sells its E1505 notebook computers with an integrated stereo sound controller. It offers an upgrade to what some people think is an integrated Soundblaster Audigy Sound Card. It's not. See why people think they are getting one thing, when all they really get is the disk.

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WhatTheWho 2 years 73 days ago, made popular 2 years 72 days ago

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bocaJWho, on 10/12/2007, -5/+45Since the guy misquoted what was offered on the phone, they should offer to let him return the laptops and give him the money back.

I think that the worst part tho is that they can't even tell him what cable he needs for 5.1 sound.
- rolosworld, on 10/12/2007, -7/+42Smell's like a 2 class action's will be coming soon...
  exploding laptops && integrated sound blaster audio card - software version
- szelij, on 10/12/2007, -8/+64Class action lawsuits most often benefit the lawyers not the consumer.
- gcnaddict, on 10/12/2007, -5/+25My E1705 is listed as having a SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC as the sound hardware, even though I bought an audigy.
  
  Yes, I was lied to.
- SkyFire360, on 10/12/2007, -4/+27I had the exact same problem. I just recently bought a Dell E1505 laptop, and upgraded to the SoundBlaster card. I admit it was a great deal ($750 off a $2000+ laptop)... or so I thought.
  
  I called Dell to ask why my laptop came with integrated SigmaTel audio card and not a SoundBlaster. Long story short, I spent 3 hours on the phone with 5 different departments (Tech Support, Customer Support, Warranty, RMA and even Sales). The only thing that I got out of the entire ordeal was a kink in my neck from holding my phone and a couple of middle management people calling me a liar.
  
  I eventually said "Screw it, I can live with onboard" and ate the $50 upgrade charge... not worth the hassle of an RMA.
- yottabite, on 10/12/2007, -82/+5This is lame and was reported as such. It's a Dell FFS.
- cdahlkvist, on 10/12/2007, -19/+60A couple issues seem suspicious to me.
  
  First, Dell clearly states on their website that this is a software upgrade, not hardware.
  
  Second, the guy recorded his call when he was ordering this.
  
  It seems almost like he was trying to catch them on something he was already aware of. He was hoping to get a recording of an uninformed employee saying it was hardware so he could complain. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's what he did by listening to the way he says "hardware" in the recording.
  
  I call lame.
- PowerCow, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Yeah dell is screwed on this one i think...
  if you look on ebay a lot are listed as having an audigy.. and check out this review on shopping.com
  http://www4.shopping.com/xPR-Dell_Inspiron_E1505~RD-233448443524
  "Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy Advanced HD audio"
  check out google lots listed this way
  I figure it is more than a few uneducated sales people..
- PowerCow, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6lol sorry to double post but I thought this was funny on dells site..
  http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/learnmore/learnmore.aspx?c=cn&l=en&s=dhs&~id=dimen_sndcard_ap&~line=desktops&~lt=popup&~series=dimen
  
  "Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy ADVANCED HD Audio:
  Brings sound card functionality to integrated audio
  Makes your integrated audio operate like a Sound Blaster Audigy sound card"
  
  so i guess they have a disclaimer if you can call it that/
  says games are in surround sound though.
- irieKEN, on 10/12/2007, -3/+12I posted this below, but there are people that still need to hear it.
  
  ------
  There seems to be a little misunderstanding amongst the users here. There is NOT an emulated "creative audigy" card. "Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition" refers to the hardware and software supporting HD audio, which you can get in certain laptops/desktop computers from Dell.
  
  What Dell has done is shipped the drivers disc (yes, Dell charges $25 per drivers disc) for the SB Audigy HD Edition series card, which Dell does sell as a Cardbus peripheral.
  ------
  
  The said AV cable will NOT give him 5.1 sound. His integrated audio chipset DOES NOT support 5.1 channel audio. His only option for getting 5.1 channel audio with the E1705 would be to use a 5.1 channel USB audio card, because the E1705 only has an ExpressCard slot.
  
  IMPORTANT: The E1705 only has an ExpressCard slot!
- registration11, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4I had a similar experience where Dell clearly misled me in a purchase. You can read my story on their forums:
  
  http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_general&message.id=205451&view=by_date_ascending&page=1
  
  I basically had to put up with it.
- vbsurfer, on 10/12/2007, -19/+2Come one poeple. Whats with the DELL company attacks... this is some e-fad now.
  
  What a complete waste of my time reading about a OEM that i'll never buy from because were all geeks on here. I know we're smart enough to build a computer from the ground up... geesh people.
- plefno, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Unfortunately I have to admit I fell for this gimmick too. I recently got a new e1405 laptop from Dell, and seeing the option to upgrade to an Audigy card for so cheap, I went for it. I admit that I probably didn't read the page as well as I should have, so it may have said "software upgrade only" or whatever. I don't really place the blame on Dell, because if it said that, I should have caught it.
  
  But I do think that Dell is misleading its customers. I think they realize that most people won't catch the part about it being a software upgrade only. I do not considering that lying, maybe not the best business practices, but not lying. I'll just be more attentive next time I shop with Dell.
- radiofrequency, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15@szelij 2:
  "Class action lawsuits most often benefit the lawyers not the consumer."
  
  Class action lawsuits hurt the company that tried to pull a fast one on its customers, so in the end consumers do win.
- orangeRam, on 10/12/2007, -5/+4@ radiofrequency
  
  the only ones who win with a class action suit ARE the lawyers. The consumers don't win because the company has to pay the settlement. More then likely, they'll end up increasing prices or cutting back services if the settlement is large enough so the consumer loses that way.
  
  Look at it this way: Dickie Scruggs made nearly $500 million suing tobacco companies on behalf of smokers. How many smokers do you know that received a dime from RJ Reynolds or Philip Morris?
- orangeRam, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3If you need anymore proof, here's Trial Lawyers Inc.'s 2003 top headline makers:
  
  http://www.triallawyersinc.com/html/part11.html
  
  Notice how the small blurbs don't talk about how they champion for the little guy, or win settlements that benefit consumers. Its all about how they 'made millions' in this or that lawsuit.
  
  My favorite is Mel Weiss, who supposedly 'never met a stock-price drop [he] didn't like...'
- BTime, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Is there anyone here that doesn't know or understand that Dell currently has the absolute worst customer support in the industry? Oh, and last I checked Dell charges a 15% restocking fee on returns as well as a 15% depreciation fee (source per my recollection is from PCWorld magazine that was on the shelf Dec 2005 which is when I read the article detailing Dell shinanigans).
  
  I empathize with the situation a tiny bit, but a little research prior to buying should have had the purchaser running away at Mach speed.
- sansbury, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@radiofrequency: "Class action lawsuits hurt the company that tried to pull a fast one on its customers, so in the end consumers do win."
  
  Class actions sometimes allow companies to buy people off cheap- they give away $500m worth of coupons knowing only $50m will be redeemed, and are then effectively nullified from further liability because once the class has settled it's a lot harder for everyone who comes later to make a case. This is why Google is hoping to high hell that their $90m click-fraud settlement is approved. This doesn't exactly benefit the company per se but it sure as hell doesn't benefit the consumer too much either. The lawyers on the other hand do very, very well.
- PowerCow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"If you need anymore proof, here's Trial Lawyers Inc.'s 2003 top headline makers:" OrangeRam
  not that i disagree with you but just so you notice, trial lawyers inc is a site AGAINST class action lawyers
  and that is why it "brags" on how much money they make and not "touting" helping the little guy.
  Read the rest of the articles, they are all against class action suits, and talking about the huge fees these guys get,
  I do agree with the message though.
- OBKenobi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Dell's site says:
  
  Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition
  
  Do you have any way of proving it didn't say this at the time of your purchase?
ckedge, on 10/12/2007, -4/+24This is what small claims court was MADE for. He should be able to get his $50 back plus costs. Maybe if he'd like to the court will even give him an order forcing dell to take back the laptop and for his CC comapny to reverse the transaction. (I'm not sure if he should send the laptops back with a letter and audio-cd with the transcript demanding a refund or trade-in, or go to small claims court first. A bit of research or asking in a legal forum/newsgroup might help with that.)
- theone3, on 10/12/2007, -7/+27Sure, he COULD do this on his own, but a class action would be more fun.
- kurtwoodfin, on 10/12/2007, -11/+7He should get his $50.00 back???? That does not fix the fact he thought he was buying an integrated sound card. Is he supposed to go and purchase two more lap tops with the integrated sound. Dell needs to refund all of his money.
- D3koy, on 10/12/2007, -18/+6Technically if it is more than $20.00 it is supposed to go to a full-blown court case...plus the guy's comment above with hours($$$couldn't work$$$) on the phone and a hurt neck($$$pain and suffering$$$) he could get big money....I say sue the Dell corporation for the entire ownership of Alienware computers....that oughta teach 'em.
- Antialias, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7D3koy,
  $20? The filing fee for small claims court is more than that. In most places small claims court is up to $5000. He'll never see more than a refund from this even if it goes to a class action. Waste of his time if you ask me. Small claims court would take a couple of hours and wouldn't even need a lawyer.
- thedead, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3In the terms of sale you forfit going to court with dell. So might as well toss that idea out..
- Rub3X, on 10/12/2007, -9/+0@Antialias
  20 dollars is the minimum amount you can sue for as stated in the constitution. Perhaps that should be updated to fit modern times, heh.
- Tiemmothi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4just cuase its in the TOS, Contract or bleh bleh does not make it rock solid for the company. Alot of states give consumers protection form company contracts and such that say you cant take us to court and trump that part of the contract completly.
- Heembo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3Hey I've seen "People Court" episodes for way less than $50 - so when the real law will not help you, take it to court: THE PEOPLE'S COURT. Damn, I miss Judge Woppner
- fgsfds, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Fair warning: IANAL.
  
  @thedead: That's an invalid claim as per both international and US contract laws.
  
  If I sell you a bottle of snake oil and claim that it cures cancer and make you sign a contract stating that I am not liable for any charges related to fraud and that you forgo any rights to legal action against me, what do you expect the outcome would be?
  
  Have you ever heard of anybody enacting such an obvious scheme? No?
  That would be because contract law affords you some immutable rights, which are far from limited to mere legal recourse. Talk to a contract lawyer sometime, it's quite interesting.
Odweaver, on 10/12/2007, -1/+18Part of the reason I returned my E1505 was the sound card. First there was the upgrade scam on it, which was easily noticed through a dxdiag, but the sound card they give you makes loud buzzing and popping noises, along with crashing your system.
- aelias, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Just got mine, with the upgrade. It is a HD chip, it's just not an Audigy. Personally, I think it sounds fantastic, even with my Grado headphones, which are really hard on headphone amps, and tend to exaggerate flaws.
  
  Tried to reinstall, and reauthorize, and Creative gave me some ***** about re-authorizing. So I'm doing without the software for now. Haven't noticed anything other than excellent sound quality, so what's the point?
  
  The dell site does mention the Crystallizer chip, which I thought was Creative only, but maybe they licensed it to Sigmatel.
  
  Long story short, if theres a class action, I'll sign up, but other than that I'm just going to enjoy it till it melts.
- wolferz, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4@odweaver "but the sound card they give you makes loud buzzing and popping noises, along with crashing your system."
  
  That sure sounds like an audigy card to me.
  
  Actually if this isn't Audigy hardware you should be GREATFUL. Now yeah, I've had a bad experience with creative. However this popping/buzzing/crashing issue I have with my Audigy 2 sound card is an extremely common problem (based on the volume of forum posts about the issue). In fact creative's new X-Fi cards have the same problem. There is a thread on the creative forums that is over 7000 posts long complaining about the same problem with the new X-Fi cards. The even reopened that post here (due to how long it had gotten):
  
  http://forums.creative.com/creativelabs/board/message?board.id=soundblaster&message.id=61926
  
  This one is already over 1000 post long, all complaining about this issue. Creative never fixed the problem with the original cards, and they haven't fixed it with the new ones. I'm not gonna go into details about how my attempts to buy a 500 dollar set of speakers form them took 6 months from the time I paid till the time I got my speakers... which started to fail less than a year latter...
  
  If this isn't creative hardware you can count yourselves LUCKY. I've got hundreds of dollars put away in this defective creative crap. If I could pay 50 bux to make it all be replaced with sygmatel stuff I'd call it an upgrade.
- Hinkey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2There is a working fix for the the XFI line to deal with the buzzing/crackling issue
- wolferz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@hinkye
  
  Incorrect: there are dozens of "fixes." Most of them are even "confirmed."
  
  Some work for some people and don't work for any one else. There's no one solution that works for every one and many have tried all of the proposed solutions, including ones that have worked for others, without success. It's a crap shoot essentially. Maybe you'll have a problem with your x-fi, maybe you won't. If you have a problem maybe you'll be able to work around it, maybe you won't.
  
  You'd think if there was a working solution it would be posted in the forum link I gave above, but its not. The thread ends with people saying they have given up on getting help from creative to solve the problem.
  
  So again, your better off WITHOUT creative's crap.
joel2600, on 10/12/2007, -0/+90at least he has an opportunity and a reason to return his laptop before it bursts into flames
- omglazers, on 10/12/2007, -7/+25You win
NinjAlt, on 10/12/2007, -2/+26Dell is quickly going down the sony path with putting their foots in their mouths.
dunezone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15I cant believe this, I ran into this issue last week. A young man brought in the 1505 notebook. He was having stuttering issues playing dvds. I ended up getting Dell to send a new DVD module to me. But anyway, in my quest to fix the problem I went ahead and updated all the drivers video,sound, etc and also the BIOS. I had so many issues updating the sound card since I was looking for the wrong drivers in the first place.
SuperCheese, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22It's true. I too bought an E1505 with the Audigy upgrade... I hope this guy succeeds.
BenSerwa, on 10/12/2007, -10/+6This is why we should always remember to use Belarc Advisor.
- eljaco, on 10/12/2007, -11/+6what's a Belarc Advisor?
- eljaco, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4seriously, sorry to be ignorant, but what's Belarc Advisor? I've never heard of this before.
- avenger069, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0Is this your first day on the Internet eljaco? You waited 40 minutes to ask the same question again.
  
  I don't mean to sound rude but in that time you could have typed belarc advisor into Google to find: http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial_s&hl=en&q=Belarc Advisor&btnG=Google Search
  
  I'm feeling lucky: http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
- Ryosen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Belarc Advisor is a PC auditing tool, available from www.belarc.com. It runs through your PC and itemizes the software and hardware installed.
  
  It's absolutely useless, however, in a case like this where the consumer was lied to about the laptop's configuration. For those that didn't read or understand the article, he ordered the laptops from Dell over the phone. Also, the description on Dell's website, in the configurator, is vague at best, and deceptful at worse.
- georgemoore13, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1avenger beat me too it. Google is my friend.
vbrtrmn, on 10/12/2007, -16/+7He thinks a lawyer is going to help him for free, comedy. Maybe he should open the phone book or get a referal.
- PraiseChaosX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I don't think he was after a lawyer to help for free. He probably was thinking that if a lawyer was reading that article, then they might know something about technology and be interested in the case. A lawyer who's educated on the subject at hand can prepare a stronger case because they understand the details of the situation.
AndrewJ, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Only buy from Dell Small Business Division, or not at all.
thedead, on 10/12/2007, -12/+16I work at dell...and This is the first I have heard of it...I currently sell based that it is a different card...no one was told otherwise...now I know better....
- lnstigator, on 10/12/2007, -17/+37what...are...you...trying...to...say? Lose the "..." and just type
- titlesaysitall, on 10/12/2007, -18/+9your....enligsh....has...not...been....understood....
- gemlarin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10So they lie to their employees as well. Lovely.
- meatwork, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@thedead: you should already know better. check out the software training pages. (yes, I work at dell)
masterkenobi, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15Crap, I just ordered two E1505's with the "upgrade" and should be getting to me in a few days. Damn you, Dell!!
ravenofwinter, on 10/12/2007, -3/+38You know who he should really call? Creative Labs. Soundblaster is their trademark, and if Dell is going around claiming to be using their hardware, but really not, it's diluting their product value. Or arguably, stealing from them.

I'd also suggest contacting the state commerce division, file a claim.
- nacs, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5"You know who he should really call? Creative Labs."
  
  I doubt that will do anything--more than likely Dell has a contract with Creative Labs and contracted them to write this 'emulated' Audigy sound card driver for the non-Creative hardware.
  
  This way Dell saves money and Creative Labs gets a fee from Dell for every time a user upgrades without having to do anything (except write that fake "Audigy" driver).
- Arcnite, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6File a claim with the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.com).
Juansito, on 10/12/2007, -43/+3This dude is crying over 25bucks...you kidding me.....just return the laptop
- Kardde, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23It's not the $25 that's the issue, it's the fact that Dell is seemingly charging for something they're not providing.
- topato, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8It's not about the 25 bucks, it's about how dell lied to him and how much time he has to spend trying to get a refund. It will probably take over a month for him to get his money back, as It did when I returned a dell.
- Juansito, on 10/12/2007, -25/+6So what, just ***** return the laptop and be done with it
- jasqwerty, on 10/12/2007, -8/+4"as It did when I returned a dell."
  
  Call your credit card company retard...
  
  I've gotten stuff charged back when I still had the merchandise.
- Kardde, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10You're completely missing the point, juansito.
  
  A company the size of Dell should not be conducting business in this manner. It would be akin to Wal-Mart selling X-Box 360's, but instead putting Atari Jaguar's into the X360 boxes. In other words, customers are paying for something, and instead they're getting something entirely different and less valuable.
- Fritzed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It's not as easy as just returning it, Dell (and most computer sellers) charge a 15% restocking fee. So if you return the laptop, Dell wins even more. They get the almost new laptop that they can sell again, and they get a free 15% of the original sale.
  
  -> Fritz
wired4u, on 10/12/2007, -31/+7Return the dell, get a macbook problem solved. Seriously why don't you just dispute the credit card charges?
- ScottMaximus, on 10/12/2007, -22/+17I don't know. I'd rather have Dell with a ***** sound card than lose my ability to reproduce.
silentdud, on 10/12/2007, -25/+4"I later learned that they call this software "Integrated Soundblaster Audigy *Software Edition*" on their website, which didn't help me on the phone order. "

That has nothing to do with Dell lying; mostly either the representative of Dell who you spoke with told you something incorrect or you are stupid enough not to notice. That is one of the benefits of the internet, now isnt it. Don't attack Dell as a company because an individual missed a word that would probably have gone unoticed by you anyway.
- BlakeEM, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7I will partly agree with you, he should have done more research. I know when I got my Asus laptop I searched over a couple weeks reading every review and message board post on it to make sure it’s exactly what I wanted and it turned out great. I do this for almost every electronic/computer equipment I buy.
  
  I could just be anal but I think of it as being a well informed consumer.
  
  One thing though, the guy talked to multiple people at Dell and got the same answer. This would make it seem that it wasn’t a simple single mistake but a common mistake that has probably happened to more people. I’d be pissed to if I was told by multiple sales people what I would be getting and not getting it after paying my hard earned money on something.
- evolseven, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5no matter if that individual misstated something intentionally or not, while they are at work with dell they are representatives for that company, and either dell needs to train there representatives to the point to where they are not lieing to a customer or not offer phone ordering at all..
  
  Thats like you ordering 12 Red roses to be delivered and when they get there its actually 12 Brown roses, who are you going to be mad at.. the person who told you they were red or the company which provided them?
TheOneGreatX, on 10/12/2007, -15/+9Does that CD look fake to anyone else, or is it just me?
- pushmouse, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14It's still in its sleave. That's why it looks weird.
- Tyrel, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2Why are the copyright info and Creative logo cut off at the bottom of it? Or was that on the sleave and he edited it out?
GAMER135, on 10/12/2007, -21/+7OMG, this ***** is old, if you go to notebookforums.com in the Dell section, you can obviously see that the whole deal with Dell only putting Audigy software and not hardware was quickly realized in mid-May. This guy should have done some more research on the Audigy function and may i add that it is only a 20 to 25 dollar upgrade. Even hardware reviewers even stated that it was a software upgrade and not a hardware, this guy should have taken more time to research on the Audigy upgrade.

Also, about sewing dell for just software upgrade is just plain stupid, wasting a ***** load of money about some software upgrade that only cost him 25 Dollars, if he wants to waste over $1,000 just because a $25 upgrade then that is just plain stupid.

I have the Dell E1705 and may i say i DID NOT get the Audigy software upgrade because i knew it wasnt going to be that good anyways. I knew it was only software and i had saved $25 bucks to spend on Pizza Hut.
- daofma, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4So if I sold you a laptop over the phone and told you it had an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, but when you got it it had a Core Duo with a CD of software that made some software think it was a Core 2, it'd be alright as long as I had a website that said it was just a software thing?
  
  It's not just $25 either, it's the fact that he can't connect it to his speakers (like they told him he could) without paying EVEN MORE for a cable to connect it to them.
- rabid_monkey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3sew and sue......aww hecck what's the difference/ I think I'll go sue me an angora sweater now. LOL
hollanich11, on 10/12/2007, -17/+1yea that is so photo shopped
- kimos, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8No it's not. It's in a sleve and dropped on a photo scanner...
- cody50, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1looks like a gimp shop to me.
BlakeEM, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18I remember back when Dell was prided on their support, but that was about 10 years ago. I hate companies that outsource. Half the time I can hardly understand them and half the stuff they say is total BS or points they read off a computer screen and they know little or nothing about the subject.

When will we get fully modular laptops? That will be the day.
- bbene, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@spifwand
  It's not about the upgrades, but the ability to build your own laptop without dealing with some company. This is what you can already do with a normal computer.
Zuggy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Part of the problem isn't customer support but cheap corprate handling of customer support.

I worked for a call center here in the US for DirecTV and the training you get for call centers is to look things up on a huge library of information. The problem is that, in my experience, the search features suck, the software tends to be buggy, and worst of all the information is vague at best. Top onto that the stress that your calls have to be a certain length and at peak hours you literally get 2 seconds from the end of one call to the start of the next.

I guess my point is not to blame the Customer Service Rep you get but the whole corprate rigamarol that causes call centers that can't correctly answer questions.

TIP: If you are getting no where, ask for a supervisor. They generally have better training (not good but better) and will be more likely to be able to help. CS Reps can get into serious trouble if they suggest that you talk to someone above them (know from experience) so as a rule of thumb, if your getting no where in about 10 min ask for a supervisor.
Urusai, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20What next, ATI Radeon Software Edition? Uses software to accelerate your 3D applications!
- maninblac1, on 10/12/2007, -11/+3What do you think DirectX is?
- colklink, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8DirectX is not a software 3D accelerator, it is a collection 3D application programming interfaces (API). It is an interface that allows (among many other things) 3D applications to communicate with each other and with your hardware.
miznig, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6wait!! it clearly states on the website configuration page that it's just a software. now I know if you called you mightn't know but for all those (including me) who configured one online should've known that it's not an actual card. that's the reason I didn't get it anyway.

I still hate dell though
purplegrog, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6It sounds like the sales rep he spoke to was either confused or didn't understand what he was selling (both unfortunate, but I don't think a deliberate attempt to deceive).

Dells web site indicates the audigy option is software based:

http://www.dell.com/content/learnmore/learnmore.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&~id=inspn_audio&~lt=popup&~series=inspn&ref=CFG&ref=CFG',%20558,%20420
- neuropsychguy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3It's true it does say that but it is very misleading. Shame on Dell.
bdpf, on 10/12/2007, -15/+8Why would anyone buy from Dell?
With all the bad reports in the news and on forums, just dumb.
Make them eat the laptops with out mustard.

Buy something thats 100% compatable, witch is not a Dell.

bdpf
- jasqwerty, on 10/12/2007, -6/+10Buy a dictionary
- Litespeed, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Maybe he's one of those people who wants to simplify (dumbify) the Inglish Langwidge. :-)
seanmac, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11Why did he record the conversation? Seems to me he read about the issue and decided to set Dell up a la the AOL "cancel the account" guy.
- pak314, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10perhaps he recorded the conversation for "quality assurance purposes" just like these companies do themselves.
- bgoodknight, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7so what if he did, dell sucks
- zybch, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I routinely record my conversations with any large company I have to do business with on the phone. So far nothing untoward has been said, but I want to be prepared, just in case.
- sstidman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2In all honestly, it's foolish NOT to record your interactions with customer support representatives. I'm sure pretty much everyone reading this has encountered numerous customer support interactions where you were told something that was later denied by a different CSR. That recording may be your only proof.
  
  Besides, playing along with your paranoid theory, what did he have to gain in all of this? At best, he will get his money back, that's it. There is no motive for him to do otherwise.
serithchylde, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Well it does state on the site that it is a software upgrade to integrated audio. Which lists absolutely no specs as to what that integrated audio is. However I have not heard of SoundBalster or Creative creating an integrated solution. However if they aren't willing to dish on the hardware specs, and sell a software emulator at an additional fee, that is still on you the consumer. The site clearly states software edition, which is an emulator. There is a free emulator out there that can emulate Hardware TnL, it's not the same thing, and it doesn't always work, but PC vendors will sell a PC with that emulator and claim the PC has Hardware TnL, that's Transform and Lighting by the way. Is Creative making a software emulator that can force the features of audigy cards by sharing PC resources, probably. Do you really want your processor and RAM to do more work than is necessary, definitely not. As for the cable thing, well I am sad to hear that they are trying to sell an audio component that would work through a video component and not even know what the part is.

In the end it's the buyers fault, it is not bait and switch and it is not fraud. Is it crap? Yes absolutely. Regardless of what a phone rep might state, it is definitely a software emulation solution, and is noted as such on their site.
- scotty2012, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4what makes it worse is that they compare them as "onboard sound" and "integrated SB audigy" to make it sound like something more than it is.
- dan537, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I'm surprised you could read the website, considering if you read the story you would have learned that he DID NOT ORDER from the website. He had no way to see what was on the website over the telephone. Read = website - Hear = telephone. That's still the way we do it, right?
GAMER135, on 10/12/2007, -13/+4May i add that recording conversations is HIGHLY ILLEGAL. Also, their are other companies that have screwed up in the past, apple is one, sony, toshiba, and many more. Usually companies correct their mistakes from problems with notebooks and desktops that help insure better PC's in the future.

But this incident is nothing more than just complaining, im sorry i had to tell you the truth but it their to state the guy should have had a clue about the Audigy software.
- atbnet, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10No it isn't. You only need one party to agree to phone call recording. So as long as you give yourself permission to record your calls then you're fine. You don't even have to tell them you are recording either. They record the calls too, perhaps you forget, "Your call may be monitored to quality assurance."
- negativeview, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Depends on the state. Many states are single-party, Alabama (I know, I know) included.
- jasqwerty, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Since these people are in India, or whatever country produces script monkeys these days, it's always legal. There are no laws governing international calls.
- GAMER135, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1It maybe legal for personal use for recording your own conversations, but if you try to use that recording as evidence in a court to file a lawsuit against a business (like Dell or others), then you are breaking the Law and can get a huge fine and be sent to jail.
- colklink, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4GAMER135
  
  I would be very interested to see the law that prohibits these recordings as well as the Federal (or State) Rules of Evidence that prevent one from introducing the recording into evidence. According to my copy of the Texas Rules of Evidence Manual and the Federal Rules of Evidence, there is nothing preventing one from admitting the recording into evidence as long as one authenticates the recording per rule 901(b)(6) - Telephone Conversations. However, there may and most likely would be hearsay obstacles that would need to be dealt with depending on what purpose the evidence was being admitted for. But, there are ways around these obstacles.
  
  Also, for future reference, the Federal Government allows recording as long as one party consents. However, these States require both parties' consent:
  California
  Connecticut
  Delaware
  Florida
  Massachusetts
  Maryland
  Michigan
  Montana
  New Hampshire
  Pennsylvania
  Washington
  
  Obviously, as with anything legal related, there are many other issues that may or may not be involved in this situation depending on what State you are in. But, what is clearly true is that this is NOT "highly illegal" nor is the evidence inadmissible across the board. Please stop spewing ***** from your ass.
- EochaidRiata, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"HIGHLY ILLEGAL."
  
  Are they going to sue me from India?
reevolutn, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5seems like a hole lot of kafuffle over nothing really
Kliend, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16haha, funny thing is, I was on dell shopping, and theres a little checkbox that allows you to choose whether or not the computer is Vista capable. it doesn't change the costs or parts or anything, just whether or not it is vista capable.
Phoenixfury, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Holy flamin' laptops! Dell not only go's boom, but sounds lousy in a attempt in trying to make a boom sound. :)
Percybut, on 10/12/2007, -8/+5The author expected too much out of Dell's representatives. Companies like Dell or HP or XXX (put any lappy manufacturer here) generally have not so knowledgable representatives who sometimes provide you with false information.

I do not think it is a mistake for DELL to hire these people, and I do not expect DELL to spend lots of money on hiring 'know everything' representatives.

IMO, the author just was not smart enough. He FAILED TO ORDER ONLINE and trusted some 'dumb' DELL sales representative's obviously false statements. Doing some research at online ( for example notebookreview.com) is way smarter than trusting a DELL representative.

If he ordered online, he would have seen all the accurate information. He failed to order online, which means he also failed to take advantage of DELL's coupons (coupons are the reasons why one should buying a DELL. I would not spend money on a poorly build DELL without those 30% of coupons)

So, the story is simple, a not so smart buyer is complaining about a not so smart sales representative, that's it.
- dgp1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Yeah, Dell is totally in the right to screw people by lying to them and telling them they'll get hardware X with capability Y, and actually ship them hardware Z, WITHOUT capability Y--as long as those users being screwed called in on the phone. Anything on their website can be taken for granted as trustworthy, but something you hear from SEVERAL different representatives on the phone, it's completely legal for that to be total bullsh*t.
  
  Why the distinction, Percybut?
  
  Since when is a company not liable for what their authorized representatives say about their products, unless it's on a webpage??!
  
  I don't know where you're from, but the United States I grew up in prohibited fraud REGARDLESS of the manner of communication in which it's perpetrated.
  
  I think you're missing the point here. It's not whether the customer should have bought the computer online to reduce the chances of Dell giving him false information. It's about whether once Dell sold him a computer(s) based on this information, is he entitled to a refund?
  
  The answer, unless the US has become a fascist country since I last checked (which it hasn't), is YES HE IS ENTITLED TO A REFUND. DELL LIED. END OF STORY.
  
  The "they're not well paid, and dumb, so you should expect this kind of error" argument is completely irrelevant. Dell's HR and training problems are NOT the customer's problem. That means the customer can buy based on what they're told, and that their recourse by law, is a refund if the product is not what it was claimed to be!
  
  "I do not think it is a mistake for DELL to hire these people, and I do not expect DELL to spend lots of money on hiring 'know everything' representatives."
  
  That's fine, but they're still liable for these poorly trained reps' mistakes, just like if they'd hired poorly-skilled forklift operators who damaged others' property.
JimNtexas, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8"May i add that recording conversations is HIGHLY ILLEGAL. "

That's not true in Texas. Here it is legal if one party knows about the recording.
- smeager, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Same here in NY. As from what I know is the same in many states.
brandonhines, on 10/12/2007, -11/+3Audio out of a S-Video cable? This guy is a ***** moron.
- mdshort, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Actually it makes sense, I've seen combination ports like that where you can connect different things for different functions. It's not hard to create a simple hardware switch or add an extra set of prongs for audio as well as video.
- LocalH, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Many laptops nowadays actually do have more than four pins on their S-Video port. Both of mine do, and the older one is a few years old.
- LesOReilly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10S-Video has 4 connectors. Y-C and 2 Spare. Y cares the Sync and Lumma values while the C caries the Chroma values. The 2 spares were intended to be used for Digital Audio pass through. However no one ever utilized this since most TVs don't have digital Audio Processors. Kinda like why HDMI is useless. It is just DVI-D with digital Audio, but good old HDCP will help make it mandatory.
  
  So He is not the idiot, and you should really do some research before you go Flaming someone. You just end up looking like a Jackass.
- colklink, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1LocalH and Les are right.
  
  I know that Dell and other laptop manufacturers like to use what appears to be an S-Video port that connects to a break-out box that carries video and digital sound on laptops. This is similar to how the VIVO port on modern video cards looks similar to an S-Video port, but carries much more information. I wish I knew the name of the connector (I used to), but perhaps this is what the tech was referring to.
- LocalH, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Specifically, my laptops have a 7-pin S-Video port (that is also fully compatible with standard 4-pin S-Video cables).
elorenz, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5You have 30 days to return a Dell laptop

If you are unhappy return the stupid thing
Percybut, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Recording conversation is legal as long as the ones who are recorded are aware of it. At least it is legal here in Maine.
- computerguydk, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1Software Integrated seems like an oxy moron to me.
Ksilebo, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1He's an idiot for trying to do this all on a damn laptop anyway. Get a real desktop system if you want to do this and get a real soundcard, not the crap Dell comes with.
- MrTea, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Exactly; or just save the $50 and wait for the spu to come out on smart card or usb
- computerguydk, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2Or he can get a PCMCIA audigy card.
gemlarin, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2I forwarded a copy of the link to dells many departments, and let them know that have been dugg. Lets see if that helps get this guy a response from dell :)

I am always up for helping out the general consumer especially when "frauded".
- maninblac1, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Don't help out the little guy when he's wrong, then you just look stupid.
apu95, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7This isn't the first time this has happened. It also happened to me when I had to order a Dell Dimension desktop. I ordered one with the option of a Creative Soundblaster 5.1 card on the website. The problem was that it wasn't a real Creative card because it wouldn't take the drivers from the Creative website. The label on the card said something like SB4001, which means an OEM card. The kicker here is that in the actual invoice sent to me, the sound card label says SB4041 (or something similar), which represents the real retail version of the card. I called Dell so many times that I lost count, and they even sent a tech over to change the cards (only to realize later that he brought the same card -_-). Eventually, after a LOT of hassling, one CSR offered to send me a SoundBlaster Audigy card with firewire port, to which I happily agreed to get =)

Still pisses me off though, they offer these things and then they change them after you've placed the order, thinking you're going to just brush it off. I hope he gets the product he deserves, or a refund, or maybe even an upgrade!
- sp00nz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Well. Just because it doesn't accept the drivers from the site doesn't mean it isn't the real hardware. I can't install regular nvidia drivers but I can get the modified ones working for my 6800 go.
AZTriGuy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I bought a E1505 a few months back, got a good deal through our company's discount plan. I didn't get the sound upgrade, wasn't really that important to me. Haven't noticed anything wrong with the stock sound card like someone mentioned above.

That being said, there is one other thing that is kind of left off their configuration pages and sales stuff. I bought the system with an 80GB hard drive. What they DON'T tell you is that system restore disks (generally just Ghost images now, most systems don't even come with the true Windows disks anymore) are not included by default anymore. They add a hidden partition on the drive with the Ghost image, accessed by their Restore application. So, I get my laptop with the 80GB drive, and my C: shows as 62GB instead, and only about 45GB free after all the crapware they so thoughtfully preloaded for me. There are a total of 3 partitions on my drive - the main partition, the restore partition (6GB), another FAT16 partition that was only about 200MB that I have no idea what it was for, and the rest was unallocated space. Not a very efficient install if you ask me.

Good thing was I called support and after only about 5 minutes on hold got someone who actually sounded American (no real discerable accent at least) and he sent out the Dell Restore DVD's without any charge, got them the next day. The main restore DVD had the OS, there was another for the E1505 specific drivers, and another for all the crapware. So, I wiped all the partitions, and was able to do a fresh install with no crapware. Really no issues, I'm a little pissed about the misleading drive size, but I was able to fix it pretty painlessly without any cost to me, so no problem.

And yeah, if I didn't need a laptop I would have homebuilt another desktop so I could get it exactly how I wanted it. You're kind of stuck when you want a laptop, can't really build those from scratch.
- zybch, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4You can build notebooks from scratch. There are numeous companies who make barebones notebooks and you can add the processor, HDD etc that you want. However they're still nowhere near as flexible as when you build a desktop PC from scratch.
- maninblac1, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Seriously, i need to know where. I've sworn of OEM, and if i can get a laptop no OEM that'll be sweet.
- samstafford, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Because "at least sounding american" is for sure the most important thing. everyone knows race is the arbiter of technology assistance.
Hurricane, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2What else is new?
wilf_brim, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I hate to say it, but I got suckered by this same scam. The fact that this is a software solution is (even now that I read it again) not at all clear. They do not make it clear that the hardware is identical, you only get a somewhat better driver. For 30 bucks. Clearly not worth it, the sound on my e1705 is far worse than the 4 year old Toshiba it replaced. It doesn't seem worth screaming about, but if there is a class action, I'm all over it.
SirZRX, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1just install the KX sound drivers and lets see what happens
irieKEN, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7There seems to be a little misunderstanding amongst the users here. There is NOT an emulated "creative audigy" card. "Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy™ HD Software Edition" refers to the hardware and software supporting HD audio, which you can get in certain laptops/desktop computers from Dell.

What Dell has done is shipped the drivers disc (yes, Dell charges $25 per drivers disc) for the SB Audigy HD Edition series card, which Dell does sell as a Cardbus peripheral.

The Dell technician in the recording clearly states that it is a upgrade, which the drivers definitely are not. It is like giving someone a gallon of diesel for their gasoline car; there's no way that it's going to help them.

TFA says that he bought the computer for its 5.1 channel capabilities, which this model actually doesn't support. However, Dell's sales/tech teams are trying to sell him an AV cable, claiming that it will give him 5.1 channel audio.

Dell obviously has trouble hiring qualified people to staff its sales and support positions for home users, and obviously gave him something different than what was promised over the phone. What's worse is that Dell's support isn't committed to fixing the situation, except by trying to sell him additional components (which still won't fix the problem).
aacidusX, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1F""" dell, i had my laptop shipped back and forth 5 friggin times! i was without it for 3 months
djjuice, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1this is typical dell, they go after to the end user that just wants a computer yet doesnt know what they are getting, its for the honest new person to computers. I'm going to sit here and say buy an apple or whatever, buying from dell never seems smart and I always read stories from them. If you want a PC your best option is to either build it yourself or buy from someone other than dell. This really needs to get out there..
- aleandro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1It is not just dell that messes up. If you were really for the end user you would point the finger to every other big guy around.
beatmix01, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3only buy from small business.. if you buy from dell home you deserve anything and everything you get.

i have never had any problems with dell smb support.
aleandro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Seriously I don't know much about this guy but it looks like he is trying to milk this a la AOL. Sure you might have gotten something you didn't want, and you had to deal with customer supper something we all deal with every now and then, but this looks like a milkage story. One if you recently bought the laptops i believe you can return them within a certain time. Second don't go on a riot because you had a crappy guy sell you something that deceived you.
Also if you are tech savvy enough to post this on the net and know what you are talking about then I am sure that you could have used their website instead of a sales rep.I am not blaming this on you but everyone here would have ordered other the net why didn't you? Again I am not blaming the guy but this just looks like a flame bait to me. Just the fact that he recorded the guy pushes me to believe that he had found out about this Little misunderstanding and just went on to milk it for all he could. Now if that is true then shame on you.
Neilyos, on 10/12/2007, -6/+6the guy's an idiot. How do you tell? he expected to be able to play 5.1 games on his E1505 Inspiron. It's a fricking laptop. Not only is he deliberately trying to stir up trouble with Dell, but honestly, what a moron. If he wanted a good laptop sound card, he should have gotten a PCMCIA add-on card.
- irieKEN, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Just so that you know, the E1705 doesn't have a PCMCIA slot. Only an ExpressCard slot. Though, he could use a USB sound card, but that's besides the point, because he bought the computer based on false information from Dell.
nutshell, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I ordered the same laptop last week. I talked to a friend who got one about a month ago and he recommended the upgrade. He got one without the upgrade and the default sound card totally crapped out on him after a couple days and he's been getting jerked around by Dell's tech support ever since.
I guess it doesn't matter at all, I;m just another sucker.
- aleandro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2It's funny how we all seem to have friends that ordered the same laptop, or we have ordered the same laptop. But then again digg is a site for tech savvy people so that might be the reason, or the fact that dell is the #1 PC maker in the US. Just playing devil's advocate here...nothing else. I hope everything goes well for this guy.
- wilf_brim, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4The reason so many people here bought this series of laptops is that Dell has been giving hella good deals on them these past few months, trying to clear out stock in anticipation of Merom based Intel laptops coming.
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