Dell CS for a Dellophile

Our Dell laptop loaded with WIN 8.0 (later 8.1) was delivered in end Dec 2013. My wife was used to WIN 7 and could not bring herself to use 8.1, so this computer sat unused for 8 months. I recently asked Dell if they could send me a copy of WIN 7 so we could use the computer. After many phone calls, they have finally said "No". I asked for their definition of "Customer Satisfaction". Nothing was offered. I informed them that (a) in the last ten years, we have bought perhaps ten Dell computers, (b) in the last 20 years, more than twenty Dell computers, (c) I was asking for something which was going to cost them perhaps $ 5 or $10, and lastly, (d) While my purchasing a copy of WIN 7 at $ 150 was not going to bankrupt me, it would certainly express to me what Dell thought of long term customers and customer satisfaction.

This is not a vent, but just an example of how not to do business. Pretty pathetic.

 

Sorry, but I think you're being a bit naive. You seem to be looking at only the price of a blank DVD plus shipping and handling.

How much did you figure for the cost of the Windows 8 license already paid to Microsoft? Even if you claim you're not using it, Dell still had to pay that to MS. And where in your calculation did you figure the price of a Windows 7 license, which you seemingly expect Dell to additionally pay MS on your behalf?

Remember that Dell sells Win 7 computers as well as Win 8 computers, so you could have bought a computer with Win 7 in the first place. Depending on Win 8 version you may or may not have downgrade rights to Win 7, but don't blame Dell if you don't--those are Microsoft's rules. MS also has rules about who is entitled to OEM versions of Windows and under what circumstances, so it's not out of the question that the only Win 7 license you'd legally be entitled to now might be a retail license.

If you want to blame Microsoft for their policies then I'm with you. But it seems selfish to blame Dell for complying with the rules they've been given. If you think Dell should eat the cost as a gesture of good will toward a loyal customer then you may have a debatable point, but to make that argument you'll have to get real about what it would really cost Dell. And don't overlook the fact that it's likely to be much more than the profit they made selling you that computer in the first place, so you're not asking Dell to take less profit, you're asking them to take a loss because you made a mistake.

All that aside, if you're stuck with Win 8 note that there are add-ons, such as Classic Shell, that make Win 8 behave a lot like Win 7.