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Consumer Alert

Complaints about Dell coupons are common

By Mitch Lipka
Globe Correspondent / November 8, 2009

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Q. I bought a Dell Inspiron 15 in August. A few weeks later, I received a pamphlet from Dell with a coupon for $250 off a $799 or larger purchase of a Dell Inspiron.

I went online, found the laptop I wanted, upgraded in a few areas, and was over the $799 mark as specified. I put the code in and was told that it was only for 15 percent off select electronics and accessories. The Dell chat room knew nothing about the offer. I spoke to the sales department. They transferred me to another department, and I was transferred to a third person. No one had even heard of the offer.

Pam Stokes
Falmouth

A. Complaints about Dell not honoring coupons litter online forums, so you’re not alone. I related your situation to the company to see if there was some explanation. After more than two weeks of back and forth, they said your coupon was indeed valid and you can now use it.

“We have confirmed the coupon is valid and have arranged a viable solution with Ms. Stokes to get the promised discount applied to her next purchase,’’ Dell’s Anne Camden wrote me.

She and the company’s corporate communications department declined several requests to explain why the coupon was rejected in the first place and why it took so long to resolve the situation. If you’re having the same problem, report it to Dell and then lodge a complaint with the state attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission.

Update on ID scans
Some in the alcoholic beverage industry took exception to last week’s column that asserted scanning the driver’s license of a man older than 60 could have questionable motives. As it turns out, some liquor stores routinely scan the driver’s license of every customer to ensure they are properly complying with age restrictions on who they are selling to.

So, even though the purchaser was clearly of age, clerks in those stores are instructed to record every purchase and scanning a license - which verifies the validity of the license information - makes a clear record of that. The information is not, liquor industry officials said, used for marketing or any other motive.

HAVE A CONSUMER QUESTION? E-mail your questions to consumernews@aol.com.