A couple of weeks ago I was presenting in New York City, and I realized that I had forgotten the power cord for my Dell laptop. Since I was in the great city of New York, where you can find everything, I wasn’t that concerned. After all, I have paid service coverage and Dell is known for service … or are they?
I called Dell and told them of my dilemma, and their first response was, “We are Dell and our parts are proprietary. The only place you can get them is from us.” Just to be sure that I’d heard correctly, I asked, “You mean to tell me that there is no place in all of New York City where I can buy or borrow a power supply?” You know the answer: “No!”
Seems like déjà vu. Wasn’t this the old attitude of IBM? Careful, Dell. Don’t think too highly of yourself.
P.S. The temporary fix was to purchase a universal power supply, which will run the computer but not charge the battery!