Dell is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company
knowingly sold faulty laptops.
The suit rests on the contention that the motherboards used in
Dell's Inspiron 1100, 1150, 5100, 5150 and 5160 ranges were
"substandard". The firm has already settled a similar case in the
US concerning the Inspiron 5150.
"Many people rely on their notebook computers as a means of earning
a living and for educational purposes," said Joel P Rochon, a
partner at Rochon Genova LLP which is carrying out the
action.
"This action seeks to deliver fair compensation to Canadian
consumers who own these computers."
The problems were allegedly caused by the use of faulty
motherboards, and poor design which left the laptops prone to
overheating. The suit claims that Dell knew, or ought to have
known, about these problems.
The proposed representative plaintiff, Thad Griffin of Aurora,
Ontario, said: "I do not believe that I should be forced to spend
hundreds of dollars to fix the defective motherboard, when Dell
should have known about this problem at the time they initially
sold the computer."