Dell announces product recall procedure for ME

DUBAI — Dell, the world's largest pc maker has issued its recall procedure for the Middle East for its notebook batteries some of which have overheated and caught fire.

By David Poort

Published: Mon 21 Aug 2006, 9:44 AM

Last updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 5:38 PM

Replacement batteries will be dispatched by Dell directly to partner premises in the Middle East.

The Texas based company has contacted all authorised channel partners in the Middle East by e-mail to inform them of the battery recall procedure and to provide details of TAG numbers correlating with products that have been supplied to them.

Partners / customers are being directed to www.dellbatteryprogram.com to determine if they have any product with batteries that are subject to this recall and to order the replacement batteries.

If affected batteries are identified, onsite instructions are to be followed to order a battery replacement. The procedure will not take more than five minutes.

The crisis over exploding batteries began on August 15 with the product recall of 4.1 million battery packs. It identified a potential issue associated with Dell-branded battery packs with cells manufactured by Sony. The battery packs were sold with Latitude(tm), Inspiron(tm), XPSTM and Dell Precision (tm) Mobile Workstation notebook computers.

In rare cases, a short circuit could cause the battery to overheat, which under certain conditions could pose a risk of smoke or fire. These batteries also may have been purchased separately or provided as replacement batteries for use with these systems. Affected batteries were shipped between April 1, 2004 and July 18, 2006.

It is feared that its biggest-ever product recall could seriously damage its image and its profits, especially in the US. Failure to act quickly could alienate customers and investors alike and negatively impact back-to-school sales and the upcoming holiday sales.

This it cannot afford. Three days after the product recall it reported a 51 per cent drop in profit and that the US Securities and Exchange Commission is conducting an informal investigation of its accounting, according to a Reuters report.

Dell has responded with plans to invest $100 million and hire 2,000 people to improve service.