Yahoo Finance Dell laptops 'smell like cat urine'
As far as customer complaints go, this one's a doozy. Dell is offering returns for affected models of its Latitude E6430u laptop after a number of customers complained that their new machines were emitting a very unpleasant smell.
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The first report came from user "three west" on Dell's hardware support forum. "The machine is great, but it smells as if it was assembled near a tomcat's litter box. It is truly awful!"
Complaints began to mount, with one buyer saying the odour was so bad that taking the machine to clients was embarrassing.
Support technicians suggested cleaning the air vents with compressed air or cleaning the keyboard, but this did not solve the issue. Some users requested replacements, only to find that the problem persisted with their new laptops.
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Customers raised concerns that the smell indicated a health hazard, but Dell says it has isolated the problem and that it poses no danger.
The "smell is absolutely not urine or any other type of biological material. The parts have been tested and we have confirmed this 100%. The smell is caused by a manufacturing process which has now been changed," according to Dell.
The company has asked users to send their affected laptops back for replacement parts, and has stated that new machines will not suffer from the same problem.
However, not all users are happy with their new laptops.
"I just received my 5th replacement 6430u yesterday and the smell is still there," one forum member reported.
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