Blogger gets $200 check from HP for declining Vista's EULA

**Cyrus_the_virus** · 23-07-2008, 12:19 AM

Blogger uncle_benji went over to Best Buy and purchased an HP dv6815nr for $599.99 plus tax. When he saw the Windows Vista EULA and the HP EULA, he decided he wanted to move to Linux. He wasn't happy that there wasn't an option to decline the EULA, but didn't take his revenge on Microsoft by just grabbing one of the many Linux distro install discs. Nope, first things first: this user decided to call HP and demand a refund for Microsoft's latest operating system. After all, Microsoft's EULA does say to contact the manufacturer if the user does not agree with it. This user simply took it a step further and made sure that he was not paying for something he wasn't going to use.

After many phone calls, insistence from HP representatives that it does not support Linux (drivers and so on), suggestions to contact Microsoft instead or to choose another laptop, many e-mails back and forth, a letter to the CEO Mark Hurd, and months of waiting, uncle_benji received a check in the mail. The check was for $200, addressed from HP. Now he is offering the check up for grabs, starting the bid at $250 and promising to donate the difference from $200 to Ralph Nader's presidential campaign or the Electronic Frontier Foundation (winning bidder's choice). I have to say that's a very good way to celebrate the extra cash!

Source

**BBThumbHealer** · 23-07-2008, 01:27 AM

Haha ... Nice piece of article !

**praka123** · 23-07-2008, 02:32 AM

gr8! atleast I hope this will let the m$ to stop the vi$ta .

**ax3** · 23-07-2008, 12:56 PM

serves microsoft RIGHT ......

domination is GONE .... & customer is clever 2 .........

**Faun** · 23-07-2008, 01:01 PM

lolz...

**goobimama** · 23-07-2008, 01:40 PM

Well now that the precedent has been set, it is safe to assume that once one buys an HP computer, declining the EULA means getting $200 in the mail!

**vaithy** · 23-07-2008, 09:44 PM

Just some musings..

1) The blogger has got the cheque from the HP not from M$.. so there is no lose for M$
2)Hp paid to M$ as license for the copy of Vista that the blogger computer..Now the question is whether M$ return the money to HP ? 100% it is a big NO!
So where is the lesson that the M$ learn...?
Hp has paid this refund not from M$ but from their own pocket..
However I do admire the way that the blogger's Individual 'satyagraha' effort to teach a lesson to M$plus HP colonial empire...

**goobimama** · 23-07-2008, 09:51 PM

^^ Of course Microsoft has refunded (or not charged) HP for that license. HP must be paying on the number of activations completed rather than the number of OEM DVDs it gives out. So if the license is not processed, HP has refunded the money which would otherwise go to Microsoft.