Dell Inc. agreed to a $3.4 million settlement with Connecticut and 34 other states, which had accused the computer company of misleading consumers on warranties, rebates and financing terms.
Connecticut and Washington led the investigation, according to Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut attorney general, who said Dell promised customers zero-percent financing only to ambush them with high interest rates and fees. The company also never delivered on promised rebates for some customers, or erected unreasonable terms for warranty requests, Blumenthal said.
New York was not a party to the agreement.
Customers have through mid-April to file claims on a $1.5 million fund set up by the Plano, Texas-based company, which will also pay nearly $1.9 million more to states, with Connecticut placing its $200,000 share into the state”™s strapped general fund.
Stamford-based Gartner Inc. said the computer industry suffered its worst growth rate since 2002 as U.S. shipments in the fourth quarter of 2008 were down 10 percent, with relatively strong sales of mini notebooks helping boost the figure. Dell had the steepest drop in sales of any major company, with U.S. shipments down more than 16 percent. San Jose, Calif.-based Acer Inc. enjoyed the best growth at 55 percent in the United States.
