Word: dell
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...Dell...
Casey McArdle was watching TV this morning when he heard about Dell's recall of 4.1 million Sony-made laptop batteries sold between April 2004 and July 2006. The TV showed images of exploding laptops, but the message from Dell was more subdued: "Under rare conditions, it is possible for these batteries to overheat, which could cause a risk of fire." At that moment, McArdle's Dell laptop, which he bought last year, was resting on his lap. Nervously removing it, he popped out the battery to check if it was part of the recall...
Even as the company ramps up its retail operation, Dell CEO Kevin Rollins still downplays the significance of the home market, saying "It's a secondary priority compared to our corporate customers." And he argues that the move is really an expansion of the small kiosks that Dell has set up in malls to allow customers to place orders. Says Parra: "We have 160 kiosks that have been very successful, and all we are doing is expanding on that success...
...stores are part of a bigger program to make the company more user-friendly. Dell is retraining its customer-support staff and offering a new service called Dell Direct, which allows a technician to connect to a customer's computer to root out problems. That's partly in response to harsh criticism after the company didn't initially beef up customer support as business grew, leading to 30-min. waits to talk to a phone rep. Last year Dell also announced it would hire 1,500 more call-center workers. "What I am most excited about is the investment...
...Dell is confident that the direct model still affords consumers as much advantage as it does business. But last week's results signal that the days of exceeding growth predictions are probably over. Dell may be forced to grind it out like everyone else. "When you're that big, how do you keep growing like that?" asks Roger Kay, president of research firm Endpoint Technologies. "Dell has to reset Wall Street's expectations, but the computer industry is still seen as young. It's hard for a tech company to face Wall Street and say, 'Look, guys, this...