Did anyone else recieve this from Dell?  

To Our Valued Customers and Friends:
U.S. export laws restrict the sale of technology to terrorists and
to people in countries that support terrorism. These laws also prohibit
computer sales to people who will use the technology in developing
biological or nuclear weapons. Dell strictly complies with our country's
export laws in order to ensure the safety of our customers and citizens
around the world. When there is reasonable cause for concern, we carefully
review customer orders for prohibited destinations and activities.
When additional follow-up on an order is required, our sales
representatives ask our customers four basic questions:
1. Who is the end-user?
2. Where will the product be used?
3. What will the product be used for?
4. What type of business or industry is involved?
The answers to these questions, like all customer information we
gather, are confidential and are not shared outside of Dell.
We recently received an order from Mr. Jack Weigand, whose company
name, "Weigand's Combat Handguns Inc." included the word "combat." We
cancelled the order to give us enough time to follow up with the customer
and be assured that the sale would be in compliance with U.S. export law.
However, we failed to contact Mr. Weigand, and as a result, we did not
deliver the order as promised, and the customer did not know why. Once we
discovered our error, we apologized to Mr. Weigand for this
misunderstanding, as well as the inconvenience caused by the delay. This is
not the service standard that we hold ourselves to at Dell.
We at Dell feel a strong obligation to uphold our federal law, but
we have just as strong an obligation to be responsive to the needs of all
our customers. We want to assure you that the company does not discriminate
against any business, regardless of the products or services they sell, nor
do we discriminate against individual consumers. We do, however, sometimes
make mistakes - as we did in this case.
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Dell Computer Corporation


What a load of crap!  I made sure I sent a nice reply [:)]

Yup got it a couple hours ago.

Like anyone with malicious intent will answer truthfully.

NEXT: NICS for computers.

Here is the reply I got from them after sending them this.

Export laws to Pennsylvania? Are you outta your minds?  How about all the
money you donate to Handgun Control Inc.? They are considered by a lot of
people to be a terrorist group yet every year you give them money to take
away our constitutional rights.


The Reply...

Dear Valued Customers and Friends:
We appreciate the opportunity to clarify the facts regarding a customer
issue reported in the media and Dell's position on political or social
issues that many of you care deeply about.
Regarding Handgun Rights/Handgun Control....
Dell is a publicly-traded, customer-focused company with customers,
shareholders and employees on both sides of many public, social and
political issues. Our place is to serve our customers rather than to endorse
or support one position over another in public debates outside the scope of
our industry.
We do not discriminate against any business, regardless of the products or
services they sell, nor do we discriminate against individual customers. We
do, however, respect the right of any organization or individual to have
their own point of view. We follow all laws, rules and regulations.
Regarding allegations that Dell supports Handgun Control organizations
through the Dell Affiliates program...
Dell as a company remains neutral on handgun rights and handgun control.
Dell customers can support causes and organizations, if they choose, through
Dell's affiliates program and charitable websites such as igive.com and
progressivefunds.com. These sites feature links to Dell's website. Dell's
affiliates program provides a way for customers to support the cause or
organization of their choice through their Dell purchases. Affiliate
participants, such as igive.com and progressivefunds.com, include
organizations and causes on different sides of nearly every social issue.
Some of the organizations participating through Dell affiliates such as
igive.com and progressivefunds.com., promote handgun rights, others promote
handgun control. Handgun Control Inc. (HCI) has been reported as one
organization that participates in this program. Others including The Gun
Owners Foundation and the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners
Foundation, Inc. also participate through Dell affiliate igive.com.
The only organizations prohibited from participating in Dell's affiliates
program are those that promote sexually explicit material; promote violence;
promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality,
disability, sexual orientation or age; or promote illegal activities.

{continued}

{continued}

Regarding the assertion that Dell cancelled Mr. Jack Weigand's order for a
notebook computer because of his firearm association...
We made a mistake. Mr. Weigand's order was improperly cancelled because we
did not gather the additional information required by U.S. law to process
his order. Dell flagged Mr. Weigand's order (initiated under his company
name Weigand's Combat Firearms) for additional follow-up (and then we failed
to do so) because of the word "combat" in his company name. This internal
control is in place to ensure that a domestic purchase is not redirected to
an end user for a prohibited use (such as the creation and development of
weapons of mass destruction) or to a country that has been restricted from
receiving U.S. technology exports (such as Libya, Syria, Iran and Iraq).
This due diligence is required by U.S. law. We also review orders for words
such as "nuclear," "missile," and "plutonium." Dell's process excludes
reviews for "guns" or "firearms."
The mistake was ours because we failed to follow our process. We failed to
call Mr. Weigand for information that would have satisfied legal
requirements and ultimately would have resulted in completion of Mr.
Weigand's transaction. We have apologized for this mistake directly to Mr.
Weigand. We have tried to make it right with our customer by giving him a
free computer for his trouble and inconvenience.
Dell has many customers and employees who are handgun owners and
enthusiasts. We know that gun owners and advocates, such as Mr. Weigand, are
law abiding Americans, and as such, can understand and appreciate our
efforts to comply with American export laws, while serving all customers.
We have heard from many of you over the last few days, and we appreciate the
opportunity to speak with you directly about these issues. Your
relationships with us, and your feedback about our products and services are
crucial to our success.
Sincerely,
Tom Green
Senior Vice President,
Law and Administration
Dell Computer Corporation

I still don't know if I'll let em off the hook.

The whole "screening" thing is retarded anyways. What terrorist is going to call their company something with the word "Nuclear" "Combat" "Terrorist" or whatever and then submit that info to an online vendor anyways?

Stupid.

Shawn

In case you hadn't noticed, a lot of Federal laws are stupid.

Dell's jumped through their asses after making a mistake.  Cut them some slack, y'all.

I just got that email too.  

That is the most even-handed and well formulated corporate response I've ever seen.  But, for some, it will never be good enough.

I don't think some gun-owners will EVER be satisfied... they just gotta have an enemy, real or imagined.  This paranoid behavior does more harm, and makes more enemies for our cause, than *anything* Dell has done.

Think about it.

Apology accepted.  

Sounds pretty reasonable to me.
What more can they say?

It sounds like they are trying to fix their f*ck-up.  

What terrorist is going to order a computer with missile, plutonium, jihad, or other similar terms?

Akmeds House of Jihad and Nuclear Missiles....hmmmmm think they would get a computer?

Clearly this is an issue with federal law, not an anti-gun stance by dell.  Check the policies of other computer manufacturers and I'm betting that you'll find similar things.  The stupid thing about this dell vendetta some of you still insist upon, is that there are so many targets with a blatant anti-gun stance.  We should focus on them rather than companies that are, very clearly, trying to remain neutral.

I would not be so quick to excuse Dell. Check out this string on Benchrest.com. It appears they didn't want to do business with Montana Shooting Sports Association either. I don't see any words like combat, anthrax, terrorist, or Osama bin Laden in the name of that organization.

[url]http://www.benchrest.com/rimfire_board/index.cgi?read=58672[/url]

I got this off the IPSC List. This info is from the NRA Instute for Leglislative Action, via their email forum.


DELL AND OUR RIGHT TO ARMS This week has seen a great deal of discussion on the Internet and via e-mail regarding the Dell Computer Corporation. It all started when the president of the American Pistolsmiths Guild, Inc., Jack Weigand of Weigand Combat Handguns, Inc., attempted to order a Dell notebook computer. But Dell had implemented a screening process (in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11) that included holding up orders to companies with certain words in their name. This screening process was designed to better ensure compliance with federal export laws. One of those words is "combat," and Mr. Weigand`s order was cancelled in the screening process, pending a follow-up by company staff. But in the case of Mr. Weigand, no such follow-up occurred, and when the concerned customer called Dell, he was told his order was cancelled. Mr Weigand naturally became concerned that Dell was opposed to the firearms industry.

When NRA became aware of this situation, we contacted Dell, and the company has been very responsive to our concerns. It also quickly contacted Mr. Weigand to offer an apology and an explanation as to why his order had been cancelled. Dell representatives have shown a genuine concern over the implication that it takes a position in the debate over firearms, and it has gone to great lengths to assure NRA, and Mr. Weigand, that the company is not interested in taking sides in this political discussion.

Additional concerns have been raised over Dell`s affiliation with a little-known online fundraising program called EduOrg.com -- set up to help raise money for colleges, interest groups, and other non-profit organizations. The group has established separate websites to assist "educational institutions...politically conservative organizations, and...politically liberal organizations." The concern over Dell stems from the fact that it is included as part of EduOrg.com`s online virtual shopping mall, and one of the non-profit groups that could profit through EduOrg.com is the gun-ban lobby formerly known as "Handgun Control, Inc." (While HCI has officially changed its name, EduOrg.com, through its "politically liberal organizations" site, still lists the group under its old name.) When contacted about this, Dell officials stated they were looking into this partnership, but it should also be pointed out that Dell did not choose to be listed on HCI`s section, as it is simply automatically listed on the site of any organization that gets involved with this online fundraising system. In fact, one can also find Dell listed on all of the sites under the conservative heading. Such "affinity" programs have become commonplace in the era of the Internet, and generally do not reflect any given political bent on the part of participating vendors when they do not specifically benefit a single group or cause.

NRA will continue to explore these issues, but it would appear that Dell as a corporation does not support an anti-gun agenda, as some have been reporting. Rest assured that we will continue to report on any developments on this front.

I submit the forgoing as information only.

Doug Whiton

NO

No wonder we have so much trouble protecting our rights.  We can't stop fighting each other.

Nobody is fighing each other. We are all just expressing our opinions.:)  Dell has their policy and I have mine. I have never bought anything from them before and will not buy anything from them now, even less.
Pure and simply, I don't like their policy. Their policy would be insulting if it wasn't a joke in the first place. Their vain attempt at trying to convince me that they are just trying to follow federal law is BS at best. Their basic questions, in an effort to try to determine who they can filter out are lame as well. As if...

1. " Who is the end user"?
A true American that believes the Constitution overrides any stupid federal law everytime.

2. " Where will the product be used"?
Anywhere in the Free World. The product is being sold and shipped to a business in the U.S.;  Federal export laws don't apply.  Anything else is none of your damn business.

3. "What will the product be used for"?
To continue the pursuit of happines and prosperity in the country that encourages free enterprise. The same free enterprise system that allowed Dell Computer to become the company it is today before you got too big to remember how a POS company like Dell got there in the first place.

4. "What type of business or industry is involved"?
 The business and industry that was crucial in helping to create and shape this country from its inception. The industry that supplies the tools and instruments, that millions of Americans used to serve this country and have given their lives for in trying hard to maintain and defend your freedom...... yes, even to defend a POS company like Dell.

Your online agreement with Dell, #14, states that you certify you are the end-user and not buying for export, which requires a different agreement.  The rest of the questions Dell said they needed to ask Jack were all in this #14 section of the agreement he had already agreed to.

So now, because he had the word "combat" in his business name he is forced to reiterate his agreement, well....only if they got back to him.

Quite frankly all the words Dell chose to flag are specious reasons to check up on "domestic users". I see no real security benefits but only the public perception that they are doing "something". I would venture to guess the computer he bought was legal for export anyway.  [url]www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,49453,00.html[/url]. But they're free to run their business any way they wish and we're free to do business with them or not.

I'd think every Arabic word be flagged, but we may not get them to admit that, if it is true.  

Sales Filter
Software Helps U.S. Companies Avoid Selling to Terrorists

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/TechTV/techtv_softwarescreen020301.html

"Companies that use Vastera's product include [b]Dell Computer[/b], Microsoft, Lucent Technologies, and Novell."


The headline was a sidebar to another ABCNews article lined in another thread about the pissy French and their opinion of the US (can you say "As IF?)

Now THIS is AR15.com [blue][i]synergy[/i][/blue]

All Dell had to do was check and see if they were indeed doing business with a domestic company.  They made a decision not a mistake, and they ain't bullshiting me into thinking otherwise.  I am never buying a thing from them, never.  I consider their BULLSHIT cover up STORY slap in the face #2.

You crying ass Dell stock holders can also go to hell.

... from the medias POV I submit:

March 1, 2002, 12:21AM

Dell: Refusal to Sell laptop to Gun Dealer a Mistake

Associated Press

AUSTIN -- Dell Computer Corp., amid complaints from some
firearm advocates, said Thursday its refusal to sell a laptop
computer to a northeastern Pennsylvania gun shop owner was a
mistake.

Earlier this month, Weigand Combat Handguns Inc. owner Jack
Weigand ordered a notebook computer over the telephone
from Round Rock-based Dell. His Mountaintop, Pa., shop has
customized handguns since 1982.

When the laptop did not arrive by the expected delivery date,
Weigand called Dell and was told his order was canceled
because Dell feared the computer may be used for illegal
activity.

Chief Executive Officer Michael Dell said in a statement that the
company screens its orders under federal export laws "to
restrict the sale of technology to terrorists and to people in
countries that support terrorism."

The screenings, which have been conducted for the past five
years, include searching for certain words in orders such as
"combat." Handguns or firearms are not words that prompt red
flags, the company said.

Usually, sales representatives investigate orders that are flagged
by asking the purchaser four questions about who, where and
why the products will be used. If OK'd, the order is delivered.

But in Weigand's case, a sales representative did not follow up
and the order was never delivered, Michael Dell said.

"Once we discovered our error, we apologized to the customer
for this misunderstanding, as well as the inconvenience caused
by the delay," Dell said.

Weigand, who also is president of the American Pistolsmiths
Guild and an instructor for the National Rifle Association, said in
an interview Thursday that Dell's apology and offer to give him
the laptop for free aren't enough to win back his business.

"I, for one, am sick and tired of people assuming just because
we are involved with firearms that we are doing something
illegal. I also do not believe Dell deserves our business if this is
how they intend to treat us," Weigand said in a message on his
Web site.

Michael Dell said his company made a mistake in how it
handled Weigand's case, and that Dell does not discriminate
against any business or individual, regardless of the products or
services they sell.

Weigand said he has since discovered Dell is one of several
businesses that donates to an anti-handgun group a portion of
every sale made through the group's Web site.

"I could never in good conscience, as a firearms owner and as a
firearms business owner, give Dell any money or use their
products if they are contributing to the people who are trying to
take my guns away, or really, put me out of business," Weigand
said.

Weigand said he has answered more than 700 e-mails and
fielded dozens of telephone calls about the incident since
Tuesday. "This has turned out to be quite the traumatic
experience," he said.

Dell has also received several inquiries, mostly from gun groups,
said spokesman Cathi Hargett.

"We never want to minimize a customer complaint. We take that
very seriously, but there is a fair amount of misunderstanding out
there right now," she said.

Hello Dell?
I am from Plutonium Nuclear Missile Combat Inc. and was wondering if I could buy some computers from you. We are having the damndest time keeping up with international demand for our products of mass destruction. Thank You!

Praire-Ranger,
  You hit the nail right on the head! Dell is so full of s#*t claiming they need Echelon-like filters for "dangerous" and "suspicious" words. Like a terrorists organization would ever use them. Wake up sheep! Dell just might keep us safe from the United Coalition of Anti-American Tritium Trigger Plutonium H-Bomb Arab Evil Doers, but in the meantime they are full of s#*t!!!
  Harp


 

I guess since Mr. Weigand's proposed computer was for EXPORT everything is fine now.

(It was for export right ?)

Of course I'm probably just confused but was Jack Wiegand's order for export or are all Dell orders considered to be for export ?
[?]

I think the prudent shopper will do well to stay away from Dell. You can't change a leopards spots. The whole company philosophy fails on patriot support. If they're into checking you out, you don't need them.

This raises the question of what hidden circuits Dell may have added or know have been added (perhaps by request of some alphabet soup org) to their computers which would facilitate the spying on the purchaser. Dell does not sound like a company which has the purchasers best interest in mind. I wouldn't be surprised if they already had unadvertised video or audio circuits incorporated in their computers to comply with anti-constitutional communication requirements. I don't know what they're up to. But seems like to me that I should error on the side of my safety and just avoid them.

I got me a breban Dell.

Gateway, no problems.  Two high end Dells', many problems and a tech support that is so convoluted as to be unusable.  New laptop, Toshiba, no problems and the young man at Best Buys never asked if I might put it to evil ends(of course he also did not know that I had a Glock in my pocket).  I had already made the decision to never buy Dell again , this just confirms that decision.  Apology or not, Dell is anti gun.

Also, you notice that Dell has not decided to cease and desist from investigating purchasers. Dell continues to keep in place a policy which smacks of Big Brother.

I'm told that Rosie had her contract terminated by K-mart after her anti-gun position was televised. And, according to Alex Jones, K-Mart went bankrupt because of their position against selling guns in their stores. If this is true, then we second ammendment people have some clout left. Perhaps we can shore up the second ammend. without going to court over it. Perhaps we can strongly influence our society (oops, is this terroist talk?) by what we buy and where we buy it.  

I'll say this: If they're not with us, then they're against us and I don't need no stinking Dell product.

oooh, I got a long one:

Dear Valued Customers and Friends:
We appreciate the opportunity to clarify the facts regarding a customer
issue reported in the media and Dell's position on political or social
issues that many of you care deeply about.
Regarding Handgun Rights/Handgun Control....
Dell is a publicly-traded, customer-focused company with customers,
shareholders and employees on both sides of many public, social and
political issues. Our place is to serve our customers rather than to endorse
or support one position over another in public debates outside the scope of
our industry.
We do not discriminate against any business, regardless of the products or
services they sell, nor do we discriminate against individual customers. We
do, however, respect the right of any organization or individual to have
their own point of view. We follow all laws, rules and regulations.
Regarding allegations that Dell supports Handgun Control organizations
through the Dell Affiliates program...
Dell as a company remains neutral on handgun rights and handgun control.
Dell customers can support causes and organizations, if they choose, through
Dell's affiliates program and charitable websites such as igive.com and
progressivefunds.com. These sites feature links to Dell's website. Dell's
affiliates program provides a way for customers to support the cause or
organization of their choice through their Dell purchases. Affiliate
participants, such as igive.com and progressivefunds.com, include
organizations and causes on different sides of nearly every social issue.
Some of the organizations participating through Dell affiliates such as
igive.com and progressivefunds.com., promote handgun rights, others promote
handgun control. Handgun Control Inc. (HCI) has been reported as one
organization that participates in this program. Others including The Gun
Owners Foundation and the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners
Foundation, Inc. also participate through Dell affiliate igive.com.
The only organizations prohibited from participating in Dell's affiliates
program are those that promote sexually explicit material; promote violence;
promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality,
disability, sexual orientation or age; or promote illegal activities.

[continued]

Regarding the assertion that Dell cancelled Mr. Jack Weigand's order for a
notebook computer because of his firearm association...
We made a mistake. Mr. Weigand's order was improperly cancelled because we
did not gather the additional information required by U.S. law to process
his order. Dell flagged Mr. Weigand's order (initiated under his company
name Weigand's Combat Firearms) for additional follow-up (and then we failed
to do so) because of the word "combat" in his company name. This internal
control is in place to ensure that a domestic purchase is not redirected to
an end user for a prohibited use (such as the creation and development of
weapons of mass destruction) or to a country that has been restricted from
receiving U.S. technology exports (such as Libya, Syria, Iran and Iraq).
This due diligence is required by U.S. law. We also review orders for words
such as "nuclear," "missile," and "plutonium." Dell's process excludes
reviews for "guns" or "firearms."
The mistake was ours because we failed to follow our process. We failed to
call Mr. Weigand for information that would have satisfied legal
requirements and ultimately would have resulted in completion of Mr.
Weigand's transaction. We have apologized for this mistake directly to Mr.
Weigand. We have tried to make it right with our customer by offering him a
free computer (which he declined to accept) for his trouble and
inconvenience.
Dell has many customers and employees who are handgun owners and
enthusiasts. We know that gun owners and advocates, such as Mr. Weigand, are
law abiding Americans, and as such, can understand and appreciate our
efforts to comply with American export laws, while serving all customers.
We have heard from many of you over the last few days, and we appreciate the
opportunity to speak with you directly about these issues. Your
relationships with us, and your feedback about our products and services are
crucial to our success.


Sincerely,
Tom Green
Senior Vice President,
Law and Administration
Dell Computer Corporation

The media would roast a company for not even looking into a company with the word "combat" in the title and something happened.

My .02

I'm satisfied with Dell's position on guns. I'll probbaly buy a Dell later this year. What i can't figure out is how does John McCain stay in office? What does a politician have to do turn off his voter base? What Conservative in their right mind would vote for him? Any thoughts?

Riggghhht!  I guess Ahmed's Jihads 'r' Us will be changing their name to Ahmed's Flower Children.  Give me a break.  Dell will get exactly two things from me.  Jack and sh#$*(.  And I'm all out of Jack.

Seems to me that if indeed Dell wants the business of 2nd amendment supporters the onus is on them to PROVE to us that they in no way support our enemies.  After all, it was Dell who found themselves under the spotlight in regard to this matter. We did not put them there.  

Let's do a little research on Gateway too.  Which brings us to the big question: Is there a large American company - PERIOD - who openly supports our constitutional rights?  There are plenty who openly support those who are trying to take our rights and destroy America (Greenpeace, HCI, MADD, etc), but can somebody name a few who openly and unabashedly support the 2nd amendment?

I have yet another concern on this topic.  I recieved a JPFO notice this morning regarding the NRA's position on Dell computers.  To para-phrase, they were taking up for Dell.  As a NRA Life Member, this concerns me greatly.  I sent an e-mail to the NRA asking for their official position, but I have not received a response.  I believe Dell's apology is nothing more than damage control, and I would expect an organization like the NRA to be able to see through the smoke screen.