Dell laptop batteries are not allowed to be used on planes.
August 22, 2006
Whilst queuing at the X-ray machine yesterday at Canberra Airport the diligent security staff asked me whether I had a Dell laptop, and when he said yes he asked me to remove the battery so that the contacts could be taped up with some tape.
Curiously the Fujitsu laptop I was also carrying didn’t have to have its battery removed – therefore I assume that the problem is something to do with the case of exploding Dell laptop batteries which has resulted in the recall of a very large number of laptop batteries.
The whole episode left me a little bit frustrated. As the carrier of a Dell laptop I feel like I am a little bit penalised because of the device I chose. Perhaps more alarmingly the security officer said that it was an arrangement that Dell was aware of to quote:
“as per the agreement between Qantas and Dell”
So when did Dell stop advocating for their customers?
August 22, 2006 at 2:53 am
This stupid airport security logic really gets me worked up …
So does this mean for the rest of our lives as dell users we cant use them on a plane even though the battery isnt part of the recall ?? Say I have a battery that is faulty and I dont get it changed and in another 5 years I get on a plane does this lessen the risk ?? No and in another year nobody will care.
Its like photo id … I go to the checkin and I have to have photo id … I got to a kiosk and I dont … I should be one way or another.
Coming back from the partner conference my novelty microsoft soccer ball was deemed dangerous because it might explode … what the amount of pressure on the ball to make that happen the ball is the last of the problems. The real stupid part was when I protested they agreed … what so if just because I argue now its not a problem.
A few weeks back I flew from Sydney to Melbourne and back, my deodarant because it didnt have a lid was a problem … mind you flying to melbourne it wasnt a problem but back it is why the difference nobody could explain except that it is different security company … and no lid is the problem not the can itself … what would stop me removing said lid if it was a “concerned item” before boarding nothing. Its a stupid illogical rule …
Somebody has to fix these stupid secuirty rules and make them consistant
August 22, 2006 at 3:31 am
Hi James. I completely agree – of course, the risk of being consistent is that you get the stupid rules applied consistently.
August 22, 2006 at 2:50 pm
Do the right thing – Vote with your money. *don’t* fly Qantas.
They’re useless.
August 22, 2006 at 4:08 pm
Hi K, tempting, unfortunately when flying from Canberra to Melbourne Qantas have a bit of a monopoly. But in principal I agree – I should vote with my wallet
August 22, 2006 at 11:21 pm
Do something even more right K, dont buy the cheap rubbish Dell produces using slave labour. Whats the difference between Qantas and Dell?…Qantas never crashed or blew up in a customers face. I know what I’d rather spend my money on.
August 23, 2006 at 6:19 am
Hi Brendan,
Tell us what you really think mate!
August 24, 2006 at 5:06 pm
You’re in the SMH!
http://www.smh.com.au/news/biztech/safety-first-for-carryon-dells/2006/08/23/1156012601607.html
August 24, 2006 at 10:44 pm
Lot of contradictions out there.
http://www.cnet.com.au/laptops/laptops/0,39035649,40092162,00.htm
Dell’s optimism won’t sway me into buying a Dell…
http://au.news.yahoo.com/060815/19/105jm.html
August 27, 2006 at 5:17 am
Hi Steven,
Yep – I got interviewed during the week. Wednesday I think it was.
August 27, 2006 at 5:18 am
Hi Mike,
I think Dell are actually suffering as a company right now – they have grown too fast and they have forgotten some of the things that turn a good company into a great company. They need to focus on customer service a lot more. The Dell that I deal with these days is very different to the Dell that I dealt with five or six years ago.
August 27, 2006 at 7:49 am
[...] On Wednesday last week I got interviewed by Louisa Hern from the Sydney Morning Herald. She had found out about my blog post about being stopped at the security gate because I was carrying a Dell laptop and wrote an article about that and other similar incidents around the country. [...]
August 27, 2006 at 7:52 am
[...] I had an idea when I was in Sydney last week about how Dell and Apple could win back some brownie points with their customers, especially those that are dealing with security at airports. Rather than it being a negative experience they could have a Dell or Apple representative waiting offering to replace affected batteries right there and then. [...]
August 27, 2006 at 4:32 pm
The problem with this solution
“Rather than it being a negative experience they could have a Dell or Apple representative waiting offering to replace affected batteries right there and then. […]”
It’s easily fixed they would need to be fully charged replacements or you are still in the situation of being unable to use your laptop or at least I couldn’t (I believe you need a special adaptor to use the plane’s power supply and I don’t have it).
December 30, 2007 at 12:09 am
[...] Last year I posted about the impact of the Dell/Apple/other battery recall on the travelling public – well, at least how it impacted me [...]
March 10, 2008 at 10:52 pm
[...] Did you like this brief introduction? Find out about it in full detail here. [...]