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(Image source: Flickr / abbamouse)
BY CHRISTIAN BRYANT
A senior technical consultant at Dell took to the computer company's online forum to
clear the odorous air this week, after Dell consumers complained of their laptops smelling
like litter boxes.
Since June, consumers have been blowing up a Dell online forum saying the new Latitude
6430u Ultrabook smelled like cat pee. Probably not an issue computer buyers were ready to
deal with.
But Dell's Steve B. emerged a hero Wednesday, saying the issue was caused by "a manufacturing
process that has now been changed. ... Dell has determined that the smell is not at all
related to cat urine or any biological contaminate."
Steve's solution came after users dumped some pretty hilarious and downright disturbing
complaints in a forum simply titled "New 6430u smells awful":
"I thought for sure one of my cats sprayed it," "I want you to know that I killed our
1 year old cat thinking that it was [peeing] on my computer each night," and then there
was, well, this.
I mean, I'd be pretty upset, too, if I spent more than $1,000 on something that smelled
like a feline urinal. (Via New York Daily News)
Diligent Dell employees kept users abreast of their progress in identifying the problem
while offering failed suggestions such as cleaning the keyboard with a soft cloth — before
Steve saved the day. (Via Boing Boing)
Steve also said the new 6430u Ultrabooks shouldn't have an odor problem. Dell has offered to
replace the key stench component in the older laptops.