The statements came full blast from top PC manufacturers on how they will handle the Intel Sandy Bridge chipset flaw , which can potentially impact peripherals linked to the SATA port on the motherboard. Almost every company, from HP to Asus, offered replacements as soon as the new chipsets arrived from Intel. And if customers are still not satisfied, they can send the desktop, laptop, or motherboard back for a full a refund.
Samsung Electronics, South Korea's largest electronics maker, came out first with a statement to Bloomberg, then followed it up with an official statement to its customers: "Samsung is being proactive and will replace the affected PC at no cost when replacements are made available. As an alternative option, customers may return their product to the original place of purchase for a full refund. Contact Samsung Customer Service at 800-726-7864 for more information."
Asus was a little more thorough with its statement, creating a webpage and listing the exact laptop, motherboard, and desktop models affected. "ASUS notebook and desktop products are covered by a warranty service that addresses the design error, with both swap and sales return offered as options to customers.", according to the landing page.
Other companies are taking a more intimate approach.
"Velocity Micro is working with Intel and our customers to identify the best course of action to satisfy each customer," said Randy Copeland, CEO of Velocity Micro. "We will be contacting customers individually to discuss the appropriate course of action by providing our complete analysis of the Cougar Point SATA errata, the impact on the customer's specific unit, and to provide a menu of choices for customers to decide which action they wish to take."
PC juggernauts, HP and Dell, postponed preliminary ship dates of their Sandy Bridge systems
"Dell and Intel are in communication regarding the design issue in the recently released Intel 6 Series (Sandy Bridge) support chip, code-name Cougar Point," Dell said in a statement. "This affects four currently-available Dell products, the XPS 8300, the Vostro 460, the Alienware M17x R.3 and the Alienware Aurora R.3, as well as several other planned products including XPS 17 with 3D. We're committed to addressing this with customers who have already purchased one of the four products and will provide further details on this as it becomes available."
"The issue is primarily limited to certain consumer notebooks and certain consumer desktops", says an HP spokesperson. "One commercial desktop PC model marketed to small business customers in the Europe-Middle East-Africa region is affected. No other commercial desktop products currently shipping are affected. No HP commercial notebooks, ProLiant servers or workstations are affected. Customers can return their affected product and choose a comparable product or receive a refund."
Cyberpower and Lenovo chimed in as well, saying that they will extend warranties, make all necessary hardware replacements, and issue refunds if there are any doubts.
Toshiba was little more direct with its statement, requesting that "you return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund. You should back up your data and remove any confidential, proprietary or personal information before returning the product."