Dell loses another Taiwan consumer lawsuit

A Taiwanese woman has won a lawsuit forcing US computer giant Dell to honour bargains the firm said it mistakenly offered on the Internet, a court said Tuesday, the latest in a series of defeats for Dell.

The woman last year ordered two monitors for a total of 2,699 Taiwan dollars (87 US), a mark-down of about 80 percent from the original prices, but Dell refused to deliver the products saying the discount price was given in error.

"The defendant is an international corporation and it should not evade responsibilities stipulated in the contract," the Taipei district court said in a statement, adding that the verdict is final.

The ruling overturned an earlier decision in favour of Dell after determining that the consumer did not commit any abuse by placing the order, it said.

The ruling is Dell's second defeat in a consumer dispute in Taiwan this year after a court in June ordered the firm to deliver 18 laptops and 76 monitors to 31 consumers for 490,000 Taiwan dollars -- less than a third of the normal price. Dell can still appeal that ruling.

Last year Taiwanese authorities fined Dell one million Taiwan dollars for customer rights infringements for withdrawing online price offers.

Dell advertised the unusually low prices on its website, prompting bargain-hunters to place 200,000 orders.

Dell later apologised and offered a voucher of up to 20,000 Taiwan dollars for each customer in compensation but some consumers refused, preferring to go to court.

Dell was not immediately reachable for comment.

(c) 2010 AFP