RYAN HAGEN
Staff Writer
ANNA WEBBER/Assist. A&E Editor
Many Pepperdine students scrambled to see if their laptop could potentially explode after Dell recently recalled 4.1 million batteries.
Pictures of exploding laptops were first posted in June, and the recall began Aug. 14. Ten days later, Apple announced 1.8 million of its laptop batteries, also manufactured by Sony, posed the same danger.
However, some students seem unconcerned or unknowledgeable about the recall by Dell, the computer giant recommended and supported by Pepperdine University.
Apple’s recall involved its iBook and Powerbook models. While the university sells Apple products through the Computer Store, both Apple and sales representatives for the campus have stopped carrying this models, opting for the newer MacBook and MacBook Pro.
Dell’s promptness was not matched by all its consumers, however. Several Pepperdine students waited “a week or so” to check their battery’s status, and others still are unsure. Many said they didn’t consider it a top priority.
Six laptop batteries became overheated and burst into flames, prompting Dell to launch the largest ever electronics recall for safety reasons. It advises users to go to dellbatteryprogram.com to see if they need to replace their battery.
Freshman Natalie Gomez owns a laptop with a Latitude, one of several lithium-ion batteries which were suspect. “It probably is [an affected model],” she said.
But like many Pepperdine students, consumed with enjoying the last days of summer, she has yet to verify or send for a replacement battery.
For at least five years, Pepperdine has advised students to purchase a Dell and offered parts for their computers on the school Web site. An estimated 90 percent of colleges in Southern California have similar relationships, according to Dell representative Amy Leary, who was on campus twice during NSO to advertise and advise students about their laptops.
Because so many students could be affected, the university took the situation seriously, asking students in an online alert to check their battery and use the power cord until they knew they had a safe battery. Calvin Brantley, Pepperdine technical help desk operator, said the school heard from 10 to 15 students concerned about the situation. Following Dell’s recommendations, he directed them to dellbatteryprogram.com, where users should look for their battery’s model number on a list of vulnerable models. If they need a new battery, Dell will mail a replacement in an average of three to five days.
“Send it in early. This is worldwide,” Brantley advised, noting that some batteries can take up to 20 days to arrive.
Leary said Dell’s battery-checking Web site had received 117 million hits, indicating that many are worried. Yet of eight Pepperdine Dell users questioned, only two had verified their laptop was safe.
Others said they were concerned about the problem, but didn’t know what to do.
These students should go to the Web site as soon as possible, said Anthony Pichardo, account executive of Dell’s Student and Employee Purchase Programs.
08-28-2006
