CONSUMER GETS "LEMONAID" FOR DEFECTIVE DELL COMPUTER

Chicago, Illinois - You've heard the horror stories about cars that turn out to be lemons, but what about computers? Just ask Ron Mazur of Illinois. His $3500 Dell continued to "blow up internally", even after Dell repaired it 6 times. He would confirm the diagnosis of his Dell as a bona fide " lemon". According to the Computer Industry Almanac, the United States has the largest number of PC's in use, with 175 million total units at years end 2001. That's up approximately 13 million from 2000. An estimated 50.4% are used in homes in the U.S.,which is greater in-home usage than any other country in the world. Although there are no true statistics available to measure the percentage of units sold that are "lemons", the industry average stands at around 1%. The growth in both computer sales and usage, has motivated some state legislatures to begin working on laws that would protect the consumer who purchases a defective computer. These laws would be similar to the vehicle lemon laws enacted in most states.The Illinois State House of Representatives unanimously passed "The Computer Lemon Act", or House bill 720, in March of 2001. The Bill proposes manufacturers be given 2 attempts to fix a defect, and than a replacement computer or compensation must be offered to the buyer, if the unit can not be repaired. The Bill moved to the Illinois Senate, where, as of March 8, 2002, it sits with the Rules Committee. Eventual passage of The Computer Lemon Act would provide a consumer, such as Ron Mazur, with relief from his "dysfunctional Dell", and would ensure that manufacturers comply with their warranties. Mazur had no complaints with his previous computer, a Compaq desktop, but upgraded to a Dell, based on the manufacturer's reputation for quality at an affordable price. "I thought they would stand behind their product," says Mazur," but after each repair, it would work for a few weeks at most, than burn up inside the unit. There was fire and smoke, it was scary." Mazur tried to reason with Dell, but they couldn't repair the computer he had and would not give him a new one. They claimed the problems were in his apartment's wiring, though no other tenants in the building were experiencing similar problems with their computers. Frustrated, and doubtful that he would ever have a working computer, Mazur contacted attorney Adam Krohn, of Krohn & Moss, Ltd., a Chicago law firm. With offices in 7 states, Krohn & Moss has handled thousands of lemon law claims. Some of those claims now include, "lemon computers". According to Mr. Krohn, "A computer is a complicated piece of equipment that the average consumer would now know how to repair. Why should you be at the mercy of the manufacturer if there is a defect that they can't repair, even after numerous attempts?" Dell was more willing to listen after a phone call from attorney Krohn, but he wonders how many other consumers are unaware that legal help is an option for a computer that turns out to be a "lemon". "Had my girlfriend not called Krohn & Moss, I would still be fighting to get a computer that works," Mazur says. The lemon law firm offers a free case review to owners of defective vehicles, computers, and other consumer products. Krohn & Moss utilize both federal and state laws, and the manufacturer involved in the claim must pay the attorney's fees, according to the laws. Mazur wound up with a new Dell computer, with more bells and whistles and no smoke and fire. "It still doesn't work as well as my old Compaq," he claims. To read the Chicagotribune.com story, please copy and paste the following link into your browser; http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/developers/chi-020503lemon.story