The New York Attorney General's Office achieved what several Gripe Line readers want: reimbursement for Dell's failed claims of next-day, in-home support The comments on the post “Stuck in Dell’s endless tech support loop” show that a lot of you have been asked to do hands-on repair on Dell computers even when you’ve paid for on-site service. As DL put it, “Dell lost me as a customer two years ago when a technical support person wanted my 85 year old father to re-seat memory cards in an attempt to determine why his four-month old system would not boot. Even though I had also purchased the next business day service option, the support person kept telling him that he could not dispatch a service technician without a problem diagnosis.”In 2007, the New York State Attorney General’s office sued Dell for this and other practices, and on Wednesday, according to a press release from the Office of the Attorney General, “Dell and its subsidiary, Dell Financial Services (DFS), have agreed to pay the Attorney General’s Office $4 million in restitution, penalties and costs to resolve charges of fraudulent and deceptive business practices that scammed consumers across New York State.”[ Also on InfoWorld: “Stuck in Dell’s endless tech support loop” and “Dell to pay $4 million to settle New York fraud case” | Frustrated by tech support? Get answers in InfoWorld’s Gripe Line newsletter. ] Consumer Reports put together a video interview with Attorney General Cuomo explaining the suit, the settlement, and how New Yorkers can be compensated for service plans they purchased from Dell. If you have been on hold with Dell support, screwdriver in hand, it is rather satisfying to watch that video. But, in short, it says that Cuomo took on Dell because the company charged a premium for next-day, in-home service, though the service it provided was neither next-day or in-home, as many of you pointed out in the comments on Pete’s letter. The other count of fraud concerned the company’s offer of zero percent interest loans on which many people unwittingly paid interest.I don’t know if Pete, who wrote the letter that inspired the Gripe Line post, lives in New York, but if he does, Cuomo says that the laptop he purchased to replace his daughter’s computer — which he could not get fixed in a reasonable amount of time — qualifies for a settlement. Go to nyagdell.com to file a claim.OK, I know what you’re thinking: This is great for New Yorkers. What about me? According to another Consumer Reports story, your state might be next. The article states, “Other state attorneys general have also been pursuing cases against the company, said New York AG Andrew Cuomo in an interview with Consumer Reports Technology Editor Jeff Fox….And given the results in New York, he inferred, it’s likely that other states will succeed with their own cases.” Got gripes? Send them to christina_tynan-wood@infoworld.com. Technology IndustryDell