£77.99 ‘Microsoft Tax’ refund from Amazon UK

As someone who does not use Windows, it’s good to see some companies out there (Dell and System 76, for instance) that provide computers pre-installed with Linux. Ordering one of these computers means that it’s easy to avoid having to pay the so-called ‘Microsoft Tax’ that is added to the cost of the vast majority of computers sold.

It is probably called a ‘tax’ because it means that, effectively by default (because almost no one complains), Microsoft gets a cut from just about every PC sold.

But I read on The Open Sourcerer that it was possible to get a refund for Windows on machines purchased from Amazon UK. The trick is, don’t accept the Microsoft Windows licence the first time you turn on the computer. Then, contact the seller for a refund, explaining that you did not and cannot accept the licence, and that the licence instructs you to contact the seller for a refund.

The example from the Open Sourcerer is of someone receiving a refund from Amazon UK for Windows XP. However, as I discovered, this works for Windows Vista as well (and I suspect for Windows 7 too).

Here’s how it worked for me:

1. Why didn’t I just buy a system with Linux pre-installed so that I could avoid the ‘Microsoft Tax’?

The fact is, while it is great that companies out there are more and more often offering Linux as an alternative OS, the greatest variety of hardware configurations out there is to be found in PCs that (initially) come with Windows. So, if you want to have the greatest choice when it comes to hardware specs, you are forced to consider PCs burdened (again, initially) with the ‘Microsoft Tax’.

2. Why did I think I could buy the system I wanted and be sure to receive a refund for the ‘Microsoft Tax’?

I knew this would work because I trusted I’d receive the same treatment from Amazon UK as the Open Sourcerer did.

3. Which PC did I buy from Amazon UK?

I bought an Acer Aspire 5536 laptop with Windows Vista pre-installed. This is the system I wanted. Its cost, with Windows Vista, was £388.79. I wanted the ‘Microsoft Tax’ refunded.

4. What did I do then?

After the laptop arrived, I turned it on and was confronted with the licence from Microsoft. I photographed the relevant bits (the same bits photographed by the Open Sourcerer), did not accept the licence (ie, turned off the machine at that point), and installed Ubuntu Karmic (re-formatting the entire hard drive in the process).

I contacted Amazon UK. Initially, unlike in the case reported by the Open Sourcerer, they did not understand the situation. I persisted. I told them about the Open Sourcerer’s website, giving them the link noted above. They said they had to contact their Product Team.

The long and short of it is this: they told me to give them 3-5 days to sort it out; after about ten days (it was the Christmas holidays), I emailed them a reminder; they called me back personally to say that they were still working on it and would get back to me on the following day; two days later, I received an email saying they had confirmed with their Product Team that I should receive £77.99 as a refund for the ‘Microsoft Tax’ (for Windows Vista Premium Home). That’s 20% of the total cost of the laptop.

5. What do I recommend?

Ideally, all companies out there would offer a choice of operating systems on the systems they sell, and thus save people who don’t want Microsoft having to pay the dreaded ‘Microsoft Tax’. However, I am quite happy to promote Amazon UK here (I don’t know what the American version of Amazon is like with regard to this problem).

In future, I’ll know I can get the computer I want from Amazon UK and not have to worry about Microsoft effectively stealing my money by pre-installing software I don’t want and allowing me think I have no other option but to accept their licence.

6. Again, what’s it worth?

Here are the maths:

1 Acer Aspire 5536 from Amazon UK: £388.79
‘Microsoft Tax’ refunded: £77.99
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Total cost: £310.80 <— a saving of 20%

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IMPORTANT NOTE:  Amazon UK were quite helpful in sorting this refund for me. I suspect this was because I purchased the computer from them (and not from one of the companies that sell through them). If I’d bought the computer from another company–but through Amazon UK, then I may have had to talk to that other company directly.

If you are a non-Windows user and want the same treatment, I’d go to Amazon UK. However, keep in mind that, technically, any company selling you a computer with Windows pre-installed on it is obliged to provide you with a refund if you don’t accept the Microsoft licence.