According to Mike Bertolani, National Sales Manager for SED international, the primary supplier of Dell computers to the RTO sector, very few Rent to Own companies will be affected by this recall.

Dell is recalling 4.1 million Dell-branded lithium-ion batteries with cells manufactured by Sony. Under rare conditions, it is possible for these batteries to overheat, which could cause a risk of fire.

The recalled batteries were sold with the following Dell notebook computers: Dell Latitude D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810; Inspiron 6000, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 500m, 510m, 600m, 6400, E1505, 700m, 710m, 9400, E1705; and Dell Precision M20, M60, M70 and M90 mobile workstations; and XPS, XPS Gen2, XPS M170 and XPS M1710. The batteries were also sold separately, including in response to service calls. "Dell" and one of the following are printed on the batteries: "Made in Japan" or "Made in China" or "Battery Cell Made in Japan Assembled in China." The identification number for each battery appears on a white sticker. Customers should have this number available when they contact Dell to determine if their battery is part of the recall.

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According to Mike Bertolani, National Sales Manager for SED international, the primary supplier of Dell computers to the RTO sector, very few Rent to Own companies will be affected by this recall. "The models affected are not typically rental models," said Bertolani. He added that SED has already contacted Rent to Own dealers affected by the recall. To learn more, contact SED's Mike Bertolani at 800-444-8962 Ext 1184, or Dell's Linda Mosley at 877-671-3355 option 1 Ext 7246699.

Dell sold or provided these batteries with the notebook computers, as part of a service replacement, and as individual units from April 1, 2004, through July 18, 2006. The computers with these batteries sold for between $500 and $2,850 and individual batteries sold for between $60 and $180.

Contact Dell to determine if notebook computer batteries purchased by you are part of this recall. More information is posted on Dell's website, or call toll-free at 1-866-342-0011, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time. Customers may continue to use the notebook computers safely by turning the system off, ejecting the battery, and using the AC adapter and power cord to power the system until the replacement battery is received.

Dell said it does not expect this recall to have an adverse effect on its results of operations, financial position or cash flows.