Get a Refund on Defective Shimadzu Software (revised)
....Shimadzu's software should be re-labelled bugware!
Effective 1 October 2000, computer software endusers have the right to a refund if
their Shimadzu software does not work as advertised under a new Maryland law. By wide
margins, both the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland State Senate adopted
legislation with significant consumer protections. Under this new bill, Maryland law will
apply to any/all disputes between consumers and software companies (eg. Shimadzu
Scientific Instruments, Columbia, MD, USA) even if they are based in another state.
According to a Baltimore SUN article (11 April 2000) entitled "General Assembly
passes bill on software regulation," Maryland Delegate Kumar P. Barve remarked
"people are going to wake up on October 1 and discover that if their software doesn't
work, they'll be the only people in America entitled to a refund."
The State of Virginia has approved a similar bill but delayed its imposition until 2001 to
consider possible changes. Prior to the adoption of this consumer friendly legislation,
endusers were stuck with defective Shimadzu software products whether they worked or not.
Shimadzu will be forced to think twice before releasing any more of it's bugware for sale
to scientific endusers.... too bad Shimadzu couldn't or wouldn't bring it's software
standards up to snuff before passage of this new Maryland law!
UPDATE: In a Baltimore SUN newspaper article entitled "Software fine print clicks
in" which was publsihed October 1, 2000, it was noted that "the [new] law gives
consumers the right to return software for a full refund if they don't like the terms of
the [software] license or just don't like the product." Send that $hitmadzu
software BACK!
n.b. You can bet that your local Shimadzu sales rep will go out of
his/her way to hide the truth regarding this new law and your right to a refund. If a
refund is granted, it will be subtracted from his/her commissions!
n.b. Just because Maryland has this new law, this will not necessarily be the end of
defective Shimadzu software. Shimadzu imports some of it's bugware from Japan. The Class
5000 software for their GC-MS product offering is one such example!
n.b. If its not defective Shimadzu software that you have to be concerned about, then its
defective Shimadzu hardware! Do yourself a favor and keep this crap out of your lab!
At Shimadzu, it's all about cutting corners!
This page was last 
12/31/00