Dell, Inc. Bait and Switch Round Rock, Texas

So if I read this right you were looking at computers and found that the same computer with the "free" XBox was $475(actually $476) more than you could get through the Student Program.  So what do you do?  You find the cheapest computer you could ($700) that would still enable you to get the "free" XBox.  I am going to take a guess here and say you aren't exactly the Valedictorian of your school are you.

But beyond that....

the $700.00 for the computer and the $200.00 for the Xbox (plus taxes on both - am I supposed to be taxed on free items?)
- In short..yes depending on your state.  If your state requires companies to tax "free" items based on their retail value you will get charged tax.  This is actually very common with the "free" or heavily discounted Cell Phones you get when you sign up for a contract.

This may also be why it was separated into two separate lines.  Without seeing the Invoice, I would guess that they charged you for both the XBox and Computer, added the tax and then gave you a credit for the XBox.

So what was the exact amount that you were charged?

1194 REPORTS.

Here's a definition of bait and switch...

Bait-and-switch is a form of fraud, most commonly used in retail sales but also applicable to other contexts. First, customers are "baited" by advertising for a product or service at a low price; second, the customers discover that the advertised good is not available and are "switched" to a costlier product.



You may be a victim of questionable sales tactics, but it hardly qualifies as "Bait & Switch."