My Dell story is a bit less system-centric. I had a Dell monitor I'd bought surplus from a friend's employer. I needed a color-matching file for it (think "driver"), something you can get from most companies' websites' driver download areas. Well, Dell's website didn't
have a driver download section. The upshot of several weeks of phone calls and emails was a Dell representative telling me, in as many words, that only people who had purchased complete systems directly from Dell, and which were still under warranty, could obtain drivers. If for example you bought it from someone other than Dell, if you had, say, only a monitor, not a full system, or if your warranty had expired, no drivers for you. I have never heard of a computer company with a policy that was so demented. And it took me two weeks, multiple phone calls, and multiple emails to find this out.
I also have an HP inkjet printer right next to me. It's my third. I've had two HP scanners, there's an HP computer on the other side of this desk, etc. My previous printer did something very bad to its little plastic gears. I called HP. The CSR told me to try a couple of things, and when they proved that I knew what I was talking about, he said the FedEx driver would be there the next day. Which he was. As was my replacement printer, and the shipping label to send my borked one back. HP has sold me another (higher res) printer, a scanner, and a computer on the basis of that support call. And if I should happen to need a driver for any HP product, I know I can download one
here, without need for imbecilic CSRs.
Dell thought that denying me a monitor color-matching file would induce me to buy a complete system from Dell.
HP thought that replacing my broken printer would induce me to buy more things from HP.
Only one of them was right.
Though I should point out, I never demanded anything I hadn't paid for from HP. I'm not that kind of person.