Superdell Gets Probation & Fine

From KUTV:

Dell Schanze Gets Probation For Lying To Police

(KUTV / AP) WEST JORDAN Former computer store owner Dell Schanze gets one year of probation -- for lying to police officers last year about a confrontation with angry residents in Draper. He must also attend a class for "thinking errors."

The sentence was handed down on Wednesday by Judge Royal Hansen, who also ordered that Schanze pay a $552 fine and attend a course that teaches people how to make appropriate decisions.

Schanze would have to pay roughly $2,400 in fines and face 180 days in jail if he breaks probation.

Schanze was accused of speeding through a Draper neighborhood on May 21, 2005. Prosecutors say when he was confronted by angry residents, Schanze brandished a handgun.

Schanze, a concealed carry permit holder, says he never brandished his gun. Instead, he accused the angry residents of threatening him. Schanze's young daughter was with him during the confrontation.

He was charged with brandishing a weapon in a fight, giving false statements to police and reckless driving. At a later trial, Schanze was found 'not guilty.'

However, a jury convicted Schanze of lying to police about the confrontation. The reckless driving charge was reduced to class C misdemeanor speeding at the start of the trial when Schanze admitted driving 50 mph in a 25 mph zone.

Schanze is known for wacky commercials promoting his former company, Totally Awesome Computers.


From Salt Lake Tribune:

'Super Dell' fined for speeding, lying to police

By Stephen Hunt
Salt Lake Tribune

WEST JORDAN - For speeding through a Draper neighborhood last year, and then lying to police in connection with an alleged gun brandishing incident, an unrepentant "Super Dell" Schanze was sentenced Wednesday to 12 months probation and fined $522.

Third District Judge Royal Hansen also ordered Schanze, 36, to provide proof he had completed a class designed to correct "thinking errors."

Defense attorney Michael Bassett claimed Schanze had already completed a so-called "cognitive restructuring" class as part of his recent sentencing for buzzing Interstate 15 near Draper in his paraglider in May. The judge said he wanted to see the Draper court paperwork.

Prosecutor Christopher Bown had asked the judge to send Schanze to jail for two days because of his "attitude problems."

Schanze, Bown said, "doesn't feel he is subject to the same rules as the rest of us." He said Schanze had used the media to "mock" the justice system and the jury, which in May acquitted him of a class A misdemeanor gun brandishing charge.

Bown claimed Schanze committed several thinking errors during the brandishing episode, including inappropriate interaction with police officers.

"When talking to the police, you either invoked your rights [against self-incrimination] or you tell the truth," Bown said.

Schanze allegedly pulled a 10mm Glock from his pocket after three angry residents confronted him about speeding through their neighborhood on May 21, 2005.

Later, when writing a statement for police, Schanze claimed he pulled a cell phone from his pocket, but omitted any mention of a gun. The jury convicted him of writing a false statement, a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail.

Prior to the start of the trial, Schanze pleaded guilty to speeding 50 mph in a 25-mph zone, a class C misdemeanor.

On Wednesday, Judge Hansen suspended the potential jail term on the false statement conviction.

But Hansen warned that "180 days are waiting, if you don't follow through" with the probation requirements, which include no new violations of the law.

After the hearing, Schanze remained adamant that he never lied to police.

He said his failure to mention the gun in the police report was "irrelevant" because he had the legal right to possess and use the weapon to protect himself and his 8-year-old daughter.
According to trial testimony, one of the residents picked up a rock and threatened to break the tail lights on Schanze's black Jaguar.

After Wednesday's sentencing, Schanze said the judge had opted to be "politically correct," rather than "standing up and saying, 'This is bullcrap.' "

Schanze called the prosecutor "a loser" for charging him with crimes he didn't commit.
"Maybe I'll get killed and be charged with illegal bleeding," Schanze quipped.

Schanze insisted that by having a gun - which he claims he held behind his back and never pointed - he prevented anyone being injured that day. Without the gun, he said, there would have been a fight and, because he is has black belt in karate, "two guys would have been killed."
"Of course I had a gun that day," he added. "All responsible citizens should carry a gun" to avoid becoming crime victims.

Schanze also delivered his usual rant against the news media, claiming biased reports about the gun brandishing incident destroyed his multimillion-dollar Totally Awesome computer business.
Asked what he had learned from the court experience, Schanze replied: "I've learned the extent of how evil you [reporters] are."
shunt@sltrib.com


From Deseret News:

Schanze gets a fine, probation

'Super Dell' ordered to stay on good behavior for a year
By Linda Thomson
Deseret Morning News

WEST JORDAN — A judge has sentenced Dell Buck Schanze, the former computer mogul of "Super Dell" TV commercial fame, to pay a fine and stay on good behavior on probation for 12 months for misdemeanor counts of speeding and making a false written statement to police.

Third District Judge Royal Hansen on Wednesday suspended a 180-day jail sentence, imposed a $285 fine, charged $207 for the speeding citation and ordered Schanze to take a "cognitive restructuring course," which assists people in learning how to detect errors in their thinking.

Defense attorney Michael Bassett said Schanze already had taken that course at Sandy Counseling after being directed to by Sandy Municipal Court in connection with a separate misdemeanor paraglider incident. Hansen said if he receives paperwork indicating the course has been completed, he'll consider that as possibly satisfying the requirements of his sentence.

A smiling, denim-clad Schanze spoke at length in rapid-fire fashion telling the judge a class regarding "thinking errors" was unnecessary and could give a bad impression via the media.

"Why in the world would you want to change the thinking of a self-made millionaire who's lectured at almost every college in the state?" he asked. "Yes, I'm exuberant and outgoing and a positive thinker. I'm extremely mentally stable, and I'm not one who would be a danger to society."

"I appreciate your input, Mr. Schanze," the judge said, adding that Schanze has the right to appeal if he chooses.

Prosecutor Chris Bown said he does not think Schanze is a bad person but said he is dangerous because he thinks the rules that apply to others do not apply to him. Bown said Schanze has shown no remorse in this case and twice has paraglided into situations in Draper that caused problems — once when police were trying to deal with a suicidal man armed with a gun and once when firefighters were fighting a blaze and Schanze tried to get the heat updraft for his aircraft.

Outside the courtroom, Schanze denounced the prosecutor as "a loser," said the judge was trying to be politically correct, and stated news reporters — who are "swayed by Satan" — were spreading lies that destroyed his computer business and poisoned the jury against him. He called on reporters to repent and said he'd work with anyone who wanted guidance.

"If I was a really bad guy, would any of these news reporters be alive?" Schanze asked. "Ask yourself that question. You know you all have the ability to repent because of the grace of God, but you are still alive to do it, because of the grace of Super Dell."

He said he was sorry for speeding but insisted he did not mislead the police.

A jury in May acquitted Schanze, 36, of threatening or using a dangerous weapon, a class A misdemeanor, in connection with an incident in which some angry Draper residents followed him from their neighborhood, where they said he had been speeding, to a hang-gliding park.

They berated Schanze and one picked up a rock and threatened to break the tail lights of Schanze's Jaguar. Schanze, who had his 8-year-old daughter with him, said he took out a gun for which he has a concealed weapons permit and held it behind his leg for protection, then put it away.

However, the jury was not convinced Schanze told the truth in a report to police and convicted him of the class B misdemeanor written false statement charge. Schanze pleaded guilty to speeding charge before the trial started.

Superdell Pleads No Contest; Fan Pays Fine

From KSL:

Schanze Pleads No Contest
Richard Piatt Reporting

It was another interesting day in court for Super Dell Schanze today. After he pleaded no contest to a public nuisance charge, a total stranger agreed to pay his $300 fine for him.

It came out of the blue: A woman takes Super Dell's side, writes a 300-dollar check, and in response, he kisses her foot.

It was gratitude for a total stranger. But, Dell Schanze and Leslye Arrowsmith weren't strangers long.

"Thank you very much. I'm proud of you for standing up for what you believe in. Thank you. We love you. Thank you, I love you too."

Especially after she paid Schanze's 300-dollar fine for him.

Leslye Arrowsmith/ Paid Super Dell's Fee: "Today, I would pay Dell's 300 dollar fine. I don't care. That's how much I believe in Dell Schanze."

Prior to all that, Schanze pleaded 'no contest' to a public nuisance charge, tied to an early-morning para-gliding excursion a few weeks ago.

It was tape you saw only on Eyewitness News ---later a photograph confirmed it was Schanze. Draper police and the FAA both investigated, because of the dangerous distraction they say he was causing for commuters on I-15.

In addition to the fine, Schanze also agreed to probation for a year, in exchange for the city dropping a disorderly conduct charge.

Afterword, and in spite of the plea, Schanze insisted he was not guilty.

Dell Schanze/ Plead 'No Contest': "I'm the one, if I'm guilty I'll plead guilty. If I'm not guilty, I'll fight it. And sometimes, I'll plead no contest if I can get out of it and stop wasting everyone's time for another year over something that's really silly."

Dell Schanze: "I just think people need to back off, and report the news. Report what's really going on out there."

Even though these two started a friendship over how 'silly' they say the case is, the FAA and Draper Police are not laughing. They're serious about what they call an airspace violation.

Schanze also agrees to show up at a counseling session in the next few weeks. But everyone in court took great pains to point out that it is not a mental health evaluation.

From ABC4:

Super Dell Schanze's fan pays fine for ultralight aircraft violation

Super Dell Schanze appeared in court Tuesday over his latest escapade, flying his ultralight aircraft close too the I-15 freeway, but even the owner of now-defunct "Totally Awesome Computers" did not expect the incident to end as it did. Schanze did his usual big talking outside the courthouse, proclaiming his innocence and stating, "We can't have government institutions acting like morons."But inside, he quietly pleaded no contest to creating a public nuisance by distracting motorists, a Class B Misdemeanor. He was fined $300.That's where things took a turn for the unexpected. A female Schanze fan offered to pay his fine. Outside the courtroom, Leslye Arrowsmith, who had never met Schanze, said she would pay the fine because "I believe in Dell Schanze."Schanze replied that if she did, he would kiss her feet. Arrowsmith went into the cashier's office and wrote out a check for the full amount of the fine. And Schanze kept his word, sort of. He knelt down and kissed Arrowsmith's shoes, saying that he thought it was phenomenal what Arrowsmith did for him. As a thank you, Schanze offered Mrs. Arrowsmith a flight in his ultralight craft. No word yet on where or when that flight will take place, but one sure bet is that it probably will not be near a heavily traveled highway.
Story by: Robert Walz
news@abc4.tv

From Salt Lake Tribune:

Super Dell gets fined for paraglider buzzing
By Stephen Hunt
The Salt Lake Tribune

Paragliding enthusiast "Super" Dell Schanze - charged with disrupting traffic by buzzing Interstate 15 last month - was sentenced Tuesday to probation, counseling and a fine.

Schanze pleaded no contest in Draper City's justice court to a class B misdemeanor count of public nuisance.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dismissed a count of disorderly conduct, an infraction.

The public-nuisance conviction carried a potential six-month jail term, but Judge Daniel Bertch suspended the jail time in favor of a $300 fine and one year of probation.

A Schanze supporter paid the fine on the spot.

"I was grateful, and I kissed her feet in front of all the cameras," Schanze later told The Salt Lake Tribune during a phone interview. "I told her I'd be happy to take her paragliding."

On May 24, Draper police responded to reports of a motorized paraglider flying over I-15 at about the height of a two-story building. Police received reports that Schanze was the pilot and that he was flying low enough that witnesses feared he might crash. Utah Highway Patrol troopers said drivers were watching the paraglider rather than the road.

Schanze said Tuesday he was flying over an empty field for the majority of his flight but acknowledged crossing the freeway - legally, he claims - at about 500 feet.

Schanze said the FAA did not intend to file charges. But Draper City Prosecutor Melanie Serassio said she understood the FAA was waiting for the criminal case to conclude before proceeding with potential civil sanctions. Calls from The Tribune to the FAA in Seattle were not returned.

As a condition of his probation, Schanze must undergo an evaluation at a counseling agency and complete whatever treatment is recommended, Serassio said.

But Schanze's attorney, Michael Bassett, said the counseling agency will simply act "as a facilitator to make sure my client follows the law."

Schanze claimed he is being singled out by Draper police, who last year arrested him for allegedly brandishing a gun at several residents angry that Schanze was speeding through their neighborhood.

"Have they ever charged a paraglider with a crime in the history of time?" he asked. "But there is no law against what I did. They had to make something up, pull something out of their butt crack."

Despite his recent legal trouble and the dissolution of his computer-store empire, which he blames on the news media, Schanze said, "My heart is still full of love. I'm not bitter or angry about all these injuries. That's why so many people love Super Dell."

shunt@sltrib.com

From KUTV:

Super Dell Kisses Woman’s Feet For Paying His Fine

(KUTV) The Draper City case against Dell Schanze and his motorized paraglider is over. True to his nature there is another bizarre ending.We all know with Dell Schanze you never quite sure what you're going to get. Well, this afternoon, a big fan of Schanze showed up at the court hearing and offered to pay his fine. That's when the bizarre twist started. Another chapter in the Dell Schanze saga develops as he emerges from the Draper City justice center. This case involved his motorized paragliding episode where he is accused of flying to low and charged as a public nuisance and with disorderly conduct. But Draper City and Schanze have come to what they call a peaceful resolution. Schanze pleaded no contest to the nuisance charge and is fined 300 dollars. The city drops the disorderly conduct charge. "I pleaded no contest which means I'm not guilty I'm definitely not guilty but okay I'll take the plea bargain," Schanze said. As Schanze is explaining his case Leslye Arrowsmith suddenly steps into the picture. Leslye says she's never met Dell and feels like the media has destroyed his life and career. "We don't need to ruin Dell Schanze," she said. So she offers to pay his 300 dollar fine.Schanze says more than thank you. "If you pay it I will kiss your feet you got it....deal okay I'm going to kiss her feet. Thank you I love you," Schanze said. Dell and Leslye then go into the courthouse to make the payment. "You are so welcome best 300 dollars I've ever spent," said Arrowsmith. "Thank you very much for standing up for what you believe in that's awesome," Schanze said. Schanze has been placed on probation for one year...and he also has to undergo an evaluation by a counselor. As to what kind of evaluation that is Schanze is not saying but he says it's not a mental evaluation.

From the Daily Herald:

Schanze fined, ordered to undergo counseling
The Associated Press

DRAPER -- "Super" Dell Schanze has been fined $300 and ordered to undergo counseling for flying low close to Interstate 15.

Outside of court, Schanze kissed the feet of a woman who paid his fine.

Schanze, 36, pleaded no contest Tuesday in Draper's justice court to a class B misdemeanor count of committing a public nuisance.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dismissed a count of disorderly conduct, which is an infraction.

Judge Daniel Bertch also put Schanze on one year of probation.

Once Schanze obtains an evaluation, he must complete whatever treatment is recommended, Draper prosecutor Melanie Serassio said.

The paragliding incident happened on May 24, when police received reports that a man was gliding so low that witnesses feared he might crash.

Utah Highway Patrol troopers said drivers were watching the aircraft instead of the road.
Serassio declined to discuss the factual basis for Schanze's plea.

"I have a gentleman's agreement with him not to get into details, as long as he does so as well," she said. "He can talk to media, but he needs to be respectful about it."

Outside the courthouse, Schanze proclaimed his innocence and said, "We can't have government institutions acting like morons."

Regarding his plea, he said, "I'm the one if I'm guilty, I'll plead guilty. If I'm not guilty, I'll fight it. And sometimes, I'll plead no contest if I can get out of it and stop wasting everyone's time for another year over something that's really silly."

His fine was paid by Leslye Arrowsmith, who said she had not met Schanze before.
"Today, I would pay Dell's $300 fine. I don't care. That's how much I believe in Dell Schanze," she said.

Arrowsmith said she feels the media have destroyed Schanze's life and career.
"We don't need to ruin Dell Schanze," she said.

Schanze said if she paid his fine, he would kiss her feet.

Arrowsmith went into the cashier's office and wrote out a check for the full amount of the fine.
Schanze knelt down and kissed Arrowsmith's shoes, saying that he thought it was phenomenal what Arrowsmith did for him.

"You are so welcome -- best $300 I've ever spent," Arrowsmith said.

"Thank you very much for standing up for what you believe in. That's awesome," Schanze said.
Schanze is the former owner of Totally Awesome Computers and is known for his over-the-top personal style and shrill, hyperactive TV commercials.

He is to be sentenced June 28 in 3rd District Court for lying to police after allegedly brandishing a gun at several Draper residents who confronted him about speeding through their neighborhood in May 2005.

A jury convicted him of making a false written statement, but acquitted him of brandishing a gun during a quarrel.

He pleaded guilty to driving 50 mph in a 25 mph zone.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D3

KUTV Viewers' Reactions to Superdell

From KUTV:

In Rod We Trust: Super Dell Schanze

(KUTV) “Super” Dell Schanze is back in trouble and back in the news, and viewers don't like it. Some viewers blame the media for Dell's troubles. Some are just tired of seeing the fast-talking former computer salesman on television.

2News reporter Rod Decker has a look at viewers' reaction to the latest stories on Schanze.

“You cost me my business, scumbag,” Super Dell told one reporter.

Two weeks ago when Super Dell was in trouble for speeding and lying to police, he blamed media scumbags for the bankruptcy of his Totally Awesome computer business. Now, he's back in trouble, this time for allegedly flying too low too close to a Draper freeway in his ultralight aircraft.

“These are ridiculous charges,” Super Dell told 2News.

Rex, a viewer, agrees. He says, "You seem to be trying to convict Dell Schanze in the court of public opinion again after you already forced the public against his business, causing its demise."

Most of those who emailed us about Super Dell said they're tired of seeing him on T.V., and they don't think 2News should do any more stories about him.

"All you’re doing is giving him free airtime" said Bruce.

Jackie says, "Leave him alone, he'll go away, he's clever, and maybe bi-polar."

“They called Leonardo da Vinci crazy, and Ben Franklin,” says Schanze.

Super Dell says his light aircraft may revolutionize your commute.

“People should be glad. This is new technology you can take it to work, avoid all the traffic. It's exciting,” he says.

Super Dell tells us lying media scumbags to leave him alone, and at least some viewers agree we shouldn't put him on the news anymore. Rod Decker says 2News will probably continue to cover Super Dell Schanze, as long as he keeps making news.

Superdell Charged over Glider Incident

From KUTV:

'Super' Dell Schanze Facing New Charges In Draper

(KUTV) DRAPER Charges have been filed against Dell Schanze after he allegedly flew his powered paraglider too close to the freeway.

The charges stem from an incident that happened last week in Draper. Witnesses reported seeing "Super'' Dell Schanze flying a paraglider near Interstate 15 Wednesday, resulting in a number of citizen complaints that were investigated by police.

Thursday Schanze was formally charged with being a public nuisance and disorderly conduct.

“I just got done talking to the FAA for two hours, and they don’t seem to think there’s a problem other than they requested that I leave more space between cars when crossing the freeway,” Schanze told 2News. Isn’t it the FAA that has jurisdiction over aircraft?”

Officials with the Draper Police Department said they have concurrent, or overlapping, jurisdiction.

The incident began about 8:30 a.m. Thursday May 25 when motorists started calling Draper police and the Utah Highway Patrol about a low-flying paraglider.

UHP Sgt. Blaine Robbins said he and other troopers arrived in the area a short time later to check out the complaints.

"(The paraglider) got very, very low. It never did get overly low over the top of the freeway. On the side of the freeway it got really low,'' he said.

Schanze said he'd be happy to talk to the Federal Aviation Administration if needed because he does not believe he did anything wrong. "I try to obey every single (rule), and I'm pretty sure I did,'' he said.

The Federation Aviation Administration was not immediately available for comment.

From Deseret News:

Schanze charged in paragliding incident
By Pat ReavyDeseret Morning News

"Super" Dell Schanze once again faces criminal charges. And once again Schanze isn't shy about expressing his displeasure with the charges or his accusers.

"Are they trying to say I broke the law or they hate me?" Schanze asked rhetorically Thursday afternoon. "I can't imagine the sheer ignorance of such (charges)."

The former owner of Totally Awesome Computers was charged with creating a public nuisance, a class B misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, an infraction. He is accused of flying his powered paraglider over and around I-15 during morning rush hour on May 24 and flying low through congested areas along the sides of I-15.

Draper police Sgt. Gerry Allred said detectives gathered numerous statements from witnesses who said they were "alarmed" and "afraid there might be a crash" after observing the low-flying, yellow-winged paraglider with a giant "S" on it.

Allred said Draper police met with the Utah Highway Patrol and FAA officials for a week before deciding what charges to file. The FAA is also considering its own charges, Allred said. "I want to make it clear this has nothing to do with Dell Schanze. This is about keeping the community safe," Allred said.

Schanze adamantly disagreed.

"All they're saying is, 'We hate Dell Schanze,' " he said. "How is it a public nuisance attracting attention? I think people with a half a brain cell know you can't charge that. Is there any logic to it? No."

Schanze questioned how flying his paraglider near I-15 was different from a "person riding a horse with a pink shirt and lights" next to I-15 or police cars with their red and blue lights on that have pulled over other vehicles.

"I'll accept the charge if they charge every one of their officers and charge everyone walking down the sidewalk," he said.

Schanze, never one to hold back his words, called the Draper Police Department on Thursday "ignorant, incompetent," "a disgrace to the nation" and "a bunch of monkeys that don't even use their heads."

Schanze was at Draper City Hall late Thursday afternoon to receive his summons papers. When members of the media tried to get an interview with police regarding the charges, they were led into another room. Police said they did not invite Schanze in order to conduct the interviews without interruption.

"They wanted to run and hide inside the building," Schanze said. "It's a shame to have police officers like that. It's a mockery of the American justice system."

"It was the citizens who alerted us to the low-flying paraglider and said they were concerned," Allred said. "We would have treated any low-flying aircraft the same way."

Schanze's court date was scheduled for June 13.

Allred said the incident has city officials considering an ordinance to specifically address the issue of paragliding and hang-gliding in the community.

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com

Superdell Satire

From Salt Lake City Weekly:

Anchormania
Super Dell set to paraglide to KSL’s anchor desk.

As expected, KSL has replaced veteran newscaster Dick Nourse with erstwhile computer magnate Super Dell Schanze. “We felt it was time to make a move,” said director of media strategy Hal Willoughby. “Dick has been great for the last 75 years or so, but every once in a while, Nadine Wimmer has to goose him when it’s his turn to read from the TelePrompTer. KUTV may have just beat us in the last ratings period, but with Super Dell in the anchor chair, we fully expect to kick the snot out of Michelle and what’s his name over on Channel 2.”

In the past, Super Dell has occasionally been mildly critical of the media, referring to them as “angels of Satan” and “liars and murderers.” Asked about those comments at a hastily called news conference at the Triad Center, Mr. Schanze denied having a negative view of the media. “Did I say those evil things? My heavens, those are heinous words. The closest I ever came to saying anything at all negative about the media was when I called them ‘scumbag rat bastards,’ which is what I call some of my best friends.”

Sources at KSL revealed that losing the ratings war to KUTV resulted in considerable consternation. “Panic? I wouldn’t say we panicked,” said one assistant producer. “I would describe the mood as one of overwhelming terror. This was the first time in the history of the world that KSL has come in second, and we knew we had to act quickly. We did a lot of brainstorming about who would get us back on top of the ratings. We sent some feelers out to Karl Malone, and Mitt Romney’s name came up, but then someone remembered he was now governor of some state back East. Too bad, because Mitt has that anchorman look, especially since his successful hair-plug procedure.”

It is reported that KSL held secret talks with Larry Miller about coming on board, but it was decided that Miller was too warm-hearted to report the news. “We get a lot of sad stories,” said media director Willoughby, “and the last thing you want is the anchorman blubbering away on the air.

“Then we had one of those eureka moments,” continued Willoughby. “Larry Miller is the best known guy in Utah, but who’s in second place? Super Dell! He’s got super name recognition, super face recognition, and he brings his own brand of gravitas to the screen. What’s more, he’s a faithful servant of the Lord and is tough on crime.”

KSL insiders told us that a search is on for someone to replace Nadine Wimmer. “We love Dini, but we’re afraid there’s not the right chemistry with Super Dell,” confided a high-ranking executive. “Right now Roma Downey of Touched by an Angel seems to have the inside track, but former mayor Deedee Corridini is closing fast. It’s an interesting footnote to all this that Roma played Deedee in that TV movie about the Olympic scandal that came out a couple of years back, Mr. Ganga Comes to Town.”

Though they have been trying to keep plans for the show under wraps, it’s well known in media circles that the evening broadcast will be called Totally Awesome News, and the new slogan will be, “We love you!” Plans call for encouraging the telegenic Mr. Schanze to ad lib at will (in a mock broadcast, executives were pleasantly surprised at how easily the quick-witted personality nestled into his role, introducing a segment on Mayor Sparky by saying, “You won’t believe what that freakin’ nutcase is up to now!”)

If everything goes according to script, Super Dell will not only do the news, but the weather, traffic, special features, consumer complaints and sports as well. “We’d like him to get out of the studio as much as possible,” said one influential KSL executive. “It would be exciting to have Dell give traffic reports from his powered paraglider, and really liven things up by kicking the windshields of drivers using their cell phones or applying makeup. Dell would also like to do restaurant reviews, and he’s promised us he’ll do everything he can to get into some rollicking food fights.

“The segment that will really be a killer is something we think will totally destroy ‘Get Gephardt’ over on Channel 2. We call it ‘Troubleshooting,’ and Super Dell will roam the valley brandishing his 10mm Glock pistol, scaring the bejesus out of anyone who even thinks about watching anything but KSL.”

Schanze Apparently Comments Online About Paragliding Incident

From KSL:

Schanze Apparently Comments Online About Paragliding Incident
Gene Kennedy Reporting

Dell Schanze is once again the buzz on the KSL comment boards.

A lot of people are talking about his stunt yesterday where he flew a powered paraglider near the I-15 / Bangerter overpass.

A comment came in late last night from a man claiming to be Dell Schanze. There's no way to verify it's actually him, but it would not surprise us because Dell Schanze has told us he regularly comments on the KSL online boards.

While Schanze flew his powered paraglider near Point of the Mountain yesterday, there was a car accident. Super Dell says he's not to blame for the accident and the Utah Highway Patrol agrees.

On the KSL comment boards Super Dell sarcastically states: "Perhaps those signs in Vegas with millions of blinking lights should be the only ones sited for traffic accidents. Come on people use your brains. I was not even close to fast moving traffic, nor was I a danger to anyone and trying to claim I'm a hazard just because I look cool is just plain silly. Once again the satan worshipping media makes a mountain out of a mole hill."

But police say Schanze was clearly visible to drivers and witnesses say they actually saw him cross over the freeway. The FAA and Utah authorities are investigating whether he broke the law.

Dell Schanze: "Did I do anything illegal? Hey, I don't think I did. I think I was following FAA regulations. But hey, if not, charge me."

Charges or not, there's definitely a backlash from the flying community over this. Paragliders call Schanze's stunt shocking, disappointing, and out of line.

Some say they feared an incident like this would happen and it would bring bad press to flyers who stress safety.

Low Flying Paraglider Piloted by Schanze Causes Stir

From KSL:

Low Flying Paraglider Piloted by Schanze Causes Stir
KSL Team Coverage

Super Dell Schanze finds himself back in the public eye, less than two weeks after his highly publicized trial. Today, Super Dell was flying his motorized paraglider along I-15 during the morning rush hour. Now police are considering charges.

Super Dell does not seem to be too happy about being back in the news, but regardless, what he did this morning is getting him a lot of attention.

As people were driving down the freeway this morning, they saw this a strange sight and may have wondered if it was a bird or a plane. But it was just Super Dell Schanze, out flying his motorized paraglider, right near the freeway.

And he got a lot of attention, so much so, that the Highway Patrol is investigating if his ultralight craft contributed to this wreck on the freeway. The cars involved got into a fender bender when traffic slowed down. The question is, did Super Dell cause drivers to be distracted and to slow down, and thus indirectly cause the wreck?

Draper police tell us they are considering criminal charges.

Sgt. Jerry Allred: "Our concern in Draper City is safety. IF the FAA doesn't want people flying over congested areas, it usually refers to a safety issues and we don't want our citizens put in jeopardy. And if we can identify who this pilot is and we feel like there are some kind of charges that need to be brought against him, then that's what we're going to do."

Dell Schanze insists he did nothing wrong. We talked to him by phone this morning, shortly after the flight, and we talked to him this afternoon at his home. Dell Schanze says he knows the rules and says he did not break them.

Schanze told Eyewitness News he took the flight for fun and as a promotion to sell paragliders; that's one of his businesses. He says he was trying to get attention.

Schanze told us he knows the rules and did NOT break FAA regulations. But the President of the US Paragliding Association disagrees. He watched our video online and was shocked. Schanze says he did not fly over the freeway; he was over a big field. He says our perspective in the video was off.

Dell Schanze: "There's a regulation that you can't hazardously distract drivers. And I wasn't distracting drivers driving down the freeway at 70 miles an hour. There's actually an on ramp right there where there's a red light. Did I do anything illegal? Hey, I don't think I did. I think I was following FAA regulations. But hey, if not, charge me."

He says it would be stupid to fly over the interstate, especially if his motor dies. Schanze says he did not fly into anyone and insists it's up to drivers to pay attention to their driving. He says the crash had nothing to do with him and the UHP agrees.

Draper police They say they are currently reviewing pictures and video taken, hoping to get a positive ID.

Sgt. Blaine Robbins, UHP: "As big as this valley is, and as many open areas as there are to operate a vehicle like that, that someone would choose to operate it so close to the freeway."
Apparently, this isn't the first time Schanze has challenged the rules of flying, and others in the sport aren't happy about it.

Utah is one of the most popular paragliding and hang gliding places in the country. It is an unregulated sport in that you don't have to have pilot's license, but there are FAA rules that these ultra light pilots must follow. It appears Schanze could have broken a couple of rules.

First off, you can't fly this type of aircraft over congested areas; and secondly, you can't operate an ultra light vehicle in a manner that creates a hazard to other people or property. The four state regional director of the US Hangliding and Paragliding Association says this isn't the first time Schanze has drawn attention to himself.

Steve Mayer, US Hangliding and Paragliding Assoc.: "There tends to be a couple of guys in the area that just don't want to follow the rules. They know them, they understand them, and they keep breaking them. And we've been feeling for years that it was going to be inevitable that something bad happened which brought bad press to the whole flying community."

Jonathan Jefferies, Paragliding Instructor: "We like to be really conscious about being safe, and keeping people safe and obeying the laws and doing what's right. And what he did was definitely wrong and out of line."

The Federal Aviation Administration controls all air space. Officials there couldn't comment on camera because it's likely they will be investigating this incident. However if the FAA determines federal regulations were violated, there are a range of sanctions. In the past, it's been things such as a fine of as much as 10-thousand dollars or confiscating his paraglider.

From ABC4:

Super Dell Schanze seen flying paraglider close to freeway

Dell Schanze may be in trouble with Draper Police again. They're looking into witness claims that he was flying his powered paraglider at a very low altitude near I-15.

Schanze admits he was there flying over an open field, which he says is not against FAA regulations. According to the FAA, "No person may operate an ultralight vehicle over any congested area of a city, town or settlement or over any open air assembly of persons."

Draper Police say the area next to I-15 is definitely a congested area. After getting a call from the Highway Patrol, three officers from Draper spotted the paraglider and watched him land, but they couldn't get to him before he left. They're not sure it was Schanze.

Schanze says, "Everything gets blamed on me, but its ok." He says he was flying, and explains where he was. "I did cross the freeway but you can cross a road as far as I know, I was told you can do that legally by the FAA numerous times."

Story by: Susan Wood
susan@abc4.tv

From KUTV:

Police Investigate Schanze Paraglider Flight

DRAPER "Super'' Dell Schanze was flying a paraglider near Interstate 15 Wednesday, resulting in a number of citizen complaints that are being investigated by police.

Schanze said he did not fly low over the highway.

"I was flying over a wide open field. As far as I know, I did everything correctly,'' he said. ``I just happen to be the type of person that attracts more attention than anyone else on earth.''

The incident began about 8:30 a.m. when motorists started calling Draper police and the Utah Highway Patrol about a low-flying paraglider.

UHP Sgt. Blaine Robbins said he and other troopers arrived in the area a short time later to check out the complaints.

"(The paraglider) got very very low. It never did get overly low over the top of the freeway. On the side of the freeway it got really low,'' he said.

Schanze told the Deseret Morning News that he flew over I-15, but at a minimum 500 feet, which he said is legal.

"You can't go buzzing over the freeway and kick people's windshields,'' he said. He also said he was near the freeway but that too was legal.

Schanze said he'd be happy to talk to the Federal Aviation Administration if needed because he does not believe he did anything wrong.

"I try to obey every single (rule), and I'm pretty sure I did,'' he said.

Double-Edged Dell

From CityWeekly:

Double-Edged Dell
For better or worse, Dan Young inherited a Totally Awesome legacy.
by Shane Johnson

In business, you’re either an example or a cautionary tale. Wunderkind dweeb “Super” Dell Schanze served as both.

Once the envy of entrepreneurs, Schanze lost his cool, lost his employees’ confidence and ultimately lost his Totally Awesome mini-empire—nine computer stores, a gun shop and a flying sports outfit. The lessons aren’t lost on Dan “The Laptop Man” Young, who calls his buddy’s tumble a “slow-motion train wreck.”

The story of the tortoise and the hare is an apt, if not original, analogy for Young and Schanze’s respective business styles. As a computer salesman for Silo Electronics, when it failed in 1994, Young saw past the unemployment line. He launched his own computer resell company, and pledged to personally honor Silo’s defaulted warranties. The gamble sapped his life savings that first year but paid off to the tune of $1 million in sales the next. The “white knight play,” as Young calls it, has worked time and again as competitors folded.

Schanze’s foray into the business was none-so-calculated. As Young recalls, shortly after moving the company that would become PC Laptops from his living room to its first storefront, “This crazy guy came in … didn’t have any money, but he wanted to trade some bullets or something.”
Young, now 34, sold Schanze a desktop and the two became fast friends. Soon, Schanze begin selling computers himself—out of his shipping store three doors down from Young. They agreed that was kind of “jacked up,” Young says, and Schanze moved his operation to Taylorsville.

But one has to wonder if the faux pas was accidental, because “then he actually recruited … my No. 2 guy,” Young says. And for a time, Utah’s would-be PC titans were archenemies. The discord blew over but, rather than compete for customers and talent, Young and Schanze entered into a handshake agreement to divvy up their markets, with Schanze focusing solely on desktops and Young on notebooks. At the time, Young says, desktop sales outpaced notebooks nearly 10-to-1, but he saw the potential.

Totally Awesome Computers blasted off, thanks in no small part to Schanze’s over-the-top advertising campaigns, while PC Laptops skipped along. Wanting Super Dell-like exposure, Young agreed to do a joint commercial. The ad—wherein Schanze disparaged laptops as junk but said Young was the best in the business—was a mixed bag.

“It was kind of insulting, but it helped me, too,” Young says. “The bad part, and why we stopped doing that almost immediately, is because people thought we had some sort of co-ownership. I’ve been having the hardest time clearing up that fog for the last seven years.”

Though Young didn’t abandon the slapstick approach, he made a point to come across as kinder and less grating than the impresario. The beginning of the end for Super Dell, he figures, is when Schanze’s spots turned into tirades against naysayers like the Better Business Bureau, a disgruntled customer and Provo’s mayor.

“It wasn’t just humor anymore, it got kind of personal,” says Young. “People started questioning whether it was an act or the real thing.”

As Schanze’s public reputation suffered, so, too, did employee morale. When a former top manager filed a discrimination lawsuit against the company in 2003, Schanze “lost his mojo,” says Young.
“His own people are turning on him, and he throws his hands up in the air,” Young explains. “But if you’ve got to steer your car and your hands are in the air, you’re going to crash.”

If Totally Awesome was teetering, Schanze’s run-in with some upset Draper dads early last year, and an ensuing PR fiasco, may have ensured its collapse. Pending trial for allegedly reckless driving, brandishing a firearm during the confrontation and lying to police, Schanze took his case to the court of public opinion, insisting in several interviews with news reporters that the press was vilifying his act of heroism. Exasperated that his message wasn’t getting through, at one point a tearful Schanze grabbed a KUTV 2 News reporter by the ears and implored him to listen. A jury earlier this month acquitted him on the gun charge but found Schanze guilty of lying to police. He pleaded guilty to speeding.

Schanze’s partial vindication came too late. Business had tanked, and despite a $50,000 loan last summer from Young, in March, Schanze closed shop, blaming the media’s “angels of Satan.”

To Schanze’s credit, Young says the implosion could have been worse. “Dell told me a long time ago … if there’s ever going to be the possibility that I’m not going to be able to make payroll, I’m just going to shut it down—I’m not going to screw them out of a check.”

Young says he’s long recognized some truths about celebrity that Schanze may have overlooked. The first is that, like “the force,” the media has unlimited power, and it will be “malicious if you’re malicious.” He also realized “a good PR firm’s always a great idea.”

In fact, it was Young’s flaks who suggested Totally Awesome’s demise as an opportunity to employ the “white knight.” Though Young admits it was a scary undertaking—he’d just sunk spare cash flows into PC Laptops’ first out-of-state expansion—he swooped in to “adopt” Schanze’s former customers and immediately rehired about 30 Totally Awesome computer technicians. Overnight, Young’s business nearly doubled.

Like Schanze once dreamed for Totally Awesome, Young is now taking PC Laptops national. For him, though, it’s not a race.

“He’d always joke and say, ‘Dan you’re chickencrap; you should be more aggressive,’” Young says. “Maybe we’ll have 30 or 40 states one day. But I’m not going to throw it all on red or black.”
Always looking ahead, Young says he forgave Schanze the $50,000 loan. It was the humane thing to do, yes, but Young also sees it as a smart bet on Super Dell 2.0. Noting his buddy’s love of flying and penchant for weaponry, “Maybe he’ll come back and invent a combat paradrone for the government, make a billion dollars and buy me a Ferrari,” Young says. As for Schanze’s bad rap, Young says he really believes he’s a superhero. “He would seriously take a bullet for me ... [and] he’d probably take a bullet for a stranger if he knew it was an innocent.”

For Schanze’s part, he still answers his cell phone with a chipper, “Totally Awesome!” However, still smarting from an earlier City Weekly article [“Dell on Earth,” Aug. 4, 2005], he declined comment for this article pending an apology from this “lying sack of turd.”

Young stresses that though he and Schanze are pals, their businesses were always separate, and Schanze is a “completely different human being.” Indeed.

Schanze Still Blames Media for Company's Problems

From KSL:

Schanze Still Blames Media for Company's Problems
Scott Hawes Reporting

On the heels of the Dell Schanze trial last week, we gave you a rare glimpse in to the world of Super Dell.

With the help of some meaty escorts, we got a chance to see Dell and his family, Dell and his computers, and Dell doing what he loves the most-- catching some serious air as he cruises the skies above the Point.

When it came time to talk about his trial, the fall of Totally Awesome Computers, and his public image, everything came back to the media.

Dell Schanze: "I don't even know myself watching TV. It's not the same. It's not me. I'm like, 'That's not me. I said that, but that's not the context I said it in.'"

Dell Schanze: "Totally Awesome? You killed it."

Dell Schanze: "We were going just fine and then all of a sudden boom. They aired this horrifically opposite of the truth story and bam! Sales crashed."

Dell Schanze: "They aired the story and instantly they caused a 40 to 50 percent drop in sales the next day."

What now for Super Dell? He says he'll do some more paragliding, perhaps sell a few paragliders. In the end, he says, don't worry about me. I'm Super Dell, I'll be okay.

KSL Looks at Super Dell Schanze's Life

From KSL:

A Look at Super Dell Schanze's Life
Scott Haws Reporting

Over the last 10 years, Super Dell Schanze has become one of Utah's most recognizable faces. But recent events, including his trial, the closing of Totally Awesome Computers and comments about the media following that announcement have a lot of people asking, what's the deal with Dell? Scott Haws got an exclusive look in to the world of Super Dell.

After announcing Totally Awesome was out of business, Dell Schanze approached me off-camera and asked "When are you going to start reporting the truth?" So I offered Dell an opportunity to show the real Dell Schanze and give you a chance to try on Schanze's shoes, if you will. He kindly accepted.

Welcome to the high-flying world of Dell Schanze, where the sky is a sanctuary. But recently, the man who calls himself Super Dell has been grounded by some Super Problems, problems he blames entirely on the media.

Dell Schanze: "You took an enthusiastic, outgoing, friendly guy and tried to make him look psycho. It's totally and completely backwards. That's not me."

To prove his point, Schanze invited us into his very well guarded world to see for ourselves. He lives in a cozy mountain home, complete with a six foot electric fence topped with razor wire. Excessive to some, a necessity to Schanze.

Dell Schanze: "No, it's not excessive. You get Elizabeth Smart, it happens all the time. You can't even be remotely too careful."

And Schanze says he has plenty to protect. He and his wife Teresa have four kids, two girls and two boys, ages 2 to 12. According to Schanze, this is the real Super Dell.

Dell Schanze: "People are missing out on the real Super Dell. The real Super Dell is the nicest guy on the planet and it's kind of sad that people don't get to experience something like that because of a misconceptions."

Schanze admits his often arrogant and cocky persona on camera rubs some the wrong way. "Not my fault," says Schanze.

Dell Schanze: "Just because I think I'm a superhero and I love me and I think I'm great doesn't mean I think anybody is beneath me. All I'm trying to do is say, 'Hey, everybody should be the center of their own universe. Everybody should be happy with the way they are. It's not an arrogant thing; you only take it wrong if you have a low self esteem and don't really comprehend where it's coming from."

In fact, in some ways, Schanze considers his polarizing personality somewhat of a blessing.

Dell Schanze: "I kind of like being me because I have a neat ability to quickly polarize people, because mean people will be extremely mean to me and nice people will be extremely nice. So I get to tell very quickly whether somebody is a good person or a bad person."

So what now for Super Dell? Totally Awesome is no more, his trial is over?

Dell Schanze: "I'm Super Dell. I'm always going to be able to take care of myself, no matter what. I'm a superhero. I should be used as the example. I'm not the one to be concerned about. I'll be able to take care of myself."

At one point during the interview, Schanze said he was poor, no more Jaguars, no more Vipers. Instead, he's now driving a leased Volkswagen diesel. He knows because of his public persona, people won't feel sorry for him. And Super Dell, being a super hero, isn't asking for any sympathy.

Monday morning on Eyewitness News Today, Super Dell explains why he feels the media is to blame for the downfall of Totally Awesome Computers.

If you're interested in seeing Scott's interview with Super Dell in its entirety, we have it here at ksl.com.

Exclusive Interview with Superdell

(picture from after Superdell's trial)

Superdell was kind enough to respond to some emailed questions of mine:


SLC Library Boy: What really happened that day in Draper?

Superdell: Well here is what the news story should have been:

Road ragers attack on handicapped celebrity and his daughter foiled; Draper City charges victim with a crime.

What they charged me with is not a crime, the fact that I didn’t do it either is beside the point.

SLC Library Boy: Why did you close Totally Awesome Computers?

Superdell: It was destroyed by Drapers Cities false charges sir, the completely false news reporting and the ignorant people that actually believed the stupid stories. They try to say it was me and my management style bla bla bla but the straight up truth is the very next day after they aired the completely false Draper story sales dropped 40-50%. Instantly. That is obviously not something I did, that is 100% caused by the media and the blatantly false stories they aired trying to actually get people to believe I drove 100mph through a neighborhood while slaloming children and then pulled a gun and threatened a bunch of friendly neighbors that just wanted to ask me to slow down. That’s the first part of the evil media, I could have dealt with that but then they aired a story that I was going out of business when I DID NOT intend to do so. Obviously thousands of people started calling and freaking out about their warrantees and stuff which threw the employees into a panic and forced me to close the stores right there on the spot in the middle of the afternoon. Try to tell me that isn’t freaking evil and you are just clueless.

SLC Library Boy: Are you still in the glider business?

Superdell: Yes.

SLC Library Boy: What have you been doing lately and what are your plans for the future?

Superdell: Well just for fun I’ll give you this tidbit, a couple weeks ago I went through major back surgery to remove steel rods I’ve had in their for years that were driving me nuts. I have about a 20 inch incision as we are talking major operation. Then less than a week ago I had a bunch of major dental work done, 2 crowns & a fill. The Judge of course ordered that I not take any pain medication during the trial. What have I been doing? Having all kinds of fun trying to do a whole trial and smile for the TV cameras and think clearly while in excruciating pain from both of those ordeal. Plans for the future: Whatever the heck God wants me to do. Know yet but until I gain further light and knowledge on the subject I’m going to continue with the flying thing cuz it is a total blast. Wanna go flying? Oh, I may also run for Governor as our current one has no balls. I think he got a sex change but they forgot to finish the second half. Typical politician, bla bla bla never stick your neck out never get anything done, never step on anyone’s toes. I seriously doubt I would win but that isn’t my sin. I might just do it so people at least had the chance to get a Gov with some big brass ones hehe.

SLC Library Boy: Have you thought of hosting an a.m. talk radio show?

Superdell: Yes I have, I love doing talk shows. KTalk is by far my favorite station as they are the only one without all the bull crap evil people running it. You simply can’t get the truth out on clearchannel. Been there done that. I’m not really interested in my OWN show though as it takes too much time, I like to just jump in now and then with people like Kyle cuz they just let me talk about whatever I want without all the obligation to be there and stuff.

SLC Library Boy: Will you air your infomercial again, or make a new one?

Superdell: The infomercial was simply inspiration, God told me to do it so I did it. One take, one show. No script, no nothing. Just me with direct flow from the big guy.

Split Verdict for Superdell

From KSL:

Split Verdict for Super Dell

Richard Piatt reporting

Dell Schanze: "I'm me, I'm Super Dell. I'm a super hero by choice."

Super Dell is elated. His trial ends in a split verdict, not guilty on a weapons charge and guilty for giving a false statement to police.

Schanze's case started with a confrontation in Draper. A group of neighbors said he was speeding through their neighborhood. That situation went from bad to worse and ended with Schanze pulling a gun to defend himself.

Today, Schanze said he is relieved. He left the courthouse with a big smile on his face because of a not guilty verdict. He says he feels vindicated that the charge of threatening to use a weapon during a fight, went his way.

All along, he accused the people who confronted him in Draper of being vigilantes. They chased him for speeding through the neighborhood. Schanze did plead guilty, however, to speeding, a class C misdemeanor, for driving 50 mph in a 25 mph zone.

Schanze says the media made his situation worse.

Schanze: "You know, they dropped that down to a speeding ticket, so no problem, okay, I was speeding and I admit it. But other than that I reacted exactly as I was supposed to. The only remorse I feel is how stupid you guys have been for blowing it all out of proportion and trying to make an honorable person look like a liar."

Schanze was convicted of making a false statement to police. He didn't initially admit to police that he pulled a gun. He says he plans to appeal that conviction.

He also says this is a case that is an example for when you can pull a gun to defend yourself. His lawyer says the state statute on that is vague, as to what constitutes a threat. That could be handled next session in the legislature.

The second charge, for which he was found guilty is a class B misdemeanor, which would carry a maximum of one year in jail. It is unlikely Schanze will see any jail time. It is also doubtful that this will affect his concealed carry permit status.

From Deseret News:

Mixed verdict in Schanze case
By Linda Thomson
Deseret Morning News

WEST JORDAN — Dell Buck Schanze, the former computer store mogul better known as "Super Dell" from his TV commercials, was found not guilty of threatening or using a dangerous weapon during a fight by a jury on Thursday.

Had he been convicted of the class A misdemeanor, Schanze would have lost his permit to carry a concealed weapon and potentially could have faced a year in jail.

But the four-man, two-woman jury did convict Schanze, 36, of making a false written statement, a class B misdemeanor, that potentially carries a sentence of six months in jail.

Schanze only minutes before his trial began Wednesday entered into a plea agreement that reduced another charge of reckless driving to a class C misdemeanor speeding charge, to which he pleaded guilty.

Third District Judge Royal Hansen set June 28 for sentencing on both counts and ordered a pre-sentence report. Although misdemea- nor convictions carry potential jail sentences and fines, Utah judges have the authority to suspend jail time, put an individual on probation and impose such sanctions as community service.

Prosecutor Chris Bown said he was happy with the verdict, which the jury rendered after deliberating for 3 1/2 hours. "We made our best case, and the jury made its decision, and we're going to abide by it," Bown said.

Defense attorney James "Mitch" Vilos said he was "mildly disappointed" in the verdict, although he respects the jury system. He said Schanze plans to appeal the written false statement conviction.

Vilos also suggested some changes in the law would be useful. "I think more work will be done in the Legislature to clarify some of the subtleties of the law," Vilos said, referring particularly to what constitutes the use of lethal force when defending one's property.

Schanze, with his wife, Teresa, by his side, meanwhile launched into a verbal tirade against the media outside the courtroom, accusing re- porters of destroying his successful computer business through "lies and distortions of the truth."

Schanze said the jury convicted him on the one charge only because of the "hate and contention" bred by the press.

"I believe in telling the truth. The fact that you guys are misreporting the truth, that's your sin, not mine," he said. "I still love you. I wish you wouldn't have told so many lies. Go forth and sin no more."

The charges stemmed from a May 21, 2005, incident in which three Draper residents followed Schanze and confronted him after he drove through their neighborhood to a hang-gliding park at Point of the Mountain. The three men testified they were incensed that Schanze was speeding and that they feared for the safety of neighborhood children.

One man, Clint Sanderson, threatened to break the taillights of Schanze's Jaguar and picked up a rock. Schanze pulled out a 10 mm Glock pistol from a pants pocket, then put it away.
During the one day of testimony, witness accounts varied as to how Schanze held the gun and what he did with it.

The prosecutor argued that Schanze overreacted, used the gun in a threatening manner, which is against the law, and that there was no self-defense involved in the situation. But the defense attorney said Schanze was justified in getting the weapon ready when confronted by three yelling strangers acting like "vigilantes" because Schanze was afraid for his own safety, that of his 8-year-old daughter who was with him, and for his car.

W. Clark Aposhian, a firearms instructor who certified Schanze for a concealed weapon permit and formerly worked for Schanze, said if Schanze had been convicted on the gun charge, he would have lost his permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Schanze pledged to continue to carry guns, either concealed with the permit that he now holds, or if he should ever lose that, then carrying them openly, which also is legal in Utah.
He said his only regret in the situation is the speeding, which he said he admitted to and for which he apologized.

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

Breaking: Split verdict in 'Super' Dell Schanze trial
By Stephen HuntThe Salt Lake Tribune

"Super" Dell Buck Schanze - the eccentric, outspoken owner of a now-defunct chain of computer stores - was acquitted today on a charge he illegally brandished a firearm during a quarrel. But the six-person jury found him guilty of lying to police about the incident.

The jury returned the split verdict this afternoon following about four hours of deliberations. Third District Judge Royal Hansen scheduled sentencing for June 28. Schanze could face up to 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine on the class B misdemeanor conviction of making a written false statement to police.

Asked if he felt any remorse or would do anything differently, Schanze said, "No. I reacted exactly as I was supposed to. I reacted flawlessly." Schanze said he plans to appeal the false statement conviction. Schanze, 36, of Sandy, was on trial for pulling a handgun after he sped through a Draper neighborhood on May 21, 2005, and was confronted by angry residents who had followed him to a nearby hang-gliding park.

In front of Schanze's 8-year-old daugther, the residents scolded Schanze for endangering children in the neighborhood. Schanze, who has a concealed weapons permit, pulled out his gun when Clint Sanderson picked up a rock and threatened to break the tail lights on Schanze's Jaguar.

During closing arguments, defense attorney James "Mitch" Vilos said the residents were "vigilantes" who had worked themselves into a "frenzy, like a pack of wolves feeding off each other's anger." Vilos said Schanze ended the confrontation without anyone getting hurt.

Prosecutor Christopher Bown argued that the threat of deadly force was not justified because property, not a person, was at risk.

"Vigilantes, victims, citizens - call them what you will - they did nothing to Mr. Schanze," Bown said.

But Vilos countered, "Mr. Schanze did not use deadly force. No one has ever died from seeing a gun." It was Sanderson, Vilos said, who "escalated violence" with verbal threats followed by threatened vandalism and picking up a rock. "Mr. Schanze didn'tsay a word." Schanze sobbed aloud and wiped at tears as Vilos described the rock as a potential deadly weapon. Vilos also told the six-member jury that Schanze is a misunderstood "genius" who is "somewhat eccentric at times," but still entitled to justice. Vilos told jurors he decided Schanze should not testify. "At times he can say things that are irritating and I didn't want that to cloud anyone's judgment." Schanze showed his eccentric side during a hallway tirade this morning in which he blamed the news media for the failure of his Totally Awesome computer store empire. He said sales immediately dropped 40 percent after initial stories appeared about the Draper incident.

"Are you going to apologize for destroying an entire company?" he asked a TV reporter.

Despite pleading guilty Wednesday to speeding 50 mph in a 25 mph zone, Schanze told reporters today that he "never sped past one child." He said he slowed to below the speed limit whenever he saw a child and then sped up again. Schanze began crying again as he talked about the three residents who were "cussing and swearing" in front of his daughter that day. "I don't care if people attack me," he said. "I can take care of myself, which I did. But how can I protect the innocence of that child - an 8-year-old child who was holding my hand?" He also insisted he did not lie to police by omitting mention of a gun in a written statement, in which he said he pulled out a cell phone.

"I did not lie to police, you freaking idiot," he told the TV reporter. "I did not use lethal force. Are the guys dead? No." shunt@sltrib.com

Superdell's Trial

From KSL:

Dell Schanze's Trial Gets Underway

WEST JORDAN, Utah (AP/KSL) -- The trial for the former owner of Totally Awesome Computers got underway this morning.

This morning before Schanze went into court, he asked the public to pray to justice in his case, insisting that he is innocent of the charge presented against him.

Dell Schanze, Former Owner of Totally Awesome Computers: "Pray for justice to be done, cause the truth is on my side. God cannot be used to skew the truth. Also, pray for a state that would issue you a concealed carry permit, but then arrest you the first time you use it to defend yourself."

The trial began with Dell Schanze pleading guilty to a reduced charge. Prosecutors reduced his reckless driving charge to speeding.

Schanze, 36, of Sandy is charged with "threatening with or using a dangerous weapon in a fight or quarrel," a class A misdemeanor.

Prosecutors say that after speeding through a Draper neighborhood on May 21, 2005, Schanze brandished a handgun as he was confronted by several angry residents who had followed him to a hang-gliding park.

He allegedly pulled a Glock 10mm handgun from his pocket when one resident threatened to break the tail lights of Schanze's black Jaguar. Prosecutor Christopher Bown said Schanze overreacted.

"He pulled the weapon when their was no self defense," Bown told the six-person jury during opening statements.

Defense attorney James "Mitch" Vilos called it "a case of a man taking reasonable precautions to protect himself, two children and his property from three angry strangers, who were acting like vigilantes and taking the law into their own hands."

Vilos said Schanze showed the gun, "not to threaten. It was to be ready to react."
Mike Ludwig, Neighbor, May 2005: "This is a totally awesome neighborhood and we'd like to keep it that way."

Dell Schanze, May 2005: "Absolutely steam coming out of their ears, psycho road ragers."
At the point Schanze pulled the gun, Clinton Sanderson was at least 20 feet away, according to testimony.

Sanderson testified he dropped the rock as soon as he turned and saw Schanze holding the gun over his heart. When police arrived, Schanze insisted he had not brandished a gun. In a written statement, he claimed he produced only a cell phone with which he offered to call police. He later told news reporters that he had showed a gun.

For making those apparently inconsistent remarks, Schanze is charged with providing a false statement to police, a class B misdemeanor.

Schanze was also charged with reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor, but prior to the trial, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of speeding, a class C misdemeanor, for driving 50 mph in a 25 mph zone.

During a break, Schanze said, "I'll plead guilty to anything I'm guilty of."

If ever anyone subscribed to the mantra "any publicity is good publicity" it was Super Dell Schanze. For years it seemed to work. For his businesses; a gun range and computer stores.
Dell Schanze: "hoo-hoo, ha-ha."

This time all the publicity was not good. Totally Awesome Computers closed nearly a year later and he blamed the media.

The trial is expected to last three days.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

From ABC4:

"Super Dell" Schanze pleads guilty to one charge; still faces 2 more

Super Dell Schanze is guilty of one misdemeanor charge, but still facing 2 others. Schanze's trial began Wednesday in West Jordan. He is accused of using a dangerous weapon and making a false statement. Both of these charges stem from an incident last year when Schanze sped thru a Draper street and was confronted by angry residents. Going into court Wednesday morning, Schanze told reporters: "Pray for a state that would issue you a concealed carry permit but then arrest you the first time you use it to defend yourself. So thank you. Appreciate everyone's support." But earlier, Schanze did plead guilty to one charge of speeding. The other 2 charges will go to the jury Thursday morning.

Story by: Chris Vanocur chris@abc4.tv

From Salt Lake Tribune:

'Super Dell' promises a fight at his firearm trial next week

WEST JORDAN - Dell Schanze's defense attorney says he will "come out of the gates swinging" at Schanze's trial next week on charges he brandished a gun at several citizens who confronted him about speeding through their Draper neighborhood last May.

Asked if he expects to win the case, Schanze said: "It really comes down to, why are they charging me with something that is not a crime and that I didn't do?"

A three-day trial is set to begin May 10 before 3rd District Judge Royal Hansen. Schanze - the former owner of a chain of computer stores - is charged with "threatening with or using a dangerous weapon in a fight or quarrel," a class A misdemeanor.

The 36-year-old Sandy resident is also charged with reckless driving and giving a false written statement to police, both class B misdemeanors.

Schanze has told news reporters he pulled a handgun from his pocket to protect himself from "a gang of vigilantes," one of whom had picked up a rock and threatened to break the taillights on Schanze's black Jaguar. Inside the car was Schanze's 8-year-old daughter.

Prosecutors will argue that the confrontation was not a situation in which the threat of deadly force was warranted.

They will also claim Schanze lied in a written statement by claiming he pulled out a cell phone and offered to call police. The statement never mentions a gun.
- Stephen Hunt

From KUTV:

With Video & Slideshow!!!

Dell Schanze: 'The Truth Is On My Side'

(KUTV) SALT LAKE CITY- The man who used to run "Totally Awesome Computers" was in a Salt Lake City courtroom on Wednesday, for the start of his trial -- on charges of threatening residents with a gun.

Dell Schanze is accused of pulling a gun on a group of Draper residents, who say they witnessed Schanze speed through their neighborhood in May of 2005.

Angered and concerned for their children's safety, the neighbors caught up to Schanze and confronted him about his speed. According to one neighbor, Schanze then pulled a handgun and held it across his chest in a threatening manner.

However, Schanze claims one of the angry men had picked up a rock and threatened to break out his car's tail light. Since he was with his young daughter at the time, Schanze, a concealed weapons permit holder, says he was merely acting to protect his child."

Pray for a state that would issue you a concealed carry permit, but then arrest you the first time you use it to defend youself," Schanze told 2News outside of the courtroom. He added, "Pray for justice to be done... the truth is on my side."

The trial started with Schanze pleading 'guilty' to a reduced charge of speeding, which was scaled back from 'reckless driving.'He still faces two misdemeanor charges of making threats with a dangerous weapon in a fight and making written false statements.

The trial is expected to last three days.

From the Daily Herald:

Super Dell appears in court

The Associated Press

WEST JORDAN, Utah -- "Super" Dell Schanze has pleaded guilty to speeding and begun trial on charges that he brandished a gun at neighbors angry about the speeding and that he lied about it.

Outside the court Wednesday, the former computer store owner complained about living in a state that "will issue you a concealed weapons permit then arrest you the first time you use it."Schanze, 36, of Sandy is charged with "threatening with or using a dangerous weapon in a fight or quarrel," a class A misdemeanor.

Prosecutors say after speeding through a Draper neighborhood on May 21, 2005, Schanze brandished a handgun as he was confronted by several angry residents who had followed him to a hang-gliding park.

He allegedly pulled a Glock 10mm handgun from his pocket when one resident threatened to break the tail lights of Schanze's black Jaguar. Prosecutor Christopher Bown said Schanze overreacted.

"He pulled the weapon when their was no self defense," Bown told the six-person jury during opening statements.

Defense attorney James "Mitch" Vilos called it "a case of a man taking reasonable precautions to protect himself, two children and his property from three angry strangers, who were acting like vigilantes and taking the law into their own hands."

Vilos said Schanze showed the gun, "not to threaten. It was to be ready to react."

At the point Schanze pulled the gun, Clinton Sanderson was at least 20 feet away, according to testimony.

Sanderson testified he dropped the rock as soon as he turned and saw Schanze holding the gun over his heart. When police arrived, Schanze insisted he had not brandished a gun. In a written statement, he claimed he produced only a cell phone with which he offered to call police. He later told news reporters that he had showed a gun.

For making those apparently inconsistent remarks, Schanze is charged with providing a false statement to police, a class B misdemeanor.

Schanze was also charged with reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor, but prior to the trial, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of speeding, a class C misdemeanor, for driving 50 mph in a 25 mph zone.

During a break, Schanze said, "I'll plead guilty to anything I'm guilty of."

------Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune,

http://www.sltrib.com

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C2.

Dell Schanze Scheduled for Court Appearance

From KSL:

Dell Schanze Scheduled for Court Appearance

(KSL News) -- The lawyer defending Dell Schanze on reckless driving and gun charges claims his client will be acquitted.

The former owner of Totally Awesome Computers goes on trial May 10th, charged with reckless driving, threatening to use a weapon, and giving a false statement to police. In May 2005, witnesses say Schanze sped through a Draper neighborhood and pulled a gun on a group of neighbors when they confronted him.

Attorneys in court today talked about logistics for the upcoming trial. Schanze's lawyer says there are holes in the prosecution's case, and he thinks Schanze would not have faced charges in other parts of Utah.

Mitch Vilos, Schanze's Lawyer: "The police report itself, based upon the witnesses, sheds doubt on the charges, so I'm very confident that we have a very good case."

Early this month, Totally Awesome Computers went out of business. In a taped tirade, Schanze blamed the media for the failure of the business.

Superdell and God

“And if I don’t service my customers as I have promised, please destroy my business that my fear of thee might help compel me to remember thee and keep thy commandments…I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” -Superdell, in a radio ad, following September 11th, 2001

The Deseret News reported that an anonymous email disclosed that “privately held Totally Awesome Computers had faced ‘a steady decline in sales since 2001.’”

Did Superdell keep his promises? Consumers and the Better Business Bureau have claimed that he didn’t.

But when the closure of Totally Awesome Computers was announced, fear of God wasn’t what Superdell was feeling:

“I can say to the people in Utah, please pray for all the news people because if you die right now, your souls and eternal salvation is seriously in jeopardy.”

“I would not want to be in your shoes…You are Angels of Satan and you need to repent.”

“Look at you…you’re mocking and you’re smiling. That’s exactly what they were doing when they crucified Jesus Christ.” (see video “News at 10”)

It will be up to others to keep Superdell’s promise of “lifetime warranty” now.

My friend Amanda once remarked “everyone has an opposite twin and, somewhere in the world, there is a HumbleDell.”

SUPERDELL falls from grace

From About.com:

SUPERDELL falls from grace
From Theresa Husarik,Your Guide to Salt Lake City, UT.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

As of last Friday, Totally Awesome Computers is no more. The infamous Dell Shanze AKA SUPERDELL is blaming the media for the company's failure.

Shanze said in a televised interview: “It’s too bad that all of the media in Utah are liars and murderers,” he said. “You just destroyed the greatest computer company of all time. We were the best in the world, the world champion. All this hatred was created by you. You’re basically angels of Satan. All I can say to the people in Utah is, please pray for all the news people.”
But, as some of his customers know, that is not the case. "I won't take my computer there anymore," said Robin, a formerly loyal customer. "They don't know what they are doing and they have really messed things up for me."

"The last two times I have called with a question, they have not given me a good answer," said Brian.

"The first time, was when my 'totally awesome computer' was acting up after a reboot. It has done this before but I couldn't remember what I did to fix it. So I called the hotline. After I described the problem, they told me my hard drive was probably dead and that I should bring the computer in immediately. I hung up, knowing that wasn't right. Then I remembered what to do and a simple fix got my computer working again without having to unplug everything and haul it to the shop."

"The second time they irritated me," he said, "I was having an internet problem. They sent me to an 800 number for their internet person 'who doesn't work at the store exactly.' I called the number and it was a bank in Provo. I left a message but they didn't call me back."
"I guess they don't love me anymore," he said.

Shanze granted About.com an interview way back in 2000 when his business was just gaining momentum. I thought the guy was sincere and had a great idea and work ethic. I even bought a computer from him.

But something has gone awry and it appears he will not attain those goals he shared with me in 2000. "I want to be a Supreme Ruler! In a few years, I want to have the biggest company in the world, where Bill Gates works for me, and Dell, Micron and Gateway sell out to me for $1."
Dan "The Laptop Man", owner of PC Laptops will be hiring some of Totally Awesome's former employees and will be honoring warranties for at least 90 days.

Here's the interview:

SUPERDELL of Totally Awesome Computers is pretty much a household name. He has a series of radio and TV commercials that are hard to miss, and hard to forget. Let's face it, they are downright goofy. But, they are effective! And that is what advertising is all about.
Because of the commercials, his character has become one that you love to hate. I've heard people groan when you mention his name. One of his commercials is narrated by a now loyal customer didn't want to go to him at first because he thought SUPERDELL was such a "turkey".
Well, I was curious to know a little more about the man at the root of all this controversy. I met him at his Sandy store, and I was struck by an overwhelming feeling of camaraderie among the people there - both the sales people and the customers. Everybody seemed happy and enjoying themselves. One gentleman arrived hauling a computer. He was asked what was wrong and he said nothing was wrong, he was bringing it in to add more stuff to it.

We talked over lunch at his favorite lunch stop - Taco Bell. Here are a few of the things he had to say:

TH: How did you get started in business?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: I was managing my packing and shipping business (Pack and Send Plus) when, about 3 1/2 years ago, Raymond Bingham from KALL910 came in inquiring if I'd like to buy advertising time on the radio show. I was offered 60 time slots of 60 seconds each for $910. I jumped at it, but told him I was interested in advertising something quite different - a computer building business. I had been building my own computers and bragging to my friends about how cool they were. Within about a month, 5 of those friends put in orders for me to build them a computer. This is what I wanted to advertise on KALL radio. In the first week after the first ad, I sold 12 machines. The business I was generating on the computer building front almost instantly took over what I had been doing in the shipping/packaging business, so I changed jobs. I now sell over 200 machines a week, and had about 1.8 million dollars in sales last month.

TH: How long have you been interested in computers? Have you always been a computer nerd?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: I have been playing with computers since I was 7 years old. I've written in Assembly code on an Apple II, and have written for a TI994A. I am self-taught.

TH: So, how do you do it? How can you sell computers for so cheap and still make a profit?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: I am successful because I am not greedy. I am willing to sell for less and make a profit because of volume. And, I have a very low overhead. When my volume of sales increases, I can then afford to lower the prices even further - I just lowered the prices by $100 per machine. But, even more important than the price is the total package.

TH: Tell me more about what you mean by the "total package".

SUPERDELL paraphrased: Quality, price and service. If somebody has a problem, even if it is something they broke themselves, we will fix it. If we can't fix it, we will give you a new computer or your money back, whatever they want. I personally see to the problems; I will call the customer personally. But, we don't see too many people wanting their money back, only about 1 in 900, and that one is the type of person who simply won't let you help them. Gateway, on the other hand gets about 35% returns.

TH: Your commercials seem to pick on Gateway, why them?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: Because they are the biggest, and I want to see that the public is educated. But I don't really just pick on them, I'm against all the big guys who are taking advantage of the customer by charging too much and then leaving them out on a limb when they have problems.

TH: Do you have plans to open any more stores?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: Yes, we have 5 now (Orem, Sandy, Murray, Layton and Bountiful), and will be opening another one on Foothill Boulevard in about a month.

TH: Let's talk about your commercials. One of them mentions lawsuits. Have you really been sued by your competition?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: No one has ever actually sued, but I have a rather thick file of legal notices asking me to "cease and desist". Warner Brothers has tried to say I am a take-off of SuperMan. I am wacky and crazy, but I don't say anything untrue, so they can't sue me.

TH: Does your wackiness and craziness generate any negative email or letters?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: Yes, lots, but none from customers.

TH: I heard you were mistakenly addressed as Super Dave by Governor Leavitt, and also that have been compared to Crazy Eddie and T-Buff. How do you feel about that?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: I think it is funny! Really, you can't offend me. About the Governor Leavitt mistake, that incident happened at the Governor's Ball. He had just talked to about 2000 people, and was pretty tired and just goofed up. He does know me, we've done business. After he mistakenly called me Super Dave, he made a point of calling out to me from across the room with my correct name. [ Note from TH: At the Sandy store, there is a framed picture of SUPERDELL and Governor Leavitt together. ]

TH: Who is your most famous customer?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: They are all famous to me, they are all my heroes! [ Note from
TH: SUPERDELL mentioned that it wouldn't be fair to mention big names and imply that they endorsed his products and services - a very noble comment indeed! ]

TH: Besides the commercial about the guy who didn't want to come to you in the first place because he thought you were such a turkey, and now he is a loyal customer, what is your favorite "turn-around story" like this?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: A guy came in here one time arguing loudly about how a different modem than the one I recommend is way better. I proved that the man was wrong, and the guy ended up buying a computer!

TH: What is the funniest thing that has happened to you when you were recognized on the street?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: Actually, it wasn't on the street. I went into a Gateway store and was running some benchmarks on their computers. Just about the time I was proving my systems were way faster, they recognized me and came over to me and said, "SUPERDELL, We're going to have to ask you to leave..."

TH: Any other funny stories that turned into a success?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: I was driving home from Wendover one day and stopped to help this guy who was stuck in the salt flat. Of course, though, before I helped him, I had to drive around his stuck truck to show how much more macho my truck was. Turns out he was a local wildlife photographer, and I now bundle his work in the form of a screen saver with the computers I sell.

TH: Speaking of bundled software, how to you choose what should go on the computers you sell?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: I put on the computers what I want. Whatever I feel is necessary to do business or get around that everybody else will want to have, that is what I install. Things such as a web browser and WinZip that might not be considered standard, but everybody needs.
TH: Is Totally Awesome Computers involved in any community service?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: The betterment of the community and society as a whole is the main objective in life. What do you make money for otherwise? Yes, we donate to various charities and schools. In fact, over half of my personal income goes to charities.

TH: Can we ask a little about your personal life? How long have you been married? Any kids, any pets?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: I haven't been married long enough! My wife is the most flawless person on earth - even more so than me [ said with a wink ]. I met my wife at a dance. I saw her across the crowded dance floor, and went over and asked her if she would like to dance. We have two girls ( a 3 year old and a 6 year old), and one dog - a bull mastiff.

TH: Final question: What do you want to be when you grow up?

SUPERDELL paraphrased: I want to be a Supreme Ruler! In a few years, I want to have the biggest company in the world, where Bill Gates works for me, and Dell, Micron and Gateway sell out to me for $1.

So there you have it! SUPERDELL is a regular guy with solid business practices that his customers appreciate and keep coming back for. His flamboyant commercials make him a household name, but his honesty and integrity are what make his services popular, and his customers loyal. If you need a computer, whether a whole new system or just some new gadget, check out Totally Awesome Computers first. You'll be glad you did!

SUPERDELL's Totally Awesome Computers website is http://saltlakecity.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.totallyawesome.net.

It's Bad Business

From itsbadbusiness.com:

I don't believe in bashing companies. It is too easy and having owned a business, I understand how companies make mistakes. But I see many companies who cross the line of ethic or moral behavior and I think we need to shine a bright spotlight on those companies to protect the good ones out there.

Such is the case with Totally Awesome Computers. In an article in the Salt Lake Deseret News, "Super" Dell Schanze said Friday that his company, Salt Lake City-based Totally Awesome Computers, is going out of business. I should also disclose that I purchased a Totally Awesome computer several years ago.

Dell Schanze has been a bombastic, "in-your-face" promoter of his computers, primarily on the radio. Besides claiming that his computers were the best anywhere around, he also promised "life-time" service and that if you called their phone number, you always got a person. He constantly derided the major computer players that required you to ship your computers out of state, used IVR systems to handle customer service calls, and used inferior parts.

My biggest problem with Totally Awesome Computers is that Dell Schanze made promises that they could not deliver. I also have problems with the way that he closed down, placing all blame on external issues rather than accepting any responsibility for his own management or his own bizarre behavior (watch the clip to the end to get a flavor of his over-the-top style, even when he was facing criminal charges).

What promises could they not deliver?

His promise of life-time service. How can you provide life-time service if you are out of business? When I first got my computer, I was wowed by the responsiveness of the service.
Since then, I became increasingly unhappy and disillusioned. Promises would be made by the service department and broken, problems would not be fixed by the technicians and the time to have the computer serviced continued to increase.

While Totally Awesome did always have a person answer the phone, they put all the stores into a phone ring so if one did answer it, it would bounce to another store. Usually, the person that answered it had no ability to help you or answer your specific question, so where was the benefit in that?

Schanze promised the best computers on the planet. While his test models may have beat out the competition, my model has been plagued with problems since I bought it.

I was disappointed in reading about Schanze's explanations about why he had to close the doors. There was no ownership that he or his management team had made poor choices or had run the company poorly. The whole fault was placed on the head of the "evil" media. Huh? Consider this statement:

"It's too bad that all of the media in Utah are liars and murderers. You just destroyed the greatest computer company of all time. We were the best in the world, the world champion. All this hatred was created by you. You're basically angels of Satan. All I can say to the people in Utah is, please pray for all the news people."

Now statements like that just make you come across as psycho. Come on, Schanze, own up to your mistakes. Be a man. Don't put the blame on someone else, especially creating some wacky conspiracy by the media.

Schanze, you always complained about Dell Computers and their junk computers and their junk service. At least we all knew that we were buying Dell Hell and there was no illusion. You did something far more seriously wrong - You created the illusion that you were something special and you sought our trust and now you have violated it. That is totally awful.

More coverage here and here and here. Critics (or at least people who are puzzled) of Dell are found here and here.

Superdellsucks.com goes down with T.A.C.

There was always a rumor that Superdellsucks.com was owned by Superdell himself. With the news of the closure of Totally Awesome Computers, I clicked over to the SuperdellSucks site.

There is a messeage from register.com:

Is this yourdomain name? You can still renew your domain name even though your term has expired. Don't risk losing your domain name to a higher bidder.

To view the old site, check out this link

Superdell's Statement

From TotallyAwesomeComputers.com:

Beloved customers,

Thank you very much for your support and patronage. I am very sorry to say that we are closing up shop as I know how much we have all enjoyed working with each other.
I’m so proud of my team for putting forth the dedication it took to provide you with the absolute best computers on earth that won all sorts of awards including the World System Builder Award from Nvidia. I believe the example we set for honor, determination for excellence and legendary service will live on though. I am awe struck by our noble competitors at PC Laptops who have continued to follow our example for service and excellence over the years that have stepped up and generously dedicated themselves to adopting you as customers by providing you with the service we promised for as long as they can afford. This is a huge undertaking that they obviously don’t have to do so please give them every bit of support and understanding you can muster as they gear up to try and continue the service of your Totally Awesome Computers.
I’m sure you will also be very happy to hear that many of the World Champion computer builders from Totally Awesome will also be joining their ranks so hopefully you will find it fun to continue the relationships with some of our top people that you have enjoyed for many years. Again thank you very much for your business and I wish you all the best in the future.

Sincerely,Dell Schanze

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL TAC CUSTOMERS WITH COMPUTERS CURRENTLY IN FOR SERVICE:

Customers that have systems being repaired can pickup their computers on Friday March 10th & Saturday March 11th from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm at our West Jordan location.
Photo ID matching the name on the system sign in sheet will be required for system pickup.
West Jordan 3078 West 7800 South

'Super Dell' customers flocking to PC Laptops

From Salt Lake Tribune:

'Super Dell' customers flocking to PC Laptops
Schanze 'awe-struck': Competitor finds success in taking on Totally Awesome computers, ex-employees

Former customers of Totally Awesome Computers on Monday flocked to PC Laptops stores to take advantage of the company's "customer adoption" program, which honors lifetime free service and labor warranties on Totally Awesome brand computers.

PC Laptops made the offer after "Super Dell" Schanze shut down his Totally Awesome Computers business Friday.

"There are . . . 100,000-plus machines out there that need to be taken care of," said Dan Young, president and founder of Sandy-based PC Laptops. "Luckily . . . everyone's computers aren't going to blow up at once."

More than 1,000 people called PC Laptops to inquire about the program Monday, and about 100 went to its stores for free diagnostic checkups offered to Totally Awesome customers, said PC Laptops spokesman David Politis.

"The bottom line is they have been swamped," Politis said. "Phones have been ringing off the hook and, in some cases, people have been lined up outside the doors with their computers in hand."

PC Laptops has extended its adoption campaign to employees laid off by the closure of Totally Awesome Computers, hiring 26 of the 75 who lost their jobs. PC Laptops conducted more than 50 interviews over the weekend and expects to hire a few more people in the coming weeks.

In a message posted on the Totally Awesome Computers' Web site Monday, Schanze said he was "awe-struck" by his "noble competitors" at PC Laptops and urged customers to support the company.

PC Laptops has not acquired any of Totally Awesome's assets but has begun selling desktop and server computers in addition to laptops in order to accommodate Totally Awesome customers. Young said the company also is looking at some of the leases held by Totally Awesome stores adjacent to PC Laptops locations for possible expansions.

PC Laptops has six stores in Utah and last week opened its seventh store, in Henderson, Nev. It plans to open stores in Layton and St. George, and two more in the Las Vegas area, this year.

Young said Totally Awesome's Layton location would be a good spot for a PC Laptops store.

He wouldn't say whether he had signed a lease agreement for the space. Schanze, known for his zany television ads and sometimes controversial statements, founded Totally Awesome Computers 10 years ago, eventually expanding to nine locations in Utah. Despite declining sales, mounting legal problems and an IRS inquiry, Schanze blamed the news media Friday for his business's demise.

rwinters@sltrib.com

Another ABC4 Video

From ABC4:

Former "Totally Awesome" Employees Blame Collapse on Poor Management

Customers of Totally Awesome Computers are still showing up at the eight store locations in northern Utah today, wondering where their computers are. Owner Dell Schanze announced Friday the business was closing. But he and some of his former employees have different opinions about why the business went under. Schanze refused to add to his original statement today. On Friday, Schanze said, "Look, if I answer your questions, you're just gonna skew the truth and make it out to all be lies. That's what you've done in all these stories." But former employees like Alain Eav, who left his job as the company's district manager last year, blame poor management for the company's demise. And he says Schanze didn't treat his employees right. "He'd just shoot out random emails just attacking people," Eav said. "It was like a four-year-old. And I brought it up to him, too Dell, you can't do stuff like that." Former Chief Operations Officer Brad Hintze has similar stories. He says Schanze called employees names like stupid and would dock their pay on the spot. To be fair, others say he would also raise employee pay the same way. "I spent a lot of time with Dell," Hintze said. "I really like Dell. Dell is a great person. He has a really good heart and really does care about a lot of people but he's a little arrogant and a little egotistical." Hintze says business started dropping off last year, partly because the computer industry slowed down, but mostly, he says, because of a change in Schanze. Hintze says sales dropped by at least 40%, and there was a continual turnover of employees. Hintze says Schanze believed the only way to help the bottom line was to cut employees' pay. "I think it was poor management on the business side," Hintze said. "He got a lucky break at the beginning and I just don't think he knew how to ride it all the way through and I don't think he was willing to take input from anyone else who did." Hintze says he saw the end coming, but he was sorry to see how it happened. "You know it's really sad to see him reacting this way," Hintze said. He is really a good person and I think he was just frustrated with the whole situation and he just didn't know how to handle it." Meanwhile, former employees are saying they're sorry -- to customers. "You bought it from me, I apologize," Eav said. "I still love ya. But I left way before this all came down 'cause I just didn't feel good about working for someone like that anymore." The signs are still on the storefronts saying customers can pick up their computers if they were in for service this Friday, March 10th and Saturday, March 11th at the West Jordan location. ABC 4 talked to the Vice President of Operations at Totally Awesome Computers Monday morning, and he said half of those machines are already fixed and they hope to have the other half ready to go as well by this weekend. Dell Schanze refused to talk with ABC 4 Monday about why the business went under and what will happen to the employees. However, we do know several other computer companies have stepped up with offers to take over the lifetime service warranty offered by Totally Awesome Computers. These businesses include Star West Computers in North Salt Lake, whose owner offered to help business clients with their warranties. They can be reached at (801) 936-8000. PC Laptops (877-596-7283) and Abcan Computer Solutions (801-790-4190) also notified ABC 4 of their willingness to honor the lifetime warranty for home computer users. Story by: Erika Edberg erika@abc4.tv

There's another video here

More on TAC shutdown

From Deseret News:

Schanze shuts down 'Awesome Computers'
By Jenifer K. Nii and Nicole Warburton
Deseret Morning News

After months of controversy about his personal and professional life, "Super" Dell Schanze said Friday that his company, Salt Lake City-based Totally Awesome Computers, is going out of business.

The announcement came during a late meeting Friday at the Jordan Commons theater in Sandy. Employees had been gathered there to officially get notice of the closure and hear an employment pitch from Dan "The Laptop Man" Young, owner of PC Laptops.

Schanze wouldn't comment specifically about the closure. His vice president of operations, Bruce Hacking, said that customers could find out where to pick up computers on the Totally Awesome Web site or at individual store locations.

"I'm doing everything I can to make sure my employees are taken care of and, even more importantly, that all of my customers that I've made promises to, even if I have to perform miracles, are taken care of so no one's services are interrupted," said Schanze.

He then spoke to reporters for about 15 minutes about negative attention he's received since 2005 when he was involved in an incident in Draper involving a gun. Schanze is scheduled for a three-day jury trial in May as a result of that incident.

He blamed his troubles on the news media, unleashing a scathing attack.

"It's too bad that all of the media in Utah are liars and murderers," he said. "You just destroyed the greatest computer company of all time. We were the best in the world, the world champion. All this hatred was created by you. You're basically angels of Satan. All I can say to the people in Utah is, please pray for all the news people."

Former employees of Totally Awesome Computers, who declined to give their names, said Friday that Schanze was "misunderstood."

"He's just Dell," one employee said. "He's a great person."

Young, owner of PC Laptops, said he didn't have specific details about the closure of Totally Awesome Computers. He did say that he was not purchasing the beleaguered company or its assets. Nor are the companies related or linked, Young said.

"We have no ownership in them, we're not buying them, we don't want to buy them in the shape they're in," Young said. "We're just taking care of their customers, the same way we did with Gateway Computers when they left town and others before them."

Young was scheduled to interview several Totally Awesome employees late Friday about the possibility of joining his firm. PC Laptops has about 50 employees, Young said, and he is looking to hire about 20 to 30 more as part of a broader corporate expansion.

PC Laptops will also honor Totally Awesome Computer customers' service warranties, at least for the next 90 days. The company also will service Totally Awesome products.

Young said PC Laptops will expand its current retail space and is scouting for additional locations. Currently, PC Laptops operates six retail locations and one warehouse in Utah, plus one store in Henderson, Nev.

"If people have a Totally Awesome computer, we want to adopt them into our family," Young said. "We want to kind of be the white knight and help these people out. And, I think they'll find that they'll have a better experience with us than they did with Totally Awesome. It's almost like a free upgrade."

An anonymous e-mail sent out Friday said that privately held Totally Awesome Computers had faced "a steady decline in sales since 2001," and "during the last year their sales have been 40 percent to 50 percent down over the same month in the prior year."

The anonymous e-mail attributed the declining business to Schanze's "media stunts" and allegations related to the incident in Draper in 2005. Schanze is charged with three misdemeanors: making threats with a dangerous weapon in a fight, a Class A misdemeanor, and the Class B misdemeanors of reckless driving and making written false statements.

From Salt Lake Tribune:

Business dies with rant from 'Super Dell'
'Agents of Satan': He blames his hardships on the media while his workers seek jobs with PCLaptops

SANDY - By the time "Super Dell" Schanze showed up at the Sandy theater complex, word was out that he was closing his Totally Awesome Computers stores after 10 years in the business. And though the collapse was prefaced by dismal sales, mounting legal problems, and an IRS inquiry, Schanze had his own culprit.

"This is thanks to all of you," Schanze told reporters gathered outside the Jordan Commons Megaplex. "All the media in Utah are liars and murderers . . . . I would not want to be in your shoes having caused this. You are agents of Satan and you need to repent."

Such outbursts are hardly out of character for Schanze. After all, his crazy antics and devil-may-care attitude helped turn his small computer chain into a household name. But Friday night, even Schanze's friends and former co-workers were apologizing for his tirade.

They came to the Megaplex in hopes of salvaging their jobs, albeit with another computer company. PCLaptops, upon learning that Schanze would close shop, reserved one of the theaters to screen and hire up to 30 of the 75 workers who had lost their jobs. About 20 minutes into the meeting, Schanze showed up and started ripping reporters, prompting the theater manager to boot him and the news media outside.

"I'm sorry about this," said Bruce Hacking, who until Friday was Schanze's vice president of operations. "The decision to close was made by Dell. We were just told about it."

Derek Nielsen, who quit Totally Awesome two years ago, was not allowed in the employees' meeting. He said he parted ways with Schanze after the two disagreed about how to expand the business.

"The main man in charge wouldn't go any further than Utah. That killed the company," Nielsen said. "I helped this guy build a company from one store to nine. It's tragic. He had a good thing going."

Lately, however, Schanze experienced his share of hardship.

He is awaiting trial May 10 on charges he sped through a Draper neighborhood and pulled a 10mm handgun after being confronted by several angry residents. Schanze, who says he was defending himself and his 8-year-old daughter against "a gang of vigilantes," is charged with brandishing a weapon, reckless driving and lying to police.

Even before the gun charge, Schanze courted controversy.

In June 2003, the ultralight-aircraft enthusiast walked away from a crash near Magna. Four months later, some American Indians were offended by a TV ad about a fictional, notoriously stupid tribe called the "Shiffers," indicating anyone who did not buy a Totally Awesome computer had "Shiffer brains." In November 2003, William May, Schanze's former vice president, sued, claiming religious and ethnic discrimination. The suit by May, who is Latino and not of Schanze's Mormon faith, was later settled for $2 million. And he now is being sued for defamation by May and another former employee for comments made in a Salt Lake City Weekly article.

In that August story, Schanze spoke openly about an IRS audit of Totally Awesome's books. No charges have been filed, however, and the IRS declined Friday to discuss the matter.

Schanze ignored questions Friday night on all of those topics. He said he would make sure that all employees and customers were taken care of, then strode to the parking garage, shouting "Amen."

"He's completely changed from the man I knew two years ago," Nielsen said, saying his former boss was mentally unstable and suffered from a God complex. "Something's happened to him."
People in the tech industry reacted to the demise of Schanze's business with a mixture of glee and regret.

"This is certainly a sad day for Totally Awesome Computers and its employees," said Richard Nelson, president of the Utah Information Technology Association. "They have been in an extremely competitive market with big players like Dell and HP and Gateway."

But Catherine Anderson, owner of Anderson Computer Sales and Services in South Jordan, said Schanze's outlandish behavior drove customers to the big computer chains, and she's "thrilled" to see him gone.

"He was just bad news for local computer stores. He made us all look bad with those ads."

Longtime friend and PCLaptops owner Dan "The Laptop Man" Young, who has developed his own brand of zany ads, said he would take over still-active free service warranties offered to Totally Awesome's former customers. And he hopes to hire up to 30 of Schanze's former employees.

"A lot of these guys, if they miss a day or two of pay, then they are also missing their mortgage," Young said. "We want to help all of them that we can."

Over the years, Young also has extended similar coverage to customers of closed Gateway and Micron PC outlets in Utah. From a company that lost $25,000 in its first year, Young's now $10 million in revenue company owns six Utah PCLaptops and one recently opened store in Henderson, Nev.

Young acknowledged the decision to take on warranties, add desktop sales and expand space - including scouting for a new store location in Layton - will be a major and unexpected investment.

"But I don't see this as a gamble," he insisted. "There are hundreds of thousands of people Dell has sold desktops to out there. We want to adopt these customers, just as we have with some other companies."

Schanze's friend and former colleague Bruce Hacking also pledged to help customers and employees through the transition. Asked about Schanze's mental state, Hacking shook his head.

"I love Dell. He's just Dell."

bmims@sltrib.com

Angels of Satan shut down Totally Awesome Computers

Superdell claims the "Liars & Murderers" that are the Media are the reason why he shut down all of his stores.

Make sure to watch the video @ the ABC4 website

From ABC4:

"Super" Dell Schanze Closes Stores; Calls Utah Media "Angels of Satan"

The future of Totally Awesome Computers is no longer a mystery. On Friday, the store owner, Dell Schanze, announced he will be closing his 8 stores. Schanze blames the news media for driving him out of business. Schanze told ABC4 News, "All of the media in Utah are liars and murderers. I can say to the people in Utah, please pray for all the news people because if you die right now, your souls and eternal salvation is seriously in jeopardy." Schanze also called members of Utah's media, "angels of Satan."Super Dell is preparing to go to trial on charges of brandishing a weapon. It happened last May. According to police, Schanze sped through a Draper neighborhood then pulled a gun on some concerned residents. Schanze said he was upset with news reports then and doesn't trust the media anymore. Schanze added, "I'm here to help you. I'm going to take care of the customers and the story, I will tell because you are not capable of telling the truth."Customers who have systems being repaired may pick up their computers on Friday, March 10 and Saturday, March 11 at the West Jordan location. The store closures leave about 75 workers without jobs. The company's representative explains customers may check Totally Awesome Computers web site for updates.

From the Daily Herald:

Totally Awesome is totally kaput

ALAN CHOATE AND AMIE ROSE - Daily Herald

Calling the media to repentance, Dell Schanze announced the shuttering of his computer business Friday night.

"Totally Awesome Computers is going out of business thanks to all of you," he said, pointing to members of the media at the event at Jordan Commons.

Schanze, famous for his distinctive television commercials, said he had two concerns over the closing: his employees and his customers. While short on details about those concerns, other than to say they'll be taken care of, he was long on criticism for the media, whom he called "liars," "murderers" and "angels of Satan."

"You just destroyed the greatest computer company of all time," said Schanze, who refused to answer questions.

It was widely reported when he was charged last year with reckless driving and brandishing a gun after neighbors told police he'd waved a Glock 10 mm handgun at them.
Bruce Hacking, the computer company's vice president of operations, said that the decision to close down was made by Schanze and that it was made official at 1 p.m. Friday. The company had eight locations, including one in Orem, and employed 75 people.

Some of those employees will have a soft landing, however, because partner company PC Laptops is planning an expansion. At least 20-30 people from Totally Awesome will be hired by the laptop maker.

PC Laptops spokesman David Politis said the company has plans to expand its existing stores and open a new store in Layton. He stressed that the two companies are completely independent and that a rumor about PC Laptops purchasing Totally Awesome is untrue.
"PC Laptops is not acquiring Totally Awesome Computers," Politis said. "PC Laptops is not acquiring the assets of Totally Awesome Computers."

PC Laptops will, however, offer warranty support to those with Totally Awesome Computer contracts.

"We've kind of done this before," said Dan "The Laptop Man" Young, president of PC Laptops. He called it "adopting" the customers and employees of an out-of-business computer retailer, something he said his company has done a few times during the last 12 years.

PC Laptops also will expand into desktop computers, an area that was previously the province of Totally Awesome Computers. Though the businesses are separate, Young said he and Schanze are friends and the companies had a mutual referral policy.

For example, a note at www.totallyawesome.com says, "We think desktops are the best. But if you MUST have a laptop ... check out our competitors over at PC Laptop."
Schanze made a name for himself beyond the computer business.

His low-budget TV ads made him something of a cult figure, and he also at one point paid to broadcast an infomercial in which he encouraged people to be enthusiastic, believe in themselves and spend time with their families. He also considered entering the 2004 Utah gubernatorial race.This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.

'Super Dell' charged with lying to police about gun

From Salt Lake Tribune:

'Super Dell' charged with lying to police about gun
By Stephen Hunt The Salt Lake Tribune
WEST JORDAN - Add "lying" to the crimes "Super Dell" Schanze allegedly committed last summer when he sped through a Draper neighborhood and pulled a gun after being confronted by several concerned citizens.

The new charge - a class B misdemeanor count of "written false statement" - is based on Schanze's interviews with news reporters, which allegedly conflict with what he told police.

The Utah computer store owner has told reporters he pulled a handgun from his pants pocket to protect himself from what he called "a gang of vigilantes," one of whom was threatening to break the tail lights of his Jaguar with a rock.

But in a written statement to police, Schanze never mentioned a gun. Instead, he claims he pulled out a cell phone and offered to call police, according to a criminal complaint amended this week against Schanze.

Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Chris Bown said Friday that Schanze - who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon - also made verbal denials to police about displaying a gun.
But defense attorney James "Mitch" Vilos claimed police failed to ask Schanze the right question.
They asked Schanze if he had "brandished" a weapon, and Schanze denied it because that word carries the connotation of making a threat, Vilos said. The attorney insisted that showing a weapon is not "brandishing or threatening" if it is done in self-defense.

Vilos said Schanze merely pulled the gun and held it by his hip. When the man with the rock saw the gun, he dropped the rock and Schanze put the gun back in his pocket, Vilos said.

But according to charging documents, Schanze not only exhibited the gun, he pointed it at Clinton Sanderson, the man with the rock.

The confrontation occurred May 21 after the residents followed Schanze, 36, and his 8-year-old daughter to the Point of the Mountain Paragliding Park. Schanze was reportedly driving at a high rate of speed through a neighborhood.

Schanze, who was not present for Friday's hearing, is also charged with "threatening with or using a dangerous weapon in a fight or quarrel," a class A misdemeanor, and reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor.

On Friday, 3rd District Judge Royal Hansen canceled a three-day trial, which was set to begin next month, and reset it for May 10.

The judge also heard arguments on several trial issues, including whether a firearms expert can testify if Schanze responded according to his training when confronted with potential danger.

Vilos said Schanze and others are taught that once an aggressor approaches within 21 feet, the aggressor can be on you before you can pull a holstered or pocketed gun.

"I want to explain [to the jury] why concealed permit holders are trained to take their weapons out and place them at the ready," Vilos told the judge.

Bown said he has no problem with the defense expert so long as he refrains from expressing opinions about whether Schanze was in a self-defense situation. "That's a question for the jury."
Schanze was allegedly carrying two handguns the day of the incident, a Glock 10 mm handgun in his pocket and another handgun in an ankle holster.

Vilos accompanied his arguments with a Power Point presentation that included gun-toting images of John Wayne and "Miami Vice" star Don Johnson.

Schanze is known for goofing for news cameras - making faces, defending his right to bear arms and shouting the name of his line of local businesses: "Totally Awesome!"

Schanze and employees protest

From Deseret News:

Thursday, December 01, 2005
Schanze and employees protest
By Pat ReavyDeseret Morning News

WEST JORDAN — Two days after offering "no comment" outside a courtroom and his attorney saying the case should not be tried in the press, "Super" Dell Buck Schanze broke his brief silence Wednesday afternoon.

Dell Schanze, of Totally Awesome Computers, waves during a protest of what he calls unfair charges.Michael Brandy, Deseret Morning NewsSchanze and about 2 dozen of his Totally Awesome Computers employees held a honk-and-wave rally on the sidewalk outside 3rd District Court along Redwood Road near 8100 South.

Holding signs that read "Rights are not wrong," Schanze and his group said they wanted to bring attention to what they felt was the injustice of the judicial system that charged Super Dell and to also stand up for the rights of all gun owners.

"To charge me with a crime is absurd. It borders on terrorism," Schanze said. "They've done a horrible injustice. The courts should never have brought charges for something so obviously in my rights.

"Everyone who knows me knows I'm not a criminal. I want the truth out," he said.

Schanze, 36, is charged with a class A misdemeanor for allegedly making threats with a dangerous weapon in a fight and a class B misdemeanor of reckless driving. A trial was scheduled for Feb. 15-17.

The charges stem from an incident on May 21, when Schanze was allegedly confronted by a group of angry residents who said he was speeding through a Draper neighborhood. At least one of the residents allegedly held a rock and threatened to break the tail lights of Schanze's Jaguar while his young daughter was in the vehicle.

At that point Schanze, who has a concealed weapons permit, allegedly waved a gun at the crowd.

Wednesday, Schanze maintained his innocence saying the people he says came after him with a rock were the ones who should have been charged.

"You should be allowed to defend yourself. Everybody would have done what I did," he said.

Schanze said he was not only sticking up for himself but for all gun owners who are harassed "all the time."

But Schanze also noted that even if the charges were dropped now and apologies were offered, the damage has still be done through what he called "malicious attacks" in the media.

"Unrepairable damage has been done to my reputation," he said.

And the damage isn't only to his reputation, Schanze said. He says sales at his business were down 40 percent. The livelihoods of 100 employees and their families are also affected, he said.

Super Dell closed his stores for a few hours Wednesday to allow employees who wanted to participate in the rally to do so. He said he did not force or pay any employees to show up to the rally. Totally Awesome Computers will reopen today.

"I'm absolutely angered by (the charges)," said Karen Cottam, manager of the Totally Awesome store in West Jordan.
Cottam said vigilante justice does not work and the people who chased down her boss, whom she called reckless and irresponsible, should have called police.

"Everyone has a right to protect their family," employee Charolee Norton said. "What's society coming to if you can't protect your family?"

Customers who haven't stopped doing business at Totally Awesome Computers have given their support, Schanze said.

"I haven't had one person approach me and say, 'I can't believe you did that,' " he said.

Schanze's lawyer, James "Mitch" Vilos, who was not present at the event, said he had no comment about the protest and was unaware of his client's actions Wednesday.

Robert Stott, spokesman for the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, also had no comment. "We try to do our speaking in the courtroom," Stott said.

As for whether he was concerned if Wednesday's pep rally might backfire and have a negative impact on his case, Schanze said, "God is the only one I'm worried about."

KUTV has a video!

"I should have drawn my weapon and actually displayed it. That is what I should have done to insure my safety," said Schanze.

Schanze said the judge in the case was "ignorant" for not throwing out the charges. It was also reported that the protest was originally a "mandatory" meeting for employees. Once there, they were told it was voluntary.

Superdell's Lawyers file 'Motion to Quash'

From KSL News:

Totally Awesome Computers owner Dell Schanze was in court today. He faces charges of reckless driving and threatening with a dangerous weapon in a fight. His pretrial hearing was cancelled when Schanze's attorney requested a motion to quash. A judge rescheduled the hearing for later this month.

In court today, Schanze was calmer and more subdued than he usually appears. He still says he is innocent.

Dell Schanze, Defendant: "It ended very peacefully. I'm very happy that no one got hurt and basically no crime was committed. It's really sad that they would charge the victim with a crime instead of the three assailants wielding weapons, but you know, we'll go through it and peace be with all."

Police say Schanze pulled a gun on a group of neighbors when they confronted him for speeding down their street earlier this year. Witnesses say he was going at least 50 miles an hour in a residential neighborhood. Schanze says he was concerned for his safety, so he drew the 10 millimeter handgun.

Superdell is Selling Totally Awesome Guns & Range

From KSL News:

Totally Awesome Computers owner Dell Schanze is selling his Totally Awesome Guns & Range.

The Kearns business is being sold to Impact Guns, which operates a retail store and indoor range in Ogden and also has an online sales division.

"Impact is an established store now expanding their presence farther south," said Clark Aposhian, who managed the Kearns store before and after Schanze acquired it and will continue in the post under Impact Guns.

"They're putting a huge amount of money into remodeling and, basically, changing direction, style and attitude. It's going to be a premier gun store," he said.

Aposhian said Impact Guns has submitted its change-of-ownership paperwork to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and he anticipates approval within the next week to 10 days.

Schanze declined comment.

Aposhian said there was no connection between the change of ownership and reckless driving and brandishing a weapon misdemeanor charges filed against Schanze for an altercation with neighbors in Draper on May 21.
"Dell has been looking to move from the gun store for some time now and to redirect his energy in other places," Aposhian said, adding "the Draper incident probably brought more people in than it drove away."

Aposhian said Impact Guns will broaden its appeal, expanding its range of firearms and services for hunters and target shooters.

"We'll do gunsmithing and black powder guns. We'll provide firearms training -- we offer ladies-only classes for self-defense -- and instruction for everything from basic pistol to carrying concealed weapons," he said.

Schanze is best known for TV ads in which he is a shrill pitchman for his chain of computer stores.

From Salt Lake Tribune:

Schanze to unload gun store
Schanze will sell Kearns business to Ogden company

By Mike Gorrell The Salt Lake Tribune

Dell Schanze is getting out of the gun business.

Schanze has nearly completed the sale of Totally Awesome Guns & Range, at 4075 W. 4715 South in Kearns, to Impact Guns, which operates a retail store and indoor range in Ogden and also has an online sales division.

"Impact is an established store now expanding their presence farther south," said Clark Aposhian, who managed the Totally Awesome store when it was known as Custom Arms, stayed on through the Schanze era, and will continue under Impact Guns. "They're putting a huge amount of money into remodeling and, basically, changing direction, style and attitude. It's going to be a premier gun store."

Aposhian said Impact Guns has submitted its change-of-ownership paperwork to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and met last week with officials of the federal agency. He anticipates approval within the next week to 10 days.

Schanze declined comment.

Aposhian insisted there was no connection between the change of ownership and misdemeanor charges filed against Schanze for allegedly brandishing a gun in an altercation in Draper on May 21.

"Dell has been looking to move from the gun store for some time now and to redirect his energy in other places," Aposhian said, adding "the Draper incident probably brought more people in than it drove away."

Whatever the case, the sale to Impact Guns will change the store's emphasis.

Totally Awesome Guns was geared toward military and law-enforcement interests, featuring assault and tactical weapons such as AK-47s. Aposhian said Impact Guns will broaden its appeal, expanding its repertoire of firearms and services to cater to hunters and target shooters as well as law-enforcement personnel.

"We'll do gunsmithing and black powder guns. We'll provide firearms training - we offer ladies-only classes for self-defense - and instruction for everything from basic pistol to carrying concealed weapons," he said, adding that Impact also trains security guards with Loomis, Fargo & Co., the nation's biggest armored-car service.

"We're basically starting from scratch," Aposhian added, noting the store's two indoor shooting ranges will be revamped and its exterior will be spruced up. "We're going to improve this little corner of Kearns quite a bit."

mikeg@sltrib.com

Motion Hearing today

From KSL News:

Motion Hearing Set for Today in Schanze's Case
October 17th, 2005 @ 7:51am

(KSL News) The owner of Totally Awesome Computers has a court date today. A motion hearing is scheduled for Dell Schanze.

Police say Schanze pulled a gun on a group of neighbors when they confronted him for speeding down their street. Witnesses told police he was going at least 50 miles an hour through a residential area.

Schanze claims he's the victim and fears for his safety.

Superdell's lawyer seeks Draper Police policy

From KUTV News:

'Super Dell' In Court On Gun Brandishing Charge

An attorney for the owner of the ``Totally Awesome'' computer retail chain wants more information on Draper police policy in order to fight his client's charges of reckless driving and brandishing a gun. Dell Buck Schanze's attorney, Mitch Vilos, filed a subpoena asking for the department's policy instructing officers how to respond to someone approaching them with a dangerous weapon, Vilos said after a hearing Monday.

Prosecutors have filed a motion to quash that subpoena and a new court date was scheduled for Oct. 17. Schanze, 36, has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of reckless driving and threatening use of a dangerous weapon. On May 21, Schanze allegedly waved a handgun at residents who had confronted him for speeding through their neighborhood in his black Jaguar. Schanze alleges one man grabbed a rock and was threatening to break the taillight on his car. Schanze holds a permit to carry a concealed weapon. He owns a gun store, but is more well known for appearing frequently in TV ads as a shrill pitchman for his chain of computer stores.

Unusually Apologetic “Super Dell” Talks To 2News

From KUTV:

It's a side we haven't seen before from "Superdell Schanze" as he appeared before a judge in West Jordan. The usually outspoken and very animated Schanze, showed a different side Monday and was even apologetic.Cristina Flores has more. Schanze faces misdemeanor charges of threatening to use a gun and speeding. Monday, he apologized for one of those, but he still insists he's the victim not the bad guy in this case.Dell Buck Schanze was all smiles as he walked into court. After the hearing, he was tempered, even apologetic. “I apologize for speeding completely. I don't think speeding is right and although I know I was traveling a safe speed it wasn't necessarily the speed limit and that was wrong,” said Schanze.That was an unusually mellow Dell Schanze, who just recently, called prosecutors communists.“So I would have to take that back and apologize to all communists who are offended by that and if you’re a communist you're welcome to get 100 dollars off at any of my computer stores,” said Schanze.Schanze was charged after a run in with Draper residents back in May. People in this neighborhood say they were tired of Schanze speeding near their homes and confronted him.Schanze allegedly threatened three men with a gun. Dell says they threatened to bash his lights with a rock.“That's completely wrong and then to charge me with a crime? Instead of the assailants? Obviously there's an injustice here, said Schanze.The pretrial conference was scheduled for Monday morning for Schanze, who's charged with reckless driving and threatening to use a dangerous weapon in a fight. However, the pretrial conference was canceled upon a motion to quash request. Schanze's attorney says he's looking into the background of the state's witnesses and he's looking into how police handled the case.One more note: Schanze, who owns a gun range in addition to all his computer stores says the gun range is in transition. He wouldn't say whether he's sold the gun range.

Superdell sued by another

From KUTV:

A former employee of Totally Awesome Computers is suing "Super'' Dell Schanze for defamation. In the suit, William Carlton May alleges that Schanze violated the terms of a confidential court settlement by defaming him in an article in the Salt Lake City Weekly.

In the article, Schanze was quoted as calling former employees "heinously evil'' and "complete liars.'' Schanze is also quoted as accusing May of being responsible for the business having $650,000 stolen. An allegation May says is false.

May is asking the court for at least $1.2 million in damages and is asking the court for permission to publicly release confidential information to counter Schanze's allegations.

From Deseret News:

An article in the Salt Lake City Weekly quoting "Super" Dell Schanze is becoming a super pain for the well-known computer retailer.
Dell SchanzeA former employee of Totally Awesome Computers, who recently settled a federal religious discrimination suit against Schanze, is now suing him for defamation based on comments Schanze made to the alternative weekly newspaper in July regarding some former disgruntled employees.
In the suit filed in 3rd District Court, William Carlton May alleges that Schanze violated the terms of a confidential court settlement by defaming him in the article.
According to the suit, May settled with Schanze on the eve of a federal trial on allegations that Schanze discriminated against employees who were not of the LDS faith. That settlement was struck on June 22. About a month later, Schanze gave an interview to the Salt Lake City Weekly, in which he is quoted as calling disgruntled former employees "heinously evil" and "complete liars."
Schanze is also quoted as accusing May of being responsible for the business having $650,000 stolen and implying that May settled his federal suit for $2 million — allegations that May says are false.
May is the second former Totally Awesome Computers employee to sue Schanze for defamation. Last month, Sherri Young filed a federal suit after the same City Weekly article quoted Schanze as calling Young "the freaking ugliest chick you could possibly imagine," and accusing the former bookkeeper of stealing money from his company. Young says those allegations are defaming and false. Young also has made a claim of religious and sexual discrimination in her suit.
Schanze has said both May and Young are disgruntled employees who are out to take advantage of the justice system for monetary gain. He said he plans on fighting the suits.
May's defamation suit points out that as part of the settlement of his federal suit, Schanze agreed not to "disparage or speak poorly of May."
May is asking the court for at least $1.2 million in damages and is asking the court for permission to publicly release confidential information to counter Schanze's allegations.

Superdell vs. Discrimination Suit

From KUTV Channel 2:

New Dell Schanze Suit Not Totally Awesome

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah One month after settling a lawsuit alleging religious discrimination by a former employee, a second suit by another former worker has been filed against the owner of a Salt Lake area computer company. A former bookkeeper for Totally Awesome Computers, Sherri Young claims in her lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court Friday that company president “Super” Dell Buck Schanze subjected her to derogatory remarks about the religious beliefs of others and to derogatory remarks about women. The lawsuit also alleges Schanze discriminated against people who were not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Young is also suing for defamation over a statement she claims Schanze made about her to a reporter employed by Salt Lake City Weekly, an alternative newspaper. Court documents state that in the paper, Schanze accused Young of defrauding the state, stealing from his company and being the ``freaking ugliest chick you could possibly imagine.'' A court record search shows no charges have ever been filed against Young, who was hired by Totally Awesome Computers in December 2000.

Young claims she routinely worked more than 40 hours weekly for the company and that supervisors instructed her to attributed those hours to other Schanze-owned businesses, or to “donate” the hours. She claims to have been underpaid by an estimated $69,000. In total Young is seeking $500,000 in damages. Schanze said Friday the lawsuit is “just completely ludicrous.” He said he believes Young is mimicking the actions of William Carlton May, who also sued him for religious discrimination. May claimed Schanze had made repeated derogatory remarks and sent e-mails about those who were not Mormon. The federal lawsuit was settled last month for an undisclosed amount. As part of the settlement, Schanze did not have to admit to any of the allegations. In July, Schanze was also booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on charges of reckless driving and threatening to use a dangerous weapon in a fight during an alleged confrontation with his Draper neighbors, who say he was speeding. Between 1991 and 2000, Schanze has been charged with one felony, 24 misdemeanor and five infractions involving cars and weapons, including a bomb. Most were dismissed or were reduced to lesser counts.

Link to video

Superdell vs. Former Employees

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

Former employee files lawsuit against Dell Schanze
A former senior comptroller for Totally Awesome Computers filed suit Friday accusing company owner and president Dell Schanze of religious and sexual discrimination, saying he created an hostile work environment with derogatory comments about non-Mormons and women. Sherri Young of Taylorsville also alleges the company underpaid her by about $69,000 for overtime she worked and that Schanze defamed her in an Aug. 3 story in the Salt Lake City Weekly. Her former boss is quoted in the alternative paper as saying she defrauded the state on her unemployment pay and stole thousands of dollars from the company. He is quoted as calling her “the freaking ugliest chick you could possibly imagine.” Young's suit, filed in U.S. District Court, seeks at least $869,000 from the Sandy-based company and Schanze. Schanze denied the allegations. "She knows she wasn't discriminated against," he said. "She was one of the highest paid employees." Schanze also contended that Young was let go "because she's a total liar." - Pamela Manson

Superdell's Quote of the Day

Superdell's Totally Awesome website has a box on the main page that says "Mr. Schanze's Quote of the Day." These quotes actually change everytime you refresh. Here are some of Superdell's nuggets of wisdom:

"A mind that isn’t open is most likely out to lunch."

"It is impossible for anything bad to happen to someone with a positive attitude."

"Screwed up people will be screwed up no matter how screwed up your attempts are to screw them up."

"A true master knows it is wiser to play those that beat you because if you always play people that suck you will only learn to beat sucky players."

"Victory only lasts an instant; challenges should last your whole life."

"Everyone starts from the bottom; the sign of the true champion is the one that works his way up the fastest."

"People that always put their best interests first will always be looking for new interests because no one else will be interested in them."

"A little pain never hurt anyone."

"If you don’t push yourself then only downward momentum can move you forward."

"Everyone wants to quit now and then, where you end up in life is decided by how you deal with it."

"It is a whole lot easier to discover a star than to create one."

"Don’t worry too much about the future. If you put your effort into the here and now then the future will already be polished when you get there."

"Everyone wants to quit now and then, where you end up in life is decided by how you deal with it."

"A sign of a great man is one that only cares about the truth and not who has it."

"Those that can’t call themselves stupid need others to do it for them."

"If investing were as easy as buying a lotto ticket a zillion more people would do it."

Dell on Earth

August 3, 2005. The Salt Lake City Weekly reports:

Dell on Earth
One geek’s Totally Awesome rise, and the heinously evil Satan worshipers trying to take him down.
by Shane Johnson

SuperDell Anti-Fan Forum
Name: Crystal Balls
Where from: Ooo-Tah
Comments: I hear things in the wind—like maybe Super Dell’s TAC is in trouble. Is he gonna go out of business? Maybe get busted for cooking books? Get sued by ex-employees? You can’t go around wagging your ass in everybody’s face forever. Sooner or later somebody’s going to wind up and kick your ass hard. Enjoy the trip, DS. I know I will. 06/07/05

The writing on the blog, as it were, is the latest of more than a thousand pseudonymous posts at superdellsucks.com, a Website dedicated since 2001 to bashing the brash founder of Totally Awesome Computers, “Super” Dell Schanze. Substitute “wagging your gun” for “wagging your ass,” and Crystal Balls may prove more prescient than even Schanze, who makes no secret of regular consultations with the Almighty soothsayer himself. That’s because while building up his Totally Awesome empire—from inglorious conception in a strip-mall shipping store—Schanze has racked up an impressive rap sheet to go with an awesome roster of detractors.

Now the fully automatic mouth behind the “best computers on the planet” is taking his inevitable turn under the gun. But despite armed roadside skirmishes, allegedly questionable business practices and an utterly dysfunctional management style, the enigmatic-entrepreneur-turned-pariah is still standing. Though not for lack of trying by forces aligned to knock him down a peg or two.

“The Right to Be Thrown in Jail”
By the time a mysterious envelope turned up in City Weekly’s inbox—no name, no return address, just an unmarked compact disc inside—Schanze appeared to have weathered a thorough thrashing on radio call-in shows and newspaper opinion pages. Hardwired for a good fight, he ceded little during the onslaught of public condemnation for allegedly escalating a May run-in with Draper soccer-dads-cum-vigilantes. Or, as Schanze prefers, “psycho freakin’ road-ragers.”

By whatever name, three of them motored after the black Jaguar they say Schanze zipped through their neighborhood at upwards of 70 mph—his 8-year-old daughter riding shotgun, no less. They cornered him at Point of the Mountain Paraglider Park, where invective flew but Schanze, regrettably, did not. Instead, according to charging documents, the notorious lead-foot offered driving lessons to his revved-up antagonists, to which one guy responded by picking up a rock and threatened to smash his taillights.

To Schanze’s way of thinking: “They chased me down, they threatened me, they threatened my family, they threatened my business, they threatened my car, all the while demanding that I modify my behavior to suit their fantasies. And then they call me arrogant.”

Questioned by police, Schanze denied brandishing the 10 mm Glock pistol for which he holds a concealed carry permit. But, according to published reports, charging documents allege he drew down on the guy with the rock and, in later public statements, he gloated that everybody got really nice once he made it plain he was armed.
“I knew that guy was going to attempt to kill me or my daughter,” Schanze insists. “You could see it in his eyes he was about to just flip. And boom! I flipped that situation into nobody got hurt. You can’t ask for better.”

Schanze maintains he’s a law-abiding gun owner, and the victim of a festering government assault on the right to bear arms. “The [Salt Lake County district attorney] should be the one put in prison … for being a terrorist,” he said.
Offers longtime Schanze friend Dan “The Laptop Man” Young: “If I was speeding and some people came up to me … the first thing I would have done was apologize like mad. I’m sure that things could have been de-escalated if he handled it differently.”

If convicted on a misdemeanor charge of “threatening with a dangerous weapon in a fight,” Schanze could lose his concealed carry permit which, at first blush, he said is no big deal. “I have a class three weapons permit: I can carry around freaking machine guns for heaven’s sake.” But on second thought, Schanze admitted it would be very “irritating … for them to take away my right to be thrown in jail when I’m attacked.”

“Somebody’s Playing With You”
Unless you’re holed up in a fortified Duchesne County bunker, by now you’ve grimaced through one of SuperDell’s grating radio or TV spots, deriding all but Totally Awesome computers as worthless heaps. Schanze’s proud of the fact that he hits the recording studio cold, improvising an idiosyncratic Crazy Eddie meets Carrot Top shtick that inspires howling in dogs and the instinct to buy in humans.

Which brings us back to that mysterious CD. It contains either an audio outtake of a SuperDell spot never meant for public consumption, the spot-on imitation of a malicious imposter, or the crafty editing job of a vengeful sound guy. City Weekly put the question to Schanze. [Click here to download the mystery radio spot (MP3 file-936k)]
“Obviously I’ve never done a commercial like that, so somebody’s playing with you,” he said after hearing a transcript of the recording read by phone. Asked why anybody would go to such lengths to smear him, before hanging up, Schanze fussed, “I’m famous, everybody likes to attack everybody who’s famous.”
And to that end, Schanze knows of what he speaks. Just days later, he settled a $2 million federal discrimination lawsuit with former Totally Awesome Computers Vice President William Carlton May. The undisclosed deal averted an imminent trial in which May would have made his best case that Schanze passed him over for promotion, then demoted and terminated him in 2003, because he’s Hispanic, and not a member of Schanze’s fold, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

May and other witnesses deposed in the case also alleged Schanze fomented a hostile workplace for women and homosexuals. And they detailed a slew of questionable business practices at the computer stores, and at Schanze’s big-boy hobby shop, Totally Awesome Guns & Range.

When asked for another interview, Schanze was apprehensive, but blithe. “All newspeople are scumbag rat bastards,” he said.

All newspeople?
“Yeah, and you guys just make crap up and you’ll take any negative thing I say, and you’ll only print that, and you’ll ignore all positives.”

For better or worse, Schanze agreed to talk.

We met at Totally Awesome Computers on Foothill Boulevard, one of nine stores spanning the Wasatch Front from Riverdale to Orem. One employee—Asian, it warrants mentioning—mills about the sales floor, where there hasn’t been a customer in 15 minutes. After checking in with his guys, Schanze suggests, “Let’s go for a ride.”

A ride? Alone? With an oddball known for racing souped-up luxury cars at breakneck speeds on Utah highways? Known for packing heat and turning it up upon suspect provocation? Harboring an outright loathing for my entire profession? …

I hop in the passenger side of SuperDell’s Ford F-350—a monster truck outfitted with two motorized paragliders hitched to the rear. I notice a radar detector. I learn Schanze traded his Jag the day after the flying park imbroglio for a less peppy Hummer. He says he’s strapped, times two, plus he’s got a couple guns stashed in the extended cab.
A few miles up Emigration Canyon, the gliders thunk to the road behind us, screeching for a good hundred feet. “Crap happens,” he says as we snap off what’s left of a shoddy weld and heave the gliders into the truck bed.

“Why are we even discussing these heinously evil, complete liars, even giving any justice to their stupid claims?” he demands throughout the aimless two-hour drive—mostly within the speed limit. “I don’t know what I could discuss, because I can’t really discuss that case,” he says, adding: “Obviously everything in it was a total load of crap.”
There’s an infectious quality to Schanze’s outbursts—equal parts irrational bombast tethered to the conviction of a man so confident to assert, in all sincerity, “Anybody that says anything negative about me is an absolute liar.”
According to May’s attorney, the parties included a confidentiality agreement in the settlement, but you wouldn’t know it by talking to Schanze. At the core of the accusations, he finds it inconceivable that May, who he once considered a close friend, not to mention the company’s highest-paid employee, would deign to play the discrimination card.

“That’s just a huge, unbelievably sick thing about the system: A total liar can claim you discriminated, file a lawsuit, and now you can’t do anything until that lawsuit is taken care of,” Schanze moaned.

Bad
Enter Peter Van Horn, “a very, very unlikely friend of Mr. Dell Schanze.” And he’s not kidding.
Van Horn, a self-described former drug addict and ladies’ man, and a lifelong rock-and-roller, met Schanze in a Totally Awesome Computers parking lot a couple years ago. Van Horn thought he was stylin’ in a 2001 Porche Carerra until Schanze pulled up beside in a silver Twin Turbo. The two hit it off instantly.
“Out comes Dell Schanze:” Hey, how’s it going, dude? Nice car.
“Yeah, I like yours better.”

Get in.
Fast forward another year. Van Horn rolls up to the same store, only this time in his own Twin Turbo. The real-estate boom has been good to him, and he’s shopping for a computer to cut his next album.
In working with Schanze on various projects—including a yet-to-be-aired TV commercial, featuring a barely dressed blonde with a machine gun— “I’ve caught myself caring about him,” Van Horn said. “I don’t want him to be hurt; I want him to learn something.”

Where Schanze comes across in the media as an arrogant lunatic, Van Horn sees a naïve free spirit. “When he told me the only album he ever bought was [Michael Jackson’s] Bad,” Van Horn was shocked, because he had Schanze pegged as more worldly. “But no, [he’s] just really this odd genius that doesn’t get it like other people get it,” he said.
And he’s a generous genius, too. Schanze’s Totally Awesome Foundation donated upwards of $10,000 to charitable causes last year—while floating a $200,000 loan to his company—he drops $500 tips on sad-case waitresses, and even former employees who despise the man admit he paid them well for their work.

Van Horn traces Schanze’s over-the-top zest for life to a couple of near-death bullet bike accidents, one of which required spinal fusions for 11 crushed vertebrae. And while he believes his buddy “deserves to be spanked really hard” for his latest antics, Van Horn doesn’t think they should exact ruin for Schanze and his company.
Schanze confided that the lawsuit combined with negative press is killing business, Van Horn said, and he’s having trouble making payroll. Adding insult, Schanze’s dog just bit the neighbor kid, Van Horn said.

“The Flow”
Invoking the confidentiality provision, May declined to discuss Schanze, terms of the agreement or the vehemently disputed allegations. Deposed witnesses are not bound, however, and some were eager to fill in the gaps.
As May contended, several former Totally Awesome employees say non-LDS workers were systematically purged from the ranks in 2003. Schanze handpicked the new management team, derisively known as the “Mormon Mafia,” and promoted a relatively inexperienced, LDS assistant store manager to be CEO in early 2003. They allege that May’s effective replacement as top dog with Brad Hintze, then a 25-year-old corporate neophyte, lends credence not only to the Mormon takeover conspiracy, but also to alleged financial irregularities at the company.

On Jan. 9, 2003, a frustrated Hintze was on the verge of quitting when he shot off a staffwide e-mail accusing May, Schanze and Schanze’s brother Eric Steele, then chief financial officer, of “not being completely honest with the company,” according to Hintze’s deposition testimony. City Weekly was unable to contact Hintze, who was demoted to a store-level position earlier this year, and subsequently resigned, according to Schanze. But as others recall the memo, it was more biting than Hintze had let on.

“We started questioning Dell’s ethics as to where all the money was going,” said Cameron Landies, a former top salesman for the company, who claims he was fired for dubious reasons at the height of the so-called purge. “Brad was calling [Schanze] out, then next thing you know, he’s CEO and doesn’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Despite ongoing lobbying from employees and friends to implement an electronic point of sale system, Schanze and Steele (who changed his surname some years back) have resisted mightily, opting for handwritten invoices and elementary spreadsheet programs to track company business. The resultant “loosey-goosey” financial controls, as one former Totally Awesome senior controller puts it, has made employee theft one of Schanze’s most vexing issues. One employee was busted stealing an estimated $250,000 to $600,000 worth of merchandise over the course of a few years, according to published reports. Schanze has yet to fully upgrade the system, but nonetheless blames a rash of thefts on May, whom he fired more than two years ago.

“Every company in the world has employee theft,” Schanze explained. “And, yeah, had we had better systems in place … but gee, who was in charge at the time?”

Carl May?
“Ohhh, ayyy, wowww, so Carl’s in charge, and $650,000 dollars gets stolen, and then he gets fired, but he claims discrimination. Oh my s—t, are you kidding me? Do you see how screwed up this is? Can you even comprehend the level that I’ve been screwed over, cheated, stolen from, robbed, raped, beaten, attacked and brutalized and what is the story? I’m the bad guy.”

Some speculate that Schanze’s growing mistrust led him to cast all non-Mormon employees as de facto thieves, because they couldn’t “talk to God,” as he often said.

Within a week of hiring on in 2000, Landies said he was subjected to an audit of sorts to determine “if I had my spiritual s—t together.” It was around 11 p.m. at the downtown store. Landies recalls he’d been working off the clock since 8, when Schanze plopped him down on a monitor box to inquire of Landies’ religious leanings—specifically, whether he was LDS, which he is not.

“‘You don’t got it,’” Landies recalls the diagnosis, which freaked him out and left him fearing for his job. “‘Something’s wrong with you.’”

Self-described Jack Mormon and former Totally Awesome store manager Jeremy Whipple quit the company in disgust in 2002. He said he got the same treatment as Landies that night, albeit with a more encouraging verdict. “‘You’re close, man. You almost got it. You just need to be going to church more.’”

Derek Nielsen is convinced he fell afoul of Schanze’s spiritual prerequisite soon after his swift rise to general manager and wunderkind salesman by 1999. A one-time LDS missionary, Nielsen still considers himself a devout Christian, but he’s also taken up shamanism. His beliefs include the use of certain hallucinogens—he mentioned peyote and cannabis—which he believes enhance spiritual understanding.

At one time the boss’s right-hand man, an “idiotic joke” outed Nielsen as a “Satan worshiper.” Or, at least that’s how he says Schanze referred to him after Nielsen’s cousin, who worked at another of Schanze’s stores, decided to send him a marijuana plant via the company courier. Even though Nielsen says he had no part in the prank, Schanze demoted him, docked his pay, and scrapped his bonuses, upon which Nielsen quit.

Schanze ultimately refused to accept the resignation but, according to Nielsen’s deposition, Schanze told him he was “following Satan,” “didn’t have the flow of God,” and could no longer be trusted to run the company. The demotion stood, but Schanze restored Nielsen’s pay, telling him the only reason he wasn’t fired is because he was the best salesman in the company.

“It is his religion to smoke weed … and I didn’t fire him!” Schanze exclaimed. “Why? Because he was doing a good job; I don’t discriminate against people.”

“He didn’t fire me,” Nielsen conceded, “but he closed the door for me and ultimately pushed me out of the company,” another alleged victim of the forced heathen exodus.

For his part, Totally Awesome’s former companywide technician manager Joe Burton doesn’t buy the discrimination claims, because if Schanze had it in for non-Mormons, Burton said, he would have been at the top of the hit list. Burton survived the 2003 expulsions, despite sticking out as a long-haired, tattooed, heavy-metal-T-shirt-wearing heathen. What’s more, when he took time off to be with his ailing mother, who died last summer, Schanze handed him $1,500 cash, and said, “‘Come back when you can.’”

“I have zero qualms with him,” Burton said. “What he believes in he firmly believes, and that might upset people, but at the same time standing up for what you believe in is a quality, not the opposite.”

In the beginning, Nielsen and others bought into Schanze’s bold promises of storming the worldwide PC market, and making millionaires of Totally Awesome’s rank-and-file. But that’s all changed, they say. Schanze changed, the dream petered out and, to date, not a single store has opened out of state.

Whipple said his boss once was “almost as good of a person as he thinks he is.” Back then, he said, Schanze inspired through motivation, but gradually turned toward intimidation.

“I would … like to start adding a bit more threat of termination to try and help all of you get out of your comfortable world,” Schanze wrote to staff during a 2002 downturn in sales.

In the old days, “free money” (bonuses) and free lunches flowed, Steele recounts. “[Schanze] gave away hundreds of thousands of dollars over the first few years to employees,” he said. “And how quick they are to forget that.”
Even so, Steele acknowledges his brother’s part in eroding near-unanimous loyalty from his employees. In late 2002, cash flow slowed, wages and bonuses tanked, a rash of employees supplemented their wages with pilfered computer wares, the troops began losing faith in the mission and Schanze lost his cool.

By late 2003, Schanze was full-tilt livid with the mounting shrinkage, when he shot off a rambling warning to all who might cross him. “Who else would like to experience the Salt Lake jail, Oxbow or the point?” Schanze wrote in the staffwide admonition. “I’ll make sure you get a very big muscle bound homo for a cell mate as well. Get it? Cell mate? Imagine for a second being …”

“Dell is a two-edged sword,” observes Steele. “His ego has allowed him to get the attention he needs for the business to work.” At the same time, he can be a “real arrogant A-hole,” Steele said. And no more so than in the past couple years, where Schanze took to lashing back “in a rude or condescending manner to employees,” he continued, adding, “he’s responsible for aggravating some of those situations.”

That’s not to say the soured ex-employees were discriminated against: They were fired undiplomatically, yes, but for cause, Steele said. Unlike Schanze, however, Steele would rather not discuss the particular causes for those terminations. “It’s inappropriate for me to be badmouthing people who are former employees, regardless of how inappropriate their conduct was that led to their discharge,” he said.

Firing became something of an art in itself. When Schanze decided someone had to go, Whipple and other store managers say they were ordered to justify the termination by digging up past dirt on the target employee, which may or may not have been true, so the company could avoid paying out unemployment.
“I have to expose them for that because of my involvement,” said Whipple, deeming his part in creating retroactive write-ups “downright dishonest.”

Schanze is unfazed by the allegation. “Sometimes it takes awhile,” he said. “But, yeah, people screw up, we write them up—before we fire them, and after we fire them.”

Nielsen adds that Schanze’s business practices didn’t sit well with many. Take Totally Awesome’s often-advertised policy to beat any comparable computer price by $100. “He trained us to beat [customers] up, disparage the product, whatever,” Nielsen said. “You bait them with, ‘We can beat their price by a hundred bucks,’ and ultimately you sell them a computer for $600 more.”

At one point in 2002, a salesman at the Orem store e-mailed Schanze about a customer who was unhappy that Totally Awesome wouldn’t beat his price, to which Schanze dashed off a staffwide e-mail.

“We will beat any delivered price on any complete computer system on the planet. If you have trouble talking people out of this then refer them to me,” he wrote. Today, Schanze said there’s nothing deceptive about the practice. “We’ll beat any freaking price,” he said. “But the truth is, you don’t want us to beat a price on a piece of crap. That’s just honesty. … Dishonest employees that don’t understand it are no longer with me.”

Former Totally Awesome senior controller Sherri Young alleges she understood exactly what Schanze’s brother Eric Steele ordered her to do.

“I was ordered to falsify documents, as was my ex-husband,” Young testified in her deposition, referring to an alleged effort to thwart a state sales tax audit several years ago. A current Totally Awesome employee confirmed she was present when Steele ordered Young to “forge” the documents, according to a court deposition.

Asked why she falsified the documents, Young said she feared for her job, because at the time she was fleeing an abusive relationship, and “hiding in hotels with seven kids.”

There’s a nugget of truth to Young’s “vast distortion,” Steele offers, but nothing at all nefarious. “Yes, I told her to re-create the invoices,” he said, “if she could come up with a reasonable basis to do it.”

Young also detailed financial shenanigans at the gun store, where she alleged a $1 million asset disappeared from the books without explanation. “[Steele] told me that the money was offshore, that it was fairly risky, that he had no guarantee that it was going to be worthwhile,” Young testified in her deposition. “And I believe he said that, you know, it was in a country that didn’t have reciprocating banking laws …”

“That’s absolute nonsense,” Steele said, adding that there was a $1 million line of credit extended to the gun store from the computer store, of which he says every dollar can be accounted for.

Multiple former gun store employees cited Steele’s accounting methods for why they sought employment elsewhere. Russ Oliver, a one-time limited partner in the venture, said he insisted on a point-of-sale system to track inventory, transactions and compliance with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

“At every turn, Eric continuously sabotaged that system, still requiring handwritten end of day financials,” Oliver said. “[W]hatever the computer printed out that day was really meaningless, because … the numbers that I would keep out of the point of sale system would never match the numbers that Eric had as far as profit and loss for the company.”

Schanze countered: “We have absolute clean-cut financial records [of] where every single penny went. I have full faith and trust in my brother.” He added that Oliver’s poor management cost him upwards of a million dollars, and that Oliver went on to “screw” businessman Rick White “for about $800,000.”

Said White: “I didn’t get taken in by Russ Oliver at all. Actually, I think he saved me a bunch of future money,” which is why he hired Oliver to manage the manufacturing division of one of his companies.
“He’s got a heck of a personality and a big heart,” White said of Schanze. “I just feel sorry for him, because I don’t think he’s a liar; I just think he gets confused.”

Steele conceded that Oliver isn’t to blame for all of the gun store losses, and he said Schanze may have “inadvertently” misled Oliver about the amount of capital he had to invest in the failing gun store, leading to the acrimonious parting. Schanze touts his companies’ worth at hundreds of millions of dollars, which Steele says is untrue, but not in his brother’s mind. That irrational exuberance, Steele said, cropped up in computer store meetings, too, which may explain why many ex-employees feel they were sold a bill of goods and now want some payback.

Young recently filed a federal lawsuit against Totally Awesome Computers, claiming gender discrimination played a part in her January 2004 termination, among other allegations.

“Once again, she’s a total freaking liar,” said Schanze. “She defrauded the unemployment office, stole thousands of dollars from us, was a complete liar. … And not to mention, she’s got to be the freaking ugliest chick you could possibly imagine,” Schanze said, confusing the gender discrimination claim with one of sexual harassment. “Oh my hideousness.”

As to the claims that Steele ordered Young to falsify tax documents, Schanze points to an IRS audit currently underway at the company. “If there’s some fraud there, I’m sure they’ll find it,” he said. “And if there’s not, is Sherri Young going to be thrown in jail for saying there is?”

“The King of Inappropriate”
When somebody does wrong by Dell Schanze, the consequences rain fast and furiously. He’s taken to the warpath often, once publicly castigating a customer for complaining about Totally Awesome’s customer service, spewing venom at the Provo mayor for outfitting the city with computers other than his own—even though he never bid for the contract—and picketing the Better Business Bureau, when it took issue with his questionable advertising claims.
But the higher the self-touted “freakin’ superhero” climbs up his moralistic perch, the further could be his downfall. Schanze’s biggest advocate, Van Horn, recognizes as much. Nonetheless, he trusts “there’s greatness” in SuperDell and his product. “I just think he’s been steered wrong, and mixed in with this volatile cocktail of fame.”
“We as humans like to build our heroes up, we like to see them fall, but then we like to see them rebound and make that comeback. …You just have to say ‘sorry.’”

Alas, Schanze isn’t one to apologize, or admit that his behavior is at least inconsistent, when others spot it a mile away.

“Women that dress immodestly are going to be in a world of hurt after they die,” Schanze once posted to superdellsucks.com. “It is pretty sick when people [will] sell their virtue and all that is holy for a few dollars.”
That’s coming from a regular patron of Bikini Cuts, where female flesh makes up the stock and, according to Schanze, a first-rate flattop is the trade.

“I think it’s immoral, I think it’s inappropriate, I think it creates impure thoughts,” he said, adding, “I’m not going to go somewhere else just, you know, to get a hack job.”

Others find Schanze’s choice of stylists indicative of more than an upright man with finicky cosmetic sensibilities.
“He’s the king of inappropriate,” said Nielsen. After hiring a woman early in his tenure, Nielsen said Schanze kiboshed the practice going forward, explaining, “‘They get me in trouble.’” And they have at that.
A current female employee who was deposed in May’s lawsuit testified that Schanze often commented “how good I looked … if I was bending over and picking something up.” The woman, who declined to be interviewed, also testified that Schanze “asked me to get on the counter and dance for the guys at the store.” And she alleged Schanze suggested that another female employee “could sell butter, because she had big boobs.”

In his deposition, Schanze acknowledged asking the woman to get up and dance, but he said it was clearly a joke, for which he apologized.

For his money, Van Horn doesn’t think Schanze’s behavior around women is “lecherous,” so much as “he’s just a dork. He’s not savvy with the women.”

In the realm of sexual preference, however, Schanze’s view is more clear-cut. Many who’ve known him over the years describe those views as rabidly homophobic.

Former employees recall a store meeting at a downtown restaurant a few years back, wherein Schanze suggested launching a billboard campaign. Nielsen said Schanze wanted to let the world know that “gay people are scumbags.”
Hearkening back to that anonymously delivered CD, Nielsen agreed to give it a listen. “I would swear up and down that is Dell,” he concluded. “I know that voice. I’ve listened to hundreds of his ads. I’ve worked for him for five years. He’s said it all before. If God was the final arbiter, I’d tempt the guillotine if I’m wrong.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely, that’s Dell,” added Sherri Young. “That’s not out of character; that’s the genuine article.” How would she know? “‘Tinkerbell,’ that’s a favorite of his. The preachiness; it’s a computer commercial and he’s preaching. And only he would come up with the analogy of schizophrenics marrying themselves.”
Near the end of that aimless ride in Schanze’s monster truck, he agreed to listen to the CD, popped out his daughter’s Britney Spears album and pressed play …

Is that you?
“Not me,” he said simply. “That’s a pretty good impression, though. That’s pretty dang funny actually, can I keep that?”

Later, Schanze reiterated that the recording is “obviously” somebody else’s work and would be easy to fake, even using his voice. “Everybody on the planet has said every single word on that CD,” he said. “Tinkerbell, faggots, homos, yeah, those are words that people use to describe homosexuality, or Tinkerbellism.”

“If you try and tell people that I hate gay people, you’re telling a total lie falsehood,” he continued. “I absolutely do not agree with that lifestyle.” Even though a practicing homosexual is a “scumbag,” Schanze said he doesn’t hate him. “It doesn’t mean you can’t repent and be a good person.”

Asked if he’s worried that his professed views could harm business, Schanze was unusually measured.
“I’ve had everybody on the planet attack me,” he said. “Even if I have to run one store by myself, I will always be here. You can’t take me out of me. … It’s called death before dishonor.”

Superdell vs. a Harassment-Free Workplace

June 22, 2005. The Salt Lake Tribune reports:

William Carlton May thought a promotion to chief executive officer of Totally Awesome Computers seemed logical. After all, he says, he had been running the company's day-to-day operations for three years.

But owner Dell Schanze kept saying the then-vice president would be perfect for the job, except he wasn't Mormon, May contends. Schanze allegedly told May, "You cannot make decisions the way I want you to because you are not LDS." That allegation could be part of a weeklong trial slated to begin Monday on May's wrongful-firing lawsuit against Superdell's Computers Inc., a Sandy-based company that does business as Totally Awesome Computers (TAC).
May's attorneys plan to present evidence intended to show Schanze was a volatile boss who discriminated against minorities and people who were not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
But some evidence will be limited. U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball has ruled that testimony about alleged insults about women and gay people will be allowed only if it provides evidence of religious bias or of a hostile workplace.

Schanze and the company deny all allegations.
The Salt Lake City judge also ruled last week that testimony about recent misdemeanor charges against Schanze will not be allowed during the trial. Schanze allegedly brandished a gun during an altercation with Draper residents at the Point of the Mountain Paragliding Park. Testimony about that case, which is pending in Utah's 3rd District Court, would be prejudicial, Kimball said. May, who is Latino, contends Schanze repeatedly made condescending comments about Hispanics and used the company e-mail system to disparage racial and ethnic groups. He says he was first demoted from vice president to technician and then fired in June 2003 after he filed a complaint with the Utah Anti-Discrimination and Labor Division. The company insists May was treated fairly.

TAC officials say May hacked into the company e-mail system while they were investigating complaints about him from other employees, then lied about his actions. After he was demoted for his misconduct, May allegedly told a co-worker about his plans to hurt the company, leading to his suspension and eventual firing. In depositions and court filings, May and at least two other TAC workers allege they heard Schanze make disparaging remarks about minorities, women or gays. May says Schanze asserted that non-Mormons are Satan worshippers and that he repeatedly referred to himself as "the brother of Jesus." And one employee said Schanze discussed putting up anti-gay billboards. Other employees, however, say Schanze never discussed religion with them and they never saw him discriminate against anyone. Although their boss would joke around, he did not make slurs, they say.
In a deposition, Schanze acknowledged he once sent out a company e-mail saying two employees had been fired because they were gay Romanian Lutherans, but said it "was obviously a joke." He also said he disagrees with what gays do but he loves everyone and has friends who are gay.

Lawyers for TAC say May, once Schanze's close friend, is motivated by personal animosity.
"A significant part of May's trial strategy appears to be a personal attack on Schanze utilizing whatever negative evidence that might be available," the TAC lawyers said in a court filing. At a hearing Friday, Eric Olson, an attorney for Schanze, argued that May is trying to bring in unrelated testimony as part of a smear campaign. He said the trial should focus on the alleged racial and religious discrimination.

Russell Monahan, a lawyer for May, countered that Schanze's comments on gender and sexual orientation often were interlaced with remarks about race and religion.

Superdell vs. Suburbia

Superdell was on his way to a paragliding park with his 8 year old daughter when residents heard and saw him speeding through their residential neighborhood in his Jaguar at a speed between 50 and 100 miles per hour. The group of residents confronted him and Superdell responded by brandishing a Glock (and reportedly pointed it at a guy holding a rock). When the men confronted Schanze about his driving, he said, ``You drive what's safe for you. I'll drive what's safe for me. If you want driving lessons, I'll be glad to help,'' according to the complaint filed May 31st, 2005 in 3rd District Court. "This was a very simple case of freakin' psycho road ragers," Superdell said. "They didn't like how I was driving and they came after me. They decided to be really nice once they knew I was armed. Their whole personalities changed. It was amazing," Superdell said. 911 was called and now Superdell is charged with one class A misdemeanor count of threatening with, or using a dangerous weapon in a fight or quarrel, and a class B misdemeanor count of reckless driving. First he told the cops he didn't pull out the fire arm and then, later, told a local paper that he "made them aware" that he had the gun. "His statement to the officers at the scene is nowhere near what he's telling the media now," Draper police Sgt. Gerry Allred said. The police also discovered another gun strapped to Superdell's leg. Superdell claims he was surprised that he was charged because he thought the residents would be charged.

Road Rage & Guns

Last year, Salt Lake Magazine did an article on him that uncannily dealt with road rage and guns. “I’ve probably used my gun in self-defense situations a dozen times, never once fired a shot,” Superdell said. “It’s by far the safest means of self-defense. Nobody gets hurt. Unless you’ve got a lunatic who rushes your gun. Then he’s probably better off dead anyway. So far everybody has come to the conclusion that it’s not worth it to go psycho road rage with me, because I push them to their psychological limits,” Superdell said. “See, I’m the guy who would put the fear of God in you. You can’t piss me off, I’m fully in control. My goal is to take you to the brink. After they’ve gone there once, the chances of wanting to go there again are very slim.” Superdell sees himself as a kind of armed super hero. "I'm not one that stands on the sidelines and lets bad things happen. If there's a fight that's unjust, I'm going to be on the good guy's side," Superdell said."There's a good pattern there of this guy driving like a bat out of hell," said Draper police Sgt. Gerry Allred.The author relays a story of road rage that Superdell told him:"Imagine you’re driving north on I-15, late for a meeting and weaving through mid-morning traffic. You get peeved at a Hummer doing about 75 in the left lane, so you pass him on the right and cut in a little close just to hammer the point home. A few seconds later, the Hummer disappears from your rear-view mirror, only to pull alongside you doing 90—in the median. The driver has spiky blond hair, and is laughing at you. That’s Dell Schanze behind the wheel of the Humvee—the same 'Superdell' who has turned the local personal computer-producing market into a parody of itself through hyperactive, obnoxious advertising. For one unlucky Salt Lake driver, the Hummer bit is a true story. '[The driver] quickly realized he did not want to deal with that anymore,' Dell says, safely seated behind his brother’s desk in the back office at the Sandy Totally Awesome Computers store. Dell does not approve of road rage. In fact, he makes it a 'hobby' to teach aggressive, irate drivers a lesson in decision-making."

Superdell vs. Terrorists

Superdell is one of the most one of the most visible gun enthusiasts in Utah and owns several gun stores and shooting ranges. "I carry a sidearm when I drive, but I also keep an assault rifle in my truck. If you're going to have a terrorist attack, they're going to attack the least defended thing, you know, they can go up against. So trying to openly say, 'Gee, there are no guns in this church, please come and kill us,' I mean it's just the stupidest thing on the planet. It would be nice if we could live in a world where there were no guns, no crime, you know, no violence, nothing. But we don't live in that world; it doesn't work that way, and just because you step through the doors of a church doesn't mean the world vanishes into some la-la-land in the sky somewhere." In another interview Superdell said “People who carry concealed weapons make the society so much safer and this is just my way of saying thank you. The government cannot prevent all terrorism and all crimes. Americans should be prepared to defend their countries, their families and their neighbors. Cops are great, but you just can’t have a cop in every house unless you make everyone a cop. The fact is, the more guns you can get into a society, the more safe that society is going to be.”

Superdell vs. the Law

Court records show Schanze has had at least 25 traffic and weapons cases on record since 1990, including one felony. They include a charge of brandishing a gun in a shopping mall, exploding a pipe bomb in the early 90's, and a number of speeding, and reckless driving charges. Some were dismissed.

Superdell vs. Gravity

Superdell is a regular at the Point of the Mountain, where hang gliders set off from a steep hill to catch prevailing winds. In June 2003 he survived one 75-foot plunge in high winds. His emergency parachute deployed, but his craft dragged him across a field. He walked away from that mishap, but on May 31st, 2005, said he was "handicapped" by an assortment of injuries, including a broken hip and wrist and a back problem that required 11 vertebra to be fused together. After the original incident, ABC4 News reported that he "was able to get himself out of the craft and was walking around by the time help reached him. He suffered several minor injuries."

Superdell vs. the Mayor of Provo

A little over a year ago, Superdell offered his Jaguar to the Mayor of Provo. The City had purchased computers from a rival store and, even though he hadn't submitted a bid to the city, Superdell was mad! So he decided to get even. Superdell bought radio ads, but instead of screaming about his computers being totally awesome, he screamed about the mayor and urged citizens to vote him out. He even said he would finance the campaign of "anyone with common sense" interested in running against the mayor. Then he announced he would give the mayor his Jaguar if he would just listen to his pitch (later this changed to "if he fails"). "Don't try to bribe us," the mayor's spokesperson said. "Just follow the law and submit a bid like the other 10 companies did." He also said Superdell's ad was just the latest in a series of obnoxious advertisements that have previously disparaged Micron, Gateway, Bill Gates, the Better Business Bureau and a Salt Lake dentist, who sued Superdell for defamation. "Billings (the mayor) is just full of baloney," said Superdell. "He doesn't want to listen, and he doesn't want to take my advice...I just don't do the dog and pony show." In his ads he said "They're stupid. Your hair will look like this if you keep making decisions like that." Despite Superdell’s efforts, Billings is still the mayor.

Superdell vs. the Better Business Bureau

Not only did Superdell think his adds would bring down the Mayor of Provo, he also thought he could bring down the Better Business Bureau with not much more than a barbaque when the BBB took issue with Superdell's claim that he makes the "best computers in the world." "[The BBB has] destroyed its credibility. Its claim is so biased...that people have pretty much just boycotted the BBB altogether," Superdell said. "I think it won't be long before their ex-paying customers will be embarrassed to have their logo up and will start taking those stickers down."

Superdell vs. Satan

On the path to opening his nine computer stores around Utah, Schanze, a Mormon, has never held his tongue about his belief that his business is part of a mission from God. He has labeled competitors “Satanists” and “pagans.” After a very public conflict with the Better Business Bureau, Schanze called it a “criminal element in our society.” And after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he turned one of his radio ads into a prayer publicly deriding store owners who had put “God Bless America” on their signs. Schanze told the radio audience they couldn’t expect God to bless a place so full of pornography, theft and violence. “And if I don’t service my customers as I have promised, please destroy my business that my fear of thee might help compel me to remember thee and keep thy commandments ... I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen”—and the commercial ended.

Superdell vs. the ATF

After buying Custom Arms and renaming it Totally Awesome Guns, Superdell said “The ATF is highly against me owning this shop. The government doesn’t really want us to protect ourselves and they are getting a little carried away with the anti-freedom thing.” He went on to claim the ATF took a couple of his employees into the bureau’s local office, sat them down under hot lights and “verbally beat” them.Representatives from the ATF said they don’t know what Schanze is talking about. “It’s ridiculous,” said Tom Mangan, with an incredulous tone. Mangan is the bureau’s public information officer who called City Weekly from his office in Phoenix. “We have had no run-ins with Totally Awesome Guns, its employees or Schanze.”

Superdell vs. Customers

Superdell likes to surf the net and personally respond to customer's complaints...even if they are complaining about the competition. Here is one such response: "You slam Dan the Laptop man for poor service? Don't be an idiot, he didn't sell you the piece of crap Compaq that broke and if you don't listen to the truth then it is your own darn fault. Just the mear fact that you walked into his store and a person was actually there to help put him above every other computer vendor out there. You saying his service is poor is very ignorant. You don't know crap about computers. Of course that is obvious since you bought a Compaq hehe. So sorry, next time listen to what Dan's guys tell you."Another repsonse: "Yea baby yea, you suck and I make money."

Superdell was also featured on "Get Gephardt," a local consumer advocate news segment. The transcript is no longer available, but when Gephardt unplugged his hard drive and took it to Totally Awesome Computers for a repair, he was told that the computer was "useless" and he needed to buy a whole new one.

Superdell vs. Liars

Concerning the residents of Draper: “Why are we even discussing these heinously evil, complete liars, even giving any justice to their stupid claims?”

Concerning a former employee: “She’s a total freaking liar. She…was a complete liar. And not to mention, she’s got to be the freaking ugliest chick you could possibly imagine. Oh my hideousness.”

Concerning employees in general: “That’s just a huge, unbelievably sick thing about the system: A total liar can claim you discriminated, file a lawsuit, and now you can’t do anything until that lawsuit is taken care of,”

Concerning anyone: , “Anybody that says anything negative about me is an absolute liar.”

Superdell & the Meaning of Life

Several years ago, Superdell bought airtime for an infomercial to preach the gospel according to Superdell: Business, marriage, raising kids, better living through Heavenly Father. After the 30 minute show aired, Superdell claimed that “one woman even called to tell me that the show convinced her not to commit suicide.” At the opening of the segment on marraige, Superdell asked "Who does God love more, his wife or you?"

This has to be the strangest and most compelling infomercial I have ever seen! I have a VHS copy but wish I could find a digital copy. I also wish Superdell would do another, new one. Someday, if I have time, I will transcribe it for this site.

Superdell's best friend???

ABC4 News once reported that a bank robber killed by police was Superdell's best friend.
The Deseret News reported "A friend of Cleveland's, Dell Schanze of Totally Awesome Computers, said the man may have fired at police because he wanted them to kill him."

Totally Awesome Nuclear Family

Mission Statement

Superdell (a.k.a. Dell Schanze) is a very colorful and very public local character. He owns a chain of computer stores and gun shops. His antics often get him local press coverage. This blog is to celebrate Mondo Utah in a Totally Awesome way!