BTW^2, that's in addition to the ~200,000 readership represented by the 6 Linux-related Facebook sites upon which I've already placed a link to the story. This one Linux Facebook page alone has 167,488 fans:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linux/13932695724?ref=search&sid=1409214828.2450605903..1 Link to the Newegg story: http://www.parrot-farm.net/Newegg/Newegg.com%20Horror%20Story.html *Just the facts, Ma'am, just the facts -- Joe Friday, Dragnet. Well, actually the quote really comes from the Stan Freberg parody St. George and the Dragonet, but you get the picture.* > BTW, the first sorta-semi-major on-line Linux journal will have my piece > published sometime tomorrow. I'll keep you posted. > > --Doug > > > On Thu, Feb 18, 2010 at 9:56 PM, Nicholas Thompson < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> All, >> >> I have occasionally been of the mind to take this sort of revenge on a >> corporation, but don't have the technical know how (or the--um --guts) to >> do so. But that hasn't kept me from worrying about the consequences of >> acting with explicit MALICE against any organization with lawyers. >> >> Is there a hazard here? Should Doug be putting all his assets into an >> irrevocable trust for his parrots before he takes on newegg? >> >> Just wondering. >> >> Nick >> >> Nicholas S. Thompson >> Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology, >> Clark University ([email protected]) >> http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ >> http://www.cusf.org [City University of Santa Fe] >> >> >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> *From:* Douglas Roberts <[email protected]> >> *To: *The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group<[email protected]> >> *Sent:* 2/18/2010 4:56:57 PM >> *Subject:* [FRIAM] War has been declared >> >> Dear fellow FRIAMers, >> >> Please enjoy the opportunity to be the first audience to observe the >> opening salvo in my newly-declared war on Newegg.com. I just got off the >> phone with their Customer Service Department, after having sent then a >> courtesy advance copy of the short article included below. I wanted to give >> them one last chance to correct what I believe will be a much larger mistake >> than they might have anticipated. Next stop Slashdot, then Linux Today, >> then CNET, Wired.com if they will have it as an editorial. Linux Journal, >> Linux Journal (Facebook). I'll become a fan & write on their wall for all >> 6,384 other fans to read. Linux Magazine Online, Linux Online, Linux >> Magazine (different from Linux Magazine Online), etc. >> >> This might surprise some of you, but I can become a large pain in the ass >> when I get pissed off. >> >> And I am pissed off. >> >> --Doug >> >> ______________________________ >> >> I admit it up front. I want to take $399 out of the hide of Newegg.com. >> Here's why: >> >> I purchased a refurbished Asus K50 Series K50IJ-RX05 laptop from Newegg 4 >> weeks ago, for -- you guessed it -- $399. The laptop arrived three days >> later, and I installed Kubuntu 9.10 on it. No muss, no fuss, no hitches. >> Everything worked, right out of the box: wireless, graphics, the whole >> shebang. >> >> Well, *apparently* everything worked. The laptop was a birthday present >> for my wife, you see. So the first thing she asked for was for me to >> install Skype on it so she could make video calls to her daughter. >> >> No problem, says I. Presto, Skype got installed. Oops, the picture is >> upside down. This laptop was manufactured/assembled with the webcam >> installed 180 degrees out of whack! >> >> Well, ok. I guess. There's a Video For Linux patch just for this >> situation. So I installed the patch (a library to pre-load prior to running >> apps that use webcam). Alrighty, the webcam video is no longer upside down >> in Skype. I handed the laptop back to my wife. >> >> Day two: the wife says, "My laptop locked up." I asked her what she had >> been doing at the time. "Moving the mouse." >> >> Oh, oh, this isn't right. The Asus K50 is running an Intel T4200 >> dual-core processor and the Intel 4500 graphics chipset. The Linux Intel >> graphics drivers are pretty solid. In fact, I've installed Kubuntu 9.10 on >> several nearly identical Acer T4200 laptops with the 4500 chipset, and they >> are all rock solid under some pretty heavy-duty use. >> >> So, I installed the very latest Kubuntu update, which brought the kernel >> and modules up to version 2.6.31-19, and handed the laptop back to my wife. >> Again. >> >> No go. Three - four times a day the machine just locked up. Randomly. >> Hard. Power cycle required to reboot. >> >> So *now* I go to the intertubes to do some research (I know, I know) and >> discover [careful, big surprise coming] that the Asus K50 Series K50IJ-RX05 >> machines had the webcam installed upside down at the factory. Oh, and they >> randomly lock up several times a day. Linux, Vista, XP. Whatever. They >> lock up. There's a reason that so many "refurbished" units of this model >> are up for sale. >> >> Clearly an unsatisfactory situation. So I contacted Newegg and explained >> that I was unhappy with the defective laptop they had sold me. After a >> brief consultation with her supervisor, the nice lady approved my RMA refund >> request and sent me a free UPS return label for me to use to ship the laptop >> back. >> >> Not to shabby, I thought. This kind of service is why I have been a good >> Newegg customer for the past 7 years. Spending about $2,000 - $3,000 per >> year. For seven years. At Newegg. >> >> Oops, not so fast. [I bet some of you saw this coming.] See the email I >> just received from Newegg: >> >> >> *Dear Valued Customer,* >> * >> * >> *Thanks again for shopping at Newegg.com.* >> * >> * >> *We recently received your RMA and your return was then sent to our >> Inspections Department for closer examination.* >> * >> * >> *Incomplete return* >> *User changed OS to Linux Kubuntu* >> *System has been modified/altered original manufacturers operating >> system has been removed cannot access restore partition, this voids Newegg >> warranty. Unit cannot be accepted or resold as received.* >> * >> * >> *RMA denied return to customer* >> * >> * >> *Because Newegg would be facing a loss if we were to replace this item, >> we are returning the product to you and recommending that you contact the >> manufacturer directly to request that they repair or replace the item under >> your manufacturer's warranty. Please visit the following link to view a >> listing of all the manufacturers whose products we carry: >> http://www.newegg.com/app/contactmanufacturer.asp?DEPA=0* >> * >> * >> *Kindest regards,* >> * >> * >> *Newegg.com* >> *RMA Inspections Department* >> *[email protected]* >> *http://www.newegg.com* >> * >> * >> *This email was sent from Newegg's Automated Email System so please do >> not reply.* >> >> >> >> That's right: I installed Linux on the laptop, and therefore Newegg is >> not going to honor my refund. >> >> Need I say more? Newegg is now on record as a vendor from whom you >> purchase at your own risk. They have demonstrated that they will knowingly >> sell defective hardware, and not honor refund requests on same. >> >> A very good way to go out of business, in my opinion. >> >> Buyer beware. >> ______________________________ >> >> >> >> -- >> Doug Roberts >> [email protected] >> [email protected] >> 505-455-7333 - Office >> 505-670-8195 - Cell >> >> > -- Doug Roberts [email protected] [email protected] 505-455-7333 - Office 505-670-8195 - Cell
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