"Amazon temporarily gags Spore critics, deletes and restores all customer reviews" [ArsTechnica] (Thanks to Nathan!)

The county attorney quoted in the Kentucky Lexington Leader-Herald article points out that common decency should always trump any store policy, misinterpreted or not. In fact, it's the law!

First Assistant Fayette County Attorney Brian Mattone told the Herald-Leader Thursday that under the duty-to-report statute, everyone has the duty to report dependency, neglect and abuse of a child if they have knowledge of it. Mattone said prosecutors thought that Miller, through witnesses, had knowledge of possible abuse or neglect. Moreover, there is language in the statute that says “nothing should relieve their obligation to report,” Mattone said.

The article also quotes another shopper who says she received a similar response from a different Bed, Bath & Beyond last summer when she saw a dog locked inside a car. Here's hoping that the company's "we're ashamed this happened" response is authentic, and that their employees learn that it's okay to offer help sometimes.

"Store clerk charged with failing to help child locked in van" [Herald-Leader] (Thanks to Michael and Donald!)
(Photo: Morton Fox)

Michael Dell 'Friends' his customers [FORTUNE]

Reader email:

To whom it may concern,

When I read a headline online about Bed, Bath and Beyond not allowing a customer to call 911 I thought for sure it would be an exaggeration. When I saw it was not an exaggeration I thought for sure that your company would have issued a statement condemning the actions of your employee and manager who refused to allow a customer to call 911.

I have read the various statements made by Bed, Bath and Beyond and find them absolutely unacceptable. When did turning a blind eye to a crime in progress become acceptable exactly? I understand the basic idea of not wanting to become involved with incidents occurring in the parking lot in which your store is located; however employees and especially managers absolutely MUST be able to make a judgment call on when it is proper to override basic policy.

I understand privacy policies and so I know your company will never release a statement saying that the employee and or the manager have been reprimanded, but to say that you will be using it as a "training opportunity" is a sad and again, unacceptable alternative. I have worked in retail, and I have managed retail stores. I can tell you right now that if such an event had occurred in my store I would have immediately fired all employees involved and used THAT as a training opportunity.

If your company cannot be bothered to hire employees who cannot even make a rational moral decision regarding the life of a child a mere hundred yards away I will not be bothered to shop at your stores, and I will tell everyone I know about your companies total lack of responsibility and failure to adhere to even the most basic of moral codes.

I understand you don't care about losing one customer, but I assure you there are hundreds and thousands of people who are absolutely unsatisfied with your response thus far and it would make your company millions to post a public announcement on your website condemning the actions of your employees and assuring people that such actions are not going to be tolerated by Bed, Bath and Beyond.

I hope whoever reads this has a better moral fiber and is able to see beyond a rule book and understand that as a society we are all bound together, we cannot turn a blind eye.

BB&B response:

First of all, I want you to know that I understand and appreciate your position. We are ashamed at how the situation was handled.

The most recent statement that we issued yesterday indicated that this situation was not handled the way we would have expected it to be handled. We have no policies that should have impeded our ability to respond in this case. And yes, we are using this unfortunate occurrence as an opportunity to re-train our associates nationwide. Like you, we do not want anything like this to happen again.

I hope that you'll understand that I cannot comment on personnel issues.

Thanks for your feedback and I hope that, in light of this, you'll reconsider. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.

Hank Reinhart
Vice President, Customer Service
Bed Bath & Beyond

Nice to see a human response. More humanity like that from the associates nationwide will go a long way towards preventing future tragedies, and from them getting renamed Bed Bath and Dead Kids.

PREVIOUSLY: Bed, Bath & Beyond Will Not Let You Use The Phone To Call 911
(Photo: Morton Fox)

WHO: Barack Obama
WHAT: Shortly before the opening of the Democratic National Convention, Obama assured America that Hillary was always a viable candidate in his VP search.
WHERE: Obama Dismisses Worries About Clinton Fallout [New York Times]
THE QUOTE: "'I've tried not to have long discussions about short lists, long lists...But I’ve said publicly before and I will repeat again that Senator Clinton would be on anybody’s short list, so I took her very seriously."

"Taking it seriously" is a phrase companies (and now, presidential candidates) use over and over again to appear contrite or thoughtful without actually saying or doing anything. Our series of posts documenting the phrase's attempts recurrences are our attempt to question how much seriousness-taking is actually going on.

(Thanks to Michael Belisle!)

(Photo: BohPhoto)

From Coinstar's website:

Think of it as a new form of recycling—when you reuse your change instead of letting it sit idle in your coin jar, fewer coins are produced. And that translates into environmental savings by reducing hte need for limited natural resources used to create new coin.

We're deeply skeptical of any one-to-one benefit statement like this, not least because it ignores the total cost of running the Coinstar company, which is a key component of any coin recycling "movement."

If you're going to cash in your spare change, look for a Commerce Bank branch nearby first. Their change machines are free and you don't have to be a Commerce customer to use them.

"Taking it seriously" is a phrase companies use over and over again to appear contrite without actually saying or doing anything. Our series of posts documenting recurrences of the phrase attempts to question how much seriousness-taking is actually going on.

(Photo: lucianvenutian)

Dear Mr. R:

Thank you for contacting Tony Roma's Guest Relations. Please accept our apologies for the disappointment you had at Tony Roma's in San Francisco, CA. Each guest plays an important role in helping us maintain the standards by which we operate and we appreciate your feedback. Your message is being forwarded to the franchise owner/operator and the Director of Franchise Operations for this location. Management would like to discuss your visit and will contact you at the earliest opportunity. Thank you.

Martha Killion
Guest Relations
Romacorp, Inc.

Alex has promised to keep us updated on this developing story. We shall wait and see whether they make things right, or decide to reinvent math.

PREVIOUSLY: Tony Roma's, Where 16oz = 14oz

(Photo: Rick McCharles)

"The aim is to get in touch with our customers because they are more than just numbers," said Doug Betts, vice president and chief customer officer for Chrysler, which means he's in charge of ensuring quality.

"When a person is happy with his or her car, they tend to tell five other people,” Betts said. “But when they’re unhappy, they tell 50 people — friends, relatives, neighbors and fellow workers. A positive experience obviously sells more cars. An unpleasant experience doesn't. If a person we call has a problem, it's up to us to make it right."

Sure, it's a stunt—but in a week they're opening up a short-lived line of communication with 2,100 customers instead of hiding behind dealerships and call centers.

We're curious to see how this turns out, so if anyone receives a call from a Chrysler executive in the coming days, please let us know how the call goes.

"Chrysler Execs Phone Your Home" [Kicking Tires]
(Photo: Getty Images)

The lady whom Circuit City charged an extra $169 for an HDTV installation will finally get her money back. The fee was because it was over a fireplace and fireplaces are usually made of brick. However, this fireplace was fake and the wall was drywall. When a local TV news investigation team started asking questions, Circuit City Spokeswoman Jackie Foreman just kept chirping, "It's resolved." Two days after the report aired, Jackie told the reporters, "Byrd's installation was not standard…due to a miscommunication; Ms. Byrd will receive a refund."

Woman gets refund of Firedog's extra fee [WRAL] (Thanks to Cheryl!)
PREVIOUSLY: Circuit City Will Not Refund Your $169 Even If The Local News Calls On Your Behalf

Netflix rents only studio or filmmaker authorized DVDs – no copies. Netflix has more than 100,000 titles on DVD available for rental, so labeling takes many forms. DVDs marked “for sale only” were purchased legally and legitimately by Netflix for rental to Netflix members. And yes, each DVD is individually inspected before it’s shipped.

Netflix ships 1.9 million DVDs on a typical day out of more than 50 distribution centers across the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii). Occasionally an error occurs and a Netflix member receives the wrong title or a scratched disc. But the probability of a Netflix member receiving a copied disc is very slight. Four copied discs, even less.

Netflix is the #1 rated ecommerce site for customer satisfaction by Nielsen Online and ForeSee Results because of the outstanding convenience, selection and value available to 8.2 million Netflix members. Concerns such as those raised by The Consumerist are extremely rare. But something we’re looking into nonetheless.

Thank you.

PREVIOUSLY: Are These Netflix DVDs Legit?

First, Firedog technicians should only perform services that they are properly trained in completing. Second, the employee’s testimonial is not accurate regarding the way in which Circuit City calibrates televisions. Firedog technicians follow procedures recommended by Sound & Vision, a professional authority on home theater, audio, video and multimedia products. When conducted properly, the test patterns improve television performance including contrast, brightness and power usage, among other aspects. Additionally, on an unrelated note, an e-mail appears to be circulating that claims Circuit City and other stores have filed for bankruptcy. If you receive this e-mail, please know that the information is completely false, as far as Circuit City is concerned.

I just wanted to provide some clarification regarding Daniel's situation. The technician parked in front of Daniel's house did not disconnect the connection in any way. But we did want to try to resolve the issue for Daniel as quickly as possible. We received the initial call regarding the outage at 11:00 AM. We had a technician at his location by 3:00. The technician verified the connection and identified a network problem that could not be rectified (or caused) on the Customer's premises. We escalated the situation to have this looked into. We also promised to have this resolved within 1 business day. The next afternoon we called Daniel to inform him the network issue was resolved. We have also apologized to him for the problem occurring in the first place. The initial outage occurred on April 8 and it was resolved on April 9. We have also followed up with Daniel to make sure that he has not had further problems.

It is certainly our goal to avoid outages, but at times they do occur. When this happens we want to resolve it as quickly as possible. This was not related to wiring or connections, so this was not the doing of the technician in question.

We do apologize that the van was blocking his driveway and for the inconvenience of the outage!

PREVIOUSLY: Ask Comcast Tech To Move His Van, Mysteriously Lose Signal

(photo: Spidra Webster)

Here's what he wrote:

Well, after I had blown through my 5 free in-store exchanges by mid-March (on the bottom of your Blockbuster receipt it tracks how many in-store exchanges you've done this month), I decided to see what happens if I go in and try a get 6th in-store exchange. Well, as to be presumed, I didn't get a free exchange, but the online movie did serve as a $3.00 coupon off the price of the rental ($4.99 movie), which just further confused me. Apparently, buried in their FAQs it says "If the pre-determined number of free in-store exchanges is met during the calendar month, you have the ability to exchange your Online DVDs for discounted movie rentals for the remainder of the month." The bummer is it doesn't mention how much of a discount it is. For a .99 rental, is there even a discount?

In the process of trying to figure out the limits of the system, I realized that different Blockbuster stores are keeping track of the in-store exchanges separately. Yes, that's right. After getting my free 5 in-store exchanges at one store, I simply took my next 5 online movies to another nearby Blockbuster and was able to get another 5 in-store exchanges during the same month.

Blockbuster tracks whether individuals are abusing their online subscription plan and "gaming" the system to exceed the number of in-store exchanges they are allowed per month.

If an online subscriber tries to circumvent the terms of their plan, and in this instance gain more free rentals than allowed, we'll know and ask them to stop if they want to remain an online subscriber, just as we're doing with Kevin.

Blockbuster Total Access Extra Movie Hack? [Hacking Netflix]
Blockbuster Warns Against "Gaming the System" [Hacking Netflix]
(Photo: Knowzy) (Thanks to Jeff!)

"They publicly threatened me, just to show their arrogance," he told El Reg by email.

He told us that Creative contacted him on a chat session. "They were sarcastic, ironic and asked me if I wanted something from them, as if I were expecting something," he wrote. "It was my protest against them and would like to see how far it would go."

He acknowledges that Creative has a case regarding intellectual property, but is furious about the company's strategy. "I'd say they are stealing [from] their own customers by disabling features based on technologies they own (so they did it on purpose) and by charging for a software that requires an improved driver that they refuse to provide."

"At least they are getting flamed all over the web and they are certainly mad about it. That is enough reward for my hard work," he wrote.

Creative climbs down over home brew Vista drivers [The Register]
(Photo: Young Frankenstein)
PREVIOUSLY: Creative Sparks Customer Revolt When It Tries To Silence Third-Party Programmer

analyst Kris has entered room
Kris: Hello amanda_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Kris. Please give me one moment to review your information.
Kris: I will be happy to assist you with your questions today.
amanda: ok
Kris: I apologize for the inconvenience, I can understand your frustration.
Kris; Please give me a minute while I pull up your account.
Kris: Can you please provide the serial number from the bottom of the box?
amanda: I understand you are compressing HD channels now on the History HD channel to make more room for other channels, this seems to be effecting my HD quality.. is this a known problem?
Kris: This is the first of its kind that we encountered and I am having it noted.
Kris: Can you please provide the serial number from the bottom of the box?
amanda: I am not able to lift it up... is there another way to get the SN out of it from a menu command?
amanda: or can I give some personal info to look up my account?
Kris: is that the only HD box?
amanda: yes, the only one
Kris: I already have your account. I just need to trouble shoot the correct box,.
amanda: ok
Kris: Please make sure that the box is turned on.
amanda: cause I have look at several articles stating that several HD channels are now being compressed to carry more HD content, and for the last few days, my A&E Hd, and history channel HD look very degraded..
amanda: yes it is on
Kris: i will send a signal to refresh your box.
amanda: ok
Kris: I will now send a hit signal.
amanda: ok.. waiting...
Kris: I have sent a signal to your digital box. Can you please check to see if this has resolved your issue?
amanda: one sec
amanda: I have degraded service on A&E, discovery, and history HD...
amanda: FROM THE WEB, Wow. Can this company be any more evil? "It looks like Comcast is degrading the quality of some HD channels in order to make room for more channels. So far the Comcast channels receiving extra compression are: Discovery Channel, SciFi, USA, Food, NatGeo, UHD, A&E, HGTV, Starz, Cinemax, HBO, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery HD Theater, and History HD.
amanda: that is the info I have
Kris: There are no HD issues reported for your area. Is it fine with you if I schedule a technician to have it checked?
Kris: I am sorry but we are not degrading services.
amanda: it sure seems like it.. because all the channels in the list are degraded... seems real weird.... is there a new HD box top that might solve this problem? mine is kind of old
amanda: I think I might just cancel my HD service... how do I go about doing that?
Kris: I can process that for you and schedule a tech to have your box replaced. Another option is to return the box to your local office and replace it with a regular box.

—-—-—-- Forwarded message —-—-—--
From: David R
To: brian_roberts@comcast.com
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2008 16:14:21 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: NO MORE HD

Dear Mr. Roberts,

I want to let you know about my total dissatisfaction with your new attempt to carry 3 HD channels worth of bandwidth in the space of 2, effectively degrading my HD service.

I am a avid History Channel watcher, and enjoy the HD service for it's crisp picture and clarity. Now that you have decided to try and compete with FIOS, you have degraded your own HD signals to try and carry more channels. This has totally messed up my HD channels that I watch, and makes me wonder why I am paying full price now for down-graded service.

This is just another reason why I might leave Comcast and move to FIOS. Don't degrade your own channels to say "we have more HD", just give me good HD on the channels I have now... PLEASE!!!!

Dave R

—- "Asbury, Cynthia" Cynthia_Asbury@cable.comcast.com wrote:

Good evening Mr. R,

Thank you for the feedback to Brian Roberts. As you are aware, we are constantly striving to provide improved services to our Customers, including a wide variety of HD content. In an effort to do this, we have recently started using a new system to deliver some HD channels.

While this system works well with clean 1080i signals, we're making some adjustments to improve how it handles other types of HD signals so we can bring you the best HD picture. We apologize this has not created the HD experience that we intended, but we will work towards getting it right.

Thank you for being a Comcast Customer!

Sincerely,
Ms. Asbury

National Customer Operations
Executive Office
One Comcast Center
Phila, Pa. 19103

—-—-—-- Forwarded message —-—-—--
From: David Rogers
To: "Asbury, Cynthia" Cynthia_Asbury@cable.comcast.com
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2008 20:39:41 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Comcast HD channels

Ms. Asbury,

I beg to differ. This has nothing to do with 1080i vs 720i. This seems to have every thing to due with Comcast over compressing HD singles in limited bandwidth, and not informing your customers regarding the degraded HD signals, nor offering your customers a reduced rate for the degraded HD signal.

This seems to be nothing more than a marketing campaign to try and be able to state that "we have more HD than XYZ". Seeing that FIOS is available, and that Direct TV has just launched another satellite offering HD, I no longer see any reason to hang on to Comcast's degraded HD service.

Dave R

New York Man Loses Dead Wife's Voice Message in Phone Service Upgrade [FOXnews] (Thanks to Ed!)
Phone Company Retrieves Voice From Past [AP]
(Photo: Getty)

"Taking it seriously" is a phrase companies use over and over again in public statements whenever they have bad PR. Our series of posts on occurrences of the phrase is our attempt to question how seriously companies are really taking these matters if every time they trot out this phrase by rote.

(Photo: Getty)

"Taking it seriously" is a phrase companies use over and over again in public statements whenever they have bad PR. Our series of posts on occurrences of the phrase is our attempt to question how seriously companies are really taking these matters if every time they trot out this phrase by rote.

(Thanks to David!) (Image: CNN)

This is an excerpt of Stephen's original complaint, posted over 18 months ago:

My most recent bout came with a company named Tiny Details based out of Syracuse, NY. My wife was interested in earning some extra money for us from home, a prospect that I found very appealing. What with our son and all, it's really not feasible for her to go to work, so finding her a way to draw income at home was ideal.

I found Tiny Details while researching along those lines. I considered the link pointing to it to be more legitimate than most (and trust me, I know a lot about links). The site seemed a bit unprofessional, which should have been a big tip-off, but I didn't find anyone saying anything negative about it. My wife was very excited at the prospect, as much as she loves arts and crafts.

Unfortunately, I didn't do my research as thoroughly as I should have. It wasn't until after we had bought a kit for my wife that I came across these Tiny Details customer complaints and some more recent warnings about Tiny Details. I also managed to find the Tiny Details Better Business Bureau report. I'm ashamed to say that I missed such glaring stop signs. I guess I must have been dreamy eyed over their false promises rather than incredulous as I rightfully should have been.

At any rate, I've cancelled our order and plan to seek reimbursement through whatever means necessary, up to and including legal action. I don't expect them to make it easy; companies like this never do. I fully suspect it's money that I'll never see again one way or another, in which case I'll take it as $55 worth of valuable education: If it seems too good to be true, it is. Do your research first, and do it right.

Email #1:

I am writing about the substantively incorrect postings that you have on your website.

I am asking that you remove this point immediately. Your representation of Tiny Details is inacurate and libelous.

I have forwarded this information to our company attorney, along with your domain registration information.

Please govern yourself accordingly.

Kristopher Buchan
President
Tiny Details, LLC

Email #2:

Mr. Ward,

You will be hearing from our attorney.

What you have posted is indeed libel.

I am in the process of seeking your address through your domain registrating information. You will be hearing from us shortly.

Kristopher Buchan

From WAHM.com

"You also reminded me that I had sent them a kit (to Christian Miniatures actually) on Nov. the 30th. I added a "Delivery Confirmation" on the package, and it states that they received it on Dec. the 2nd. I had returned a completed kit that needed corrections. It's the 21st already and I've heard nothing. I just called and they just have a recording stating that they're unavailable and to leave a message for a return call (yeah, like THAT'S gonna happen!). So, I just sent them an email with Deliver Receipt Proof. Two weeks ago they had told me they'd never received it, so they couldn't tell me anything about it. The receipt showed that they HAD received it. Hmmm, something fishy's going on here!!!"(posted by rtanza, December 2004)

"Well, I finally heard from Tiny Details today - it seems as though my returned materials were also "never received". I filed a complaint with the BBB. I foolishly did not send my materials with a return receipt so I really can't prove anything... but it's really not the money part of this that is so annoying to me, I just can't stand the idea of folks being taken advantage of like this. Oh well, live and learn..." (posted by scarletbrook, January 2005)

From Rip-Off Report

I decided to try sending them back their own perfect samples as my first sample to see if they were accepted. They made sure to reassure me that they wanted one sample sent back to them so they could inspect it and save me any trouble making a bunch of mistakes. The only problem with that was that I had to send them a sample and wait longer to see if it even passed their ridiclous inspection. Suprise! It didn't pass. Wow, go figure. Now I know I have been scammed. I even sent an e-mail to them saying that I sent them their own sample to see how truthful they were and they rejected it. I have yet to get a response. I'm sure that this is just another scam and that I'm out $55 because I was fooled into falling for it. (posted by Leila, April 2006)

But you can't get all ham-fisted with complaints about your service and try to sue former customers into silence, Buchan. Besides, Stephen's initial post is so vague that it doesn't say much more beyond "I decided not to do business with them." Based on Buchan's aggression towards an unhappy former customer who was just stating his opinion, we think Stephen made the right call.

"Tiny Details" [Project Paradox]
"Rather than listening to its critics, president of company threatens blogger with libel lawsuit" [Bloggasm]

RELATED
Tiny Details
"BBB Reliability Report for Tiny Details LLC" [Better Business Bureau]
(Photo: Paul Keleher)

Congratulations, Starbucks, on your excellent PR stunt. As for CNN, you have lost your damn mind. [CNN]

Comcast PR rep Jen Khoury told Portfolio, Comcast informed our local employees about the hearing and invited them to attend... Some employees did attend, along with many members of the general public," adding that, "For the past week, the Free Press has engaged in a much more extensive campaign to lobby people to attend the hearing on its behalf."

Whichever side you believe, one thing is for certain: Comcast employees are very tired (exhibit A, exhibit B).

CODE ROYAL is the first jewel brand worldwide that combines a costly engraved white agate with a rose golden frame (massive) in 18 carat. White is the color of purity and innocence, of the unbroken light and the absolute truth. What accentuates the color white in a more beautiful way than the deeply symbolic agate gemstone?

Since ancient times, people have cherished this gemstone, ascribing protectional power to it. Agate has a reputation of not only giving protection and security, but also of assisting the process of concentrating on the essential and of preventing depressions.

Complementary to this powerful element, rose gold symbolizes the fire of life and love. Its warm shine suits the color of skin.

The "White Collection" by CODE ROYAL offers over 2'500 combinations containing 50 engraving designs and 5 signet ring types. Moreover, the exclusive service meets any individual customer wishes with engraving family crests and initials by expert hand.

Customers can also choose their signet rings of the "White Collection" in alternative materials such as silver 925, yellow gold 585 or palladium white gold.

"White Collection" signet rings are an absolute must-have for men and women in summer 2008.

D E T A I L S

- "White Collection" prices: silver rings from € 229.- ; golden rings from € 769.-

- Silver 925; yellow, rose and white gold in 585 and 750

- Family crests and initials engraved by expert hand

CODE ROYAL PROVIDES MORE THAN 20.000 VARIATIONS

CODE ROYAL unites the timeless craft of the goldsmith with Jet-Set design using materials of the highest quality.

With more than 20,000 possible combinations, every CODE ROYAL signet ring is handpicked and individually made, and is therefore unique.

100% handmade in Germany - Only finest materials such as sterling silver, yellow, rose and white gold (each in 14 and 18 karat) are used for CODE ROYAL. The expensive agate is exclusively used to adorn these jewels. Each signet ring is made by specialists in seven work steps.

CODE ROYAL IS A REVOLUTION - VIA INTERNET ONLY

Another special feature of CODE ROYAL is the way of distribution. The signet sings can only be purchased on the internet under www.CODE-ROYAL.com. Customers can easily get a detailed three dimensional impression and compose their own personalized signet sing. Even individual initials engraving can be practically chosen online.

(Photo: nedrichards)

Jezzy says:

The author of the books, Tina Wells, is not even a writer by trade; she is, according to the NY Times, "chief executive of Buzz Marketing Group, which advises consumer product companies on how to sell to teenagers and preteenagers." But this is nothing new: Clique series author Lisi Harrison used to be a Senior Director of Development at MTV and is the brains behind such classics as "Room Raiders." (Also, the middle schoolers in the Clique series are apparently grossed out by menstruation, but that's a whole other post. We miss you, Margaret, and your menses loving ways!).

Ms. Wells claims that brand sponsorship will not interfere with Mackenzie Blue's content. "Mackenzie loves Converse...Does Converse want to work with us? I have no clue. But that doesn't negate the fact that Mackenzie loves Converse," Wells told the Times. When reporter Motoko Rich asked her if she would refuse a lucrative contract from Nike even though Mackenzie is a "Converse girl," Wells said, "Maybe another character could become a Nike girl." Don't you see, brands won't be dictating her content at all!

Even worse is Mackenzie Blue publisher Susan Katz. "If you look at Web sites, general media or television, corporate sponsorship or some sort of advertising is totally embedded in the world that tweens live in," Ms. Katz said. "It gives us another opportunity for authenticity." [Cue gagging sounds here. -Ed.]

In Books for Young, Two Views on Product Placement [NYT]
Young Adult Novels Plumb New Depths Of Product Placement [Jezebel]

The training session is another move by re-instated CEO Howard Schultz to demonstrate a renewed focus on product quality, although it also sounds a little bit like a PR stunt:

"Our unprecedented level of commitment to and investment in our people will provide them with the tools and resources they need to exceed the expectations of our customers," CEO Howard Schultz said in a written release. "We believe that this is a bold demonstration of our commitment to our core and a reaffirmation of our coffee leadership."

"Starbucks closing 7,000-plus stores—for several hours — to retrain baristas" [Chicago Tribune]
"Starbucks stores to close for espresso training" [Wall Street Journal]

RELATED
"Starbucks: Say Good-Bye To Breakfast Sandwiches, Hello To $1 Coffee"
(Photo: Travelin' Librarian)

Response from Monster Cable on Article in the Consumerist

Monster would like to acknowledge and respond to the publishing of the Monster pricing from an employee at RadioShack in the article titled "Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff: 80% markups."

The article can be misread that consumers are paying inappropriate prices charged by our retailers for Monster Cable products. The article misleads the reader in citing retailer markups of 80% as if the retailer makes 80% profit margin on products that they sell. Anyone in retail knows that one does not calculate profit by markups, but by profit margins made on the sale as a ratio of what they paid for it. So in the example of the 19ft. HDMI-DVI cable that was highlighted as Retail $179.95, wholesale of $99.40, that's a profit margin of 44%, which is totally in line with what retailers choose to sell accessory items like Monster Cable. Also the DVI and the S-Video cable cited are both discontinued products using old cable technology. Most of the products listed in the article are 37% to 39% profit margins. This is much less than profit margins on other consumer products like clothing, jewelry, furniture, and accessories to other consumer products.

It's also misleading when the tone of the article alludes to Monster Cable ripping off consumers, when Monster cannot legally set retail pricing. This is clearly up to the retailer. However in defense of retailers of consumer electronics, it is typical that small items warrant higher profit margins, while large items like TV's have small profit margins. The consumer clearly wins in the electronics category.

We would also like to point out that Monster makes the highest quality cables in the world, but always with a variety of price points for the consumer to choose from. For example, with today's most popular digital connection, HDMI, the consumer has a wide range of performance choices with four models of Monster Advanced Speed Rated HDMI Cables, ranging from $49.95 to $99.95. The performance of each of these Speed Rated cables is independently verified by Simplay Labs www.simplayhd.com, so our customers know exactly the performance they are paying for. In addition, these prices are in line or lower than other high performance cables offered by Monster's competitors at retail locations throughout the country.

There is also a comment about digital cables not making a difference and that the only difference in digital cables is the price. This is simply not the case. HDMI Licensing, LLC, the group that develops the HDMI specification, has published two different cable speeds for the current 1.3 specification: Standard Speed at 2.23 Gbps, and High Speed at 4.95 Gbps, which is known as HDMI 1.3 Category 2. For more information, go to www.hdmi.org.

In fact, Steve Venuti, Vice President of Marketing for HDMI Licensing, LLC, stated in a recent Widescreen Review article:
http://www2.widescreenreview.com/127venuti.pdf

"...HDMI evolves as it continues to react to the demands of the marketplace. With the introduction of HDMI 1.3 in 2006, HDMI doubled the bandwidth of the specification, and with that, gave manufacturers the ability to design products that can output and receive signals at unprecedented levels...And where there is increased bandwidth, there is increased demand on the cable to deliver the HDMI signal."

This clearly states that not all HDMI digital cables are the same. Buying the best cables possible will insure that one always gets the best possible digital picture for the components they own.

For those who want to get the real facts on HDMI, please visit www.monstercable.com/HDMI/advancedhdmi.asp for the following videos:

1. The Constant Evolution of HDMI with Steve Venuti, Vice President of Marketing, HDMI Licensing, LLC
2. Certified HDMI Cable Performance with Joseph Lias, President of Simplay Labs, LLC

For those who want technical information on why there are different levels of HDMI Cables, one can reference the white paper on HDMI at http://www.monstercable.com/HDMI/whitepaper.asp, where you will learn about why different HDMI cables are needed.

For those who want to get an inside look on the testing of Monster's HDMI cables, visit www.monstercable.com/HDMI/advancedhdmi.asp for an eye opening video of Monster's quality R&D and testing.

The digital TV revolution is moving fast, as one sees from the introduction of 240Hz displays from TI and Ultra High Definition Displays from Samsung at CES this year. These advanced displays paves the way for vastly improved high definition components that will need even higher speed HDMI cables, all of which are available today from Monster's Advanced Speed Rated cables.

For those who want to know more about higher definition, Monster and Disney have partnered together on a DVD that educates customers on the various levels of higher definition and how to buy and set up for higher definition TV. The DVD is called The Higher Definition Home Theater Experience, and we would like to offer it at no charge to everyone who is visiting this site by sending your shipping address to the following email: pr@monstercable.com.

Monster has always made the highest quality products at reasonable prices. We stand behind the retailers that offer great service and advice to our customers at a fair profit and we hope that this additional information clarifies some of the confusion that the article might have generated.

1. As decided in Leegin v. PSKS, this statement, "Monster cannot legally set retail pricing. This is clearly up to the retailer..." is patently false. See "Supreme Court Allows Manufacturers To Dictate Minimum Prices, Screws Consumers"

2. Their response neatly sidesteps a giant section of the original post, so I'll reproduce it here:

The worst part isn't really the markup. Stereo equipment routinely has markups of 80 to 100 to 200% by the time it hits the shelves. It's the initial inflated price, and how gadget stores try to push the cables so hard, telling people that Monster cables offer superior picture and sound then what you would get with another cable. But that simply isn't the case. Our sister site Gizmodo ran a battery of tests and found Monster cables are for the most part, completely unnecessary. (see The Truth About Monster Cable - Grand Finale (Part III), HDMI Cable Battlemodo Resumes, The Truth About Monster Cable, Part 2 (Verdict: Cheap Cables Keep Up...Usually), and The Truth About Monster Cable).

4. Monoprice.com.

PREVIOUSLY: Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff: 80% Markups

"Telemarketing Sales" 2001: $93,800,000,000
"In 2001...customers purchased $661 billion in goods and services - accounting for almost six percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)."
Sales to consumers in 2001: $274,200,000,000
"Telemarketing Sales" 2002: $100,000,000,000

Telemarketing must be a very volatile industry.

The Direct Marketing Association's New Math [Denialism Blog]
(Photo: Getty)

The customer was writing in to inquire as to when trans fats would be eliminated from Beaner's products. In addition to a cheerful reply, said customer was also treated to the internal email chain instructing the Vice President of Operations on how to "sidestep the question."

Well, that's embarrassing.

At the same time, UnitedHealth executives downplayed the effect on members and patient care, characterizing the problems largely as administrative errors. Still, they said, the company was taking the allegations seriously."

We've been following all of the discussion that our recent partnership announcement has created. While most of it has been very positive, it seems there is a lot of confusion around the pricing of the (PRODUCT) RED offering. Above and beyond the entry level XPS ONE, the (PRODUCT) RED version offers Windows Vista Ultimate and Microsoft Home Office and Student, a $300 value of upgrades when purchasing through DELL.

We're aware that not everyone will need or want these upgrades. (RED) is not about buying something for charity - it is about doing good while you are buying something you need. For those consumers who are in the market for a DELL XPS ONE with WINDOWS VISTA ULTIMATE, the (PRODUCT) RED option gives them the opportunity to get all of these features AND trigger an $80 contribution to the Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa, at no additional cost. For those consumers who are not in the market for this type of full-featured experience, they have the option to purchase another DELL PC that meets their needs.

(RED) is just one tool for people to do good - it doesn't replace the need or desire for charity donations, volunteering or getting involved in other ways. It is simply a choice when you're out shopping for something you need.

Most of the discussion demonstrates an enthusiasm for these partnerships and a desire to have more (PRODUCT) RED PCs available at a broader price range. We are also very excited about the potential of the DELL & MICROSOFT partnerships - which are just starting with these products. These new partnerships will help increase overall awareness of the AIDS epidemic in Africa and increase contributions to buy lifesaving ARV treatment for those who cannot afford it.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact (RED) at info@joinred.com.

Thank you,
bn
(RED)

PREVIOUSLY: Is Dell's Pricey (Project) Red PC A Ripoff?

The controversy comes from the fact that the $300 "upgrade" to the standard system is for Microsoft software only—leading some to conclude that the world would be better off if you just donated the $300 to charity, rather than spending it on a (Project) Red PC that comes with expensive software you may not need and can find cheaper elsewhere.

Not to rag on a charities, but these are the things that everyone should think about before making a donation or a purchase that "benefits charity." Some people will probably want and value the software (and the pretty red computer) and think it's a good deal. Other people will disagree. Ultimately, it's your money.

Dell's XPS One (PRODUCT) RED is a charitable rip off [Engadget]

(Thanks to Samuel!)

The company I work for orders all of their computers from Dell. About 4 months ago we started receiving random Adobe Acrobat Standard CDs & licenses for free with every single computer that we purchase. We did not request these CDs. At first, they came inside of the box with the computer. Soon, they started arriving in a padded envelope. After that, they began arriving in their own box, complete with paper padding, and a padded envelope. We have received well over 100 of these.

Christian, just wanted to circle back and let you know that we're working this now. As much as we would like this to be a very simple fix it isn't. But you do have our commitment that we will have this fixed in the next six months. Two things we are looking at:

1. Option to exclude all manuals and CDs from packaging at time of order. And, an option to have one set delivered for multiple systems.

2. A move to packaging alternatives

We'll be sure to keep you posted.

Best,
Sean

Dell and the environment: green is out, brown is in [Technologist For Hire]
Update on Dell's Environmental Impact [Technologist For Hire]