“Our thanks to you!” trumpets this e-mail that Howard received from Canon after buying a printer from them. Well, that’s nice. How is Canon thanking their customers? By offering a free smartphone and Android app to customers…if they sign a two-year contract with Verizon. Isn’t that the deal you can get from Verizon if you walk in off the street?

Howard comments;

So let me get this straight. Canon wants to thank me for buying a printer by giving me an Android App that works with my printer, but only if I sign up for a new 2 year agreement with Verizon? What sort of Thank You is that?

Canon, if you’re going to market to your customers, don’t disguise it as a gift. The public isn’t that stupid. Well, at least all of the public isn’t that stupid.

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