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> NewEgg has to hire guys who sit there for hours installing Windows from the non-existent install disks (...) Your argument hinges on the assumption the retai

by dexen 14y ago

> NewEgg has to hire guys who sit there for hours installing Windows from the non-existent install disks (...) Your argument hinges on the assumption the retailer is somehow `entitled' to being profitable, and consumers' rights come second. Turns out consumer protection is not optional for a retailer. Whether they can stay afloat or not in the face of returns is up to them. And I believe they well can stay in the black, given that: * `installation' of Windows from a harddrive image is quick, low-tech and mostly hands-off process, * as a major retailer they enjoy strong negotiating position with Microsoft or OEM for obtaining said images, * if they really can't be bothered with the harddrive images, shipping the device to OEM for the work is cheap anyway, given they certainly exchange significant volume of cargo with 'em. EDIT: It does not make sense for the whole company to reject valid claims and be on the receiving end of geeks' anger. If I were to guess, the whole matter at Newegg was probably caused by some mid-level manager desperatly wanting good metrics -- like `valid customer complaints per thousand units sold' -- for his or her department. Just a case of misalligned incentives.

pfraze 14y ago
Nobody's entitled to anything. Newegg will do whatever they need to balance consumer happiness with their profit margins, and, if they can swing it, that'll include what you want.
- tankenmate 14y ago
  The law does indeed entitle people to certain expectations. Lawless societies only benefit the very smallest minority, a current example; Somalia.
  - CWuestefeld 14y ago
    This is sorta true, but it's not laws as such that accomplish it. It's actually the existence of any institutions that guide the behavior of people, whether they are just social traditions, or religions, or laws. For example, I've found that in China, people don't tend to line up for the bus. When it's coming, people just crowd around, and so the pushiest person is the one who gets the best seat. We don't have this problem in the US, but it's not a law that solves it for us. It's because our culture has inculcated into us the idea that each person should wait his turn. Conversely, the imposition of a law doesn't necessarily "fix" the problem behaviors. For any law to work, people must accept its legitimacy and be willing to abide by it. And there's a bit of a Catch-22 at work there, because when everyone is breaking the law, an individual will see that on an individual basis, his compliance puts him at a disadvantage. There's actually been a good deal of research, especially by Bill Easterly [1], examining what institutions tend to make some cultures thrive, while others languish in poverty. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Easterly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Easterly

by dexen 14y ago

pfraze 14y ago

Nobody's entitled to anything. Newegg will do whatever they need to balance consumer happiness with their profit margins, and, if they can swing it, that'll include what you want.

tankenmate 14y ago
The law does indeed entitle people to certain expectations. Lawless societies only benefit the very smallest minority, a current example; Somalia.
- CWuestefeld 14y ago
  This is sorta true, but it's not laws as such that accomplish it. It's actually the existence of any institutions that guide the behavior of people, whether they are just social traditions, or religions, or laws. For example, I've found that in China, people don't tend to line up for the bus. When it's coming, people just crowd around, and so the pushiest person is the one who gets the best seat. We don't have this problem in the US, but it's not a law that solves it for us. It's because our culture has inculcated into us the idea that each person should wait his turn. Conversely, the imposition of a law doesn't necessarily "fix" the problem behaviors. For any law to work, people must accept its legitimacy and be willing to abide by it. And there's a bit of a Catch-22 at work there, because when everyone is breaking the law, an individual will see that on an individual basis, his compliance puts him at a disadvantage. There's actually been a good deal of research, especially by Bill Easterly [1], examining what institutions tend to make some cultures thrive, while others languish in poverty. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Easterly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Easterly