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Non-NEC Console Related Discussion => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: RoyVegas on January 27, 2010, 05:02:15 AM
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How about one thread full of totally random stuff you want to post about but not worth making an individual topic for?
For instance: This pic I took this morning. New job?
(http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv33/royvegas/Misc/Sparky.jpg)
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For instance: This pic I took this morning. New job?
As a photographer? Nah...
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I'm not sure I'd want to hire that electrician. If it's sparking, you're doing it wrong.
As a photographer? Nah...
Hee-hee.
How 'bout as a conscientious driver not breaking the rules of the road? Nah...
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hahaha... i like how he is holding his rod in his hand.... that could be me :P
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As a photographer? Nah...
Damn, you mean to tell me I wasted my money on the high quality camera phone?
How 'bout as a conscientious driver not breaking the rules of the road? Nah...
Shhhh don't tell anyone!
hahaha... i like how he is holding his rod in his hand.... that could be me :P
Exactly the man I thought of when I saw it :lol:
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MS Sued Over Live Points (http://www.digitalbattle.com/2010/01/26/microsoft-sued-over-xbox-live-points/)
What the f*ck's the point of this shit? These retards knew the rules going in and if they had a problem with 'em, they should've saved their pennies. It's not MS's fault if they're too f'n stupid to use simple division to determine what 100 points are going to cost, nor is it their fault if someone has unredeemed points. Retail gift cards work exactly the same way, in that they won't refund whatever is left on the card for cash, so can I sue Walmart for big money and big prizes?
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Very true that people should realize that they will not use up all of a gift card or points. I think companies use gift cards with no cash refund for the very reason. There are shitloads of people that won't use 100% of the value of the card. Thus the complany making money for basically nothing.
I can't really fault the owner of gift cards. As I would assume the majority of the gift cards are exactly that, a gift from someone else. It's free money for the company, smart move on their part to make some extra cash for doing jack shit.
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hahaha... i like how he is holding his rod in his hand.... that could be me :P
no, if it were you the rod would be significantly smaller.
mwhhahaahhah!
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19 Sided Die (http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Dungeons-Dragons-Murderer-Appeal-Court,news-5652.html)
That'll teach that f*cker to kill someone with a sledgehammer (+8 damage against paladins).
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hahaha... i like how he is holding his rod in his hand.... that could be me :P
no, if it were you the rod would be significantly smaller.
mwhhahaahhah!
hahaha, well at least the colour is right... whaaaat??? :P
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hahaha, well at least the colour is right... whaaaat??? :P
I choose you, Pikachu!
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19 Sided Die (http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Dungeons-Dragons-Murderer-Appeal-Court,news-5652.html)
That'll teach that f*cker to kill someone with a sledgehammer (+8 damage against paladins).
He should have claimed that he was possessed by a mind flayer.
and if that failed,
just run around screaming HASTUR!
You will either get swift victory, or an insanity plea.
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Kratos is the new God of War.
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Kratos is the new God of War.
Oldskool finally gets his computer up and running again?
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How is this different from ANY gift card you buy (like Necro brought up)? Buy a $20 best buy gift card and spend $18. You think they will give you $2 in return? You have to buy something else to use that balance towards. And what about gift cards that have service fees? The ones that if its over a year they start taking XX amount of dollars off the balance until you use it or have nothing left. What about minutes on your cellphone? Unless you have AT&T (or whoever else has rollover minutes) you are going to lose them at the end of the month. People need to f*cking be realistic and stop suing for every little thing they can.
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THIS IS AMERICA.
SUE OR BE SUED!
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THIS IS AMERICA.
SUE AND BE SUED!
Fixed.
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Disclaimer: BlackandBlue, I don't have a beef with you. I just wanted to talk about consumer's rights. :)
I think most people have a distorted idea about the nature of lawsuits, especially when it is so easy to label everything as "frivolous".
People need to f*cking be realistic and stop suing for every little thing they can.
???
A Class Action lawsuit was filed against Microsoft.
We should not passively accept shady/unfair/unjust business tactics. There is nothing wrong with trying to change things to make life better for us. Consumers do, and should, have basic rights and protections.
Realistically, successful class action lawsuits should have more TEETH to them... but corporations, even when found guilty, are able to offer silly crap (like coupons, or vouchers) to compensate consumers. Clearly, power has not shifted to us, the consumers. Power, and the ability to abuse that power, remains the prerogative of business.
While far from perfect, lawsuits are one of the few tactics consumers have to rectify things.
Sure, lawyers get rich, corporations get slapped on the wrist, and we, the consumers, have little, if any power at the end of the day. Should I just give up, then? Hell no.
/rant
I still love all you guys, of course :)
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Consumers in the U.S. have about the most power of any consumer in the world. (if not the most)
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I see what you are saying and it is not fair that consumers are getting screwed. But, its not like MS is intentionally selling the points in values that will make sure someone has points left over. All 3 stores are like this. You buy Wii points the same way. I have 100 left that I will never use. PSN you buy $5 increments. I do not think you can get a refund with either of those services either. I hate to say it, but itunes is the only fair one I have used (buying an app for my phone only charges me the amount for the app).
The article seems to be more set on the fact that 100 != $1. I dont see why that is an issue.
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The article seems to be more set on the fact that 100 != $1. I dont see why that is an issue.
It's an issue because it masks what you're spending on your purchase.
Wouldn't you be pissed if you went to a store, and at the front door they made you convert your dollars to 'points' to spend in the store? And you gave them $20 and in return they gave you 1600 points? Even if the prices of everything in the store were scaled appropriately, it's still an unnecessary pain in the ass.
It's not that difficult to remember that 100 = $1.25 but that's not the point. They're making it unnecessarily more difficult to think about how much you're spending, and there is not a single logical reason for them to do that, other than to trick people.
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The article seems to be more set on the fact that 100 != $1. I dont see why that is an issue.
It's an issue because it masks what you're spending on your purchase.
Wouldn't you be pissed if you went to a store, and at the front door they made you convert your dollars to 'points' to spend in the store? And you gave them $20 and in return they gave you 1600 points? Even if the prices of everything in the store were scaled appropriately, it's still an unnecessary pain in the ass.
It's not that difficult to remember that 100 = $1.25 but that's not the point. They're making it unnecessarily more difficult to think about how much you're spending, and there is not a single logical reason for them to do that, other than to trick people.
I dont agree with the whole points thing. I do think that it is a way to mask how much things cost, but I still dont think the 100 != 1 is an issue. You have to remember that these companies distribute world wide. So, somewhere it isnt going to make sense. I believe in UK 2000 wii points is £25 (msrp on amazon.co.uk). So, now the conversion is £1.25 per 100 whereas it is $1.00 per 100 here. I am in no way sticking up for them, but just trying to show everything can't be catered towards Americans.
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but just trying to show everything can't be catered towards Americans.
YES it can! :twisted:
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but just trying to show everything can't be catered towards Americans.
YES it can! :twisted:
:D
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The logical reason for Microsoft to scale the cost of points is because points is a global unit. The value of an item (in points) is the same globally, so to make the value match the local currency, they have to fiddle with the cost of points in that region. By using points, they can raise or reduce the cost as necessary to achieve maximum profit.
Esteban:
I agree that in a perfect system, successful consumer-driven class action lawsuits should have more teeth to them -- giving cash refunds instead of coupons would be a great place to start.
However, I would not support doing that yet. There are WAY too many frivolous lawsuits filed. The whole system needs to be overhauled to reduce the mentality of "well, let's file a lawsuit and see if it catches on". If TEETH are added to the penalties without adding TEETH to penalize frivolity, then corporations might end up paying way too much in penalties.
I am reminded of the class-action lawsuit filed against cinemas, because they showed commercials prior to films. The lawsuit was filed because paying customers "already paid and therefore should not have to spend time watching commercials (since the film's advertised start time is actually when the commercials begin)". The consumers who joined in on that suit were either just joining for the hope of future reward, or because they didn't bother to investigate the economics... cinema income is precarious. Without advertisements, they would have to either raise ticket prices or concession prices, but both are already about as high as the demand curve will allow. Killing advertisements would kill the cinemas.
Lawsuits like that, which are about convenience (as opposed to a failure to deliver the advertised product), should not only be dismissed, but lawyers should be penalized for wasting the courts' time. Get a certain number of strikes, and their license to practice could be revoked.
Besides, consumers already have a protection mechanism against most companies -- it's called not buying their product. There are certain exceptions (utilities) but for the most part, if you don't like a company, don't buy their stuff. There's a difference between deception and consumers not educating themselves, and companies should only be responsible for the former.
Most of the successfully-prosecuted illegal company practices in today's world involve unfair competition, which generally has a larger impact on other companies and less (visible) impact on the consumer. In these situations, recompense should be made to other companies and not so much to the consumer. When Nintendo was fixing prices of NES cartridges and forcing retailers to choose between selling NES or Sega, why was Nintendo's "penalty" to send out millions of discount coupon for future NES products (and of course to discontinue such practices)? That's an insane solution. It boosts Nintendo's future sales, which is the opposite of recompense for competitors.
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America sucks!
Gatorade is better.
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We should not passively accept shady/unfair/unjust business tactics.
But what about Xbox point cards is shady, unfair, or unjust?
It's an issue because it masks what you're spending on your purchase.
Wouldn't you be pissed if you went to a store, and at the front door they made you convert your dollars to 'points' to spend in the store? And you gave them $20 and in return they gave you 1600 points? Even if the prices of everything in the store were scaled appropriately, it's still an unnecessary pain in the ass.
Yeah, I might get pissed..... so pissed that I turn around, get back in my car, and spend my money elsewhere. I sure as shit wouldn't spend my money and cry about it later.
It's not that difficult to remember that 100 = $1.25 but that's not the point. They're making it unnecessarily more difficult to think about how much you're spending, and there is not a single logical reason for them to do that, other than to trick people.
BlackandBlue gave you the logical reason: they're an international commodity being bought with various currencies.
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MS Sued Over Live Points (http://www.digitalbattle.com/2010/01/26/microsoft-sued-over-xbox-live-points/)
What the f*ck's the point of this shit? These retards knew the rules going in and if they had a problem with 'em, they should've saved their pennies. It's not MS's fault if they're too f'n stupid to use simple division to determine what 100 points are going to cost, nor is it their fault if someone has unredeemed points. Retail gift cards work exactly the same way, in that they won't refund whatever is left on the card for cash, so can I sue Walmart for big money and big prizes?
I was thinking.
Who just goes and buys a point card?
When I used them, I spent the points BEFORE I bought stuff. I'd plan out what I was getting and get point cards accordingly so I'd spent exactly what was needed, leaving me with 0 points...
doesn't seem to hard. Especially for a lawyer to figure out.
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However, I would not support doing that yet. There are WAY too many frivolous lawsuits filed. The whole system needs to be overhauled to reduce the mentality of "well, let's file a lawsuit and see if it catches on". If TEETH are added to the penalties without adding TEETH to penalize frivolity, then corporations might end up paying way too much in penalties.
Yes, I agree with the points you made in your post :).
Lawsuits should be a last resort (i.e. when an offending party simply refuses to address an legitimate concern).
Ultimately, I want resolutions to be "fair" and "timely": consumers benefit when they are treated fairly and their inconvenience is minimized. I think this builds trust and credibility between companies and their consumers.
The problem, of course, is that few (if any!) companies actually have a fair mechanism for dealing with issues/disputes. I can write a letter, clearly explaining how they can improve Xbox Live's online commerce. Maybe I can send it to the powerful executives who actually make decisions! I can talk to customer service.
Herein lies the rub: even if my concerns are heard by the powerful decision-makers (doubtful), there is a conflict of interest between the consumer's rights and the company's interests. Even seemingly simple solutions (see my suggestions below) take time, money, resources and energy.
We should not passively accept shady/unfair/unjust business tactics.
But what about Xbox point cards is shady, unfair, or unjust?
As a matter of principle, I believe that the prices for products/services should be immediately obvious, including all taxes and other charges/fees I will incur.
So, when purchasing WiiPoints, it should clearly state "3000 WiiPoints for $30 + TAX", but it doesn't. You only find out about tax later, on the screen to finalize the transaction.
You might think this is a minor point, but a simple disclaimer "+ TAX" (and the actual tax amount should be calculated and displayed, considering this is 2010 C.E., goddammit) helps inform the consumer about the true cost of an item/service.
BUT, that was a tangent, let's discuss the process of "purchasing via points":
1. This is 2010. 2010. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo could EASILY improve the usability and fairness of their online stores by displaying prices in POINTS as well as LOCAL CURRENCY.
2. Remind me again why I have to purchase points in blocks of _________ units? Why can't I simply purchase an item a la carte?
3. If I am forced to purchase points in blocks of _________ units, remind me again why I can't be refunded the balance of unused points?
4. Hey, #3 is a pet peeve of mine, so I have to repeat myself: why no refund?
It's 2010. We live in a world where retailers can identify the REGION of a consumer and TAILOR the shopping experience so that prices are plainly obvious (virtual price, actual cost in local currency, relevant taxes and fees, grand total, etc. etc. etc.)
Am I asking too much?
Honestly?
END OF RANT :)
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Man shows IRS what's what (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35460268/ns/us_news-life//) by lighting his own house on fire and then ramming his plane into an IRS office building, killing himself and injuring two others in the process. That'll teach those f*ckers. :roll:
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I didn't find the article, but, damn, that is not the way I would have handled things with the IRS. :)
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Linky (http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/09/prepeat-rewritable-printer-lets-you-undo-print-jobs-no-ink-or-t/)
Ecological printer with almost no consumables (ink/toner/paper), though the reusable plastic paper doesn't last forever and obviously wouldn't be useful for archiving.
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Linky (http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/09/prepeat-rewritable-printer-lets-you-undo-print-jobs-no-ink-or-t/)
Ecological printer with almost no consumables
Thats actually pretty cool. In my office it would surely come in handy. Any office has tons of wasted paper for presentations and things like that. Little on the pricey end though.
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So I get a message from a guy on eBay asking about the condition of one of the sealed games I have up for sale.
I'm looking for one mint enough to send to www.vggrader.com (http://www.vggrader.com/) to be graded. It looks like you have six. Can you send a pic front and back of whichever you think is the best condition copy you have? (********@yahoo.com)Also I would be interested in heavy duty packaging. Something like a box not a padded envelope. If I get any dents or tears or any marks the item won't serve it's purpose. Hopefully we can work something out. If you had one graded (about 25$) I'd gladly purchase a graded copy from you for $90.
Seems pretty damn odd to me. I really get the feeling (from the way its worded) that he is trying to drum up business for vgg. What do ya think?
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What do ya think?
I think he and his grading shill bullshit can go f*ck themselves. Tell him that you'll personally grade it as B+ (85% new) for only $10 extra.
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Well, they guy ended up buying one. Guess he wasn't full of shit after all. He can slab it on his own, I won't be doing it.
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Linky (http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/09/prepeat-rewritable-printer-lets-you-undo-print-jobs-no-ink-or-t/)
Ecological printer with almost no consumables (ink/toner/paper), though the reusable plastic paper doesn't last forever and obviously wouldn't be useful for archiving.
This would be good for printing RPG character sheets, I think.
Unless you can't write on it with an ordinary pencil.