Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Amazon Collapses Under Weight of 1,000 Xboxes

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the everyone-is-falling-down dept.

theodp writes "Is there such a thing as a BusinessWeek Cover Jinx? Amazon was bitten by the success of its 1,000 Xboxes for $100 promotion, which brought the entire site to its knees for about 15 minutes on Thanksgiving Day. Singing the too-much-traffic blues on Black Friday were Wal-Mart and Disney."

6 of 162 comments (clear)

  1. Re:No Chance by 11223 · · Score: 4, Informative
    No more than 999 were on Amazon's network. I got one.


    I had two networks to choose from: Comcast cable modem, and a supposedly "slower" SBC DSL connection. I ended up using the DSL as Amazon went unreachable on the cable modem at 5 till 1 (CST). At 1:00, Amazon was taking 10-20 seconds to load, but it did load. I clicked, answered a simple math question ("what's 18 + 19" IIRC), and it gave me the "you've got it" page.


    I'm still shocked I got it, especially since I'm in Chicago, not on the west coast.

  2. Inconsistancy by Genocaust · · Score: 3, Informative

    So was Amazon selling 1,000 XBOX systems at $100? Or selling a $1,000 XBOX system at $100?

    --
    It could be that the only purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others.
  3. THIS should be a Slashdot story... Submit it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here's the buyer asking if the contract is binding including an email from the seller.

  4. Re:Microsoft paid Amazon to have this deal by Nightspirit · · Score: 3, Informative

    Except amazon users voted which special they wanted. Sure, the other offers were crap, and didn't have much chance of getting voted for, but then you're suggesting MS paid amazon to have a "potential" sale, which may never happen. Sounds way too tin foil for my tastes.

    And I doubt amazon even lost much money. Supposedly MS are now making $70 profit for the premium system, and likely much more for the core system. Seeing how some retailers are dropping $60-$100 off the premium package already (dell.com for instance, once you put it in the shopping cart) I would expect a retail price drop in 3-6 months, probably $360 for the premium (what dell is currently selling it for) and $260 for the core.

  5. Re:You want the blues? by cgenman · · Score: 4, Informative

    Lots of online retailers have put up items at mistakenly low prices, only to retract later. It's not at all uncommon. They refund your money, and keep the goods.

    I forget what the legal defense of this position was, but it seemed airtight. Anyone remember offhand?

    --
    The ______ Agenda
  6. Re:No Chance by Crysalim · · Score: 5, Informative

    You are the first person I have seen claim they got the code. I didn't believe anyone did until now, but that's only because I also was able to make it to the question link...

    ...but when I answered the question (19 + 6), it turned me down. It was incredibly frustrating, because I was under the impression that I had already received a claim code (this is what the buying tips page said), and it was waiting for me to answer that question.


    Screenshots: (1) The question | (2) The denial