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Diebold Sues Massachusetts for "Wrongful Purchase"
elBart0 writes "Diebold has decided to sue the commonwealth of Massachusetts for choosing a competitor to provide voting machines for the disabled. Diebold wants to force the state to stop using the machines immediately, despite the upcoming municipal elections in many towns. The commonwealth chose the competitor based on an open process that included disabled groups. Diebold executives appeared confused when encountering election officials who made an intelligent choice."
In Soviet Massachusetts, Diebold sues YOU!
Sorry, I cound't stop myself.
Zhrodague.net - I do projects and stuff too.
They had a flashing LED when a vote was cast. This caused Boston police to shut the city down while the bomb squad went to each polling place to blow up the machines.
It's about time some benevolent large corporation stood up to their customers. Customers left to their own decisions will frequently buy the wrong products. The manufacturer obviously knows far more about their product than the customer, so they are the only ones in a position to make a sensible decision about what other people should use.
Clearly the best product for any situation is the one that the biggest company is pushing. It's not like companies get to be big in the first place by overcharging for their products and using the courts to keep competition down.
Objective news reporting? You must be new here.
It was a joke! When you give me that look it was a joke.
You're right -- based on previous examples we've seen here, the best business plan is not to sue the distributors, but to go after the end users.
Next up: Diebold sues the voters but allows quick settlements of $3000 each.
Area man Greg Norton was sued by multinational corporation PepsiCO for purchasing a competing product, Coca-Cola. Said attorney Mark Wiseguy, "We compete against Coke around the country all the time". "Based on the criteria set out by Mr. Norton, we had a fair degree of confidence we'd come out on top, and nothing we heard during the process dissuaded us of that confidence." Greg Norton is said to have replied, "Dude, where's my country?"
They voted for the diebold machine, but they cast that vote *on* a diebold machine.
It's easy to see how things got mixed up from there...
Even people that believe in pre-destiny look both ways before crossing the street.
In fairness, as a Massachusetts resident, I'd also be confused by one of our officials making an intelligent choice. Next you'll be telling me they won't be bolting the machines into epoxy-filled holes in the ceiling!
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
"I know nothing will motivate me to use a company's products like having them SUE my ass."
Hey, it worked great for SCO! Oh, wait...
I think that says it all
I can only imagine it went something like this:
Diebold exec: ... so we want to sue them because they went with our competitors, and, uhm, that's not fair. Because we always win. And, like, why should someone else get to win? It's not fair.
... ... ... we'll get right on it.
Diebold lawyer: *stifling laughter* That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
Diebold exec: We're paying you how much?
Diebold lawyer:
Rumor has it that the state voted twice - on AutoMARK machines the result was a unanimous win for AutoMARK. The second vote used Diebold machines and resulted in several votes for Pat Buchanan.
-- I might be stupid, but you have to be good at something.
Why? It works for the RIAA and for SCO - uhhh, well...
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
If I was purchasing voting machines for another state I would add: "doesn't sue potential customers when it loses a bid" to my list of qualifications. That would clearly put Diebold out of the running.
Every once in a while you read about executives from a company that are so ridiculously inept that it is funny. Diebold certainly fits that description.
Mine is Good
Diebold's real complaint is that when the committee voted on which company to go with, Diebold wasn't allowed to count the votes.
Corporate Headquarters: 1-330-490-4000
Here's what I just emailed to their PR department:
Since when has slashdot been about "objective news reporting"?
Uhhmm...when reporting on Objective-C?
Since when has this been slashdot?
As a very competent independent consultant who has to market my services to companies all the time, I can understand this. I'm also frequently astounded and confused when potential clients choose to use someone else. I therefore support Diebold in their efforts to set a precedent I can use to then sue them into using me.
I would also encourage any other large company who so chooses to sue someone for not taking their calls, and sue vendors for not giving them services for free. If we get those two squared away I think we could all be much more successful.
Believe me, I'm as surprised by my comment as you are.
Clearly, by convincing stupid americans that burnt coffee isn't burnt at all, just stronger, and making them feel like connoisseurs. Off topic, I know. Can't resist the urge to bash Starbucks.
The future isn't here until I can type "car keys" into Google and have it say "You left them in your pants last night."
Great! I use words to mean whatever I feel like they should mean instead of the generally agreed upon conventions that have formed over time.
Flange Samson ton magnet flipper, lumberyard milquetoast tire iron?