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Lenovo Requires NDA For Windows License Refund
tykev writes "A customer wanted to return the license for preinstalled Windows Vista Business that came with his Lenovo laptop. After some lengthy negotiations with representatives of Lenovo's technical support and management, he was offered financial compensation for returning the license in the amount of CZK 1950 (USD 130, EUR 78), pending his acceptance of a non-disclosure agreement that would cover the entire negotiations with the company and its results. He declined and published his experiences on a Czech Linux website. The website editors decided to reward the customer for publishing the article by paying him an author's royalty in the same amount as was the offered compensation for returning the license."
Vista is pants
...which didn't even seem that implausible at the time.
So now we know the minimum we should accept. Time to start negotiating upwards to see what other numbers can be achieved.
That is probably the most effective way to start companies shipping hardware only or Linux pre-installed as the negotiation process will cost money. If 1,000 people went through this process with Lenovo (or Dell, or HP, etc) then we would probably see more progress than 5 years of bitching has managed to achieve.
Kudos to the guy
An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
I especially liked this bit
Sleny operátorky na lince Lenovo byly velice milé. Po vyslechnutí mého poadavku m chtly odmítnout, ale poté, co jsem odcitoval píslunou ást licence, si vyádaly pár dní na zjitní aktuálního stavu od vedení firmy. Tím jsem se viditeln dostal o úrove vý, nebo nyní následovalo kolo telefonních rozhovor.
I dont know what it means but I like it. I think.
Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
What truth?
There is no dupe
Is it wise to be Russian into these kinds of jokes in this political environment?
There go Lenovo's chances on my next laptop purchase.
"My opinions are my own, and I've got *lots* of them!"
...Everyone knows you make them sign the agreement *before* making an offer!
The CB App. What's your 20?
Yeah I think it's NATO good idea. Ukraine never know where it will stop.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
I wonder why on a Czech web portal, that one news article was in English. I did a little looking around trying to see if I could find any other pages in English but that was the only one. It was also the only one that had a /. submit script on it. Even the Czech version of the story did not have the script.
Insert Generic Sig Here:
Before anyone goes blathering on about "ufair" this and "innacurate" that, follow my test.
1. Visit Dell.com on two different browser tabs.
2. Tab #1 starts here.http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/linux_3x?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
3. Tab #2 starts here. http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m1330?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19
4. Configure the Vista product with the ultimate version. That is roughly feature equivalent to Ubuntu.
5. Pay attention to the hardware options because the Linux product has fewer and generally more storage/RAM.
6. At the end, you should have a spread of about $349.
So, Vista costs the consumer $349 OEM through the consumer URL.
http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
Meanwhile, Microsoft still got paid for a product that was completely unwanted and unused. This is a great example of the Microsoft Tax in action. Even when their new operating system is a disaster and people refuse to use it, they still get paid, purely on the basis of their market position. This is the kind of reason why Microsoft should be subject to antitrust laws. Normal market forces just don't apply to them.
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
The reason for an NDA is actually fairly obvious. Lenovo's probably eating the cost of the license in this case, and the last thing that it wants is for Czechoslovakians to realize that they can get 78 Euro off of the price of a laptop simply by asking.
I defy anyone to continue this using Uzbekistan or Tajikistan.
"I am an Adept of Tantric VAX."
It's a Spain to keep reading this thread. Perhaps you could Sweden the jokes a bit?
Mmm, sweet things make me Hungary.
Random and weird software I've written.
I don`t like the Sweden stuff myself, when I`m Hungary I just go for some Chile.
Uzbekistanding it would certainly become a chore.
Yeah, it's dead.
going straight to MS
Which, incidentally, he should still be able to do, since he has not given up his license at this time. $260 is a lot better than $130. :D
Layne
Man wants his money back for a license he did not want from a PC purchase.
Microsoft says: "Sure but you keep your fscking mouth shut when we do this"
Guy said "Eat a box of shnausages"
Guy publishes an article about his experience, gets the money anyway but not from Microsoft. /I think?
The greatest revenge in life is massive success.
The website editors decided to reward the customer for publishing the article by paying him an author's royalty in the same amount as was the offered compensation for returning the license."
Lenovo tried to cancel the Czech. Did the editors pay the Czech with a check? I guess I should TRFM and Czech it out.
"He's lost in a 'floyd hole"
Exactly. By the way, we are just Czechs now, but for Slovaks this procedure could easily apply too.
What did Delaware?
New Jersey?
Idaho, Alaska.
Well of course Lenovo didn't have to refund the license money — everyone knows that WIndows Vista doesn't require sending Czech sums.
Nor, might I add, would they Dane to send such a refund to Northern Europe. Not a single Finn. As for Southern Europe, I would expect they would be Balkan at every request. Even in their own part of the globe I think Lenovo would claim that their hands are Thai'd. And do so Lao'd and clear.
The only people with any hope at all for satisfaction live in the Hellenic Republic. Their palms are always Greece'd.
"I guess the moral of the story is, don't paint your airship with rocket fuel." -- Addison Bain
To my company, the best Lenovo could manage was a "If you bulk purchase 100 laptops of the same type we can negotiate downgrading them to Vista Home, but we will not refund the license.", after about a dozen e-mails.
Dell, on the other hand, refunds licenses after just two minutes on the phone.
Disclaimer: I've been trying to purchase brand-name laptops without an operating system for more than eight years now. Recently I've signed up as reseller for several big laptop manufacturers, who will remain anonymous. It's still impossible to get even a single one of them to accept the EULA and refund licenses to my customers. Also, the EULA says that my company would have to refund my customer, but none of the manufacturers so far gave me a way to get my money back from them. So if you're wondering why every store tells you that refunds don't exist, this might be it.
If you want to sell brand-name stuff without OS, the only choice you have is to contact another reseller who is a key account with the big guys. These resellers can sometimes get you built-to-order machines. Those, on the other hand, are often more expensive than a similar stock machine WITH Vista Pro, so if you think your customers are saving any money there, think again. All you get is the added inconvenience of waiting for the BTO.
If the manufacturers would at least honor the EULA, I could buy those machines with Windows and return the licenses myself, passing the savings on the customer. Since they don't, I can't even do that.
Perhaps his Czech is in the mail?
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
When you're ready for bed, let me know. I Kentucky you in.
---
Rob Flynn
Pidgin
Alright:
Two travelers from Hungary and Czech Republic are backpacking through a national park, when they are attacked and eaten by a pair of grizzly bears. Rangers shoot the bears and autopsy them. They open the female bear and find the remains of the Hungarian. Ranger turns to his partner and says, "I guess the Czech's in the male."
Ba-dum-bum.
Man buys a laptop from Leno.
Laptop comes with Windows Viagra.
Man insists he doesn't need Viagra, insists on money back.
Chinese authorities confused as to how a man can perform without it, ask for a copy of his DNA.
The Chinese insist that the man keep quiet:
Bootleg copy of Windows (the screen of death is red).
Laptop also contains birth records of the Chinese gymnastic team.
(OK, I admit, I made this part up, but it makes the story better.)
Man publishes his story on web.
Profit!
My next sig will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush
You must be missing the first punchline, which is, "Looks like the bitch got Hungary."
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/shropshire/7585098.stm
"A man who chose "Lloyds is pants" as his telephone banking password said he found it had been changed by a member of staff to "no it's not"."
""But what really incensed me was when I was told I could not change it back to 'Lloyds is pants' because they said it was not appropriate.
"I asked if it was 'pants' they didn't like, and would 'Lloyds is rubbish' do? But they didn't think so.
"So I tried 'Barclays is better' and that didn't go down too well either.
"The rules seemed to change, and they told me it had to be one word, so I tried 'censorship', but they didn't like that, and then said it had to be no more than six letters long." "
----
So, this is my position/question:
Why the HELL was a low-level functionary employee able to "see" the true password of a customer? The frackin password should have been a reduced or hashed form so that even if an IT person can copy and paste it in a local system, they could not know the contents and be able to type it in at a point of sales station or an ATM, or on any sites that reject copy-paste-in passwords...
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
Well let's test that theory. Vista is horrible. Nothing works right and it runs slower on the same hardware as XP does. It still gets viruses despite "Security" measures and it has like a bajillion patches for itself that don't do anything to help the end user experience. In addition I think I have herpes now that I used a machine that had Vista on it. I discourage Vista use as it definitely might give you herpes. Besides the itching (from the herpes) and all the other stuff... I love it!
No. They offered him what he asked for, with conditions. He did not ask for those conditions.
Sounds like they were rather distasteful to him. As they should be. The loss of ones freedom of speech should NEVER be a condition to anything.
NDAs are counterproductive. Learn how to discern people that you can trust and you shouldn't have to rely on them.
I for one, will NEVER sign one, regardless of context. I view them as unconstitutional. Simple as that.
It spells "Slovakia".
or it gets the hose