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The Emerging RadioShack/Netflix Debacle
New submitter DigitalParc writes "RadioShack recently launched a promotion for 6 months of free Netflix service with the purchase of a laptop, tablet, or phone. This ended up being a fantastic deal, until the shoddy redemption site they were using for the Netflix code redemption was exploited and many of the codes were stolen. 'Users on slickdeals, a deal-finding and sometimes deal-exploiting website, found that the URL of the redemption website could be changed upon trying to enter a code, resulting in a valid Netflix subscription code being generated. Within hours, many of Netflix codes that were allocated to this promotion were stolen and some were redeemed or put up for sale on eBay.'"
I'm surprised Netflix would agree to a partnership like this and not be in control of how the codes were handed out.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
I hate it when people have the impression that they are entitled to steal from others. I use the SlickDeals website and a lot of time they have some great deals, but if you dig deeper into the forums on that site, there is a dark side. This is my opinion, if you took a code and used it for yourself, you are stealing, but maybe the temptation was a bit too great. It is like finding a 20 dollar bill on the floor and keeping it. You know it isn't yours, but the person of irresponsible enough to lose 20 dollars so they kind of deserve it. If, on the other, you generated hundreds of codes and start selling them on Ebay, you are stealing and being a complete dick. That is like watching someone drop their wallet, pretending not to notice, picking it up when the person is out of sight, cleaning out all of the cash, and then tossing the wallet in the dumpster outside.
The preceding was post brought to you by the year 1981.
Honest question: 7-11 sells random audio adapters, cheap soldering equipment, and wiring?
If you can't convince them, convict them.
You've got questions?
We've got stupid looks.
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Last time I was there I picked up an LM7505 voltage regulator and a 24 V center tapped transformer. I mean yah, I would normally order that from mouser or someone else; or drive 45 minutes to the good hobby electronics store, but for just a couple of basic things, RS is not so bad.
Where does 7-11 keep those? Is it near the slurpees?
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
Thee clerk has a (crappy) job to do. You should be ashamed for yourself for venting about corporate policy decisions to a clerk who has nothing to do with them.
the problem.
Seriously, theres enough info in any default apache or IIS log to find the majority of the bullshit codes generated/stolen. Find anything that looks fake and kill it, anyone entering a killed code, have them call in to activate/get a new code, all these people who steal codes over the Internet generally aren't ballsy enough to make the phone call repeatedly, make sure the call comes from a good solid landline, no VoIP crap, sorry if it effects all 8 of you legitimate users of radioshack and netflix.
This is (just) a shitty long day for some sys admin somewhere who has to make up for some shitty developers mistake. This is pretty much the status quo is it not? Most if not all of the bad codes will be found out ... if they want to, it may be well worth it for them to have the accounts active anyway for the books or just for possible retention values.
This is a great example of the no press is bad press mantra. Both RadioShack and Netflix will see increased customer counts for people trying to scam it, slam dunk marketing.
Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
I'm old enough to remember real Radio Shack: discrete ham radio components hanging from the ceiling like bats in a cave. Big tubs of resistors and capacitors you could root around in. Racks of tubes. And...customers! I swear I'm not making this part up RS stores had customers in those days!
Those were the days when ham radio fans had hair, and did not have oxygen tanks.