Page 1 of Free computer ... Maybe ... Eventually ...

In a move that will probably surprise no-one, have justreceived this e-mail from Metronomy, the company that was `giving away` a PC for three years in exchange for users watching advertising:


Monday, 05 April 2004
Dear Mr ****,

Your Free PC pre-registration, customer number: 3***

We regret to inform you that we are unable to fulfill your application at this time.

As you may know, Metronomy's launch generated considerable media interest, and we received an excellent response from households wishing to take part in the scheme. However, we have also received information to suggest that a minority of applicants do not intend to operate within our standard terms and conditions, resulting in the potential theft of the computer.

Whilst we have invested considerable resources into developing highly secure business processes and technology, the high cost of each PC means that we must control our exposure at this stage.

As such, we have reluctantly decided to release only a limited number of PC's in the first instance, in order to fully test our security procedures and technical infrastructure before a wider roll-out in the Autumn. Unfortunately, we will be unable to progress your application until then.

Should you wish us to remove your details from the waiting list, please click here: lecnac[at]moc.ymonortem and return the message, remembering to include your customer number. Otherwise, you will be contacted later in the year with further information.

We recognise that our concerns apply to only a minority of applications, and regret any inconvenience that this may cause to bona-fide customers, but feel this is the best course of action to protect the long-term interests of the business and ensure that the offer can be available to all who want it in future.

Yours sincerely,
Jacco Van Seventer
Customer Operations Director

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Mmm, something doesn`t smell quite right here, does it?
Smacks of either a massive over-subscription and inability to supply the computers - the same problem that bankrupted the company three years ago that was doing PC`s for 100 - or a scam.

Any thoughts - not including "I told you so"! :)

Sounds like a good way to keep people on their list`s so they can throw all the SPAM mail your way

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Define irony: a bunch of idiots dancing around on a plane to a song made famous by a band that died in a plane crash.

See here:

www.theregister.co.uk/2004/04/06/metronomy_free_pc/

Looks like an excuse to me - why don`t they just change their distribtution method so that the pcs are actually delivered to a bona fide address rather than to a deppot?

Quote:
why don`t they just change their distribtution method so that the pcs are actually delivered to a bona fide address rather than to a deppot?

The depot thing could be a ruse to get around the Direct Selling Regulations. I can`t remember the exact details, but you have certain rights in connection with stuff delivered to your home which you don`t have if you pick the items up yourself.

Mike

bet you cant get their phone number either. the one one the site is for a call centre in the lake district
Here is their head office number in london
0207 0258713
Give em hell
ATB
Rob Hamilton

I can`t see that they`ve done anything drastically wrong, myself, aside from purloined your e-mail address - and there`s plenty of spam filtering software to get rid of that nonsense.

It`s not as if you`ve actually paid any money, is it ?

I think the simple fact is that they`ve realised they`re on a hiding to nothing - see this interesting letter at The Register which lays bare the simple facts : 7.2 million CDs in three years !!!

Not exactly a great money-spinner for them - I suspect the threat of fraud is a smokescreen.



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Clayts, Moderator, DVD Reviewer
UK webmaster for Area 450 the independent Sampo/Maxent DVD site