That is not how you send Corporate America "a message"
The X-Box 360 launch has been an excellent example of how large corporations can make us take it in the shorts, and yet we will line up for it and say thank you afterwards. Despite knowledge in advance there would be a shortage of supply, stores giving priority to pre-orders that had the most peripherals sold along with it, and just general corporate greed and avarice, there is still nary an X-Box 360 to be found on store shelves as they have all been sold.
Yes, I am sure Microsoft hears your cries of rage, and they are laughing back as they count your money.
I still plan on getting an X-Box 360 just as soon as I have time for that kind of gaming again. Being on the road is not very conducive to console gaming, unless I want to leave it at the hotel. Something I'm not quite sure I trust the maid service to leave alone considering its rarity. As such, the idea of even getting one at launch wasn't much of a priority. Still, had I pre-ordered one I probably would have just asked for a refund upon hearing of the shortage and waited for the next batch. The fact is, anyone who wants one is going to be able to buy one eventually. There was certainly not one game that looked like a "killer app" at launch, so the lengths people are going to in order to acquire a system seem just silly to me. Not only that, but I just refuse to salivate when Corporate America rings a bell.
It is not that I hate corporations, not even Microsoft. They have their place in our society. The problem is that we the consumers routinely place far too much power in their hands. Naturally they are going to abuse that scenario every chance they get. We have successfully trained Corporate America to focus on short-term profits, even to their own detriment. Microsoft being an exception, since they seem to have an eye on the future. However, Microsoft did not get so big while having any focus on customer satisfaction or customer service. So giving in to them is especially heinous.
Spending 10 hours in line to quite likely not get a system you pre-ordered, or spending $1500 on a bundle pack is probably not going to send the message you would like. However, this is America, a land where people will spend thousands of dollars on entertainment and eat Ramen Noodles for every meal. When people complain about corporations behaving badly, it doesn't take much to see how they have gotten to the place where they think they can get away with it.
Yes, I am sure Microsoft hears your cries of rage, and they are laughing back as they count your money.
I still plan on getting an X-Box 360 just as soon as I have time for that kind of gaming again. Being on the road is not very conducive to console gaming, unless I want to leave it at the hotel. Something I'm not quite sure I trust the maid service to leave alone considering its rarity. As such, the idea of even getting one at launch wasn't much of a priority. Still, had I pre-ordered one I probably would have just asked for a refund upon hearing of the shortage and waited for the next batch. The fact is, anyone who wants one is going to be able to buy one eventually. There was certainly not one game that looked like a "killer app" at launch, so the lengths people are going to in order to acquire a system seem just silly to me. Not only that, but I just refuse to salivate when Corporate America rings a bell.
It is not that I hate corporations, not even Microsoft. They have their place in our society. The problem is that we the consumers routinely place far too much power in their hands. Naturally they are going to abuse that scenario every chance they get. We have successfully trained Corporate America to focus on short-term profits, even to their own detriment. Microsoft being an exception, since they seem to have an eye on the future. However, Microsoft did not get so big while having any focus on customer satisfaction or customer service. So giving in to them is especially heinous.
Spending 10 hours in line to quite likely not get a system you pre-ordered, or spending $1500 on a bundle pack is probably not going to send the message you would like. However, this is America, a land where people will spend thousands of dollars on entertainment and eat Ramen Noodles for every meal. When people complain about corporations behaving badly, it doesn't take much to see how they have gotten to the place where they think they can get away with it.
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