How To Sell One Computer for $15 Million

[eits]

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/11/like-taking-candy-computers-from-a-baby-the-poor.ars

lol

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

The courts need to GTFO of this case and let the consumers sort it out.

















/Libertard

 

[Mike Gayner]

the courts need to gtfo of this case and let the consumers sort it out.

/libertard

lol

 

[Crono]

I think all of us computer geeks smelled "scam" just from their advertising.

Or at least that they were making more money then they should on crappy computers.

Never thought they would turn out this bad. One computer?

 

[lifeobry]

I think all of us non-morons smelled "scam" just from their advertising.

I think this is what you meant to say

 

[mugs]

The courts need to GTFO of this case and let the consumers sort it out.


/Libertard

Sounds more like a conservatard to me


At least in the US, liberals tend to have a "live and let live" attitude toward individuals, and an authoritarian attitude toward businesses. Conservatives are the opposite.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

Sounds more like a conservatard to me

Well traditionally conservatards were essentially libertards, but have diverged in the past few decades due to pressure from religitards.

 

[ElFenix]

do you think that freedom frog funding is also a scam?



edit: libertards have no problem with courts. they probably have problems with consumer protection agencies.

 

[Leros]

I think all of us computer geeks smelled "scam" just from their advertising.

I didn't think it was a scam. I just thought that the consumer would end up paying $1500 for a $300 computer. Or something along the lines of that.

 

[keird]

BlueHippo financed—at most—a single computer to the over 35,000 consumers who placed orders for computers that could be financed during the period," the FTC told a court (PDF) yesterday. In the meantime, the company took in a cool $15 million in payments from consumers, who don't appear to have received anything in return.

Here's how bad the situation was: according to an FTC footnote buried in the agency's new court filing, "the shipment of this [one] computer was most likely in error, rather than a computer that BlueHippo intended to finance."

What were the specs on that one box? I think it is pretty sleazy, but I wonder if accepting money for a low end computer that will ship after a year is a profitable business model. <shrug> it's a stupid tax.

 

[Miramonti]

Why do scams always pray on stupid people? And repeatedly hook them?

These people need to be warned.

 

[ChaoZ]

How the hell do people fall for this anyway? You have to pay ~$600 worth of payments before they even send out a computer, and that's just the minimum.

 

[keird]

Why do scams always pray on stupid people? And repeatedly hook them?

These people need to be warned.

Who's preyed on you?

 

[Leros]

How the hell do people fall for this anyway? You have to pay ~$600 worth of payments before they even send out a computer, and that's just the minimum.

People are stupid. Not to mention, a lot of people are just incapable of saving money. If they have money, they WILL spend it. Makes it impossible for them to save up and buy expensive items.

$400... I can't afford that

$75 a month for a year... I can do that.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I knew it was a rip off, the scam part just makes it tragically funny. This isn't bad buisness, but outright theft.

 

[destrekor]

The courts need to GTFO of this case and let the consumers sort it out.

/Libertard

Liberal? or Libertarian?

because technically, that attitude is definitely found in the most extreme Libertarian viewpoint. However most Libertarians, of which I am a Moderate-Libertarian (if I have to put a name to my opinions), will always acknowledge that SOME regulation is necessary, especially for consumer protection.
More importantly, I can agree with both concepts.

If you are absolutely retarded enough to not research a company that just sounds FAR FAR FAR too good to be true, and continue to give them money... well, quite simply you are retarded and shouldn't be babied by the government. But at the same time, such corporate actions do deserve government intervention in the name of consumer protection.

 

[mugs]

Liberal? or Libertarian?

because technically, that attitude is definitely found in the most extreme Libertarian viewpoint. However most Libertarians, of which I am a Moderate-Libertarian (if I have to put a name to my opinions), will always acknowledge that SOME regulation is necessary, especially for consumer protection.
More importantly, I can agree with both concepts.

If you are absolutely retarded enough to not research a company that just sounds FAR FAR FAR too good to be true, and continue to give them money... well, quite simply you are retarded and shouldn't be babied by the government. But at the same time, such corporate actions do deserve government intervention in the name of consumer protection.

In what way was Blue Hippo "FAR FAR FAR too good to be true." They were selling^H^H^H^H^H^H^H offering cheap PCs at margins that would make Apple drool.

 

[BoberFett]

The courts need to GTFO of this case and let the consumers sort it out.

/Libertard

The only tard here is one who thinks that the free market means free to defraud. Libertarians are all for the prosecution of fraudsters, tard.

Are all "liberals" so ignorant?

 

[Kadarin]

Why do scams always pray on stupid people? And repeatedly hook them?

These people need to be warned.

Because stupid people never prey for guidance.

 

[Kadarin]

At least in the US, liberals tend to have a "live and let live" attitude toward individuals, and an authoritarian attitude toward businesses. Conservatives are the opposite.

Interesting thought, that. Therefore, if you happen to have a liberal attitude towards individuals, form a corporation with a large number of like-minded individuals for the next time a Conservatard administration comes into power.

 

[JS80]

The courts need to GTFO of this case and let the consumers sort it out.

















/Libertard

Stupid is as stupid says.

 

[sandorski]

That takes some fuckin Balls. I wish there was a Hell so they could Fry there.

 

[Gothgar]

Wow... that /libertard sure hit quite a few nerves and totally derailed this thread.

 

[adlep]

The courts need to GTFO of this case and let the consumers sort it out.



/Libertard

Aren't you from New Zealand?

Because you are, proceed with caution because your definition of "left" and "right" will not be even remotely similar to the US definition.

Come and live in the US for a while and then have an opinion...

 

[IronWing]

Not that this in any way contributes to the thread but it might help clarify the direction that folks would like to head upon jumping the tracks...

Libertard =/= Libtard