I'm all for business propositions

[SamurAchzar]

But not this kind. In short, a year ago I got an email from some company asking me to develop some stuff for them (my company is listed as a partner for several large semiconductor firms, so I get such requests once in a while). I sent them few lines of what we do and asked for more info, to which they replied with a spam message telling me about their product and how they want me to integrate them into my customer designs (don't be misled by their wording, they don't have a single customer where I work). I was annoyed, but let it slide.

Yesterday, nearly exactly one year later, I get another email for them, trying to pull the same shit on me. So I replied. Following is the conversation.

One year ago:

On Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 9:43 PM, Mark Wright - XXXXX Digital Corp.
Hello,

I am looking for microcontroller based product design engineering and development services using common controllers, such as Atmel, Microchip, TI, 8051, etc. Do you provide such services?

Please REPLY-ALL to this email.

Thank You and Best Regards,

Mark Wright
XXXXX Digital Corporation
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Irvine, CA 92618

I make a sincere attempt at doing business:

________________________________________
From: OP
Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 1:20 PM
To: Mark Wright
Subject: Re: Microcontroller based product design service needed

Hello Mark,

XXX does development mostly on Atmel processors. In fact we're an Atmel design house, working with current and pre-released parts. Our expertise is in both the ARM processors (AT91) and the 8-bit AVR line. We've done many applications (industrial, military, medical and telecom mostly) using a wide selection of platforms (RTOS, Embedded Linux and WinCE). If you could list your specific needs, we could see if it is within our capabilities to address them.

Best Regards,
OP

Here they go all douchy:

From: Mark Wright
Date: Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 10:22 PM
Subject: RE: Microcontroller based product design service needed
To: OP
Cc: "engineering@xxxxxxx.com"

Hi OP,

We are looking to have you design microcontroller based prototypes and full products for our customers using our xxx25713 wireless module. You do not need to have any wireless RF experience, test equipment or worry about FCC compliance, we fully handle the whole RF side of each project, you handle the customer application and interface with our module using our 9600-8N1 serial UART or logic level I/Os used for switch functions as required. The applications range from simple door-openers to complex meter reading or sensor systems.

You would be handling our customers who are within driving distance of your location, allowing the customer to work with you locally, so customer interface, prototype demonstrations, etc. can be handled easily, quickly and personally.

Let us know if you think you're a good fit for engaging directly with our local customers to provide the described engineering services.

Please REPLY-ALL to this email.

Thank You and Best Regards,

Mark Wright
XXXXX Digital Corporation
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Irvine, CA 92618

One year later:

Hi OP,

Are you still available for providing microcontroller based electronic product design and development services?

Thank You and Best Regards,

Richard Galang
Third Party Resources Dept.
XXXXXXX Digital Corp.
Irvine, CA 92618

What I assume is the last nail in the coffin of their proposed business venture:

Dear Richard,

Thank you for the sincere inquiry. Unfortunately, due to the weak economy, we had to slightly alter our business focus and now mainly deal with logistic services for brothels and erotic massage parlors. In case you have a favorite brothel or an erotic massage parlor in your vicinity which you believe could use a technological overhaul, please refer them to my company. Among our innovative solutions are:

* Customer databases with data-mining capabilities to specifically tailor unique services around the customer deviant preferences
* Tracking and classification of STDs, optionally issuing an adhesive QR code patch which you can conveniently attach to your brothel staff
* Perimeter alerts for notifying you of unauthorized staff departure

With some luck, we could even integrate your RF technologies - which, by the notion of receiving this email, I presume are not doing too well - into the our technological solution.

I CC Mr. Mark Wright to this email, as he strikes me as the type who is personally familiar with the ever-changing world of brothels and would be a beneficial member for our brainstorming. I also CC your sales and support departments so that they too can have a say on this matter.

Please do no hesitate to contact me on such matters, as well to distribute your marketing unsolicited and under false pretenses in the future. I am always happy to hear about more useless RF products which no one ever asked for. As a matter of fact, by building products no one asked for you put your company at the absolute leading edge of the RF world, and I commend you for this.

Looking forward to a fruitful cooperation,

- Show quoted text -
<OP-company> Brothel Technologies

 

[Zebo]

lol

 

[bhanson]

Maybe I'm dense, but I don't see the SPAM portion of it. All I see is a normal e-mail asking you if you want a job.

 

[SamurAchzar]

Maybe I'm dense, but I don't see the SPAM portion of it. All I see is a normal e-mail asking you if you want a job.

It's different wording for "We want to integrate our products into your customer designs". I cooperate with companies in such projects all the time and this, my friend, was spam. Not the bulk Viagra type spam, but a more focused type of spam.
Again, they don't have a single customer around me. Trust me on that.

 

[PottedMeat]

Maybe I'm dense, but I don't see the SPAM portion of it. All I see is a normal e-mail asking you if you want a job.

i think it's a convoluted way for the spammer to get the OP to use a universal device ( MCU ), program it, interface with the spammer's wireless module, and support the total product. spammer sells a wireless module, OP does all the work.

 

[IcePickFreak]

Nice, after the first paragraph of your response I was ready to ask if you "REPLY-ALL" to his email.

 

[SamurAchzar]

Nice, after the first paragraph of your response I was ready to ask if you "REPLY-ALL" to his email.

I should probably have suggested he REPLY-ALL himself.

 

[Gibson486]

you mean this dude?

http://www.linkedin.com/in/markwright

 

[SamurAchzar]

you mean this dude?

http://www.linkedin.com/in/markwright

Certainly not, Microchip is a reputable company (crap products, but the company is serious).

 

[FDF12389]

you mean this dude?

http://www.linkedin.com/in/markwright

Ahhhh SNAP

 

[Gibson486]

Well, if you are sure RF Digital Corporation is not a real company, I guess we have to believe you.

 

[SandEagle]

nobody cares.

 

[AMDZen]

Well, if you are sure RF Digital Corporation is not a real company, I guess we have to believe you.

It would be soooo awesome if it really was legitimate and OP lost out on business. Ownage of the year

 

[Turin39789]

http://www.rfdigital.com/


http://www.jigsaw.com/scid19689760/mark_wright.xhtml

http://www.jigsaw.com/id2379096/rf_digital_corporation_company.xhtml

 

[darkxshade]

Are you saying that Mark Wright and this Richard person is the same guy? It sounds like Richard is someone else(who might have been in the distribution since you replied all) who now needs your services as well?

 

[Dreamland]

Wow, I got the exact same email. One last year from Mark, one today from Richard.

The only thing I can think of is they dug me up from when I was posting on the sparkfun wireless forum.

I had a prototype gadget with a cable going to a display, and was trying to learn how to make it wireless.

I could use the work, but I guess it's just spam?

 

[ebaycj]

Wow, I got the exact same email. One last year from Mark, one today from Richard.

The only thing I can think of is they dug me up from when I was posting on the sparkfun wireless forum.

I had a prototype gadget with a cable going to a display, and was trying to learn how to make it wireless.

I could use the work, but I guess it's just spam?

They probably designed a fairly "generic" RF transmitter for a fairly "specific" project, now are looking to sell it to other projects without having to re-engineer anything.

 

[gophins72]

* Perimeter alerts for notifying you of unauthorized staff departure

yikes!