Xref: utzoo misc.consumers:5900 sci.electronics:3482 Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!husc6!bloom-beacon!gatech!jkg From: jkg@gatech.edu (Jim Greenlee) Newsgroups: misc.consumers,sci.electronics Subject: Re: PO'ed at Sony Message-ID: <17330@gatech.edu> Date: 29 Jul 88 01:25:08 GMT References: <2531@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV> <9eK0re9.ml1010XCF/A@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com> <2843@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> Reply-To: jkg@gatech.UUCP (Jim Greenlee) Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology Lines: 29 In article <2843@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> henry@garp.mit.edu (Henry Mensch) writes: >hearing this is scaring me a bit, because i plan on buying a >complicated-disk player sometime soon. > >if the bloody things cost so much to fix, why is it unreasonable to >simply toss the old one out and buy a new one? It is *not* unreasonable, and in fact, this is probably what Sony expects you to do. I guess the auto manufacturers are not the only ones who have discovered the selling power of planned obsolescence. It's kind of like buying a battery or a set of tires with an XX,000 mile guarantee. The only thing that is "guaranteed" is that you will continue to buy that brand of battery or tire for the rest of your life (or at least until you sell the car :-). The difference, of course, is that Sony must rely on brand loyalty, whereas the battery and tire guys basically have you on a hook unless you decide to bite the bullet and shop elsewhere. However, most folks in this situation will just get "PO'ed at Sony" and go buy a Technics or something - there is still a lot to be said for "voting with your feet". If you are willing to foot the bill :-), then Sony (or any company that markets "disposable" electronics) will be more than happy to fix your old for you. Caveat emptor. Jim Greenlee -- Mr. News (aka Jim "the Screw" Greenlee) jkg@gatech.edu Instructor, School of ICS, Georgia Tech ...!gatech!jkg Tipper Gore Food: "Race with the Devil on Spanish Highway", "Bush in `88"