I agree. As a Community Distributor I am concerned about our reputation. I visited this site and it is as this gentleman describes. They list OOo at $99, offer it as part of a free four CD set and bill only a $2.95 shipping charge. However, if you read their Terms of Use they state that only two of the CDs are actually free and the other two are offered on a 10 day trial. If the buyer does not contact the company at the end of the ten days with intent to return the two CDs he will be charged $24.95 for each one. But that's not all. By requesting the CDs the buyer joins a CD of the month type of membership where he will receive a set of 4 CDs each month on a ten day trial with the same terms.
Most, if not all of the software is Open Source, including OpenOffice.org 2.0.2, The GIMP 2, Firefox, TuxPaint, VirtualDub, Audacity, Blender and Nvu. These terms are not disclosed to the buyer before the sale. In fact, I did not find them anywhere on the site except in the Terms of Use, which most people do not read. Instead, they advertise the products as free with a shipping fee. I know you the OpenOffice.org community cannot prevent them from distributing open source software but if this company is a Community Distributor you can remove them from the list. They do not telll people that it is open source, in fact they mislead them to think it is normally expensive software sold retail. That is very unethical. Perhaps the marketing project can create a web page or other communiqué to warn the public about such inscrupulous vendors. Rick Savoia Savoia Computer www.savoiacomputer.com -----Original Message----- From: Kartek [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 7:10 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Marketing] Think All Gentlemen, Your association with the Think All company, disturbs me, I became associated with your fine product, Open Office 2.02 through them, for that I am thankful. However their marketing, is very deceptive to say the least, what I thought I was paying for the cd proved to be a ruse and $6.95 quickly turned into over 49 dollars. Taken I may add out of my bank account without any notification to me. Calling them I got referred to their terms of use which is a lenghty document to say the least and sure enough hidden well, by verbage and placement was their right to charge after 10 trial period which never appears in any of the lanuage advertising the products, nor on the recipt you recieve after making payment. I will also add it doesn't even show up inside the package when you recieve the CD'S. Bait and switch? perhaps, legal most probably so, stench to high heaven and my first reaction was to associate all the programs and authoring/sponsoring agencies in the same cateagory. Still is matter of a fact although I know that your not responsible for their acts. However, there is that human tendency to find guild by association. It would be my hope, that you would review, investigate their pratices, and inline with the eithics, and bussiness morality you have always displayed, make any adjustment you would deem necessary to protect your good name and those of us who believe in the work you do. http://www.thinkall.com/home.htm the pratice these people employed shadow fine institutions working hard in a very compettive world. Associations are as important as iron clad customers, and are intradependant and interdepandant and dilengence required to ensure you have those that benefit you, and shed perhaps those who shadow or foul your reputation. Thank you for the fine products, and any considerations and time on this issue. Harry D. Rollins [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
