Windows Feedback Program - Shame on you Microsoft!
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Ok, I have a serious gripe here. Microsoft wants us to share our experiences with them. You have to download a program, and add what equates to spyware on your system. Now this is fine and good if you choose to do it. Like all of us, I covet my privacy, but given the right circumstances, I can make certain allowances. Microsoft, in conjunction with this program was offering copies of Vista Ultimate, Office 2007, and others as compensation for collecting this data. But when I signed up, nothing was said about the software offer being withdrawn, or had ended, or anything like that. I just happened to be perusing from another Lockergnome blogger’s page, and saw that the offer had been withdrawn. Hmmmm, didn’t se anything like that on the website. Off I go, back onto the website, searched everywhere. Nothing. Went and left a comment on his blog. So I sent email to them asking if this was indeed the case. I got this reply…
Thank you for your inquiry about the Windows Feedback Program. Because of the high level of interest in the Program, we have compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions below.
If you still have questions, please don’t hesitate to email winpanel@microsoft.com and we will make every effort to get back to you.
Thank You,
The Windows Experience Team
Frequently Asked Questions:
What happened to the free product offer?
The offer for complimentary Microsoft products was removed from the program when the supply of gifts ran out on December 11, 2007 at 2 p.m. PT.
Ummmm…excuse me, why the hell didn’t you put that on the website? Wasn’t on the main page, wasn’t on the FAQ there, wasn’t even buried on one of the obscure pages. More importantly, why didn’t you tell me this before I wasted 10 minutes or so filling out the stupid damn survey? And excuse me, but don’t you make the damn software? How the hell can you run out? Vista and Office 2007 are having enough trouble gaining popularity as it is, and now you are going to pull this? Shame on you Microsoft for being so disingenuous! 
Quote of the day:
Clinton lied. A man might forget where he parks or where he lives, but he never forgets oral sex, no matter how bad it is. - Barbara Bush
6 Comments
Larry Schaibley
December 18th, 2007
at 5:34am
If you received your confirmation before that cut-off date, you will receive your free software.
DarkSentinel
December 18th, 2007
at 7:18am
If I had done it before the cutoff date I wouldn’t have been griping. The whole point of this diatribe is that once the offer ended, THAT should been on the front page of the site. On the site FAQ at the very least. There are other blogs basically saying the same thing I did.
Jimmy
December 30th, 2007
at 10:36pm
Sorry you missed out.
In fairness as soon as the information on this offer hit slickdeals, the next day their were 45000 on the thread by 2pm when Microsoft cut off the offer.
Microsoft were always going to kill the deal, however perhaps a midnight cutoff may have been better and shutting the sign up page down while they posted an updated FAQ would have been a good idea.
Maybe next time!
DarkSentinel
January 3rd, 2008
at 12:42am
That is all fine and good, and it’s not that I missed the offer so much, as that in any other arena, this is called a bait and switch. Fraud. IF the deal ended, post that on the main page, and give the user the chance to opt out at that point BEFORE jumping through all the hoops, and in some cases installing that software. Not after learning it second hand, and then email to enquire why and THEN be told, Oh yeah, by the way, we’re not doing that any more. Know what I mean?
Anonymous
May 30th, 2008
at 1:34pm
Huzzah!
John Kramer
November 8th, 2008
at 7:43pm
My opinion is that the vista os is the ultimate in your attempts to provide dedicated customers with any type quality product.
Even given the first Windows 98,, total diaster… vista is the ultimate screw=up.. thanks alot… j kramer