Reply from Office Despot

Post #93,189 by jbrabeck 3/31/03 10:04:03 AM Reply	Reply from Office Despot From: Ceil-Rosenberg [link\|mailto:CRosenberg2@OfficeDepot.com\|mailto:CRosenberg2@OfficeDepot.com] Sent: Monday, March 31, 2003 6:35 AM To: Brabeck, Joe R - Eagan, MN Subject: Ref Number: 0459510A Dear Joe: We are in receipt of your E-mail and thank you for your interest in Office Depot. The article you mention in your E-mail contains inaccuracies in both the information presented and the conclusions drawn. Office Depot will continue to carry a broad array of products in its stores. In addition, through our website, www.techdepot.com, we stock over 60,000 different technology items and will continue to stock them. In fact, the broad assortment stocked by our www.techdepot.com website is accessible in all of our stores via our Internet kiosk. We trust this fuller explanation addresses the concerns that you expressed. Sincerely Customer Relations Office Depot, Inc. Followed by: From: Ceil-Rosenberg [link\|mailto:CRosenberg2@OfficeDepot.com\|mailto:CRosenberg2@OfficeDepot.com] Sent: Monday, March 31, 2003 6:42 AM To: Brabeck, Joe R - Eagan, MN Subject: Recall: Ref Number: 0459510A Ceil-Rosenberg would like to recall the message, "Ref Number: 0459510A". Notice that nothing is said to refute the MS XP Logo requirements. One would thing that I had stated that every piece of paper, pen/pencil, notebook (paper type), eraser, desk and chair had to carry the MS Logo. Interpretation: "You'll be happy to know that we will still sell stuff without the brand of shame, just not HW/SW." Then "Oops, better not say that. Not cleared by MS!" [link\|mailto:jbrabeck@attbi.com\|Joe]
Post #93,196 by drewk 3/31/03 10:27:15 AM Reply	A guess I'll bet if you check the headers, that mail was sent from an MS product ... one which (internally, at least) allows you to un-send items. === Implicitly condoning stupidity since 2001.
Post #93,206 by Yendor 3/31/03 11:04:12 AM Reply	With Full Headers... X-Apparently-To:\t mikevitale42@yahoo.com via 216.136.174.16; 31 Mar 2003 06:22:13 -0800 (PST) Return-Path:\t<customer.relations@officedepot.com> Received:\tfrom 205.157.110.5 (EHLO uschmsx11.officedepot.com) (205.157.110.5) by mta618.mail.yahoo.com with SMTP; 31 Mar 2003 06:22:13 -0800 (PST) Received:\tby USCHMSX11 with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) id <H85V97K3>; Mon, 31 Mar 2003 09:22:05 -0500 Message-ID:\t<C1D5DE8B9CA76042A8DB02FC3B9AE36A027B1B27@us10000msx11.na.odcorp.net> From:\t"Customer-Relations" <Customer.Relations@OfficeDepot.com> \| This is spam \| Add to Address Book To:\t"'mikevitale42@yahoo.com'" <mikevitale42@yahoo.com> Subject:\tRef Number: 0459515A Date:\tMon, 31 Mar 2003 09:22:01 -0500 MIME-Version:\t1.0 X-Mailer:\tInternet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) Content-Type:\ttext/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Length:\t693 \t Dear Mr. Vitale: We are in receipt of your E-mail and thank you for your interest in Office Depot. The article you mention in your E-mail contains inaccuracies in both the information presented and the conclusions drawn. Office Depot will continue to carry a broad array of products in its stores. In addition, through our website, www.techdepot.com, we stock over 60,000 different technology items and will continue to stock them. In fact, the broad assortment stocked by our www.techdepot.com website is accessible in all of our stores via our Internet kiosk. We trust this fuller explanation addresses the concerns that you expressed. Sincerely Customer Relations Office Depot, Inc. I bet she tried to recall it because it was supposed to come from the Customer.Relations email address and not her own personal one. Similarly, I noticed the distinct lack of any mention as to what the "inaccuracies" are, or even how that email purports to truly be a "fuller explanation" of their issues with the article. -YendorMike [link\|http://www.hope-ride.org/\|http://www.hope-ride.org/]
Post #93,216 by Andrew Grygus 3/31/03 11:44:48 AM Reply	I sent them a new email Here it is: Ladies / Gentlemen: I have heard no response from Office Depot to either my phone call to the Technology Marketing Division nor my email regarding the mandatory "Designed for Windows XP" logo program, which, among other things has antitrust implications and is very bad for consumers of technology products. The only response I have seen was an email from Customer Relations to another person who had expressed concern - an email that the writer had attempted to withdraw. This email was 100% content free and made no reference whatever to the logo program nor did it address any of the concerns we have with this program. Given this lack of response by Office Depot, I have posted an article on the subject on the front page of my Web site, and linked to it from another of my articles that is getting about 1500 requests a day. My intent is not to harm Office Depot, but to gain a reversal of this very anti-consumer policy as quickly as possible. You will find the article at www.aaxnet.com. Thank you for your attention. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #93,240 by a6l6e6x 3/31/03 1:19:56 PM Reply	I got identical 2 emails. Alex Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. -- Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
Post #93,275 by jbrabeck 3/31/03 3:01:24 PM Reply	Decided to reply to Office Depot Dear Ms(?) Ceil-Rosenberg, Thank you for your reply. While it's helpful to know "Office Depot will continue to stock over 60,000 different technology items", that has nothing to do with what I wrote you about. You state "The article you mention in your E-mail contains inaccuracies in both the information presented and the conclusions drawn.", but you fail to provide me with any information that defines the "inaccuracies". The premise of the article is that you are forcing hardware and software purchasers to buy only Microsoft approved equipment. Will you start to require that all pens come from Bic, pencils from Rose, paper only from Xerox, staples and staplers only from Swingline and so on? While I may occasionally need to purchase a Microsoft product, I want to have a choice. Most times I'd prefer to buy (and recommend to my clients) a reliable, top of the line piece of software. If you won't provide a choice of software/hardware, then why should I shop your store? I can always purchase office supplies from your competitors who still offer a choice. Word has been released on the internet about your decision. An example of the type of coverage Office Depot is receiving is here. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com/editor/edit030.html\|Andrew's link] Please let me know if/when you decide to reverse the ill-thought decision to restrict hardware/software sales to Microsoft only. Until then, my recommendations, and purchases, will be to directed to other office supply companies. Sincerely, Joe Brabeck [link\|mailto:jbrabeck@attbi.com\|Joe]

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