Reader Comments on Aardvark Daily 20 December 2002

Note: the comments below are the unabridged submissions of readers and do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher.
 

From: Brett Herkt
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Aardvark's article on Lmyree & Spam

Dear Bruce

I advise a correction to inaccurate information contained
in your article on alleged Spam activity by Lmyree.

I sent you an email via the contact form contained within
your web-site on the same day your article was published
and advised we would be following up the matter.
We are disappointed that you have published further comment
on Maxnet without contacting us to enquire about the
actions we took.

Maxnet contacted 123 Internet and were advised that a
mistake had occurred and the email that had caused the Spam
complaints had been sent in error.

Maxnet further reviewed Lymree's web-site and determined
that Lmyree could be offering Spam services but there was
not sufficient evidence to be certain this was the case.
Material on the Lmyree site actually discussed how to avoid
spamming.

We also considered that this was the first instance of a
Spam complaint to Maxnet against either of these two
organisations.

We decided that 123 Internet and Lmyree deserved a warning
and one chance to prove themselves.

Our customer services manager then provided a written
warning to 123 Internet to this effect.

Maxnet would be pleased to receive your call or
correspondence on any future matters of this nature.

You may wish to publish a correction to the material
contained on today's issue of Aardvark.

Regards

Brett Herkt
General Manager
Maximum Internet Limited

From: Philip D'Ath
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Xtra - pop3  Access

Xtra have just blocked pop3 access to anyone outside of
their network!

So if you have a DSL account not with Xtra, you can't
retrieve your email anymore.
If you dial up via another ISP, you can't retrieve your
email anymore.
If you travel overseas, you can't pick up your email
anymore (without paying high roaming charges).

They have done this with zero warning!  I have had calls
from many upset people.




From: John Gillon
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Xtra - pop3  Access

Thanks for the explanation Philip, now I know why we
couldn't receive mail via DSL all of yesterday! Our ISP
thought it may have been some problem with Xtra's POP3
routing for DSL connections... some problem huh!

I have confirmed with Xtra's help desk that the non-Xtra
DSL access blocking change took place at 0900 20-Dec.

Damn arrogant I reckon, and it will stymie all of what you
say, and timed perfectly to annoy all those dedicated types
that collect business e-mail from home ADSL whilst on
holiday. I wonder when they block dial-up connections!

Merry Christmas from Xtra - baaagh, humbug!




From: John Gillon
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Xtra ToU- e-mail

3. Email service use

To be entitled to use our email service (whether to
receive, access, view or send any email (or part of any
email)), you need to have either:

An active Internet access account with Xtra and you,
personally, must be connected through that account at the
time of using our email service.
Or:
Use XtraMail or such other email access or hosting service
offered or specifically approved by Xtra from time to time.
The fact you may, at some time, have been able to use
Xtra's email services through services other than Xtra
Internet access or XtraMail does not necessarily mean that
it is a service offered or specifically approved by Xtra.
Additionally, Xtra may add to, replace, block or remove
alternative access or hosting services previously offered
or approved by Xtra without notice to you.




From: James
For : The Editor (for publication)
Subj: Sony quality problems

I can't believe how arrogant Sony are, by not even
acknowledging the issue of the recent unreliability of
products manufactured within the last 5 years.

I have realised that the quality/reliability problems with
some Sony products, have a lot to do where the product is
made.
I have a Sony Trinitron 1987 that is still working well,
and it was made in West Germany! I purchased a Sony
Trinitron 3 years ago which has now just started developing
problems, and it was made in Malaysia.
I have a sony minisytem about 7 years old, still working
fine, and made in Japan. My friend has one about two years
old, and has started developing crackling sounds when
playing CD's.(made in Malaysia.)

I am certainly going to base my future decisions on which
sony product to buy, by basing it on where it is made. I
believe products still made in Japan are better quality,
than products made in Asian countries outside of Japan, I
will probably go for a different cheaper brand, as they are
probably made in the same factory anyway. The fact is the
quality just isn’t there, and whats the point of buying a
Sony product, if it is low quality.

I don't know where all Sony products are made, but here are
where some of them are made.

Sony TV's, made in Malaysia
Sony VCRs, made in Malaysia
Sony LCD Monitors, made in Thailand
Sony Digital cameras, made in Japan (at least the high end
versions are, I suspect the cheaper models are, or will
soon be made in a third world country soon)

Sony have also recently decreased the warranty period on
some of their products from 3years to 2 years, and from 2
years to 1 year, depending on the product. This is perhaps
due to the reliability problems, and where there products
are now manufactured.
Although Sony have moved much of their manufacturing to
third world asian countries to cut manufacturing costs, the
price they charge for their products certainly hasn’t gone
down, to reflect the savings they are making by cheaper
manufacturing. (At least not in NZ)
I should add that the price NZers pay for Sony products is
far more in comparison , than what people in other
countries pay. The NZ Sony importers are obviously onto a
good thing.

Sony aren't the only ones who are now manufacturing their
products in 3rd world asian countries, to cut manufacturing
costs. HP are now also manufacturing much of their hardware
in China, when it used to be made in Japan. Needless to say
the Chinese HP products are flimsy, and feel cheap.
Unfortunately this seems to be the way these all these
(good name) manufacturers are heading, and there isn’t a
heck of a lot we can do about it, apart from not buying
them.

Now Have Your Say

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