Sony Rescinds $50 Crapware Removal Fee
Category: Manufacturers, Prebuilts, General NewsPosted: March 24, 2008 06:51AM
Author: razor
Sony's "Fresh Start" initiative offered customers the chance to pay $50 extra to have their new machine "scrubbed clean" prior to shipping. Theoretically, this scrubbing would remove all of the usual bloatware, plus Sony exclusives like DRM-encrypted movies that require an additional $10 to unlock and play. While Sony is officially blaming the $50 charge on "internal miscommunication", I have to wonder whether Sony's decision was prompted by a consumer backlash as powerful as Coca-Cola felt when it introduced "New Coke". The upside here - other than Sony's wise policy reversal - is that we are again given proof that if sufficient numbers of consumers scream loudly enough, even the biggest corporate giant can be made to listen.
