Fwd: [NZLUG] Windows rebate?

Apologies for cross-posting, but this will be of interest to this group as well.

Cheers, Peter

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Atom Smasher <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, Aug 23, 2019 at 10:49 AM
Subject: Re: [NZLUG] Windows rebate?
To: NZ Linux Users Group <[email protected]>


I was hoping this battle had already been fought, but apparently not.

After some phone calls, it seems the best course of action now is to
contact The Commerce Commission of New Zealand and file a complaint
pursuant to the Fair Trading Act. They don't handle these complaints
individually, but they will consider them in aggregate. So the more people
complain, the more likely that it will be taken seriously.

  * 0800 943 600
  * [email protected]
  * https://comcom.govt.nz/make-a-complaint

Relevant points seem to be that Microsoft has effectively created a
monopoly whereby purchasers of new computers are forced to purchase a copy
of, and non-transferable license for, their Windows operating system
(approx retail price of OEM Windows 10 is $160). Building ones own
computer from parts, or purchasing a computer from specialty retailers may
be an option in some cases, but this severely limits consumer choices and
they're not viable options for a lot of people.

While it may not be practical to "force" retailers to stock Windows-free
PC hardware, there should be a standard process for obtaining a fair
refund for unused and unwanted Windows operating system licenses.



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-- 
Peter Reutemann
Dept. of Computer Science
University of Waikato, NZ
+64 (7) 858-5174
http://www.cms.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/
http://www.data-mining.co.nz/
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