Woot has posted an opening letter to customers regarding recent price cuts for Microsoft’s Zune. Selected excerpts:
To all Woot customers:
I have received more than three emails from Zune buyers who are upset about Woot dropping the price of the Zune by $20 one month after it went on sale the first time. After reading every one of these emails, or at least scanning their subject lines, I have some observations and conclusions.
First, I need to make a better effort to hide my email address.
Second, I am sure that we are making the correct decision to lower the price of the 30GB Zune from $149.99 to $129.99. This confidence is based on more than the holy doctrine of corporate infallibility… It benefits both Woot and every Zune user (but especially Woot) to drag as many new victims as possible into the Zune “dungeon”. We strongly believe that misery loves company this holiday season.
Third, being in technology for 1+ years, give or take a year, I can attest to the fact that the technology road is bumpy. There is always some idiot changing lanes without signaling, and the potholes never seem to get fixed. If you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you’ll never buy any technology product. I mean, why should you? Truth is, you don’t really need any of this junk. We’re afraid you’ll catch on to that fact and overpaid frauds like me will have to go back into fields like telemarketing and burrito construction. Fortunately, most of you continue to languish in a consumerist stupor, wallets spread wide for us to plunder as we please.
Third-and-a-half, even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of the Zune, and even though the technology road is, like, this total Deathrace 2000-type scene, we need to do a better job taking care of our early Zune customers, at least until we find a private security firm we can afford. For some reason, our early customers trusted us.
Therefore, we have decided to offer every Woot customer who purchased a Zune from us on August 22, 2007 (or in the last Woot-Off) a $10 Woot credit towards any Woot order of $40 or more, before shipping.
We want to convincingly pretend to do the right thing for our valued Zune customers. We’d apologize for disappointing some of you, but we long ago lost the capacity for sincere remorse. We will continue to do our best to trick you into having high expectations of Woot.
Larry Stalin
Woot CYA Officer
Source: http://www.woot.com/
[UPDATE: 5:58pm EDT: Removed “Take” after further reflection based on feedback from readers.]
Three e-mails. Hmmm. Didn’t TheStreet predict at least five Zunes sold?
Someone has to eat the shorts. MSFT’s gonna take a hit on this one.
(Funny stuff from Woot. Good sense of humor.)
MW: brown. Stop that.
“I have received more than three emails from Zune buyers “
That is surprising? So, 4 people emailed them?
Hey MDN,
In the spirit of the article, don’t you think it would be just ducky to add a link for Death Race 2000 from the ITMS?
Kudos to Woot. At last someone with his head on straight.
Woot had to drop the price to $130 just to sell those $300 suckers. They couldn’t even sell them off in a Woot-off. Finally they are gone. Sadly, this will probably double the number of Zune owners and MS will strut around the yard like a cock!
Zune is definitely THE ipod killer!
i liked this line in the Zune description:
“Compatible with Windows only – big surprise”
I think I have something to say about this. I would happily pay double for a Zune—it’s that good. I stood in line the first day the Zune went on sale and I don’t mind that I paid what I did even though Microsoft has rolled the price back. There’s a lot of groundbreaking technology in one of these brown guys. The way I see it Microsoft will use the money well in R & D to further push Zune ahead of Apple’s dumpy iPod.
Some of the R & D innovations include the marvelous Zune Pass to use the super-great Zune Marketplace. You don’t even have to spend money. You use points! How cool is that? Welcome to the Social indeed.
Your potential. Our passion.™
For $130 bucks it wouldn’t be back to get one then use it as an external HD or something… I’ve actually had my hands on one… the UI wasn’t the worst I’ve seen — it’s not the iPod by a long shot.
and that whole squirting thing… **shudder**
Are they really just $129? Wow, MS is trying to give those POS away.
The true test would be to drop those bad boys down to $0.00 and see if you can GIVE any away. You might be surprised (STILL no takers…I mean suckers).
Your potential. Our passion. Eh, Zune Tang? Tell me you’re one of the twenty owners of that plastic turd.
Peace.
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Olmecmystic
I guess all this comments about no one buying the zune are interesting in light of the fact that currently for zunes are selling on Amazon.com than the iPod touch. Actually, one of the zunes is the number 3 selling mp3 player. Odd since no one likes them at all.
Zune stuff, and how many people do you know who own zunes? I know NO-ONE who has one. Not a soul. The people who do own one apparently aren’t bragging and aren’t talking. BTW, your statement doesn’t make sense. I think you left out a verb.
Definition of a Zune:
A Toshiba Gigabeat in brown drag dying a slow, embarassing death.
Sadly, I know exactly one Zune owner…
…and he works in our IT department.
Guess no one here noticed that this is a big mock of Steve Jobs iphone letter.
MAXX: You guessed incorrectly.
Sorry No Squirt,
The topic went right into Zune bashing that I thought the humor of the letter was lost. but now I do see that you mentioned it’s humor.
The Zune debacle continues to its inevitable conclusion. It is so embarrassing to watch Micro$oft practically giving Zunes away now. I was surprised that it took this long. Micro$oft’s Zune accessories have been sitting in the clearance rack at my local Staples store for at least a couple of months. I suppose that the morons who buy the Zunes at blowout prices are getting what they deserve!
“I guess all this comments about no one buying the zune are interesting in light of the fact that currently for [sic] zunes are selling on Amazon.com than the iPod touch.”
Uh, Dude? You better look again.
For MP3 Players:
1. iPod 16GB Touch
2. iPod 8GB Touch
3. iPod 4GB nano (Silver)
4. iPod 80GB Classic (Silver)
9. iPod 160GB Classic (Black)
.
.
.
18. Zune 30GB Digital Media Player (White)
26. Zune 30GB Digital Media Player (Black)
54. Zune 30GB Digital Media Player (Brown)
57. Zune 30GB Digital Media Player (Red)
66. Zune 30GB Digital Media Player (Pink)
“Actually, one of the zunes is the number 3 selling mp3 player.”
Here’s where things do get weird, what with Amazon’s lists.
So I’m looking for this mythical place on Amazon where Zunes are selling better than iPods. I figure it must be under “hard drive based MP3 players.”
So I look there and, sure enough, there’s the Zune in all it’s glory:
1. Zune 30GB Digital Media Player (White)
2. iPod 30GB 5.5G (Black)
3. Zune 30GB Digital Media Player (Black)
4. iPod 80GB 5.5G (Black)
5. iPod 30GB 5.5G (White)
8. iPod 30GB U2 Edition
9. Zune 30GB Digital Media Player (Brown)
So the Zune is the #1 selling hard drive player! But above, the iPod Classic is beating it. So I’m trying to figure out where the iPod Classic is hiding in their descriptions.
For a $130, I would get it only for external drive use. I’m still going to be a loyal iPod user and intend to stay that way.
But for $130 and use it as an external drive, I think it’s a deal.
Chris
No it isn’t.
It’s still a plastic doggie dropping. And you’re paying for the destruction of legitimate tech companies with every dollar you give micros**t.
Like the xbox, the turd has lost them money from its inception.
and, you can get a waaaaay bigger and better external harddrive for less than $130….
My faith in human nature as been restored… hopefully for more than just a brief moment.
I was intending to write more, but have decided otherwise. Again, thanks.
Peter, that list showing the Zune outselling an iPod…is based on an iPod APPLE DOESN’T SELL ANYMORE.