05-21-2002, 06:26 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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What are these marketing people thinking?
http://www.lifebookclub.com/lifebookpublic/index.html
I'm a Fujitsu Lifebook owner, and after reading that members of their Lifebook Club might get first crack at a Loox, I opted to sign up. I can't believe how intrusive and downright strange this online form is. They ask for "Race" and offer the choices of "Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Malay, Others." Hmm - I've never been an "Others" before. Then they want to know my passport number! Isn't that somewhat private information? I managed to bluff my way past the first form, only to struggle through the next form - they didn't have my dealer listed, and the date box was in European form with no indication of how it should be entered. It took me a few tries to get it right. And worst of all, there's no contact email to tell them their form sucks. Someone needs to take a refresher course in web usability!
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05-21-2002, 06:34 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 718
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No way should anyone ask for someone's passport number or social security number unless you are applying for credit or something. That is weak.
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05-21-2002, 06:38 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 307
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Also no way they should be asking for "Race".
But did anyone notice the interesting fact that the first entry in their "Country of Residence" list is Athens? I was unaware that Athens had reverted to city-state status. Just goes to show.
This form just fails in so many ways.
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05-21-2002, 06:55 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,468
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Jason,
I agree with most of your points BUT
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and the date box was in European form with no indication of how it should be entered.
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welcome to the experience so many of us have completing online forms that make few allowances for non-US / Canadian citizens. I've had forms rejected because the date has to be entered in American format (that includes the UK versions of some well known US originating companies), drop down boxes expecting me to state my yearly income in dollar brackets, forms where a telephone number is obligatory - but the entry box only allows US format (!) and - worst of all - more than once I've had a form rejected (and, yes, Microsoft were responsible for one of these) when even though I could select UK as my country I was still expected to fill in my state or province, from a drop down box, in which there was not a 'non-US' option!
It's rather refreshing, in some ways, to see a company to give North America a taste of this kind of frustration! Not that it makes their questions right though...
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05-21-2002, 07:54 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Duncan
welcome to the experience so many of us have completing online forms that make few allowances for non-US / Canadian citizens.
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I know what you mean - sometimes I'll be filling out a form where it lets me select Canada as my country, but won't let me enter my postal code because it's hard-coded to accept a ZIP code. Grr. :evil: In your example, as in mine, the required data method should always be listed with an example.
People EVERYWHERE need to grasp the concept that the Internet is a world-wide medium, and design forms accordingly.
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05-21-2002, 08:05 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 312
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Re: What are these marketing people thinking?
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
Hmm - I've never been an "Others" before.
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Hey, you are Canadian and they recignized it on the DSN where you was coming from... :wink:
No, to be serious - strange... What's the Club URL, maybe it's one for the Asian market only but not for the American/Europen? Was this URL included in your original package or did you fished it anywhere on the net?
At least I made the same experiences all the time if I bought anything in the States (CompUSA) of from my "B. Bux"... It's never global but regional only - in that case America (US & Canada)... 
__________________
Cheers ~ Arne, MS MVP - Mobile Devices
Editor in Chief the::unwired - where mobility meets wireless
http://www.theunwired.net |
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05-21-2002, 08:24 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Re: What are these marketing people thinking?
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Originally Posted by Arne Hess
What's the Club URL, maybe it's one for the Asian market only but not for the American/Europen?
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Could be, but I didn't find a North American version.
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05-21-2002, 08:58 PM
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Theorist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 289
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You should have bought a different laptop.
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05-21-2002, 08:59 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 167
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I'm guessing these guys never took a webdesign course
Hey,
what's the big deal? you enter far too much information than anyone has a right to ask, maybe they need your passport info so they can come to your house personally to set it up for you.
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05-21-2002, 09:23 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 735
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Many Asian countries have forms like that as they do not have the same concepts of rights and individuality that western countries do. I remember reading in my Chinese government class where a Chinese govt official very curiously asked an American official that since American citizens are free to move about the country freely, how does the government keep track of where anyone is at any given time? :roll:
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