MSI Apologizes for Early April Fool's Prank
MSI Apologizes for Early April Fool's Prank
Posted 03/30/2010 at 9:10am
| by Paul Lilly
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MSI forum members last week received a mass email imploring them to RTFM (Read The Flipping Manual, to put it nicely). Those who didn't would be refused support, and MSI would know, thanks to an RTFM-chip.
The poorly worded email (see here) claimed MSI was "fed up" with providing unnecessary support for issues that could have been resolved by spending a few minutes reading the manual. The solution? Install a special chip on some MSI products designed to tell if you've done your homework or not.
"As soon as you start Windows we are informed about your settings and manual readings," the email states. "MSI [has] decided to ban people from support, RMA, and the forum who has done the damage themselves or didn't read the manual the first of next month. We know who you are, and we have gathered enough information via our RTFM-chip."
An obvious ruse, some people apparently took the email seriously, enough so that MSI issued an apology.
"We are sorry people took this prank for serious," says a forum post and email message from the company's support team head. "We thought of this prank after answering the many posts where people ask the obvious that is already in the manual."
Welcome to tech support, fellas.
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Greg4422
March 30, 2010 at 11:09pm
As a recipient of this fake email/joke I wasn’t amused, in the least… at first I tried to reply promptly alerting whomever in what orifice they could shove a sharp object…then I went to the MSI HQ forum to write a post but didn’t feel like trying to recall my user name and password….At that point I thought oh well forget it… I’ll just not buy anymore MSI products because I felt seriously offended. Now you say it was all a big frackin joke… it’s that supposed to make me feel any better about it? Because now I’m pissed off, all over again…so much so that I created this account just to frackin complain about it. Go ahead and call me a bitter old man, but I really don’t like playing games with children.
Vano
March 30, 2010 at 9:35pm
"RTFM (Read The Flipping Email, to put it nicely)"
Did you mean "Read The Flipping Manual"?
GreenTurtle
March 30, 2010 at 7:08pm
Thats Classic !!!! Good on ya MSI, it is nice to see people somewhere still have a sense of humor.
HiGHRoLLeR038
March 30, 2010 at 6:35pm
wow, a company this big should really consider its position on PR before insulting customers.
MRrelabled
March 30, 2010 at 3:30pm
Frankly, the MSI forum is an embarrassment. They might try getting people that actually enjoy helping people and possibly know what they're talking about.
noobstix
March 30, 2010 at 3:30pm
...I'm still happy with getting an MSI 770-C45 mobo for only $30. But with April Fools coming in 2 days, I wonder what else is gonna be attempted.
Rocketpop
March 30, 2010 at 3:09pm
Yeah, if this were actually done on April Fools' Day, it probably would have made more sense. I got the email about it because I used to have an MSI board, and I wasn't sure what they were talking about since it wasn't even close to April Fools' Day. Then a little while later I got another email apologizing for the joke. I guess they thought the joke was so good they just couldn't wait a few more days?
Frameboy
March 30, 2010 at 2:37pm
Maybe it would have been funny... if it was actually done on April Fools Day.
Done on an average day, well... that's just dumb. Common sense says SOME people will believe it if done on an average day.
gendoikari1
March 30, 2010 at 2:14pm
Most people who would get angry at such a thing are the same people who don't even RTFM in the first place. Well played, MSI.
strykyr
March 30, 2010 at 1:11pm
ROFLOL...That's sweet. Might actually buy something else MSI for this one. Got a socket 7 MSI motherboard that just took a dump. Processor is still good I think cuz I don't have anything else that'll take an AthlonXP.
pastorbob
March 30, 2010 at 12:09pm
RTFM means Read The F-----g Manual, not Read the Flipping Email. It's an old engineering and technician's phrase from the military. It is amazing how many people just simply refuse to read the basic operator's instructions on equipment. The bad habit is not limited to consumers.
Trooper_One
March 30, 2010 at 12:03pm
If that was real, as a potential customer (knowing how I would be treated if I'm asking for help and accidentally skipped over a part in a manual) also have a solution:
Don't buy MSI.
... just kidding!
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