Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

This probably doesn’t come as a big surprise to ANYONE, but Alienware has pretty much admitted that they only give hardware to reviewers that they know will give them a good review. Hexus.net dared to criticize the over-priced and over-hyped Alienware Area-51 7500 system.

What followed is a prime example of everything that’s wrong with American manufacturing philosophy.

Alienware’s answer was to declare, “I’m afraid, after the last review, our ability to send you any hardware for review is pretty much gone. When I have one of the executives in the US threatening my job on the telephone, my hands become somewhat tied in the future.” (Matt Bettison, Alienware’s marketing manager.)

Boo freaking hoo. Get used to it, because your damned hardware IS over-priced and any 14 year-old can buld the same systems for half the price in his freaking bedroom.

Naturally, Paul Dutton, a Hexus.net director responded to Alienware in no uncertain terms:

you effectively stated Рand the record shows in no uncertain terms Рthat because HEXUS had published the honest, unfavourable truth about one ‘Alienware’ product, that ‘Alienware’ would not be sending HEXUS any products for future technical editorial evaluations…

… the only inference which can be made from this is that ‘Alienware’ will only submit products to publications which will write nice things about ‘Alienware’.

What was response from Alienware’s marketing manager?

That was and remains Alienware’s global marketing strategy from the beginning. We’re hardly alone.

I encourage everyone to read the original article at Hexus.net, as it also contains the complete email chain between Hexus.net and Alienware’s marketing weasels.

Bribing reviewers happens. It happens more than any of us dare to imagine. A free $3000 machine from Alienware is certainly not small potatoes for those of us who do this in addition to our full-time jobs and lives. And the fact that Alienware does this is not that shocking.

What I find truly hilarious is that the first reaction from Alienware to a bad review was to threaten the marketing guys with pink slips, instead of, you know, examing your products and seeing what the hell you can do to improve the QUALITY of your goods.

This is pretty much a prime example of the worst possible manufacturing philosophy. “Our customers and/or reviewers complain, therefore it’s a problem with our employees and not the product or manufacturing process itself.” Here’s some free advice, Alienware. If people complain about your product, you might want to consider actually improving it. Just a thought.