Gizmodo Kicks Belkin While It's Down

[admin]

A recent Gizmodo article published a tell-all letter from an alleged employee of Belkin. The letter runs down a litany of dirty tricks allegedly perpetrated by the ailing tech company. But it reads like a catty inter-office email from a disgruntled employee. Have the boys at Giz provided consumers valuable inside info or are they just stirring the pot with a dash of controversy?


Discuss "Gizmodo Kicks Belkin While It's Down" here. Read the article.

[HeXetic]

So Giz posting an e-mail purpotedly from a Belkin employee regarding a Belkin scandal is "stirring the pot", but Audioholics posting (on the very same day!) hearsay from doctors who've never examined Steve Jobs regarding his supposed medical condition, that's A-OK?

It's fine to try to talk about the scandal and to get Belkin's side, but don't throw stones when your house is made of glass as well...

[Wayde Robson]

It's fine to try to talk about the scandal and to get Belkin's side, but don't throw stones when your house is made of glass as well...

Who's throwing stones? I'm not saying Giz shouldn't have printed it - they don't need my permission. I am saying I disbelieve, Jason Chen seems to agree the allegations are questionable.

[sholling]

Some of the actions Belkin is accused of are kind of over the top. Sending reviewers a hand picked or tested and tweaked reviewer sample is pretty much SOP. You don't keep your marketing gig at any company if you sent reviewers a DOA router, or a defective AV receiver, or a car with a loose door handle. That's just SOP to check, and is why Consumer Reports buys their test samples off the shelf from retailers just like a normal consumer.

Whether it's a new-car or car-buildup magazine, computer rag, or stereo hobbyist publication everything reviewed is awesome. Editors and reviewers are well aware that precious advertising dollars aren't "wasted" on publications that bash an advertiser's products. In the audio world one only has to listen to the reviewers in a Bose commercial to see great examples of reviewer double speak. Just as bad I used to be able to predict the winner of many computer product shootouts based on how many covers and center spreads the eventual winner had purchased in the last year. Coincidence?

By far the most egregious accusations toward Belkin are those relating to paying for consumer reviews and using hidden hard wires in a show demo without disclosing it. I'm not sure how effective a 65 cent per positive consumer review system is at garnering positive reviews. How would the reviewer claim and collect? I think employees writing consumer reviews are a far more common tool in at least the technology industry. As for shows I'd be shocked if they didn't hardwire many demos. Can you imagine a couple of hundred devices competing for the same limited wireless spectrum at a show? Nothing would work. But it should be clearly disclosed by signs that hard wiring is in place due to the number of devices present.

I guess my bottom line is that there are few innocents other than the poor consumer.

[Wayde Robson]

So, I heard back from Belkin in a rather fluffy PR response but not unexpected. She answers the question about their CES presence. Can't say I blame Belkin for not participating in CES. Even if there wasn't a recession going on, CES has become a kind of noisy monster of recent years.

Here's the complete response:


Hi Wayde,

Thanks for contacting us.

Regarding the Gizmodo post: We don’t know who or where it came from, and we don't want to engage in this kind of dialogue with that one person.

As for CES: Belkin chose not to exhibit on the show floor at CES and instead to redistribute our funds and resources to support our channel partners in driving traffic into their stores. Conducting meetings in a hotel suite were more conducive to this goal than on the busy trade show floor.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks!
Melody

Melody Chalaban
Public Relations Manager

Belkin International, Inc.
Corporate Marketing

310 604-2347 direct
310 864-2425 mobile
310 898-1107 fax
www.belkin.com/pressroom

[BHearon]

Belkin products in my opinion have been reliable and is something that I purchase with confidence. The article sounds like sour grapes.

[Seth=L]

I've not had too many problems with my Wireless G router. Most problems I've had with my internet where ISP based.

[Seth=L]

So Giz posting an e-mail purpotedly from a Belkin employee regarding a Belkin scandal is "stirring the pot", but Audioholics posting (on the very same day!) hearsay from doctors who've never examined Steve Jobs regarding his supposed medical condition, that's A-OK?

It's fine to try to talk about the scandal and to get Belkin's side, but don't throw stones when your house is made of glass as well...

Ok Mr. 3 posts.

I just love the mentality of people that join to point out things they don't agree with.

[yettitheman]

^lol.

Nikleb products... lol.

Why am I here? Oh, right.

HP Procurve baby

[lsiberian]

So Giz posting an e-mail purpotedly from a Belkin employee regarding a Belkin scandal is "stirring the pot", but Audioholics posting (on the very same day!) hearsay from doctors who've never examined Steve Jobs regarding his supposed medical condition, that's A-OK?

It's fine to try to talk about the scandal and to get Belkin's side, but don't throw stones when your house is made of glass as well...

But without glass we couldn't see the outside. Stop living in a box and come see the world. Sorry couldn't resist