CIO - I had a problem with the power steering on my old Toyota, so I took it to a mechanic, and he told me, "We'll try and fix it." "Excuse me, you'll try?" "Right, we'll try, but if we can't, we'll charge you anyway."
That exchange would be ridiculous, of course, and it didn't happen. But scams like that really do happen every day in the world of technology. Buyers of PCs, networking gear, cameras, cell phones and everything else that's digital put up with levels of service and support that would never be acceptable in other parts of the economy.
In many cases, we don't even have the right to sue. If you're one of the few buyers who has actually read the user license agreement that comes with boxed and downloaded software you know that vendors typically disclaim responsibility for the quality of their products. And as the law is generally applied today, that means an aggrieved customer can't sue. Would we allow, say, an auto manufacturer, the same luxury?
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