Da-Chief
03-25-2008, 09:40
http://i.dslr.net/urls/26/926.gif (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Charters-Broadband-For-Life-Auction-Tops-40k-92966)
Bids in Charter's auction for Internet service "for life" have topped $40,000, according to the company's website (http://connect.charter.com/forlife/). It's like a train wreck we've been unable to look away from for the past few weeks (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/92625): the poorly ranked cable company, mired in $19 billion in debt, has buried fine print (http://connect.charter.com/forlife/faq.htm) in the auction details stating the winner is owed nothing if the company is purchased after three years, and only a portion of their bid if Charter's bought in the next 1 or 2. Some good news however: Charter now says they'll be donating the proceeds of the auction to Habitat For Humanity (http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=112298&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1121310&highlight=):"The participation and awareness generated by this auction has far surpassed our expectations and we are astounded by the enthusiasm it is attracting. Online communication has become an integral part of our daily lives, and all of our services - video, high-speed Internet and telephone - contribute to our brand promise that 'Charter Brings Your Home to Life.' This campaign offers just that, for life," said Bob Quigley, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Charter. "As a company committed to the communities we serve, when the auction is over, we will donate the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity, another organization dedicated to bringing homes to life."
Bidders aren't being philanthropic though, as they didn't know the proceeds would be donated (meaning some really think the service is worth $40k). This was the only archived press release (http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=112298&p=irol-news) in which Charter even mentioned the auction, and the charity was never mentioned on either the website or the auction FAQ (http://connect.charter.com/forlife/faq.htm).
In other words, we're not sure if it was their intent to donate these proceeds all along -- or if marketing decided to donate the proceeds to charity after people started noticing the absolutely absurd bid totals (we'd like to assume the former). Either way, Habitat for Humanity will win big, even if the winning bidder does not (http://www.corpsman.com/comments/1581?filter=neg).
read comment(s) (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Charters-Broadband-For-Life-Auction-Tops-40k-92966)
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Bids in Charter's auction for Internet service "for life" have topped $40,000, according to the company's website (http://connect.charter.com/forlife/). It's like a train wreck we've been unable to look away from for the past few weeks (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/92625): the poorly ranked cable company, mired in $19 billion in debt, has buried fine print (http://connect.charter.com/forlife/faq.htm) in the auction details stating the winner is owed nothing if the company is purchased after three years, and only a portion of their bid if Charter's bought in the next 1 or 2. Some good news however: Charter now says they'll be donating the proceeds of the auction to Habitat For Humanity (http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=112298&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1121310&highlight=):"The participation and awareness generated by this auction has far surpassed our expectations and we are astounded by the enthusiasm it is attracting. Online communication has become an integral part of our daily lives, and all of our services - video, high-speed Internet and telephone - contribute to our brand promise that 'Charter Brings Your Home to Life.' This campaign offers just that, for life," said Bob Quigley, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Charter. "As a company committed to the communities we serve, when the auction is over, we will donate the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity, another organization dedicated to bringing homes to life."
Bidders aren't being philanthropic though, as they didn't know the proceeds would be donated (meaning some really think the service is worth $40k). This was the only archived press release (http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=112298&p=irol-news) in which Charter even mentioned the auction, and the charity was never mentioned on either the website or the auction FAQ (http://connect.charter.com/forlife/faq.htm).
In other words, we're not sure if it was their intent to donate these proceeds all along -- or if marketing decided to donate the proceeds to charity after people started noticing the absolutely absurd bid totals (we'd like to assume the former). Either way, Habitat for Humanity will win big, even if the winning bidder does not (http://www.corpsman.com/comments/1581?filter=neg).
read comment(s) (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Charters-Broadband-For-Life-Auction-Tops-40k-92966)
More...