#246 Don't Ask Fired Workers To Return Part of the Severance

Oops: Microsoft Asks Some Laid Off Workers To Send Back Part Of Their Severance because they claim a clerical error overpaid them.

To which I'd say, if I were one of the fired, go suck a big fat egg, Microsoft. You screwed up and you get nothing back.

The gall of Microsoft to do this is astonishing and really stupid of them. They will get nothing but terribly PR out of it and it will end up costing them far more than the clerical error. They could have capitalized on it and played it off better. By saying, "Hey we screwed up but our screw up is your gain. Please keep the extra money in your severance package as an unintended gift."

That would have bought them loads of goodwill rather than the shitstorm of amazed anger. Nice work, Microsoft.

Rule #246 is Don't Ask Fired Workers To Return Part of the Severance

#236 Don't Be Surprised When Your MS Branded Product Fails

Microsoft's Zune players freeze on New Year's Eve and won't work again until you perform some arcane rights, there might even be a chicken sacrifice involved.

The Zune, because of Microsoft's tendency to release half-baked code, shut down the other day. It turned into a brown colored brick of uselessness. All of the 30 gig versions, all at once. Which would be impressive if it weren't so annoying.

If you buy Microsoft stuff then you've got to come to expect this kind of poor quality control.

Rule #236 is Don't Be Surprised When Your MS Branded Product Fails