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Virgin
wants free computer equipment returned
After just six months, Virgin Entertainment Group is taking
back computer equipment and Internet services it gave for
free to 10,000 customers in exchange for the right to track
their online activities. In an email distributed last Wednesday,
Los Angeles-based Virgin said that its partner in the giveaway,
Internet Appliance Network, has gotten out of the business
of providing Internet appliances and services.
Virgin offered $25 gift certificates to participating customers
for the trouble of returning the sleek Virgin Connect Webplayers.
The company’s web site said. “Internet Appliance
Network will terminate your charter membership and shut down
the service as of midnight 11/15,” said the email sent
to one customer. “We will send you a letter within the
next seven to 10 business days that includes instructions
for returning your Webplayer and a prepaid shipping label.”
Internet Appliance representatives could not immediately be
reached for comment. Webplayers allow people to surf the Net
and send email but can’t be used for tasks such as word
processing and creating spreadsheets. The sleek machine with
a flat-panel screen, wireless keyboard and 56K modem connected
customers to Web sites that were part of Virgin’s program.
The machine can’t be used with any other Internet service
provider, the email stated. The program was set up to collect
consumer information for targeted advertisements. Virgin asked
each applicant to provide a name, address and car model and
to answer several questions — for example, whether the
applicant rents or owns a home and what kind of magazines
that person reads.
The information will be deleted from Virgin’s database
except for name and contact information, which will be kept
for record-keeping purposes, the company said in a statement.
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