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Internet Explorer Gets an Online Tax


LeeMcD-

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Online retailer Kogan has imposed the world’s first tax on customers who use an outdated browser like Internet Explorer 7 for their purchases on its site.

Shoppers who stick with IE7 to purchase products on the recently updated Kogan website will be slugged an additional 6.8 per cent.

"It’s a constant source of frustration for our web guys and we’re sick of burning cash on a browser that hit the market nearly six years ago. It goes against everything Kogan stands for.

It’s not only costing us a huge amount, it’s affecting any business with an online presence, and costing the internet economy millions of dollars."

Full story here: [LINK]

Honestly I think this is brilliant. It's about time that people were forced to use up to date browsers, IE7 is just an annoyance by now.

Edited by Lee
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MS sues Kogan in discrimination lawsuit...

MS wouldn't waste their money on a lawsuit for several outdated versions of a browser they give away for free.

However, I wouldn't put it past a user of IE7 (whom for some reason doesn't want to upgrade) to do this.

Personally, I think the tax is a genius idea.

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Pretty awesome. Never heard of Kogan before, but maybe I'll check it out.

Kind of makes you wonder why the entire internet doesn't just stop supporting IE7 and force people to upgrade. Can't get on one site, they stop using that site. Can't get on ANY site, they stop using that browser. At least upgrade to IE9, people. It still sucks, but at least it's new and sucks instead of old and sucks.

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I'm skeptical if this would even stand up to a legal challenge, but it's certainly laugh-out-loud funny.

Because this is the United States, I'm just waiting for the ACLU or some other bleeding heart group to file a lawsuit. When you can't swing a dead cat in this country without hitting three lawyers, and we're the land of the Sue Happy, it's just a matter of time.

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Well...although this may be all the talk in the GeekWorlds...it's a big FAIL, to put into the younger vernacular...

The people that are still using a 2 gen out of date browser are doing so for 1 of 2 reasons: They are technologically challenged and are afraid of updating...or they are those "set in their way" types and refuse to update...kinda like those peeps that are still using Windows '98 as a primary operating system.

Either way, Kogan loses because those two groups, when seeing the tax, will get pissed off, cancel their order and move on and get it somewhere else rather than pay extra. If this is as big a problem as Kogan has made it appear, there will be a downslide in the company income. If this is because of a tiny minority and nothing more than a media attention grab, it won't. I'd be willing to wager it's more of the latter and less of the former, so there won't be any real financial evidence. But, in pissing off 1/2 of 1% of their customer base, they got a whole week of free advertising throughout the whole range of media introducing their company to many more new potential customers than the ones that they will lose.

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Well...although this may be all the talk in the GeekWorlds...it's a big FAIL, to put into the younger vernacular...

The people that are still using a 2 gen out of date browser are doing so for 1 of 2 reasons: They are technologically challenged and are afraid of updating...or they are those "set in their way" types and refuse to update...kinda like those peeps that are still using Windows '98 as a primary operating system.

Either way, Kogan loses because those two groups, when seeing the tax, will get pissed off, cancel their order and move on and get it somewhere else rather than pay extra. If this is as big a problem as Kogan has made it appear, there will be a downslide in the company income. If this is because of a tiny minority and nothing more than a media attention grab, it won't. I'd be willing to wager it's more of the latter and less of the former, so there won't be any real financial evidence. But, in pissing off 1/2 of 1% of their customer base, they got a whole week of free advertising throughout the whole range of media introducing their company to many more new potential customers than the ones that they will lose.

Or, like the Warning says "Admin" is in a coma...

Some people in some places Can't do anything about it because the don't have the Authority.

But that's a moot point, as this is entirely Legal.

Also they spend WAY more money updating their site to accommodate Useless browsers. They will Not lose more money buy enforcing tax.

Also this is all in Australia.

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