Samsung gets fined $300 million for felony

[blastus]

Samsung guilty of price fixing (http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/10/13/samsung.price.fixing.ap/index.html)

I guess you could say that Samsung pulled a "Microsoft." Seven Samsung employees may also face criminal antitrust charges. Remind me never to buy Samsung products again.

[BWF89]

My monitor is a Samsung SyncMaster 955DF.

[mstlyevil]

Samsung owns the patent to ddr ram and was working to force other makers to fix the price. I just won't buy ram from them,but I like their monitors a lot. I have a 955df myself.

[Kimm]

Damn... and my DVD-writer is a Samsung Writemaster

Luckily I got it as a gift and didnt pay for it...

[zenwhen]

I would still buy Samsung memory if it had the best price/performance ratio available to me. I tend not to let emotions get wrapped up in my buying process.

Price fixing does hurt the consumer though. I can see what caused them to do it as well. Memory prices have been insanely low for a year or so.

[blastus]

I would still buy Samsung memory if it had the best price/performance ratio available to me. I tend not to let emotions get wrapped up in my buying process.

Price fixing does hurt the consumer though. I can see what caused them to do it as well. Memory prices have been insanely low for a year or so.

Unfortunately, it is this kind of attitude of indifference that literally gives corporations the consumer-stamp-of-approval to do anything they want. When informed consumers buy Samsung products, they not only accept Samsung's business practices--they also condone it. They send a message to the corporation that their business practices are perfectly acceptable and even admirable in public opinion.

I believe consumers should stand up for what they believe in and not purchase products from corporations that have proven to engage in unethical and illegal business practice.

[xequence]

My 5 year old CD burner is samsung =O

Samsung's top competitor, Seoul-based Hynix, agreed earlier this year to plead guilty to price fixing and pay a $185 million fine. Last September, rival Infineon Technologies AG of Germany agreed to a $160 million fine. Another competitor, Micron Technology Inc. of Boise, Idaho, has been cooperating with prosecutors and was not expected to face charges.

MicronPC made my computer that has the 5 year old samsung CD burner.

[BWF89]

Unfortunately, it is this kind of attitude of indifference that literally gives corporations the consumer-stamp-of-approval to do anything they want. When informed consumers buy Samsung products, they not only accept Samsung's business practices--they also condone it. They send a message to the corporation that their business practices are perfectly acceptable and even admirable in public opinion.

I believe consumers should stand up for what they believe in and not purchase products from corporations that have proven to engage in unethical and illegal business practice. That's all well and fine but if I were to boycott every company that practices unethical business practices I couldn't buy:

-Xbox and Xbox360
-Every PC game that Microsoft makes
-Microsoft keyboards & mice
-All Apple products since Microsoft owns a good amount of Apple stock
-Sony products
-Playstation 3
-Playstation Portable
-Every Samsung product
-Intel
-Any CD from a band that's a member of the RIAA or uses DRM
-DVD's
-And more

It's easier said than done.

[blastus]

That's all well and fine...

Meaning that you agree with what I've said...

but if I were to boycott every company that practices unethical business practices I couldn't buy:

...but it is impractical, therefore how a company conducts business is irrelevant, therefore consumers should not even make an effort to do business with someone else? What would it take for you to not do business with someone? Would they have to break every national and international law? Would they have support child slave labour in third world countries? Would they have to support animal abuse?

Make no mistake about it; corporations bank on the fact that the public is generally uninformed and lethargic. They know the public could care less how they do business. But if every consumer actively made the choice to avoid as much as possible businesses that have proven to engage in unethical and illegal activities, then the markets would provide an incentive for businesses to operate with integrity and within the law.