Not All Corporations Are Evil

[RogueZuki]

How about you guys go on to define evil. You guys are tossing all this around, might as well decide on what you're talking about.

 

[Griffin]

How about you guys go on to define evil. You guys are tossing all this around, might as well decide on what you're talking about.

Ok. How about intentionally or knowingly harming others for one's own gain?

 

[salty_monk]

Am I just a cynical SOB or does anyone else think that *maybe* Mom & Pop Motorcycle Shop didn't tell Suzuki exactly what happened?

Exactly what I was thinking... nice story though

 

[Commodus]

*Disclaimer*
I am not of the opinion that all corporations are evil or anything to that extent. This is simply a story of how Suzuki treated me well when I first started riding. 'Nuff said, end of story.


I was 19 and just obtained my endorsement. After shopping around all the local shops and getting treated like crap, I decided to take my business out to a Ma and Pa shop about 30 miles away from me. The family there treated me like one of their own and explained (overly) about which bike may or may not be best for me. I think I spent a week there, almost every day looking at the different models, sitting on them, thinking about how it would ride. It took me awhile but I ended up getting a 2000 GS500. Brand spanking new, built in Japan and shipped over.

Now, mind you, I was still a beginner and really had no clue about motorcycles and all the ins and outs. Sure, I knew how to ride thanks to the MSF course, but I didn't know crap about warming up a bike and all that. Well, it was getting a bit colder and I had to wake up before the sun came up for my job. I had decided to go out and start warming the bike up while I continued getting ready inside. I fired the bike up, left the choke open and went inside. I'm tooling around inside and all of a sudden I hear my bike shut off. I think, "Ok" and go back out and get it running again. I couldn't have been inside for two minutes before she stops running again. I go outside and I start freaking out! The headers were a very bright red and all I could smell was burnt plastic and oil. I thought I was totally screwed and I hadn't even put 2k miles on the bike.

I call up the dealership after I had gotten off work and informed them of the situation. They said they could see what they could do for me if I could get the bike to them and after paying them a nominal fee ($50?), they came all the way out to where I was living and picked the bike up for me. I was on the phone constantly with them about what was going on with the bike and who would have to pay for it. I find out that I had pretty much fried the bike, blew o-rings, gaskets, you name it. I'm not even sure how much it would have cost to fix it, probably over $2,000. It didn't really matter though because the dealership really went out of their way for me, explained to Suzuki that I was a brand new rider and all that and Suzuki footed the bill. Granted, the bike was under warranty but it was clearly operator error that caused the damage. I couldn't beleive that a company as large as Suzuki would give a crap about some kid and his bike.

Great story! When I was selling them, the Suzuki rep would warranty the CRAZIEST stuff, haha. This one guy sheared off a mounting tab on the swingarm of his DRZ crashing it and they covered it! Another time this kid was bummed because the decals on his RM didn't last, and they covered that too! Keep in mind an RM is a competition-only motorcycle, with no warranty at all!

They were fantastic to deal with.

 

[jknappsax]

"It's not personal; it's just business." It means "I'm harming you, but it's ok, because I have a profit motive." Evil? Enron hijacking the economy of the State of California to drive up gas prices and causing thousands of their employees to lose the pensions that they have been building for decades. Financial institutions being bailed out because their exploitive practices blew up our economy? Evil. Or maybe just sociopathic; in fact harming your employees, customers, and society with no remorse is classic sociopathic behavior. If you think that HUGE CEO salaries and bonuses in the middle of this terrible economic crisis that these financial institutions causes are OK, then I guess our definitions of right and wrong, good and evil, are completely different. I would be ashamed to look at myself in the mirror, but some people are "ethically-challenged."

 

[Griffin]

"It's not personal; it's just business." It means "I'm harming you, but it's ok, because I have a profit motive." Evil? Enron hijacking the economy of the State of California to drive up gas prices and causing thousands of their employees to lose the pensions that they have been building for decades. Financial institutions being bailed out because their exploitive practices blew up our economy? Evil. Or maybe just sociopathic; in fact harming your employees, customers, and society with no remorse is classic sociopathic behavior. If you think that HUGE CEO salaries and bonuses in the middle of this terrible economic crisis that these financial institutions causes are OK, then I guess our definitions of right and wrong, good and evil, are completely different. I would be ashamed to look at myself in the mirror, but some people are "ethically-challenged."

So.......Enron and financial institutions make up all corporations?

How did "Enron" hijack the economy of California? I think you mean certain people at Enron did some unethical things. You call Enron "evil", but then complain that employees of the evil company lost their ill-gotten pensions when the "evil" copmpany went bust.

This blind, irrational hatred of anything corporate is puzzling when one considers that 40% of American workers depend upon corporate America for their livelihood.

I guess 40% of Americans are "evil"?

What about shareholders of these companies? Do you have money in mutual funds, or a corporate based 401K? If you do, you're part of the problem.

 

[RogueZuki]

So.......Enron and financial institutions make up all corporations?

How did "Enron" hijack the economy of California? I think you mean certain people at Enron did some unethical things. You call Enron "evil", but then complain that employees of the evil company lost their ill-gotten pensions when the "evil" copmpany went bust.

This blind, irrational hatred of anything corporate is puzzling when one considers that 40% of American workers depend upon corporate America for their livelihood.

I guess 40% of Americans are "evil"?

What about shareholders of these companies? Do you have money in mutual funds, or a corporate based 401K? If you do, you're part of the problem.

Actually 100%, depending on who you talk to.