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Posted by Sarah Brown on 01 Apr '14

Being bullied by a big brand

The dangers of forcing your service on a 'customer'

This week I feel like I have been mugged by Bing. It all started when another piece of software wouldn't print properly and I was advised I needed to download some other software to sort it. As I clicked on the numerous screens I obviously missed a screen or command that said please occupy my computer, take control and stop me getting to the sites I want to use! Or maybe they didn't word it like that. anyway Bing snook in.

I had never felt the dislike of Microsoft that many feel but this has changed my attitude. Whatever I do Bing pops up with ads and stops me accessing my saved settings. Whatever I type seems to get ignored as though I have lost my mind and control over my computer. And I'm not the only one, as I have looked for a solution I have found long discussions on the internet about how to escape the curse of Bing and even a friend who has finally taken her computer into the menders to get it saved.

I've generally felt positive towards Bill Gates, a man with a clear vision for his company, a desire to save the world and a love of bridge, but all this has been undermined by Bing.I hope it is making a lot of money for Microsoft to justify its impact on their image. Maybe they think they are clever making it difficult to remove - maybe they think we will just give up and grow to like it, but I just feel like I have been mugged.

Forcing something on people even if it is free is bad for your image and Microsoft needs to stop being a bully. I hope I escape and it really proves the point that you need to act appropriately throughout your business. Your actions need to reflect your vision and reinforce your values - Bill Gates wanted a computer on every desk, the actions of Bing made me want to throw my computer through the window and have now cost me the time of my IT firm to sort it.

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