[Newspoetry] [wedwards@ntx1.cso.uiuc.edu: Correspondence With Nike]

[Joe Futrelle]

----- Forwarded message from Wendy Edwards <wedwards at ntx1.cso.uiuc.edu> -----
Subject: Correspondence With Nike
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2001 11:42:53 -0600

Nike now lets you personalize your shoes by submitting a word or phrase 
which they will stitch onto your shoes, under the swoosh. So Jonah
Peretti filled out the form and sent them $50 to stitch "sweatshop" onto his
shoes. 

Here's the responses he got... fun and games with Nike... 


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize at nike.com
<mailto:nikeid_personalize at nike.com>> 
To:"'Jonah H. Peretti'" <peretti at media.mit.edu
<mailto:peretti at media.mit.edu>> > 
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000 

Your NIKE iD order was cancelled for one or more of the following 
reasons: 

1) Your Personal iD contains another party's trademark or other 
intellectual property 2) Your Personal iD contains the name of an
athlete or team we do not have the legal right to use 3) Your Personal iD
was 
left blank. Did you not want any personalization? 4) Your Personal iD
contains profanity or inappropriate slang, and besides, your mother would
slap
us. 

If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new personalization 
please visit us again at www.nike.com <http://www.nike.com> 

Thank you, NIKE iD 

From: "Jonah H. Peretti" <peretti at media.mit.edu
<mailto:peretti at media.mit.edu>> 
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD"<nikeid_personalize at nike.com
<mailto:nikeid_personalize at nike.com>> 
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000 

Greetings, 

My order was canceled but my personal NIKE iD does not violate any of 
the criteria outlined in your message. The Personal iD on my custom 
ZOOM XC USA running shoes was the word "sweatshop." Sweatshop is not: 
1) another's party's trademark, 2) the name of an athlete, 3) blank, or 
4) profanity. I choose the iD because I wanted to remember the toil and 
labor of the children that made my shoes. Could you please ship them 
to me immediately. 

Thanks and Happy New Year, Jonah Peretti 


From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize at nike.com
<mailto:nikeid_personalize at nike.com>> 
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" <peretti at media.mit.edu
<mailto:peretti at media.mit.edu>> 
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000 

Dear NIKE iD Customer, 

Your NIKE iD order was cancelled because the iD you have chosen
contains, as stated in the previous e-mail correspondence, "inappropriate
slang". 
If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a new personalization 
please visit us again at nike.com 

Thank you, NIKE iD 


From: "Jonah H. Peretti" <peretti at media.mit.edu
<mailto:peretti at media.mit.edu>> 
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" nikeid_personalize at nike.com
<mailto:nikeid_personalize at nike.com>> 
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000 

Dear NIKE iD, 

Thank you for your quick response to my inquiry about my custom ZOOM XC
USA running shoes. Although I commend you for your prompt customer service, 
I disagree with the claim that my personal iD was inappropriate slang. 
After consulting Webster's Dictionary, I discovered that "sweatshop" is
in fact part of standard English, and not slang. The word means: "a shop
or factory in which workers are employed for long hours at low wages and
under unhealthy conditions" and its origin dates from 1892. So my personal
iD does meet the criteria detailed in your first email. 

Your web site advertises that the NIKE iD program is "about freedom to 
choose and freedom to express who you are." I share Nike's love of 
freedom and personal expression. The site also says that "If you want 
it done right...build it yourself." I was thrilled to be able to 
build my own shoes, and my personal iD was offered as a small token of 
appreciation for the sweatshop workers poised to help me realize my 
vision. I hope that you will value my freedom of expression and 
reconsider your decision to reject my order. 

Thank you, Jonah Peretti 


From: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize at nike.com
<mailto:nikeid_personalize at nike.com>> 
To: "'Jonah H. Peretti'" <peretti at media.mit.edu
<mailto:peretti at media.mit.edu>> 
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000 

Dear NIKE iD Customer, 

Regarding the rules for personalization it also states on the NIKE iD
web site that "Nike reserves the right to cancel any personal iDup to 24
hours after it has been submitted". In addition, it further explains: "While

we honor most personal iDs, we cannot honor every one. Some may be (or 
contain) other's trademarks, or the names of certain professional sports
teams, athletes or celebrities that Nike does not have the right to use. 
Others may contain material that we consider inappropriate or simply do not
want to place on our products. Unfortunately, at times this obliges us to
decline personal iDs that may otherwise seem unobjectionable. In any event,
we
will let you know if we decline your personal iD, and we will offer you the
chance to submit another." With these rules in mind, we cannot accept your 
order as submitted. If you wish to reorder your NIKE iD product with a
new personalization please visit us again at www.nike.com
<http://www.nike.com> 

Thank you, NIKE iD 


From: "Jonah H. Peretti" <peretti at media.mit.edu
<mailto:peretti at media.mit.edu>> 
To: "Personalize, NIKE iD" <nikeid_personalize at nike.com
<mailto:nikeid_personalize at nike.com>> 
Subject: RE: Your NIKE iD order o16468000 

Dear NIKE iD, 

Thank you for the time and energy you have spent on my request. I have 
decided to order the shoes with a different iD, but I would like to make 
one small request. Could you please send me a color snapshot of the 
ten-year-old Vietnamese girl who makes my shoes? 

Thanks, Jonah Peretti 

<no response> 



----- End forwarded message -----
--
Joe Futrelle
editor-against-chief
Newspoetry dot calm