Multimeters from Vichy and Vici - same company owner

[pascal_sweden]

Apparently the multimeters from Vichy and Vici are from the same company:
http://www.vicimeter.com/en/newshow.asp?sendid=117

I have been in contact with this company, and provided the following feedback to them:

1) Vichy name is better choice than Vici name in Europe. Seems like they made the wrong choice
Suggested that Vichy corresponds to quality in Europe , and that Vici is hard to pronounce by most people in Europe

2) SMD components and automated soldering. Suggested that they should drop through-hole and manual soldering, to improve the quality of the product.

3) HRC fuses and isolated ring in the enclosure. Suggested to use high-quality HRC fuses and a proper isolated ring enclosure, to provide better protection when the meter would blast.

Will keep you updated on the improved quality procedures at "Vichy"

[Rick Law]

...
1) Vichy name is better choice than Vici name in Europe. Seems like they made the wrong choice
Suggested that Vichy corresponds to quality in Europe , and that Vici is hard to pronounce by most people in Europe
...
Will keep you updated on the improved quality procedures at "Vichy"

Hmm...  Have you heard of Vichy France?

That was France under the Nazi regime.  Lots of deportation of Jews and non-French to the camps including Auschwitz.

Selling Vichy in China is one thing, few of them know much about Vichy France.  In Europe?  Not a good idea.  That is a sore that I think few would want to be remind of.

Rick

[pascal_sweden]

Okey. Did not know about that regime, although I am from Belgium.

But what about Vichy in the cosmetics? They don't seem to suffer from this?

[gildasd]

I'm French and something modern (ie, created after WW2) that uses the name Vichy makes me cringe...
So much so that I would probably not buy it.
Stuff that was allready called Vichy before that (water, sweets etc) does not bother me.

It's about as sensible a name as Mussolini Sand&Mortar, Generalissimo Franco Bug Spray or Dai Nippon Teikoku kitchen knives...

[pascal_sweden]

I missed that. So now I feel a bit stupid about my mail to China

But I don't like Vici either... so they simply have to come up with a new name

[Wytnucls]

Sushi?

[Macbeth]

I have a trusty Vichy VC99. I affectionately nicknamed it Hitler.   

I'm English and know of the Vichy French "collaborator surrender monkeys" (spit!). I'm surprised a Belgian doesn't know. Maybe it's an age thing, but I'm of the 1970's not the 1940's. Maybe it being closer to home they don't like to teach the bad bits of history over there?

[gildasd]

I missed that. So now I feel a bit stupid about my mail to China

But I don't like Vici either... so they simply have to come up with a new name

Doesn't "Vici" mean "Restaurant" in latin?
I don't know my declinations...
Romanes eunt domus

[gildasd]

I have a trusty Vichy VC99. I affectionately nicknamed it Hitler.   

I'm English and know of the Vichy French "collaborator surrender monkeys" (spit!). I'm surprised a Belgian doesn't know. Maybe it's an age thing, but I'm of the 1970's not the 1940's. Maybe it being closer to home they don't like to teach the bad bits of history over there?

If they are Flemish, ask them about the Vlaams Nationaal Verbond...
It was in the news this week.

[pascal_sweden]

Yes I know this flemish party But didn't recall Vichy in this setting.

[gildasd]

Yes I know this flemish party But didn't recall Vichy in this setting.

Same shit, different country.

I often get called out for history stuff like that, spoiling the fun of casual racism.
"Time have changed, not the same people, etc".
But, alas, he who forgets history is bound to repeat it.

[rolycat]

Doesn't "Vici" mean "Restaurant" in latin?

I came; I saw; I had a fabulous Risotto alla Milanese.

I don't know my declinations...
Romanes eunt domus

People called Romanes they go the house ?

Will keep you updated on the improved quality procedures at "Vichy"

I wouldn't hold your breath...

[ebastler]

I don't know my declinations...
Romanes eunt domus

People called Romanes they go the house ?
 

Yep, that's why Brian got in trouble for it ;-)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_ite_domum

[linux-works]

def transform_thread(multimeters, monty_python_skit):
  (...)



too damned funny.  I didn't expect a sort of spanish inquisition in a thread like this.

(oh oh)

[pascal_sweden]

Veni, Vidi, Vici.

The company "come" with their VC-97 multimeter.

Engineers "see" at their specs and realize that it's not that bad at all for only 25 USD.

Electronics circuits get debugged and the engineers "conqueror" with their new electronic design

[Rick Law]

I missed that. So now I feel a bit stupid about my mail to China

But I don't like Vici either... so they simply have to come up with a new name

Hey, don't.  No one knows everything.  You did what you thought was good for them.

If they are so dumb and not do their research, it would be their fault.  There is a possibility that their French outlet was the first to tell them: "You don't want to call it Vichy here.  How about Vici..."  Hence the two name for the company, which is not unusual.

World is full of little quirks.  Names like Vichy would need at least few more generations to "clear".  Some wounds cut particularly deep.  Nazi is probably one of them.  Even today, we still use the word "vandalize" when some Northern European tribe call Vandals ransack Rome over 1500 years ago.

That said, when the word Nazi and the word China came in the same note, I can't help but bring up the name John Rabe (Director of Siemens China then).  He was a Nazi member in Nankjng China.  During the Rape of Nanjing, he did so much to help the people of Nanjing to the extend that he wrote Hitler to ask his help to stop the Japanese massacre.  He used the Nazi flag to shield the Chinese seeking his help.  He headed the Safety Zone organized by a few private citizens: Germans, Americans, Danes, and Englishmen.  The Safety Zone sheltered over 200,000 Chinese from likely death.

Well of course Hitler didn't help.  The Gestapo has their ways of making you have a bad day, so things didn't go so well for John Rabe upon his return to Germany.  He did live long enough to know how much the people from Nanjing appreciated him - 1948, Nanjing's mayor delivered a collection they made to help him and his family deal with his dire situation.  He died a couple of years later.  Not so long ago, his grand son unveiled a statue of him in a Nanjing museum.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6415407

[gildasd]

Doesn't "Vici" mean "Restaurant" in latin?

I came; I saw; I had a fabulous Risotto alla Milanese.

That's one of the problems with Latin (I might be wrong), if you put the 3 together, it means one thing.
Separate them, they might mean something totally different...

In other words, when using a Latin word as your trademark, corner a Latin Professor, pay him a beer and ask.

[pascal_sweden]

I have mailed Vichy to hear if they also have frequency counters and signal generators.
They have a section on their website for those items, but the product section is empty.
Will provide more info when I receive feedback from them.