Product registration

[matkar]

What is your opinion on product registration? For example; you buy some gadget that connects to your PC and the PC application informs you have not registered the product yet. Everything works though, just the nagging info pops on occasionally until you register the product by one click confirmation, without any requirement to fill personal data.
Is this something you'd consider mildly annoying, disturbing, would it be a deal breaker if you'd knew about this before buying?

[wraper]

Usually you don't know about it when buying. My reaction: go away, shut up, fuck off. On the fourth-fifth pop up time: I'll kill you.

[mswhin63]

Sometime I really hate the idea, but to a degree with the amount of software hacking going on there is sometime an understanding needed for product registration. Personal details not needed.

It is only there to send you information. I think once you buy it , it becomes yours to use not and excuse to send you lots of shit about nothing, unless you want shit about nothing.

[nanofrog]

Not fond of it. 

1. They consume system resources I'd rather have free for things I want running. So those that are difficult to disable permanently the first time it pops up, really annoy the crap out of me.
2. Even if it doesn't ask for personal info, I'm always wondering if it's mining data (generating marketing data they then sell). Particularly if you don't have a choice, such as must register to receive updates for example. I like my privacy.
3. I also tend not to want to waste time on their market survey or other crap, as what gets linked isn't really useful IME (multiple choice answers or number rating topics don't apply to the situation well). Customer service surveys in particular as they don't offer any options that product was the cause for dissatisfaction. So anything other than top marks on ambiguous questins gets the CS rep in hot water. 

[matkar]

...go away, shut up, fuck off.

I was kinda expecting such a reaction.

On the fourth-fifth pop up time: I'll kill you.

Maybe not this one

There's more:
What if you got free shipping worldwide in exchange for the registration (one click registration that is necessary only once - no personal data required - internet connection necessary)?
The registration practically serves as a way of informing the sender the shipment has been delivered.

[bwat]

What if you got free shipping worldwide in exchange for the registration (one click registration that is necessary only once - no personal data required - internet connection necessary)?
The registration practically serves as a way of informing the sender the shipment has been delivered.

People aren't stupid enough to think that there is such a thing as free shipping. The customer always covers the costs. Free this and that have already been factored into the price. What you're describing is an option for customers to pay an extra fee to avoid registration.

[matkar]

Of course the shipping cost is calculated in the price, but what if the total price (value of the product and shipping costs together) is very different in case of standard shipping and shipping with a required confirmation?
The shipping costs are 5.5 times greater with a reception confirmation.
For products with a low price an additional cost could reduce interest in buying.

I'm asking, if you prefer to pay more due to increased shipping and sign the reception of the shipment, or pay less and click a confirmation registration when asked to.

[bktemp]

I'm asking, if you prefer to pay more due to increased shipping and sign the reception of the shipment, or pay less and click a confirmation registration when asked to.

None of both. I would buy a similiar product from another company that does concentrates on the product and does not waste its time developing  that registration bullshit, even if it costs me a bit more.
Increasing the initial price is the wrong way. A much better way is, to give free addons (lik unlock software features, better support, longer warranty period, etc.) after the user did the registration.

[Neilm]

At work we put registration cards in with the product. Reason being we want to know what sort of people buy the product. We sell to wholesale, who then sell to other companies who then sell to others and so on until someone actually gets hold of it and starts using it. So we don't actually know anything about the end user - and if we want improve the products we need to know what the user wants.