Several Michael Jordan fans who were infuriated by the basketball star's brief appearance at a promotional event demanded an apology yesterday from his sponsor Nike Taiwan and refunds on the products they had bought.
At a press conference held by the Consumers' Foundation, the disappointed fans denounced Saturday's event as a fraud, as the company had refused to disclose beforehand that their idol would only show up on stage for less than two minutes.
"If I had known about his super-brief appearance, I would not have spent more than NT$11,000 buying Nike products to win the ticket for my 12-year-old kid," said mother Jessica Tang (
Another Jordan aficionado criticized the company's lack of sincerity in deciding to give the 700 fans a limited-edition poster featuring Jordan as compensation.
"If extra copies of the posters are made, then they are no longer valuable for the original poster holders," complained 24-year-old teacher Kuan Yung-chieh (
Using harsh language, foundation secretary general Cheng Jen-hung (
As the dispute snowballed, Nike Taiwan yesterday decided to give each of the 700 fans a pair of Air Jordan 1 Retro Low shoes that will not be sold in Taiwan. The offer comes a day after it said it would give the fans posters and priority consideration for the next event in Taiwan featuring NBA players.
Jordan's fleeting appearance last Saturday in Taipei not only enraged his fans -- who said he was stingy in spending time with his loyal supporters but had great fun at a pub the whole night -- but also irritated the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office.
The office yesterday announced that prosecutors have officially begun investigating Nike Taiwan. They said they believed that Nike allegedly took advantage of Michael Jordan's fame to promote its products, but that many Jordan fans did not get what they were expecting by buying Nike products -- namely, to meet Michael Jordan in person.
The 700 fans had earned entry to a draw to see Jordan by winning an essay-writing competition or by buying Air Jordan 19 shoes, which cost NT$4,500.
To many, Tatu City on the outskirts of Nairobi looks like a success. The first city entirely built by a private company to be operational in east Africa, with about 25,000 people living and working there, it accounts for about two-thirds of all foreign investment in Kenya. Its low-tax status has attracted more than 100 businesses including Heineken, coffee brand Dormans, and the biggest call-center and cold-chain transport firms in the region. However, to some local politicians, Tatu City has looked more like a target for extortion. A parade of governors have demanded land worth millions of dollars in exchange
Hong Kong authorities ramped up sales of the local dollar as the greenback’s slide threatened the foreign-exchange peg. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) sold a record HK$60.5 billion (US$7.8 billion) of the city’s currency, according to an alert sent on its Bloomberg page yesterday in Asia, after it tested the upper end of its trading band. That added to the HK$56.1 billion of sales versus the greenback since Friday. The rapid intervention signals efforts from the city’s authorities to limit the local currency’s moves within its HK$7.75 to HK$7.85 per US dollar trading band. Heavy sales of the local dollar by
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) revenue jumped 48 percent last month, underscoring how electronics firms scrambled to acquire essential components before global tariffs took effect. The main chipmaker for Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp reported monthly sales of NT$349.6 billion (US$11.6 billion). That compares with the average analysts’ estimate for a 38 percent rise in second-quarter revenue. US President Donald Trump’s trade war is prompting economists to retool GDP forecasts worldwide, casting doubt over the outlook for everything from iPhone demand to computing and datacenter construction. However, TSMC — a barometer for global tech spending given its central role in the
An Indonesian animated movie is smashing regional box office records and could be set for wider success as it prepares to open beyond the Southeast Asian archipelago’s silver screens. Jumbo — a film based on the adventures of main character, Don, a large orphaned Indonesian boy facing bullying at school — last month became the highest-grossing Southeast Asian animated film, raking in more than US$8 million. Released at the end of March to coincide with the Eid holidays after the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, the movie has hit 8 million ticket sales, the third-highest in Indonesian cinema history, Film
RSS