...to be screwed by an Empoyee Purchase scheme. A certain, declining, mobile phone brand offers its employees old phones at above market rates (or used to, anyway, now you can't buy much except crap DECT phones as they were preparing to separate that side of the business). The "added value" comes from the phones not being tied to any network and comes with the complete set of the wonderful software.

Mines the one stuffed full of stolen office supplies as the perks are worth jack....

Any employee taking part in this scheme is identified and then 'let go' as being too stupid to work here. I know, thus anonymous.

Since you would be happy to pay to work... then just work for free for me! I need to paint my kitchen walls this weekend!

It does not make sense paying for your own machine in IBM. The norm is you get a laptop which you take at home or travel with you. Why would you pay for something that you get for free is beyond me. The Laptop gets fixed if you have a h/w fault and image reloaded if you need to refresh. After 3 years you get it swapped with a new one. If you are smart enough you can keep the old machine after the 3 years and collect the new machine. You are not obliged to "give back immediately" the Laptoip , but IBM is obliged to give you a new laptop to keep you working in an optimal manner. Your department gets charged for the old laptop at the nominal value (by that time it is £0). The old laptop ends at home.

I was given a Lenovo T60p 2 years ago, which was fine but a bit lardy. So then I moved to a new position which requires frequent international travel (+/-2 weeks per month) and on my request they gave me an X61 with which I am very happy thank you very much.

On the other hand, when I started at IBM we joined in a program called the Foundation, with all mixed disciplines in the same starters group. I went into software development, and my mate went into Sales. Bearing in mind a developer needs power not portability, and a sales guy needs portability & looks but couldn't care less about horsepower...

Came the day when we got our laptops and oh yes, he got the 770X (about 3kg, most powerful machine made by IBM and frequently used as shipping ballast), and I got an X20 (thin, light and utterly useless for anything resembling a development environment).

And no, we weren't allowed to swap. Company principle, dont'cha know.

So I can testify things have got a LOOOOOOT better in the last few years.

Anon because people get jealous of an X61

IBMers are used to being abused and treated like fairly stupid cattle. Nothing to see here, move along.

AC because I'm waiting to be "resourced" in favor of cheaper cattle.

IBMs customers not asking the real Q, if the IBM staff are working at sub capacity due to poor kit, then are they allowed a discount?

Workman and tools type argument?

As far as I can tell, the scheme has about no takers at all so far.

The situation isn't as bad as it appears though. Set aside this hairbrained scheme, and you find a shiny new Lenovo on my desk, and while it has to last 4 years, a "cascaded" machine wouldn't. I've only ever seen cascaded machines given to short term employees, such as interns.

Oh, and my monitor is HUGE!

I recently suffered a "Life Event" at the hands of Indian Business Manpower but before I left I did manage to use my employee discount to score a refurbished killer T series laptop from IBM for one fifth what Lenovo would have charged me new even with my employee discount. So I guess YMMV. I chalk it up as my severance pay since they gave me no notice and no severance pay. It seems that IBM is determined to reduce the HR costs above all else so I feel sorry for Sun employees if IBM buys Sun. The merger will likely be similar to the Saturday Night Massacre when Honeywell bought GE's mainframe business in 1970. On the other hand it may be the only way Sun can survive considering how much red ink they've been bleeding lately. So the technology may survive but the employees likely will not much like how HP got rid of the PA-RISC design team when they outsourced Itanic to Intel. One has to wonder how long it will be before we start to demand these companies be socially responsible and also have a return to careers as opposed to six month "jobs."

Paris just because she's rich, hot, and I could use a six figure job cleaning her flat.

After reading about what lurks on shared keyboards, I'm pretty happy to pay for the privilege of using my own laptop. Though, I suppose it is easier to get rid of me, as there is a nice new laptop waiting for my replacement. My brother at MS in Seattle, took a macbook to work everyday - though he said the procurement process was a little trickier sourcing it - questions were asked - but it was said to be in the aid of research - he basically hated Visa.

That will ruin my fun.

[Ring...Ring] <- repeat about 60 times

"Hullo?"

"Is this Support?"

"Possibly."

"There is something wrong with my computer."

"We don't fix employees home machines."

"No, it is the one I have at work."

"You have a home machine connected to the network?"

"No, no. It is my work computer."

"Oh, you mean you have a problem with one of the companies PCs."

"Yes, that is what I said. MY computer."

"No it is the companies. We just let you use it..."

I would have to change my whole offense if we let the great unwashed by the company approved kit.

Difficult decision but I've decided to go for the deal. I've got an 'ok' laptop at the moment, but I'm a sucker for shiny tech things... so for a few extra quid a month I get to use a nicer laptop, Im happy... and it will be running windows7+linux in my other partitions. ;)

I guess it will separate the ones who just use a laptop to do their work, and those who enjoy technology and want something new to play with.

A geek.