Techell Corporation announces new policy on Miner II

Amidst a flurry of criticism, Techell corporation announced that it is no longer accepting ISK in transactions for it's Miner II drilling beams. Kel'dra of Techell made the official announcement earlier today, on a public message board.

"Techell is no longer offering Miner II?s for 2.5 Million ISK each. Instead, we have moved to a new program. One that we call 'Mega for Miners'."

Kel'dra went on to explain that the program was designed to bring in an increased amount of Megacyte to fuel the corporation's manufacturing base. Techell's new policy, she explained, is "For each 1000 Megacyte we will trade 3 Miner IIs, or for every 334 Megacyte we will trade 1 Miner II."

Critics were quick to point out that due to the current inflated market value of Megacyte, the trade deal equated to a price hike for the consumer. Comparisons show that the amount of Megacyte asked for in Techell's barter offer represents an estimated 33.6% increase on the cost of a Miner II beam, which could drive the price as high as 3.5 million ISK per unit.

Techell representatives were equally quick in pointing out that resellers of the beams typically add a markup of 1.5-2.5 million ISK per unit, for a total cost of 5 to 5.5 million ISK. According to them, the consumer is still receiving a price break overall.

One poster was quoted as saying, "3.5M is a generally cheap price for Miner II's anyway, in the current situation."

Another agreed. "Where does it say that it has to be a good deal for the consumer? If the price is thought to be too high, no-one will avail themselves of Techell's new offer and they won't sell anything. Simple as that."

Critics allege that the units cost much less to produce than they are being sold for, and that the price point unfairly penalizes small corporations and independent miners. Techell has not made the specifications for Miner IIs publicly available, so this claim remains unsubstantiated.

Kel'dra went on to state, "If you don't like the deal don't participate. I have enough people that will that I will be out of stock anyway."

Techell Corporation is widely known for it's investments in advanced mining technology. After acquiring a rare blueprint for the coveted Miner II drilling beam, Techell has become a major player in the Eve market. Their ticker information and corporate description are publicly available via the public infonet.