Originally posted by BillyBong:
Before anyone goes on an NTU-bashing spree, let's get some
facts right.
The Star (malaysian tabloid) stated that the AEON chair [b]could
cost as much as S$2200/-.
Note the modal
terms they use in 'could
cost' and 'as much
as'.
The actual cost online costs US$599/- which works out to abt approx
S$1000/- on a 1.67 conversion rate. And you can bet NTU will sniff
out the best deal and ask for the best discount. See below for an
example of the cost.
http://www.bizrate.com/buy/products__cat_id--25010300,keyword--herman%2520miller%2520aeron%2520chair.html
Ultimately, this is just another classic case of sensationalising
news to suit the papers.
There is an obvious difference of S$1200/- which means nothing to
The Star since they conveniently stated a 'price range' carefully
hidden their lines.
Still, as a side note, i doubt the professors or students (whoever
the chairs are for) will not fully appreciate the bio-design of the
chair, making it a less than worthwhile investment. [/b]
Still, S$1000 for a chair is extravagance, no matter how they
may try to justify its high cost for its ergonomics and quality. As
I've said earlier, a good executive chair can be gotten for around
$200. Here's an example from singaporeinterior.com:
http://www.singaporeinterior.com/chairs/executive2.htm
They cost much less and have a five-year warranty. As long as you
don't do anything stupid like placing a hot iron on the seat or
tossing it out of the window, they can last for years. My typist's
chair has lasted me for ten years in spite of all of my sitting on
it.
So... how? It hardly makes sense for them to justify increasing
tuition fees to cover rising operating costs when all this rather
unnecessary spending is taking place.
