Not that the ECA has any sort of a decent reputation around this place, but I found this hilarious, and more proof that most of the board members here were spot on with their assessment of the ECA and Hal.
I haven't got around to canceling my account yet, and today I received (SURPRISE!!) the first ECA Newsletter I think I have ever had in my inbox. (On a side note, this confirms that ECA never sent a message to members about the ToS issues. Clearly I am on their newsletter list).
Anyway, the newsletter is not notable with the exception of a banner ad at the top of the page for "RockyBid.com", which is one of those scam-ish penny auction sites like Swoopo that claim to offer PS3s for $12. In reality people bid often hundreds of dollars to get these items for "95% off" and they are often auctions that arbitrarily end. Its never a good sign when you google a URL and in the top 5 listings the word "scam" shows up.
Anyhow, "ECA Members get free bids and special discounts" if you sign up. I just thought it was interesting that a consumer advocacy group would apparently partner up with a type of site that has been in the news for its questionable business practices (Swoopo has been. Rockybid seems to be the same thing) and encourage its members to join with discounts. Way to look out for membership Hal.
Just in case you needed to feel better about canceling, here is yet another reason.