On Mon, 12 Jun 2000, Tony Duell wrote:
> As I pointed out in my reply to that message, I have, indeed, dismantled
> consumer electronics devices before buying them (with full permission of
> the shop).
If the average consumer these days was reasonably intelligent, stores
would be forced to have models on display that were open, or
disassembled, so that one could see the insides, etc.
I recall when stores typically had things like washing machine models
on display with cases that were partially clear so that one could see
the insides. At one Radio Shack, the cover was removed from a tuner
that was on display. It wasn't at all unusual to see demo models on
display in stores that were either partially disassembled or had
see-through panels in them. I also recall seeing ads in magazines
that showed the insides of things, in rather good detail, from
consumer appliances like vacuum cleaners to hi-fi equipment, and had
lines pointing to certain components, etc.
These days, I guess the safest solution is to buy something,
disassemble it thoroughly at home, then put it back together carefully
and return it if you don't like what you discovered. If you had to
break any "warranty void if opened" seals, and someone at the store
notices this, just use that as the excuse for returning it, that
someone (you don't have to say it was you!) tampered with it, and you
don't want to risk buying another one from that store.
--
R. D. Davis
rdd_at_perqlogic.com
http://www.perqlogic.com/rdd
410-744-4900
Received on Mon Jun 12 2000 - 22:14:10 BST