Office Max events

From: Mzthompson_at_aol.com <(Mzthompson_at_aol.com)>
Date: Thu Apr 18 20:42:10 2002

Event #1

I went to OM earlier today to take pick up a UPS that was on sale.
Their ad from last Sunday's paper lists a unit at $20 off (and no
friggin' rebates to mess with). The ad listed the unit as 500VA.

When I get to the store, the clerk points it out to me and the unit is
350VA. I say whoa, it is listed in the ad as 500VA. Turns out they
list the model number for a 350VA unit and spec it at 500VA. I asked
to see the manager, who already knows me (more on that later). This
time I got stuck with the assistant manager. She states that it must
be a misprint and she can't be held responsible for printing errors.

I don't mind saying that I am getting tired of employees who will not
take responsibilty. So I read her my riot act mentioning that she is
standing here as a representive of OM and in my eyes is responsible.
I also point to Staples (across the street) and mention the fact
that a young man over there was also not responsible and after my
complaint to Staples on their web sight, he got lectures from the
higher ups, not to mention the phone calls that I got from district
and regional managers seeking to make sure I became a satisfied
customer.

Anyway, back to this gal at OM. I mentioned to her that listing the
model number of the 350VA unit and the spec of the 500VA unit might
be construed as "bait & switch". With that she looked up the price
of the 500VA unit and said she would sell it to me for 40 bucks off.

Event #2

A few weeks ago I want to OM to buy another sale item. They had a
CD-R 100 pack listed for $40 with a $30 rebate. What caught my eye
was that they were 650 mb. My CD Burner drive is an earlier model,
and does not like these new-fangled 700 mb thingies.

So I go into OM and can't find them. A clerk comes along and I show
him the ad and tell him that is what I want. He leads me to the big
display of 700 mb. I point to the ad and tell him I want what is
advertised, not these. You ever noticed how these clerks become
dumbfounded and clam up at this point. He suggests I talk to the
manager. I did and here again I mention that trying to substitute
750 mb for the advertised 650 mb might be construed as "bait & switch".
With that she took my name and phone number and said she would get
back to me. She did, she called two days later and said she had
2 100 packs for me. I indicated I only want the one because of the
rebate limit. She then explained that the 2nd one was complimentary
for my trouble. Now if I just get the rebate, that's 200 CD-R blanks
for $10.

Event #3

Speaking of rebates. I bought some memory at OM and sent in the rebate.
Three months later I had not received the money. So I took all the
paperwork into the store. Lo and behold, they have a form for just
that. I filled it out and they gave me the $50 rebate right there.
Why don't they just do that in the first place?

Why you ask am I still going into OM? In this town there just isn't
much else and they seem to have better sales.

I share all of this because you need to watch out if you are dealing
with OM. If they try to pull a fast one, namely "bait & switch", then
call them on it. Maybe they will learn to get their ads right, or at
least you may get a deal.

Mike
Received on Thu Apr 18 2002 - 20:42:10 BST