STAPLES STORES WILL TAKE OLD COMPUTERS

From: Dan Kolb <dankolb_at_ox.compsoc.net>
Date: Thu Feb 14 19:04:48 2002

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On Thursday 14 Feb 2002 23:59 pm, Tony Duell wrote:
> If they're related to the Staples shops in the UK, then I agree. Poor

AFAIA, they are the same company.

> stock, poor service, and high prices. The only reason I ever go to them
> is that they generally have a couple of items that I can't pick up
> anywhere else. But I avoid them wherever possible.

I find them reasonable for A4 paper (blank printer and lined stuff), and it
has the added convenience of being close to where I live, so it's easy to
drive and pick up items. They're passable for inkjet printer cartridges, too
- - no better or worse than anywhere else I've seen. As for service, I agree
with you - a couple of years ago they locked away the print carts, so you
can't just pick one off the shelf any more, but you have to find a
salesdrone, and get them to unlock the right bin (of which there's about a
50% chance first go).

> Another company that got one order from me and no more was Viking Direct
> (another office suppliers). They state 'next day delivery'. I phoned them
> fairly early on a Thursday morning to order some QIC tape cartridges.
> Their price wasn't great, but they had them, and as I said they promised
> next day delivery.
> Well, they didn't come on the Friday. They came on the next Monday.

Question: if it's the courier who messed up and came late, is it Viking
Direct's fault? Assuming they gave the goods to the courier on Thursday, the
only way they'd know if it didn't get to you on Friday would be either you
complaining, or the courier telling them that there was a delay.

> > Response to request for specs on a product: "It's really good."
> > WHILE getting something from the back room, the time for a clerk's
> > scheduled break came, . . .
> > Answer to "what is the angle of directionality?" of a directional
> > microphone (Sony MC-100): "That means that it only picks up what you aim
> > it at."

Staples do sell a lot of stuff. It's going to be difficult for all their
sales people to know the tech specs of all their products. And there's not
going to be *that* many people asking about the angle of directionality of a
directional mike. Probably one person (max.) in their whole career there :-)

> I've long since learnt that asking just about any salesdroid for
> information is slightly less useful than asking the cat.

True, but it can be fun to play annoy-the-sales-droid at PC World. (Note: I
haven't done this myself, this is merely second-hand information).

Dan
- --
dankolb_at_ox.compsoc.net
 
- --I reserve the right to be completely wrong about any comments or
  opinions expressed; don't trust everything you read above--

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Received on Thu Feb 14 2002 - 19:04:48 GMT