Hello Erik,
> I'm not alone, by the way:
http://www.nonmundane.org/~dspisak/frys/frys.html
http://www.accesscom.com/~dave6592/
http://billzhouse.com/rants/frys.html
http://www.doofus.org/frys/
http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1998/05/cov_21feature2.html
I read a few of those pages.
As far a the fellow that didn't like not being able to return opened software.
If they didn't have that policy in place, there would be many instances of
people buying software, taking it home and copying it, and then attempting
to take it back for a refund. A certain percentage of bad apples abuse the
privilege, and the software industry had to do something about it. If he wants
to know if a program is any good before he bought it, he should read the
magazine reviews first. It's unfortunate that software selling stores don't
have
a system set up in the stores with the software packages already loaded on
a test system where people could try it out there before buying. I thing
Egghead
did something like that at one time.
As far a delays caused by wanting to pay by check, that happens at the grocery
store too. I just cringe when waiting in the checkout line and I see
someone ahead
getting out their check book. If you want to get through the process
faster, get a debit
card for your checking account. It really makes it so much easier. With the
guy that
wrote that they didn't want to take his check because he had bounced a
check a few
months earlier, no wonder. I wouldn't want to take a check from someone
that bounced
checks either.
As far as having purchases examined before leaving, they do that here too
at CompUSA. The computer stores probably have a bad shoplifting problem.
Many cutting edge computer parts are significant value, small package items.
I just show them my bag and receipt, and move on.
As far as being out of stock on the advertised item. Happens at CompUSA
here too. It kind of sucks the way they do that, but I heard from the CompUSA
employee that when CompUSA would advertise a sale price on something
like a SIMM, they would only have a very limited number ( like six or seven
pieces in an area with a population in the million+ range ) of them at each
store.
It's their "loss leader" ( is what I'd heard it called in the retail
market), advertised
to get people into the store. There is a line that forms before opening
time on the
day the ad flyer comes out in the newspaper. When I heard that, I just quit
bothering with it. It wasn't worth wasting the time, just to save a few bucks,
especially when it would usually be for naught unless you went through all that
extra hassle for it.
One thing I finally got completely fed up with is the rebate stuff. Last
two things
I got from CompUSA, I sent in the rebate forms and copies of the receipt, and
they sent me back a card saying they were denying issuing the rebate because
they didn't get a copy of the sales receipt. Guess what, the rebate form was
stapled to the copy of the sales receipt. If they got the one, they most
definitely
got the other. Then they have these 800 numbers to call that result in naught.
It's beginning to seem they're doing all that on purpose. Throw so many hurdles
in the way of getting the rebate, that many just give up and never receive
them.
On the last two things I bought at CompUSA, I think there is still one rebate
check I didn't receive, but it's been so long, I'm not even sure about it
anymore.
If they don't have instant rebates at the cash register anymore, they can
take their
rebate and shove it. I'm surprised there aren't class action lawsuits and
federal
investigation into the management of these rebate programs.
As far as hardware returns, there was a guy around here, who eventually worked
as a tech for some small clone shops, that would build or upgrade computers
for his family, neighbors, etc. I heard he plugged the power connector to a
floppy
drive on backwards, burned out the drive's electronics, and then took it
back to the
computer store where he got it, knowing it was his own fault for burning it
up, just
telling them that it didn't work, to get another, instead of accepting
responsibility
for his own actions. I heard of another guy pulling a board out of the
computer while
it was powered up, damaging the motherboard. Selling computer parts to the
general public can be a problem. Warranties are for defects in material or
workmanship,
and are not meant to cover failures caused by negligence or abuse. I even heard
of a person that would intentionally damage the heads in his VCR with a
screwdriver
just before the warranty period was up, just so he could go get another
unused unit.
These stores that sell computer parts to the general public have to deal
with those kind
of problems every day.
Then, it happens often that a part that is reported bad, isn't really bad
at all. Sometimes
it's user difficulties instead. And sometimes it's incompatibility issues.
I had a Viking
modem one time that just would not work in one particular motherboard, but
worked
perfectly in another motherboard, though other modems would work perfectly
in that
first motherboard. I've seen many other instances of many pieces of
hardware not working
when it would work perfectly under other circumstances.
I'm so glad I don't mess with computers for home users anymore.
Received on Sun Jun 08 2003 - 03:29:01 BST