Re: [PLUG] Where to buy a CPU

[Sandi Jonas <laserhen@speakeasy.net>]

multiple seriousity wrote:
> 
> But what really pisses me off is when I went to CompUSA (I found out they
> do price matching/beating.) is CompUSA refused to price match Microcenter
> on something cause they claim Microcenter carrys grey market goods.. (it
> didnt piss me off about microcenter, it pissed me off at CompUSA.)
> 

<rant>
Ugh, poor customer service, IMO.  Still, more common than one might
realize. I used to work for a major retail chain that sold computers,
among various other consumer electronics, that had a price beat
guarantee (difference plus ten percent).  I was in customer service, and
I remember feeling very bad when someone would bring in an advertisement
from a certain other retailer, and I had to tell them that we don't
match their prices because we thought they sold refurbished merchandise
as new and lied about it.  I still don't know if there was a real basis
for the accusation.  These customers would raise high hell (and I don't
blame them) and vow never to return.  There were price differences that
were well over two hundred bucks sometimes, on computers and camcorders
usually.  One would think that it would be worth it for the store I
worked at to suck up the loss in the interest of keeping customers.  If
they're going to have a low price guarantee, they should have it for all
stores, not just the ones that have the same prices anyway.  The only
place where I heard that these other certain stores were bad was the
place that I worked at.  If anyone wants to know which chain this was,
it's on my resume on my site.  I'm reluctant to say the name in this
post.  I think I'm just paranoid, but it could come back to haunt me.  
</rant>

Heh, fortunately I don't work in retail anymore.  

We often go to MicroCenter, more often to drool than to buy.  Sometimes
they have some pretty good deals though, sometimes on stuff that is
(knowingly) refurbished.  CompUSA's accusations are unfounded.  Sure,
MicroCenter sells repackaged stuff, but they're pretty open about it. 
They don't lie and say that something isn't repackaged when it is
(interestingly enough, I've actually seen this happen at the store I
used to work at... someone returns something opened, and if it has
everything and appears unused, they would sometimes resell it as
"new").  We got a pretty decent price for a scanner a few months ago, as
well as a bunch of other random stuff over the years (original
packaging, usually).  These are often one-time deals, though, like
they'll have an influx of one sort of refurbished product, and sell it
all, and then another, etc.  All in all, a worthwhile place to check
out.  

--Sandi

**********************************************************************
Sandra Jean Schmidt-Jonas | http://www.laserhen.net
"If I could remember the names of all these particles, I would have been
a botanist!" -- Enrico Fermi
**********************************************************************

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