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Bought A Computer Today

by thunderbird
6 replies
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Today, I bought a computer for my wife. She made a decision fairly quickly after checking a few out. However, the salesman had to get in the way and just had to give a roundabout spiel about why we should purchase an extended warranty. The guy wouldn't shut up, almost driving my wife to not buying the computer. Also, we we worried that our baby in the stroller would wake up and make a scene. Close to when we needed to feed him and all that. If you're in sales, some customers want you to just get to the point, not get in the way.
  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    thunderbird,

    You're right. Some salesman that OBVIOUSLY doesn't have much experience or ethics comes up to me and LIES through his teeth. The last computer I got from circuit city I could have returned for FOUR reasons!

    1. Not honoring their rebate.
    2. Lying about their rebate.
    3. Constantly changing rebates.(this one could be a nasty class action lawsuit)

    AND....

    4. LYING about the computer.

    I don't know if it is because they are bulk or what, but that computer didn't specify its abilities on the box. Most previous computers I bought DID, and the eeepc I bought did!

    So why are the salespeople even there?

    But what I REALLY love is that they are always there to harass you once you have decided to buy, but IGNORE you when you want the computer, etc...

    And they are SO ignorant! HECK, I ask for a small ethernet 10bt hub and they point me to USB.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    Steve,
    that may be why Circuit City went bankrupt?

    thunderbird,
    You are always going to run into sales people like that.
    An "extended warranty" is almost pure profit for the places that sell them.
    Most of the time they aren't needed,and when they are,like what Steve is talking about, the company will find some reason to not honor it.
    "yes, you did purchase the extended warranty,but last week there was a friday the 13th on the cusp of a full moon,and in the small print that negates the warranty" blah blah blah.
    You are right that sometims they go on and on after being told no,but thats when you should verbalize your thoughts to the salesman......"if you dont stop harrassing me about it, I'm going to your competition".
    I have done that many times over the years.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by KimW View Post

      Steve,
      that may be why Circuit City went bankrupt?
      YEAH, I meant to mention that! I never DID get the rebate. They are LUCKY I didn't return the computer. I'm sure they would have created a stink, but the FTC is VERY interested in those things! Circuit city, and Sears, BOTH broke the law in advertising by using a technicality, or a loophole. Many others have done similar things with their "best price guarantees". ONE persistant person, or maybe just one more little complaint, and ALL the companies could find themselves SIMULTANEOUSLY sued by the FTC! It has happened before.

      Originally Posted by KimW View Post

      thunderbird,
      You are always going to run into sales people like that.
      An "extended warranty" is almost pure profit for the places that sell them.
      Most of the time they aren't needed,and when they are,like what Steve is talking about, the company will find some reason to not honor it.
      "yes, you did purchase the extended warranty,but last week there was a friday the 13th on the cusp of a full moon,and in the small print that negates the warranty" blah blah blah.
      You are right that sometims they go on and on after being told no,but thats when you should verbalize your thoughts to the salesman......"if you dont stop harrassing me about it, I'm going to your competition".
      I have done that many times over the years.
      OH YEAH, I meant to mention THAT also! MOST computers WILL last 3 years or more. The last computer I had that really went BAD was a dell, and THAT lasted about 5 years.

      ALSO, most computers today will be obsolete in 2-3 years.

      ALSO, Computers are getting cheaper if taken on a feature basis. I remember when a disk drive CONTROLLER cost over $200! When a network interface CARD cost about $200.... When a good color ink jet printer that was fast cost $500! HECK, I got a GREAT deal on a dot matrix knockoff from a relative unknown. It was about $500! The original was about $800!

      So warranties are probably not worth it.

      BTW I hadn't heard about that company that made that knockoff, c.itoh, in quite a while. I looked them up. they started in 1858 as a retail kimono store!

      It now ranks as one of the largest sōgō shōsha companies in Japan and among the world's largest companies. The Itochu Group with the Itochu Corporation at its center has more than 700 subsidiaries.
      ...
      sōgō shōsha is a class of japanese companies that do general trading...

      The seven largest sōgō shōsha are Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co., ITOCHU, Sumitomo Corporation, Marubeni, Toyota Tsusho, and Sojitz.
      You learn something new everyday!

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Pettit
    And I've always had a problem with "extended warranties." Some family and friends were darn glad they purchased them. But my attitude has always been, "If your product is so 'iffy' that I need to 'protect' my purchase with an extended warranty, why wouldn't I look for a product that doesn't require such double-protection?"
    Also of note: Extended warranties are, statistically, 90% commission and only 10% utilized.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mega B
    We have a big chain of electrical shops in the UK and although they do make a profit selling white goods the main money that they make is by frightening customers by telling them how expensive it is to replace them out of warrenty.When i go into a shop that starts heavy selling of warrenties i will give them 2 choices either pack it up straight away or i walk.

    These days i very really buy expensive items from a shop i usually go to a shop to 'view' the goods that i am looking at buying and doing my homework and then i usually go home and buy online from one of the main online stores and its much cheaper than buying from a store.
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    The easy way to earn a very nice income from the comfort of your home.Start earning straight away today its 'possibly' the easiest income you will earn.
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    BestBuy is the worst when it comes to honoring their "extended warranties". But boy do they like to push them. When I go in there I say right off - "Don't say one word about an extended warranty or I'm not going to buy it."

    Bestbuy is also the King of the forced continuity scam. They were doing it long before the acaiberries came along. If they don't get you with their pre-installed anti-virus software, they'll get you at checkout with a "free magazine" - yeah right.
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