Additionally, Every time you dispute something with the credit card, no matter how small of an amount, the seller have to pay penalty fees. 10yr. ago they were $25. today probably a lot more.
This is why smaller businesses prefer to work with you instead. P On Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 9:37 AM, Tim Fournet <[email protected]> wrote: > One piece of advice that I have for situations like these, is to always > keep a credit card that has purchase protection, and make large purchases > using that card. So what if the interest charges are high, pay it off as > soon as you get home. I've had to deal with similar problems with > non-tech-related purchases where the store refused to honor their own return > policy. After calling American Express and explaining the situation, I was > not required to pay the balance for the purchase and then I just had to > figure out what to do with the merchandise. Thanks to Craigslist, I turned a > profit on the whole thing. > > > On Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 8:36 AM, Mark A. Lappin <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I've had similar experiences with BestBuy; got the laptop I wanted to >> purchase, it was whisked away to the GeekSquad to be checked and I went DVD >> hunting. Go to check out and they just assumed I wanted everything >> installed....so that was a fight. For a variety of reasons, I went back >> about 3 hours later to return it (the person who insisted that he leave town >> with a laptop that day, didn't like it, didn't even look at the computer, >> just the box!). Had a 2nd `nice' discussion with the manager when they >> wanted to charge me a restocking fee on an opened product, which I had never >> even taken out of the box. >> >> ML >> >> >> Mark A. Lappin, CCNA, MCITP: Enterprise Administrator | Lee Michaels Fine >> Jewelry >> Director of Information Technology >> 11314 Cloverland Ave | Baton Rouge, LA 70809 >> Ph: 225.291.9094 ext 245 | Fax: 225.368.3675 | Mobile: 225-362-2770 >> www.lmfj.com >> >> >> >> This communication is privileged and confidential. If you are not the >> intended recipient, please notify the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all >> copies of this communication . >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On >> Behalf Of Edmund Cramp >> Sent: Friday, October 29, 2010 2:14 PM >> To: '[email protected]' >> Subject: [brlug-general] A cautionary tale >> >> >> Yesterday I needed a 64-bit machine running Windows 7 - I looked around >> on-line and found a cheap little Lenovo laptop at Office Depot for $399 - >> OK, so I'll get it and swap it out with the sales demo machine once I'm done >> testing the 64-bit installers that I'm writing and my daughter can have the >> old laptop (a Toshiba running Vista) for Christmas. New machines all round >> - everyone's happy. >> >> It looked like the local (Millerville) Office Depot had the Lenovo in >> stock so, five minutes later I'm up there, credit card in hand. Turns out >> they did have it, but it was the floor model - they jumped on the phone >> (nice folks there, very helpful) and they found on at the Cortana Mall store >> and sent me there. >> >> I get to the Cortana Mall Office Depot, introduce myself (I should point >> out that I'm wearing a new pair of dark jeans and a t-shirt that says, "Go >> Away - or I will replace you with a very small shell script") and after five >> minutes the manager turns up with the laptop, boxed and ready to go. I hold >> my hand out to take it. He doesn't offer me the box and the conversation >> starts; >> >> OD: "What are you going to do with this machine?" >> ME: (thinks, "none of your damn business") but sweetly, "I'm writing an >> installer and I need to test it in a standard 64-bit environment" >> >> OD: "It this Business or Home use" >> ME: "Business" >> >> OD: "You'll be needing a copy of Microsoft Office then" >> ME: "No Thanks, I just want a standard machine without any other software" >> >> OD: "What about editing documents, you'll need a copy of Word" >> ME: (thinks, "When did EMACS go out of fashion?"), No thanks, I just need >> a basic machine." >> >> OD: "What about Outlook for emailing?" >> ME: "No thanks, I just need a basic machine - nothing else." >> >> OD: "This system has no Anti-virus software, you'll need Anti-virus >> software" >> ME: "No Thanks, I won't be connecting it anything - look, can we just take >> it as read that you've tried to sell me all the software that you're >> required to try and sell me, and that I've refused to buy anything?" >> >> OD: "We are required to tell you all of this when you buy a system - if >> this is for business then you'll need a copy of QuickBooks" >> ME: "No thanks, I just need a test machine without any additional >> software" >> >> OD: "We offer a service to setup the computer and install all your >> software" >> ME: "No thanks, I don't need anything other than the operating system." >> >> OD: "We can set the computer up for you and remove all the bloat ware and >> unwanted software" >> ME: "No thanks, I can do that" >> >> OD: "If this is for Business then you'll need the extended warranty" >> ME: "No thanks, I don't need an extended warranty" >> >> Buy this time we've crawfished over to the register and he hands the box >> to the girl at the register who smiles at me and says, "Cool T-shirt" >> >> OD: Loudly, "Fetch me the LIMITED 14 DAY WARRANTY labels" and then to me, >> "This machine only has a 14 day warranty" >> ME: (Thinking WTF 14 days!), "Why such a crappy warranty period?" >> >> He sticks their standard limited 14-day return policy label on the box - >> that's standard, they've done that for years, and says, "We don't make these >> machines and at this price we limit the warranty to 14 days" >> >> I think to myself, "If I can't debug the script in two weeks than I need >> another job." >> >> So I paid for it and left the store, never to return to the Cortana Mall >> Office Depot store - EVER. >> >> And getting the laptop back to the office, inside there's a little thank >> you note from Lenovo with a card saying that I have their standard 2 year >> warranty. It boots, it runs like a charm ... unlike my 63-bit installer >> script - but that's another story. >> >> Regards, >> Edmund Cramp >> -- >> Motion Lab Systems, Inc. >> 15045 Old Hammond Highway, Baton Rouge, LA 70816 USA >> Tel: +1 (225) 272-7364 | Fax: +1 (225) 272-7336 >> Web: http://www.motion-labs.com >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> General mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://mail.brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net >> >> _______________________________________________ >> General mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://mail.brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net >> > > > _______________________________________________ > General mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net > >
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