I wouldn't worry about burning crops so much. Two reasons:
1) Certain people will specifically be farmers for the fuel industry so it won't have a negative impact on our food sources. Farming is completely sustainable. The US only utilizes a small percentage of it's land for crop farming. We could double that usage and still not feel any negative effects. In fact more crops = more plants creating oxygen.
2) The US has very strict regulations with regards to food. If a farm product does not meet certain requirements (too small, too dull in color, etc) it has to be thrown away. It can't be sold, donated to US or foreign charities, etc. There was a news special I saw back in the late 90's about this. We throw away a LOT of food due to these regulations (not saying they are wrong). So now instead of discarding this food we can turn it into fuel.
Point is the US has no shortage of food, and neither do other industrialized nations. The shortages come to 3rd world countries who can't grow their own food due to war or poor climate (think sub-saharan africa), and those that cannot afford to buy it - not because it is expensive (e.g. mcdonalds) but because they have 0 money. With regards to poor war-torn countries...if they didn't have war they could begin feeding themselves by growing/foraging. Right now they are just trying to dodge bullets and can't invest time in rebuilding.
Saw the pictures, getting into the backseat requires tilting the front seats forward...still not a sedan. Also, three wheels = tipping hazard. And last but not least -- it's all digitized, where's the actual working model? I am glad on paper they broke the 100 MPG value but what about RL?
The Lightning Hybrid looks more like a coupe then a sedan. It's two doors short of a sedan. Other then that it looks sexy, and at 39000-59000 it is closer to the range of affordable...not so much for middle class folks (unless you like to live on a lean budget which is economically a poor choice) but definitely for those making 75,000+
Step 1: Install expensive cameras/software/process/ticketing mechanism
Step 2: Blindly ticket people
Step 3:....
Step 4: No profit, people didn't pay or they fought it in court & won because these ticketing methods are notoriously unreliable and judges hate them.
Imagine getting ticket 1 at first light for speeding...still speeding through second light? another ticket. Another light? Another ticket. Hey you went speeding through 5 lights and got 5 tickets. If it were a police officer you would get 1 ticket and would slow your ass down. But go on chicago, that will solve your issues.
Newegg is great, it's one of the rare places that are great. But it doesn't answer all issues:
1) They don't sell everything (e.g. clothing/cars)
2) YOu can't touch/try it before you buy it
3) Shipping on large items is expensive, especially if you have to return it
4) Waiving restocking fee's is "optional" and not everyone can get them to do it.
To review computer components I can do that by going to a number of sites. In fact I DO buy my computer components online at major retailers (e.g. newegg) but for other stuff (e.g. shoes) it just doesn't fly.
If you got your request about -1 Wrong mod you would be entitled to all negative 5 points of it. This is not a company or store policy...this is some rogue sales/management staff. To apply this to the company policy level is completely false and you are spreading lies. Check your facts.
Something similar happend to me in a circuit city when I was 16. I saw an ad (two weeks in a row) for a 486 dx2 66 mhtz 400 MB ram very cheap. So i went to the store talked to the sales person and it was golden (i had the ad with me). He had to get manager approval and it was late so the approval manager was not in until tomorrow (no problem). I came back the next day, the sales person was there, and the manager refused to give it to me telling me it was "too good of a deal". I flipped out and they had a big guy throw me out. If I knew then what I had known now I would have called corporate, then called the news, and started up a shit-storm. Companies, by law, must honor their printed advertisements EVEN if they claim it was a typo...btw the same ad was run for the next few weeks.
You are not understanding the situation. According to the article people are taking the prices (set by corporate) and modifying them to hide additional costs. So corporate says you get XYZ for $500, but some sales person/manager is changing it so you get XYZ for $550. You the customer have no way of knowing any better other then going to the neighboring store (same company) and seeing the difference. Why would a customer go from one office depot to another? Office depot in this location has the same prices as office depot 15 miles down the road.
There are advantages/disadvantages to fixed price dealerships:
1) Poor negotiators win here - they don't get ripped
2) Great negotiators lose here - they don't get the best price
3) Car trade in - this is where you WILL get ripped. They will give you a lowball price on the car and say "we don't negotiate" everyone but the dealership loses
Fixed priced places will sell you vehicles at slightly below MSRP, but way above invoice. You will not make out. Best thing to do is price-shop...find out the invoice and go for that.
Because a picture from the manufacturer is not? 50 tv's in a store, not all of them will hve lighting just perfect for each tv, and even if they are you can compare one tv to the next when they are standing right next to each other. Goodluck doing that with a picture of a tv in some online ad.
Comparing models to model by seeing it gives stores a 100% hands down win. The advantage to online is 1) cost tends to be cheaper though not always, 2) you can check reviews online, 3) you have all the stats of the item at the touch of your finger-tips, 4) there is no potential for hard sell.
You have been lucky with rebates. You can NOT ignore the fact that many people have been screwed by rebates and crooked rebate houses. If you have to call, beg, and resubmit, you are already getting screwed. Many people do those extra steps and still do not get their rebates. I've had quite a few that went unpaid, called and was told to resubmit over and over until the offer expired, received a check that was already expired, was told my UPC was not valid, etc.. It happens.
I agree though, if you don't like the concept of a mail in rebate, consider not buying it or look for another product that is a "good" deal without a rebate.
Yes if a place is fraudulent you get screwed - that is one thing - and I highly doubt a big name place like Office Depot would not honor their rebates. If you have to resubmit you are not getting screwed - things get lost. While it is annoying to deal with it happens to everyone. I don't consider that getting screwed. I consider getting screwed a sales person saying "there is a rebate, just go to the website and fill out the form...keep your receipt"...you go to the website that night and find out the rebate offer expired a month ago....that was screwed.
So I think we agree somewhat. Mistakes in my opinion, while annoying, are OK. Fix them, move on. Lying to cheat someone = not OK & is against the law.
There are a number of reasons. Here are a few.
1) Finding a quality retail store. With all the different "certifications" & "seals of approval" you never know if the online store is really reputable or just a "sweat shop"
2) Return policies in stores are so much better (typically). Most online vendors require you to pay S&H and won't refund S&H. if it was a large item (52" plasma) that is expensive.
3) Need to return a defective item? You may be told "you have to deal with manufacturer not us" even if you bought it, just got it in the mail, and there is a huge crack in the item
4) Want to see/try it before you buy it? Can't do that online. This is especially important for clothing items, or other items where size matters (e.g. comfort in car).
5) Want to return an item because you don't like it? 95% of the time = FAT CHANCE.
6) Want to hold someone accountable? Again, goodluck, you can e-mail until your fingers fall off
There are plenty of other reasons. Stores have a lot of advantages online sellers do not, including reputable places. Also too many online vendors are not reputable but get played as reputable due to the professional look of their websites. Just look for low cost website hosting providers. Some of these companies have 5-10 different websites, offering slightly different services/prices, but they are the same company - just different look/feel. Even worse, you will type in google "review XYZ company" and you will be sent to a site that reviews these 5-10 companies saying how one is better then the other... but they are the same company. Deceptive.
To say retail stores have nothing on online stores is naive. It's not just about the bottom line. Put it this way, I would be happy paying a little bit more at a store and know I can have a physical location to go to then get the rock-bottom price from the "chinese" basement shop where customer service doesn't speak english, doesn't return your calls (if they even offer a phone number) and frankly doesn't give a rats ass.
This type of behavior is all to do with the profit margins. They have to cut their profit margins wafer thin on the products themselves due to competition, but extended warranties are mostly pure profit. Most people who buy an extended warranty on any product (not just PCs) won't need to claim against it within the time covered, and even if they do, no doubt the small print will have something which exempts that particular issue so they'll never have to actually pay out on it. The small minority who do have to claim and have the warranty pay out often find that one claim pays for the warranty.
Yes, the fine print is magical and will re-write itself to conveniently exclude your item. Maybe read your warranty before buying it and make sure you understand it.
On a side note "Small minority" is redundant.
I worked for Officemax for 4 months, it was routine for me to lie to customers, change prices, say we didn't have something and stare at it, laughing all the while with my manager. I didn't particularly find it funny, but I needed the money. I quit that as fast as I can like any other respectable person.
Is that what a bank robber says "I am a respectful person because I only rob banks because I need the money?". If this is true then you are a liar and a crook. BTW you also broke federal law when you conspired and comitted fraud with your manager. And since you broke the law you are not eligible for whistle-blower immunity, though if you are lucky you may be eligible for immunity depending on the plea deal the justice department gives you.
That's assuming you actually can use it. Many times, when you actually try to make a claim, the insurance company that backs the warranty, will not back it up
I have owned my dell laptop for 6 years (i keep re-upping the warranty). First year spilled soda...they came out fixed it. Second year hard drive fried. They sent me a new one (I told them I would replace it, no need for technician). Third year CPU fried. They sent a technician to replace the Mboard. Every component on that, except the screen, had been replaced - never ever a problem (though India support sucks major ass). Last year I was moving and my friend dropped the armoir on my laptop...cracked straight through. I now have a laptop that is less then two years old (went from a p4 3ghtz to a dual core, 2 gig ram, blah blah blah). So far the extended warranties...which cost me about $400-600 (don't remember exact cost) over 6 years got my computer fixed...multiple times, and replaced. I am sure that was a great investment for me. And spending $1500 on a new laptop, while I could afford it, is not exactly my idea of fun. I have gotten more then $1,500 of repair/replacement for my laptop.
I know microcenter, they are fairly decent size, but still small chain. I could see on their major items they would keep a large stock, but linux laptops aren't exactly "major items". It doesn't sound plausible they would keep 270 linux laptops (just not enough of a linux laptop market) in one store. Also, many online stores do not keep live stock-updates from the in-store. Microcenter has been around since at least the early 90's. I wouldn't find it hard to believe that their in-store POS systems are not integrated with their websites which means their website inventory will lag.
Since sales people in Microcenter get commission on all sales they make (I had a friend who worked there) it would have been silly for the person not to give you the computer. He may not have made as much for selling a windows box but $5 is better then $0. And considering you already knew what you wanted...it's not like he has to sell you. It would just be "here's the box, go pay over there, enjoy".
Get off your consipiracy soap-box dude. I have been using mail-in rebates ever since I was a little kid. Yes it is annoying to do (would rather have instant rebates) and the stores count on those who forget to mail in their stuff (why they don't always do instant rebates) but I have NEVER failed to receive my money within their 4-8 weeks. Also most advertisements state "instant" or "mail-in" rebate or some combination. If you have a problem with mail-in rebates don't use them. For the customers who come into the store...since the store does not process the rebate it is understandable they would not have an answer. The customer should call the toll-free number. The customer should follow the instructions and have copies of the rebate.
And if you were handing money out of the drawer...what was your counter to that debit? Do you have a refund button where you can just hand out money? I find that hard to believe you could just hit a button and give people money without being short in your drawer.
We were expected to lie and convince customers that it was a good investment, when in reality most extended warranties go unredeemed.
That does not make for a bad warranty, that makes for a solid product that didn't break. I have a friend who bought a car years ago (on loan). He complained to no end the insurance company required him to get full coverage on the car. He thought it was crap and that car insurance was a total rip-off - a sham. I argued with him for months - anytime he wanted to complain about something...it was about that. Then five months into owning the car...it was totaled. Guess who stopped arguing about insurance.
Warranties are nothing more then insurance on your product. If your product doesn't break then it was a "waste", if it does break then it is a godsend. The only time warranties are bad is when they are written to screw the customer. I once purchased a used car warranty, which had buried in it's pages of documentation text which comes about (paraphrase) 'insured items shall be covered by like items of similar quality'. At first read it sounds like if you have Transmission A you will then get a replacement that is the same model or cheaper. To prevent someone who has a hyundai from saying "well you owe me a ferrari transmission". What did it actually mean - when you replace a part you get a part of similar quality....meaning they would only authorize the garages from gettting the parts at a junk-yard. That was a crappy warranty.
Given that are warranties good for every product? No. That is for you to determine. I build my own desktops so I don't buy warranty on the parts. I buy my laptop and DO buy a warranty for it (Every laptop I have ever owned...about four of them...has broken). I buy warranties on big ticket items I can't repair (LCD/Plasma tv's, cars for major items, etc). Each person should make up their mind, and no warranties are not a rip-off if they are solid warranties.
Your confusing issues here. These stores are lying to their customers - that is wrong, period. In your example, a good sales person will say "we are $50 more expensive then the other guy but here you get a warranty, there you have to pay an extra $50 for it" So the customer can decide if they want the product with or without a warranty. Show why your product is better, or if the products are the same then show why your stores services are better. If you are honest you will get repeat business. If you are dishonest you will get irate customers who will bitch to you, your manager and worse for the store...their friends.
hard sell tactics are one thing...lying is another especially when you hit fraud which is against the law.
This is nothing new. I remember when I was a child there was this toy that I wanted. Before christmas it was $30, during christmas it was marked down 30%....it was $45.
I am looking to buy a car...Edmunds and KBB both state $25000 for the car...dealerships "those two places don't know what they are talking about. They are looking at national prices"...except both sites have a place for you to enter your zip code. They also said "they don't take into consideration pre-certified", except Edmunds DOES ask if this will be pre-cert or not (and changes the price accordingly). One place w ants 20% more for a car that is less equipped then the other place and literally states the other dealership (same company) is cutting corners. The list goes on.
Sales people can be very dirty...not all of them. When I was in college I worked in retail banking and would give my customers the truth - even if they didn't like it. My customers kept coming back to me for advice (we are talking about 50 year old lawyers asking advice from a 21 year old college student) because they knew I wouldn't lie to them. I would even tell people "hey I don't recommend you buy this product of ours, it's not the best for you". We have honest sales people, but most sales people want the quick sell...they don't think about their reputation. My step-dad was in life/health insurance all of his life. Upstanding, and honest. He has been retired for the past 20 years and still gets calls everyday based on referrals from referrals from referrals. People want to do business with him which he just shifts to his former partner.
Be honest, and true to your customer. It may take you longer to get the big bucks, but 5-10 years down the road and you will be thankful you did.
BTW the one dealership that wanted 5k more then the other. TOld me things like "last month we sold ALL of our pre-certs, this is new stock we are not hurting for your business and won't budge on the price"...they called me a week later...budging on the price. So if you are looking to buy a car big advice - if they don't hit your price...walk out. Don't be afraid to low-ball them, they will do the same to you on the opposite end. And every promise they give MUST be in writing before you sign any documents.
Like the stargazer said: the resolution of your image won't mean
much if you can't get close enough to your subject such that you've
got a decent number of pixels left in the image after you crop.
Sounds like you are talking about the lens of a camera. If you are concerned about zooming into distant objects then you are talking about SLR cameras which have detachable lens'. This would be out of scope for this entire article since we are talking about the capabilities of the camera body, not the lens.
That also applies to a moving target. It doesn't really matter
how many pixels you've got in that blur or something that's other
than what you really wanted to take a picture of.
That is correct, but the article is about pixels and why they don't matter as much since they reached some "threshold" this person seems to believe in. Until pixels meet the human eye with respect to the largest print someone may feasibly purchase then it is still a concern.
My current camera has twice the resolution of my previous camera but
that's not what makes it a better camera than my previous one./quote
My point and shoot has 3x the pixels of my phone camera, it's just one of the things that make it better then my phone camera:)
I live in center city philly (AT&T said they have tons of great towers here)...dropped call after dropped call. In 5 years of verizon..not a single dropped call on my end.
THe phone I had from AT&T? First the sent me a new sim card. Then they did the software update on my phone. Then sent me a replacement phone. Then sent me a newer generation of that phone. Then they let me out of my contract. Then they sent me a $250 fine for terminating my contract early. Then I had to fight (luckily i had a letter from them letting me out of my contract without a fine).
Unfortunately AT&T sucks in service in center city philly.
Slashdot Mirror
I wouldn't worry about burning crops so much. Two reasons:
1) Certain people will specifically be farmers for the fuel industry so it won't have a negative impact on our food sources. Farming is completely sustainable. The US only utilizes a small percentage of it's land for crop farming. We could double that usage and still not feel any negative effects. In fact more crops = more plants creating oxygen.
2) The US has very strict regulations with regards to food. If a farm product does not meet certain requirements (too small, too dull in color, etc) it has to be thrown away. It can't be sold, donated to US or foreign charities, etc. There was a news special I saw back in the late 90's about this. We throw away a LOT of food due to these regulations (not saying they are wrong). So now instead of discarding this food we can turn it into fuel.
Point is the US has no shortage of food, and neither do other industrialized nations. The shortages come to 3rd world countries who can't grow their own food due to war or poor climate (think sub-saharan africa), and those that cannot afford to buy it - not because it is expensive (e.g. mcdonalds) but because they have 0 money. With regards to poor war-torn countries...if they didn't have war they could begin feeding themselves by growing/foraging. Right now they are just trying to dodge bullets and can't invest time in rebuilding.
Saw the pictures, getting into the backseat requires tilting the front seats forward...still not a sedan. Also, three wheels = tipping hazard. And last but not least -- it's all digitized, where's the actual working model? I am glad on paper they broke the 100 MPG value but what about RL?
The Lightning Hybrid looks more like a coupe then a sedan. It's two doors short of a sedan. Other then that it looks sexy, and at 39000-59000 it is closer to the range of affordable...not so much for middle class folks (unless you like to live on a lean budget which is economically a poor choice) but definitely for those making 75,000+
And each state shall have the right to set forth laws not covered by the constitution...
Step 1: Install expensive cameras/software/process/ticketing mechanism ....
Step 2: Blindly ticket people
Step 3:
Step 4: No profit, people didn't pay or they fought it in court & won because these ticketing methods are notoriously unreliable and judges hate them.
Imagine getting ticket 1 at first light for speeding...still speeding through second light? another ticket. Another light? Another ticket. Hey you went speeding through 5 lights and got 5 tickets. If it were a police officer you would get 1 ticket and would slow your ass down. But go on chicago, that will solve your issues.
Block images.google.com. From doing a quick check, it seems Google uses the same IP for cached items "http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:"
On windows I would just modify the index document in notepad, not sure what in linux. Block that too. Obviously it will affect you.
Newegg is great, it's one of the rare places that are great. But it doesn't answer all issues:
1) They don't sell everything (e.g. clothing/cars)
2) YOu can't touch/try it before you buy it
3) Shipping on large items is expensive, especially if you have to return it
4) Waiving restocking fee's is "optional" and not everyone can get them to do it.
To review computer components I can do that by going to a number of sites. In fact I DO buy my computer components online at major retailers (e.g. newegg) but for other stuff (e.g. shoes) it just doesn't fly.
If you got your request about -1 Wrong mod you would be entitled to all negative 5 points of it. This is not a company or store policy...this is some rogue sales/management staff. To apply this to the company policy level is completely false and you are spreading lies. Check your facts.
Something similar happend to me in a circuit city when I was 16. I saw an ad (two weeks in a row) for a 486 dx2 66 mhtz 400 MB ram very cheap. So i went to the store talked to the sales person and it was golden (i had the ad with me). He had to get manager approval and it was late so the approval manager was not in until tomorrow (no problem). I came back the next day, the sales person was there, and the manager refused to give it to me telling me it was "too good of a deal". I flipped out and they had a big guy throw me out. If I knew then what I had known now I would have called corporate, then called the news, and started up a shit-storm. Companies, by law, must honor their printed advertisements EVEN if they claim it was a typo...btw the same ad was run for the next few weeks.
You are not understanding the situation. According to the article people are taking the prices (set by corporate) and modifying them to hide additional costs. So corporate says you get XYZ for $500, but some sales person/manager is changing it so you get XYZ for $550. You the customer have no way of knowing any better other then going to the neighboring store (same company) and seeing the difference. Why would a customer go from one office depot to another? Office depot in this location has the same prices as office depot 15 miles down the road.
There are advantages/disadvantages to fixed price dealerships: 1) Poor negotiators win here - they don't get ripped
2) Great negotiators lose here - they don't get the best price
3) Car trade in - this is where you WILL get ripped. They will give you a lowball price on the car and say "we don't negotiate" everyone but the dealership loses
Fixed priced places will sell you vehicles at slightly below MSRP, but way above invoice. You will not make out. Best thing to do is price-shop...find out the invoice and go for that.
Because a picture from the manufacturer is not? 50 tv's in a store, not all of them will hve lighting just perfect for each tv, and even if they are you can compare one tv to the next when they are standing right next to each other. Goodluck doing that with a picture of a tv in some online ad.
Comparing models to model by seeing it gives stores a 100% hands down win. The advantage to online is 1) cost tends to be cheaper though not always, 2) you can check reviews online, 3) you have all the stats of the item at the touch of your finger-tips, 4) there is no potential for hard sell.
You have been lucky with rebates. You can NOT ignore the fact that many people have been screwed by rebates and crooked rebate houses. If you have to call, beg, and resubmit, you are already getting screwed. Many people do those extra steps and still do not get their rebates. I've had quite a few that went unpaid, called and was told to resubmit over and over until the offer expired, received a check that was already expired, was told my UPC was not valid, etc.. It happens. I agree though, if you don't like the concept of a mail in rebate, consider not buying it or look for another product that is a "good" deal without a rebate.
Yes if a place is fraudulent you get screwed - that is one thing - and I highly doubt a big name place like Office Depot would not honor their rebates. If you have to resubmit you are not getting screwed - things get lost. While it is annoying to deal with it happens to everyone. I don't consider that getting screwed. I consider getting screwed a sales person saying "there is a rebate, just go to the website and fill out the form...keep your receipt"...you go to the website that night and find out the rebate offer expired a month ago....that was screwed.
So I think we agree somewhat. Mistakes in my opinion, while annoying, are OK. Fix them, move on. Lying to cheat someone = not OK & is against the law.
There are a number of reasons. Here are a few.
1) Finding a quality retail store. With all the different "certifications" & "seals of approval" you never know if the online store is really reputable or just a "sweat shop"
2) Return policies in stores are so much better (typically). Most online vendors require you to pay S&H and won't refund S&H. if it was a large item (52" plasma) that is expensive.
3) Need to return a defective item? You may be told "you have to deal with manufacturer not us" even if you bought it, just got it in the mail, and there is a huge crack in the item
4) Want to see/try it before you buy it? Can't do that online. This is especially important for clothing items, or other items where size matters (e.g. comfort in car).
5) Want to return an item because you don't like it? 95% of the time = FAT CHANCE.
6) Want to hold someone accountable? Again, goodluck, you can e-mail until your fingers fall off
There are plenty of other reasons. Stores have a lot of advantages online sellers do not, including reputable places. Also too many online vendors are not reputable but get played as reputable due to the professional look of their websites. Just look for low cost website hosting providers. Some of these companies have 5-10 different websites, offering slightly different services/prices, but they are the same company - just different look/feel. Even worse, you will type in google "review XYZ company" and you will be sent to a site that reviews these 5-10 companies saying how one is better then the other... but they are the same company. Deceptive.
To say retail stores have nothing on online stores is naive. It's not just about the bottom line. Put it this way, I would be happy paying a little bit more at a store and know I can have a physical location to go to then get the rock-bottom price from the "chinese" basement shop where customer service doesn't speak english, doesn't return your calls (if they even offer a phone number) and frankly doesn't give a rats ass.
This type of behavior is all to do with the profit margins. They have to cut their profit margins wafer thin on the products themselves due to competition, but extended warranties are mostly pure profit. Most people who buy an extended warranty on any product (not just PCs) won't need to claim against it within the time covered, and even if they do, no doubt the small print will have something which exempts that particular issue so they'll never have to actually pay out on it. The small minority who do have to claim and have the warranty pay out often find that one claim pays for the warranty.
Yes, the fine print is magical and will re-write itself to conveniently exclude your item. Maybe read your warranty before buying it and make sure you understand it.
On a side note "Small minority" is redundant.
I worked for Officemax for 4 months, it was routine for me to lie to customers, change prices, say we didn't have something and stare at it, laughing all the while with my manager. I didn't particularly find it funny, but I needed the money. I quit that as fast as I can like any other respectable person.
Is that what a bank robber says "I am a respectful person because I only rob banks because I need the money?". If this is true then you are a liar and a crook. BTW you also broke federal law when you conspired and comitted fraud with your manager. And since you broke the law you are not eligible for whistle-blower immunity, though if you are lucky you may be eligible for immunity depending on the plea deal the justice department gives you.
That's assuming you actually can use it. Many times, when you actually try to make a claim, the insurance company that backs the warranty, will not back it up
I have owned my dell laptop for 6 years (i keep re-upping the warranty). First year spilled soda...they came out fixed it. Second year hard drive fried. They sent me a new one (I told them I would replace it, no need for technician). Third year CPU fried. They sent a technician to replace the Mboard. Every component on that, except the screen, had been replaced - never ever a problem (though India support sucks major ass). Last year I was moving and my friend dropped the armoir on my laptop...cracked straight through. I now have a laptop that is less then two years old (went from a p4 3ghtz to a dual core, 2 gig ram, blah blah blah). So far the extended warranties...which cost me about $400-600 (don't remember exact cost) over 6 years got my computer fixed...multiple times, and replaced. I am sure that was a great investment for me. And spending $1500 on a new laptop, while I could afford it, is not exactly my idea of fun. I have gotten more then $1,500 of repair/replacement for my laptop.
I bet they even have to tell the employees that they can choose between lying to customers, or getting fired.
I'm willing to bet you don't have proof of such accusations.
I know microcenter, they are fairly decent size, but still small chain. I could see on their major items they would keep a large stock, but linux laptops aren't exactly "major items". It doesn't sound plausible they would keep 270 linux laptops (just not enough of a linux laptop market) in one store. Also, many online stores do not keep live stock-updates from the in-store. Microcenter has been around since at least the early 90's. I wouldn't find it hard to believe that their in-store POS systems are not integrated with their websites which means their website inventory will lag.
Since sales people in Microcenter get commission on all sales they make (I had a friend who worked there) it would have been silly for the person not to give you the computer. He may not have made as much for selling a windows box but $5 is better then $0. And considering you already knew what you wanted...it's not like he has to sell you. It would just be "here's the box, go pay over there, enjoy".
Get off your consipiracy soap-box dude. I have been using mail-in rebates ever since I was a little kid. Yes it is annoying to do (would rather have instant rebates) and the stores count on those who forget to mail in their stuff (why they don't always do instant rebates) but I have NEVER failed to receive my money within their 4-8 weeks. Also most advertisements state "instant" or "mail-in" rebate or some combination. If you have a problem with mail-in rebates don't use them. For the customers who come into the store...since the store does not process the rebate it is understandable they would not have an answer. The customer should call the toll-free number. The customer should follow the instructions and have copies of the rebate.
And if you were handing money out of the drawer...what was your counter to that debit? Do you have a refund button where you can just hand out money? I find that hard to believe you could just hit a button and give people money without being short in your drawer.
We were expected to lie and convince customers that it was a good investment, when in reality most extended warranties go unredeemed.
That does not make for a bad warranty, that makes for a solid product that didn't break. I have a friend who bought a car years ago (on loan). He complained to no end the insurance company required him to get full coverage on the car. He thought it was crap and that car insurance was a total rip-off - a sham. I argued with him for months - anytime he wanted to complain about something...it was about that. Then five months into owning the car...it was totaled. Guess who stopped arguing about insurance.
Warranties are nothing more then insurance on your product. If your product doesn't break then it was a "waste", if it does break then it is a godsend. The only time warranties are bad is when they are written to screw the customer. I once purchased a used car warranty, which had buried in it's pages of documentation text which comes about (paraphrase) 'insured items shall be covered by like items of similar quality'. At first read it sounds like if you have Transmission A you will then get a replacement that is the same model or cheaper. To prevent someone who has a hyundai from saying "well you owe me a ferrari transmission". What did it actually mean - when you replace a part you get a part of similar quality....meaning they would only authorize the garages from gettting the parts at a junk-yard. That was a crappy warranty.
Given that are warranties good for every product? No. That is for you to determine. I build my own desktops so I don't buy warranty on the parts. I buy my laptop and DO buy a warranty for it (Every laptop I have ever owned...about four of them...has broken). I buy warranties on big ticket items I can't repair (LCD/Plasma tv's, cars for major items, etc). Each person should make up their mind, and no warranties are not a rip-off if they are solid warranties.
Your confusing issues here. These stores are lying to their customers - that is wrong, period. In your example, a good sales person will say "we are $50 more expensive then the other guy but here you get a warranty, there you have to pay an extra $50 for it" So the customer can decide if they want the product with or without a warranty. Show why your product is better, or if the products are the same then show why your stores services are better. If you are honest you will get repeat business. If you are dishonest you will get irate customers who will bitch to you, your manager and worse for the store...their friends.
hard sell tactics are one thing...lying is another especially when you hit fraud which is against the law.
This is nothing new. I remember when I was a child there was this toy that I wanted. Before christmas it was $30, during christmas it was marked down 30%....it was $45.
I am looking to buy a car...Edmunds and KBB both state $25000 for the car...dealerships "those two places don't know what they are talking about. They are looking at national prices"...except both sites have a place for you to enter your zip code. They also said "they don't take into consideration pre-certified", except Edmunds DOES ask if this will be pre-cert or not (and changes the price accordingly). One place w ants 20% more for a car that is less equipped then the other place and literally states the other dealership (same company) is cutting corners. The list goes on.
Sales people can be very dirty...not all of them. When I was in college I worked in retail banking and would give my customers the truth - even if they didn't like it. My customers kept coming back to me for advice (we are talking about 50 year old lawyers asking advice from a 21 year old college student) because they knew I wouldn't lie to them. I would even tell people "hey I don't recommend you buy this product of ours, it's not the best for you". We have honest sales people, but most sales people want the quick sell...they don't think about their reputation. My step-dad was in life/health insurance all of his life. Upstanding, and honest. He has been retired for the past 20 years and still gets calls everyday based on referrals from referrals from referrals. People want to do business with him which he just shifts to his former partner.
Be honest, and true to your customer. It may take you longer to get the big bucks, but 5-10 years down the road and you will be thankful you did.
BTW the one dealership that wanted 5k more then the other. TOld me things like "last month we sold ALL of our pre-certs, this is new stock we are not hurting for your business and won't budge on the price"...they called me a week later...budging on the price. So if you are looking to buy a car big advice - if they don't hit your price...walk out. Don't be afraid to low-ball them, they will do the same to you on the opposite end. And every promise they give MUST be in writing before you sign any documents.
Megapixels aint everything
Agreed.
Like the stargazer said: the resolution of your image won't mean much if you can't get close enough to your subject such that you've got a decent number of pixels left in the image after you crop.
Sounds like you are talking about the lens of a camera. If you are concerned about zooming into distant objects then you are talking about SLR cameras which have detachable lens'. This would be out of scope for this entire article since we are talking about the capabilities of the camera body, not the lens.
That also applies to a moving target. It doesn't really matter how many pixels you've got in that blur or something that's other than what you really wanted to take a picture of.
That is correct, but the article is about pixels and why they don't matter as much since they reached some "threshold" this person seems to believe in. Until pixels meet the human eye with respect to the largest print someone may feasibly purchase then it is still a concern.
My current camera has twice the resolution of my previous camera but that's not what makes it a better camera than my previous one./quote My point and shoot has 3x the pixels of my phone camera, it's just one of the things that make it better then my phone camera :)
I live in center city philly (AT&T said they have tons of great towers here)...dropped call after dropped call. In 5 years of verizon..not a single dropped call on my end.
THe phone I had from AT&T? First the sent me a new sim card. Then they did the software update on my phone. Then sent me a replacement phone. Then sent me a newer generation of that phone. Then they let me out of my contract. Then they sent me a $250 fine for terminating my contract early. Then I had to fight (luckily i had a letter from them letting me out of my contract without a fine).
Unfortunately AT&T sucks in service in center city philly.