Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!ucbvax!PSUVM.PSU.EDU!ART100
From: ART100@PSUVM.PSU.EDU ("Andy Tefft  725-1344", 814)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Upgrading/Mail Order/Etc
Message-ID: <9104171739.AA26013@apple.com>
Date: 17 Apr 91 17:39:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 63

I don't know why, but I've had awful luck lately trying to order
Apple stuff mail-order. My dad orders fishing stuff all the time,
no problems. I order CD's from Noteworthy, it comes right away.
It takes me over a month to get Apple stuff.

I was going to get three items for my //e: an enhancement kit,
a Ramworks III (1 meg), and a 5.25" drive. I thought I'd be able
to shop around and find a place that would have all three of them
at good prices. Unfortunately I couldn't; the best prices on
the items were at different places (I looked at ads in a+ and called
places that didn't list certain things). So I notice Quality Computer's
ad, which says they will match advertised lower prices.

They wouldn't match ANY of the prices they had. They had a load
of excuses... "They usually sell used enhancement kits..." "They
usually don't have those in stock; we do" and "AE raised the price
on that drive."

I ordered the Ramworks for $178 from Golem. They didn't have them
in stock, but would have them in 2 days and would ship them by the
end of the week. They ended up shipping it about 2 *weeks* after
that. It was shipped with one of the ram chips bad, so I had only
768k while I waited for them to replace it (actually I eventually
put 64k in it from my 80-col card). It took them another 2 weeks
to send me a frickin' 75 cent RAM chip. But they have given me
the BEST service overall.

CDA computer sales was the only place that could still give me
the AE 5.25" drive for $118 (don't ask me why I didn't want to get
the laser drive), and they had the ehnancement kits for $52.
Since they had no shipping charges, this was a very good deal,
although the price they quoted for the ramworks was more than I paid
at Golem (with shipping included). They had the enhancement kits
in stock, but the drive was backordered and would be about 10 days.
Ok, fine, I said, just ship me the enhancement kit now and the drive
when it comes.

I got the enhancement kit in a couple days and was happy so far with
this company. The packing slip they sent (with credit card receipt)
said they had only charged my credit card for the enhancement kit; no
problem. Then I got my credit card bill, which had been billed
in ONE  TRANSACTION for the full amount of the kit and the drive.
I called CDA, since it had been over a month since I ordered, and they
said the drive was still backordered and AE had been giving everyone
problems with delivery of them. I asked them to give me a credit
on my credit card, because I wanted to pay the credit card bill but
not for the drive I hadn't gotten, and, get this, they WOULDN'T DO IT.
What they said to do was pay all of the bill except for the $118 for
the drive, and then send them a copy of my bill and they'd pay the
interest on it. Yeah, right, I thought. A call to the credit card
company agreed that this was not the thing to do, and if they wouldn't
credit the account, I should tell them to cancel the order and then
re-order, and then if they charged the card before shipping the drive
I could dispute the charges and I'd be ok.

I didn't want to get put back at the end of the backorder queue,
so I just cancelled the backorder and ordered the drive (at a cost
of $12 more) from Preferred Computing, who said they had them in
stock. They said it would ship on Monday; hopefully I will get the
drive tomorrow.

CDA gave me a "cancellation number;" hopefully my credit card will
be credited, or else I will be REALLY mad!