Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!killer!bigtex!james
From: james@bigtex.uucp (James Van Artsdalen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: A good place to do business
Message-ID: <7526@bigtex.uucp>
Date: 4 Sep 88 23:25:58 GMT
References: <11994@steinmetz.ge.com> <790@mccc.UUCP> <32259@clyde.ATT.COM> <1634@ddsw1.UUCP>
Reply-To: james@bigtex.UUCP (James Van Artsdalen)
Distribution: na
Organization: F.B.N. Software, Austin TX
Lines: 32

In article <1634@ddsw1.UUCP>, karl@ddsw1.UUCP (Karl Denninger) wrote:

> One thing to note about ElekTek -- they are completely, 100%, no exceptions
> _all sales are final_ -- even at their store location in Chicago itself!
> They will exchange within 3 working days on defective product (some items 30
> days) -- but will not issue credits or refunds under any circumstances, nor
> allow substitutions.  [...]

Call your local BBB and check the rules.  There is this thing called
the UCC in all states (except maybe Louisiana) that does not permit
such vicious all-sales-are-final policies.  In particular, there are
implied warranties of merchantability that require that the product
sold work for the advertised application.  The equivalent implied
warranty from the manufacturer is called "fitness".  If a store
doesn't want to honor the warranty of merchantability, that's fraud
and cause for criminal action by the state (it's harder than that of
course, but it's election time so you might get the prosecutor to do
something).

One thing to beware of are the words "as is".  *>NEVER<* buy anything
on an as-is basis: you pretty much lose all UCC protection.  I haven't
seen much of this in computers yet, but a lot of sleazy used car
dealers try to sell on an as-is basis.  Whenever someone tries to sell
you *>anything<* on an as-is basis, ask them why they don't think it
works, because that's exactly why they are selling as-is.

> [...] (we do business with them at their store occasionally)

I am hard pressed to imagine why.
-- 
James R. Van Artsdalen    ...!uunet!utastro!bigtex!james     "Live Free or Die"
Home: 512-346-2444 Work: 328-0282; 110 Wild Basin Rd. Ste #230, Austin TX 78746