Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!spdcc!ima!haddock!suitti From: suitti@haddock.ima.isc.com (Steve Uitti) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Mail order blues/guide (still LONG) Keywords: IMPORTANT for ALL Message-ID: <9805@haddock.ima.isc.com> Date: 21 Oct 88 00:16:33 GMT References: <55@cs-spool.calgary.UUCP> <997@aluxp.UUCP> Reply-To: suitti@haddock.ima.isc.com (Stephen Uitti) Organization: Interactive Systems, Boston Lines: 75 In article <997@aluxp.UUCP> wg@aluxp.UUCP (Bill Gieske) writes: >I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS pay mail orders with a credit card. AND, I do not >pay the credit card charge UNLESS I have the product AND it works. Otherwise, >I notifiy the bank that I did not receive the item or whatever and refuse to >pay the charge until I have the item, it works, and I am satisfied. This >gives ME control over the process, rather than the mail order outfit. Mail >order outfits are always cooperative when you owe them for products shipped. That's one approach. I use a credit card, but only deal with companies that I've used before with good results, or if I must, companies which have rave reviews. The companies that I've dealt with (Mac Connection, PC Connection, a couple others) have generally gotten the stuff to me before I could possibly check to see if my credit card has been charged, and so, I don't care. I have to check outside my door after I hang up the phone. The one exception was because I forgot I ordered the stuff for a couple weeks, and UPS didn't actually leave it (I was on vacation or there was some other screw up - DON'T GO ON VACATION! :-). I called the company, they put in a trace, the stuff arrived a couple days later (really BTS, but the stuff in it (a bulk disk order) was fine). I do have a an arrangement with UPS that lets them give me the stuff on the first attempt. This helps alot. Not all stories work like this. Other people have purchased all sorts of stuff, and have been shafted left and right, and sometimes by companies that they have had prior good luck with. Six month delays, the check was cashed almost before it (the check) was sent, bad stuff, etc., you've heard it before. I use mail order because of the computer stores around here. Computer stores around here fall into two categories. They have stuff but are only open when I'm at work (M-F 10-4 or some such nonsense). It is either that or they don't carry anything of use. There is a BusinessLand in the building at which I work which I can visit any time. They don't have anything within my price range (I will only pay up to twice list price :-). They don't have anything in the way of supplies (ribbons, disks, cables, a replacement mouse (these break). I have tried repeatedly to actually buy something there with no success. I even tried today. I think that they are really a front for some underworld (read criminal) activities. Maybe I'll ask for a "nickle bag" (is that still common usage terminology?) and see what happens. It might be amusing. It would probably get me arrested, maimed or killed, but it'd be worth it (as few things are) to actually find out what it is that they do. My favorite store is one that I use to work near, which has horrible hours (but I was so close that it didn't matter), had reasonable prices, often had what I wanted in stock, would actually order things if I asked them to, and they would get these things quickly (not next week or in a few months). The staff wasn't incompetent (incredible), but were sometimes rude (though working with the public tends to make even fairly nice people that way). I'd pay more for a 24 hour computer store that ALWAYS has everything even remotely reasonable in stock. I wouldn't even care if the salespeople were utterly incompetent and rude a**holes, so long as I could get what I wanted **right now**. (Really, a city like Boston should be able to support one of these.) I'd pay more for fast, reliable mail order. Oh, I guess I do that now. When I was at Mac World, I saw a demo of a really neat new version of a product (which escapes me, but I don't think I actually got one). The salesman said, "... and you can pick it up at the Mac Connection booth, right over there." I replied that I would get it sooner if I called the 800 number, and I wouldn't have to carry it home. Its almost true (It is true that I wouldn't have to carry it home). I've always thought of myself as the ideal consumer. No thinking is allowed. If I see it, I want it. If I want it, I simply buy it. If I run out of money, I ask for more credit (and they give it to me in huge quantities, for no apparent reason other than I have a history of actually spending it). I'm looking for the idea store. The idea store is always open, always has what you want, and the salesmen will sell you anything without regard to its value to anyone under any circumstances, so long as you are willing to own it. For food, Store 24 is pretty close, but doesn't quite always have everything. I used to live near something called Day/Nite SuperStore, which was perfect, except that they closed. Seriously, you could buy the most awesome steak (or even munchies) even at 4 AM. (I couldn't due to a metabolism problem which causes me to fall unconsious at that exact time. I'm told that this will be fixed in the next release). Stephen.