I told them

[whr2206]

Most of you probably have not heard of my story before...but anyways...IN January this computer shop was trying to sell me a cheap pc chip board..when I payed for an asus...(they agve me the pc chip one..I got my money back after I came here found out what that board was..and how they were trying to take advantage of a newbie)then I found out my cd was refurbished..(didnt mind it too much) it was just the fact that I had bought a "new" one. And i found out from you guys...went and told them...and they gave me what i ordered. Then (heres what just recently happened) I was going to buy a new hd from this place for my schools server, but there prices were a little high. So i asked if they had an ibm deskstars, and they said no... and then this guy said that those drives are crap and are all brown box.."I wouldnt touch that with a ten foot pole" the guy said. So i was like....right...(they bs sooo much) so then i bought my deskstar online....then yesterday my friend went in their and bought some RAM, even though I said not to b/c those guys were creeps...I found out they charged him 60 bucks for pc100 128 mb of RAM?!?!?! I went back in there...and demanded his money back..again...when do these people learn their lesson??

I know you probably dont care, but I just felt like saying something about them...cause I was not pleased with them in Jan. (they pissed me off sooo much) And I even gave them a second chance to see if they changed..they hadnt ....owell!!! I guess will NEVER go there again.cpu pros my butt!

[DrZaius]

$60 for 128MB! Your friend's lucky he knew you and you helped him out, but think of the people who are getting ripped off by these idiots and have no idea! I hate it when people or stores take advantage of people who don't know much about computers and end up selling them PC Chips junk or overcharge them. Lucky for them PC Mech is here.

[whr2206]

yeah, everyone was looking at me in the store...i guess it'd be kinda funny to see some 15 year old yelling at some computer store guy. I bought him some crucial..I usually can't tell the dif from crucial and the other stuff but 18 bucks is cheap! Another thing that suprised me is that they were rated like best computer store by this by that blah blah blah..I guess most people who go in their are not that familiar in the pc area, and just get ripped off!

[redbaron_snoopy]

It's unlikely they will change cos the margins for such rip-offs are very high. Unless a new shop opens next to them.

I get mostly used stuff (some call me cheapo, I call myself a value conscious ) from my neigbourhood shop and thankfully, they are honest chaps.
However, sometime they are also selling crappy stuff (see my other posts on my mobo) unknowingly but when i break the news to them, they will do what is reasonable to keep the customer happy. Honestly is especially important for used and OEM stuff becoz it's very likely to have some problems now and then.

Maybe you should setup a shop next to them...or any takers here ?

[Alfie]

About 1 year ago,a new computer place opened near to where I live.
Did a lot of advertising,great prices,etc.
Went to check them out,there was a line outside the door,innocent people(non computer savvy) buying these systems at cheap prices.
Browsed through and realized this outfit was selling refurbished,pure junk as brand new.
A friend's description was "After leaving,he had the urge to take a shower"
The business folded, took the money and ran.
It goes to show the slogan of a NY clothing company is true " Educated consumers are our best customers"
It was a shame,because an honest mom and pop computer shop was accross the street,that offered some great bargains on basic systems,been there for 5 years.

[Toaster]

Hello folks,
I trust you folks are aware that this is the incorrect forum for such discussions. In the future, please use the "General" forum for topics such as these.

[whr2206]

ohhh yeah IM sorry!

[glc]

Jeez - and I thought I was high priced selling Micron branded 128mb PC100 for $25!

[archie]

Just in case this turns people away from buying refurbished items, don't let that be. Refurbished items are quite OK, with savings to be had ... as long as they are not being sold as new items of course.

[Alfie]

archie
Fully agree as to refurbished products.
The place I was talking about was a fly by night operation,that was selling rebuilt hunks of junk as new at cheap prices and literally took the money and ran.
They were in business for 3-4 monthes,failed to pay the rent,left everyone hanging as to tech support,etc.

[Carl Price]

I agree that the ram price was a bit excessive and there is no excuse for selling something other than what is paid for. That said, I would like to leave you with this. Why did he go to the store anyway? If you are naive enough to think that a store can and will sell for the same price as you can get over the internet, your elevator is not going all the way to the top. Computer stores are for people who don't know, don't care that they don't know, and are willing to pay the price for not knowing. I am not going to pay $19.00 plus shipping from my vendor and then sell it (and install it) to you for $20.00. Gougeing is just plain wrong, but the store deserves a decent (not excessive) profit for:
1. Being there for you!
2. Tying up money in inventory for you
3. Having the knowledge to advise you properly.

In conclusion, if you absolutely have to have hardware at it's rock bottom, buy from the internet, but if you want or need ME then pay me!

[DrZaius]

I agree with you Carl. When buying from a store I can see exactly what I am buying and I know that if the product is defective or DOA it is much less of a hassle to return it to the store and get a replacement. If I where to buy the product online and it didn't work I would have to first call and ask for an RMA number, then go to the post office and package and ship the product, then wait a week or so for the return to be processed and a new one to be sent. That is why I like to buy parts that have a high DOA rate like motherboards and hard drives from stores, and I am willing to pay more than the online price because of the convinience of dealing with the seller face to face, rather than on the phone or through emails. That being said, $60 is still way to much for 128MB. If I where to buy RAM from a store (havn't in a while since Crucial has been so good), I would not hesitate to pay $25, as glc mentioend, over the $19 I would spend online, for the above mentioned reasons.

[mike breck]

I don't understand Toaster's advise.

Has this post been moved?

[Carl Price]

Originally posted by Toaster Hello folks, I trust you folks are aware that this is the incorrect forum for such discussions. In the future, please use the "General" forum for topics such as these.

Sorry, I thought that was where I was at.

[glc]

Yes, I moved the post - and I *thought* I left a link in the original forum.....

In a lot of cases, I actually pay more from my distributor than what the item can be found for on line - and I do this because my distributors support ME when I have a problem. I generally mark items up 25%, and offer a 5% cash discount to cover my costs accepting credit cards. I can't stay in business unless I make a profit. $60 for that ram is WAY out of line though, but maybe it was "old stock" that they were stuck with - and they were just waiting for a sucker to buy it. This is why we stock almost NOTHING and buy as needed to fill orders. The only items we stock are things that prices are stable on and are high failure or high demand items, such as power supplies, CPU coolers, cheap network cards, cables, etc. Then again, we do not have a storefront (it's a home based business) - most of our work is "on-site". My warehouse is the back end of my station wagon.

[whr2206]

I hate to see people in there everyday, mostly buying their systems (not parts) but who knows what they could be hiding under the hood??? They have all these certifications that they have completed, but I work at a store where they dont require a + or anything basic like that, but we sell good systems, and we are honest. I know I'm not that smart when it comes to computers (compared to you guys) but I am taking night classes, and working my butt off, and these cpu pro people are stealing alot of peoples cash, and putting it in their ill-gotten stash!

[whr2206]

whew! just sent an email to them, I bet you they dont read it! Its under service and product help. In response to some other people that have posted, refurbished isnt that bad, its just that I order a brand new drive, no a refurb, and guess what, that dirve failed on me 8 months after!

[Charliey]

Well, sometimes harddrives just die. once i got an 8gb in a system, and it died withing 1 month of getting it, we got it replaced, and the replacement has been running for 2 years. Its kinda unpredictable, sometimes they just die even if theyre brand new.

[whr2206]

it was a dvd drive....Ive had seagates fail on me alot.... but i still use them second to ibm.