Dont Get Ripped OFF!-Consumer Tips and Savings

Need a Cable for Your Computer?-Don’t Get Ripped Off

robertw477 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:55:10 +0000

The office supply and computer stores, have found a way to make money from computers. Way overprices accesory and peripheral devices. Recently I needed a spare standard and DVI video cable for a computer. I did not wat to go searching for my spare cables. These standard display cables sell for $25-$30.00. Pretty incredible since I have seen LCD display monitors on sales with coupons selling for as little at 80.00 that include at least 1 DVI or standard display cable. This has been an area that huge margins have always been the case. You need the item in a pinch and really pay for it. The best place to get all sorts of accesory items and cables is Monoprice.com. They sell these cables for a fraction of the price. This applies to those expensive HDMI cables, and a ny possible cable needed for any device. No need to pay your cell phone company $30.00 for some dinky micro USB cable which you can buy right from Monoprice at a few dollars. Another place to go is EBAY. Look for the deals and make sure to include shipping charges. It is a good idea to buy a few spare cables to have when you need them. IPOD cables and accessories are also avaiable at Monoprice. Don’t pay retail and get ripped off.

Blog is Running Again!

robertw477 — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:51:45 +0000

Due to various business issues I have not updated this blog in a while. I will be updating this blog with a ton of new entries and money saving ideas and suggestions. I appreciate the feedback I have received from readers.

Warranties Continue to be a Waste of Money

robertw477 — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:18:41 +0000

My articles about warranties and electonics and your xmas gifts have given me many responses from readers. I am reprinting my earlier post with some new comments and additions. There are people in life that want to be insured for every single thing that can happen in their lives. Per se a warranty is a type of insurance. This type of insurance is so profitable that retailers often earn more money on warranties, than the sale of the product itself. Keep in mind that approx 70% of all premiums collected are kept by the retailer. Only 30% of all warranty money is actually used. Even if the company repairs your item, you may have to wait for weeks, or in some cases repairing the item doesnt make much sense. Also an important point that I mentioned is that there are sometimes issues in making claims. Many readers told me their horror stories. Save the warranty money and you will have enough to buy more items and replace/repair as needed.

I am not a fan of extended warranties. There are many reasons that I don’t like. One of which is they are a huge ripoff. Circuit City shows in their annual reports that the vast majority of profits they make is on extended warranties. Add that to the fact that these warranties may only cost the store about .10 cents on the dollar in their payouts (repairs) One thing that consumers might not consider when they buy these warranties specifically on electronics is that you are insuring a devaluing item that may get cheaper and better over time. Another important factor is what happens when you have a claim/repair? Will the work get done? How long will it take. I am copying a post I saw at fatwallet.com (a great consumer site for deals and information) about a guy who paid $500.00 for an extended warranty and so far has not gotten the laptop repaired. He bought what Best Buy calls the Platinum Service plan. I think his only recourse after filing with his state will be a small claims lawsuit against Best Buy which I feel he will win. I entered best Buy into my company Hall of Shame where they sit now at #1. I am reprinting Jeff’s experience with Best Buy. this is his complete and detailed complaint.

I’ve just returned from a BEST BUY store/service center in Merced California where I have been a loyal and consistent customer for the better part of my life but this is the end to all that. What happened this last time is too much for any customer to bear hence why I feel compelled to take even more time out of my life to inform you and everyone else out there how I got ripped off from BEST BUY so that they will all think twice about ever doing business with you or suffer the fate I have here below….

First Some History -
On October 22, 2004 – I Purchased a Toshiba Laptop P35-S609/P4 for $1799.99 (Serial Number ######) along with a Platinum Service Plan (######) for $499.99. I wasn’t going to purchases this extended service contract but the assistant manager on duty assured me that if anything were to go wrong with this laptop in the next 3 years all I would have to do is to return it to a service center and I would have it repaired at no cost and returned back to me within 7 days.

Jump Forward to 2 weeks Ago -
August 21, 2007 – I turn on my laptop and notice that it has two distinct vertical lines in the LCD display. I decided to turn it in to BEST BUY geek squad and have the LCD and a few other items fixed at the same time. No one likes to be without their computer for very long right?

August 22, 2007 – I drive the 35 miles to Merced California to return my laptop to the Service Department at BEST BUY. I explain that my LCD display is not functioning properly, the 1394 firewire port no longer works, the dvd burner/player doesn’t recognise blank DVDs (making it very hard to burn DVDs) and the PCI slot has a hard time working because the eject button seems to be twisted and not pop in and out the wireless cards I’ve used in the past.

The Tech takes my Laptop and informs me that it will be at least 2 – 6 weeks before I will hear anything and that they will be in touch with me then. Surprised at his response, I told him that I had purchased a $500 Platinum Plan and he said yeah we sold those once a while back but that my turnaround time would be the same. Only when I pulled out my paperwork with my plan details on it did he admit that it did say 7 day turnaround and that if it didn’t come back in that time span I could “ask” for the cost of my plan be returned to me since BEST BUY could not return my laptop in that time frame…..All this even before I LEFT the store…I was not feeling at all good about leaving it there but what choice did I have? BEST BUY had my $500 for the service plan so I had to leave it or pay someone else to look at it.
August 29, 2007 – (exactly 7 days later) – I drove 35 miles to the BEST BUY
Store in Merced California and asked about the status of my laptop. The technician behind the counter told me that the service center had tried to contact me that day at my work (where I was ALL day) and that they needed an approval to complete the work that needed to be done. Of course I NEVER received a call asking me about this so I was SHOCKED to hear that in order to return my laptop to me in working order that I would have to pay $954.97 in repairs to the motherboard. I asked why I would have to pay an additional $954.97 since I had purchased a service agreement for $500 and he told me that the service center had determined that the laptop had been “abused” and this was not normal wear and tear or daily use issues. They acted like I drove over my laptop and handed to them and said fix this. This obviously was not the case since the laptop still to this day functions but with the above issues broken.

Completely irritated at this point I told him that I would contact the service center and discuss the matter with them since there was nothing that the technician could do about it at store level. Several days had passed and I received a phone call from Glenn at BEST BUY in Merced.

September 6th, 2007 – I receive a call from Glenn telling me that my laptop was available for pick-up at Merced BEST BUY and to return a call if I had any questions. I returned his call and spoke to the head technician Erina. When I asked about the status of my laptop she seemed puzzled at first but went and pulled the work order and told me on the phone that my laptop was in the store and that she wasn’t sure if the work had been completed or not.
After 15 minutes or so on the phone with her I asked that she call me back once she had determined if the laptop had been fixed or not. She agreed and I hung up the phone still puzzled about why they would tell me they wanted almost $1,000 to fix my laptop but then ship it back to the store fixed?

September 8th, 2007 – (TODAY) After not receiving any calls back from Erina that my laptop was completed or still broken I decided to drive 35 miles once more to the Merced BEST BUY store and inquire about my laptop. When I asked the technician about the status of my laptop I was referred to Erina who told me that the laptop was in the store and ready to be picked-up. I asked why she never called me back to tell me and she said that someone else was suppose to do it. Still I got no call. She then told me that the laptop was returned with the LCD repaired ($35 labor bill – no parts needed) and that labor was covered under my service agreement.
The rest of the items that I had listed were not repaired because they were not covered under the $500 Agreement that I paid for because the service department deemed them to be “abuse” or not daily wear and tear. Again, it was not like I hit it with a baseball bat or let my 2 year old jump up and down on it. I paid a lot of money for this laptop. I have taken good care of it. I was honestly offended and shocked that I was being taken advantage of like this. I asked that she get her store manager involved and she quickly called for an associate named Gil Castro.

I asked Gil if he was the store manager since I didn’t want to waist anymore of my time dealing with this than I had already and he told me that he was the Service Department Manager and wanted to help me. After reviewing all the paperwork and listening to my story as told here above he went to the back of the store and pulled the technicians’ notes. When he returned he read back to me exactly what Erina had told me earlier and that I should write a letter to BESTBUY.COM to explain my displeasure with this decision on the part of the service center and that there was nothing he could do to help me any further. I told him that I was extremely upset with the service that I had received at that point and that he did not want me to leave his store angry about this experience and he again told me there was nothing that he could do. Poor ability at store level to help make me a happy customer…..This could have all been avoided if he had but it didn’t. He handed me my laptop I left the store and now I am writing this letter.

The Problem is…..I still have a Laptop that is broken. I still paid $500 for a service plan that BEST BUY now refuses to honor. I’m still upset and angry that the consumer (ME) who rightfully and honestly pays for everything gets ripped off by the Corporation (BEST BUY) because it is not financially feasible to fix the $1,000 part for the price of the $500 plan……I really hope that is not the case but I am beginning to believe that it is not about what someone thinks is “abuse” or not but simply a numbers game of gains and loses to repair my laptop. It would have been better and easier to just fix it or give me a new one since the cost of repair is more than the cost of a newer one.

So here I am taking up your time and mine over a broken $1,000 laptop and a $500 service plan that I paid for and BEST BUY won’t honor. I have decided that I will post this letter to several Blogs in the hopes those others who at contemplating doing business with BEST BUY will read this and think otherwise. I feel it is my duty to warn them about my treatment here and guide them towards other retailers with better morals, ethics and customer service.

I would appreciate a response to my efforts here to inform you of my situation but if BEST BUYs’ history with calling me back is an indication of what I can expect then I will just forward this letter on to the Better Business Bureau and my State Attorney Generals Office for filing a claim next.

I appreciate your time and effort in helping me makes things right here………….

Jeff

Obviously I feel this is outrageous. In my recent issue of a DOA computer monitor in less than 30 days I was told to wait a month for the repair to be made. Now if you use a laptop for business of whatever waiting a month or more for repair (if they make the repair) is ridiculous.

Fedex Ground Service- Avoid!

robertw477 — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:20:29 +0000

A while back I wrote a post about the poor service I have seen over the years with Fedex ground service. Unfortunately there was a package sent to me recently from a vendor using the Fedex home delivery service. Fedex on their air service is one of the bets companies, however their ground service is extremely poor in my opinion. The ground service uses a contract type service which I have had various problems with. If you have a choice in how you ship Christmas gifts or other items, avoid fedex ground. UPS ground service is far more reliable on ground deliveries.

$80.00 for Two but $60.00 for One?

robertw477 — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:03:13 +0000

I was in JCPenney this past weekend and was looking for a pair of pants. I saw a sign that read $80.00 for two pairs. I only needed one pair, and took it to the cash register. I was told two pairs were $80.00, but one pair was $60.00 each. I did not need two pairs of corderoy pants, so I took a pass. The big and tall sizes were on sale for $36.00 each. This was the first time I have seen this at JCPenney. Maybe there was some small print on the sign that I did not read. Anyway I was pissed. I have also seen many stores that show two or three items for a given price but the single price is still the same divided by two, etc. Usually a single price is noted. On these particiular pants I doubt many people need two pairs in different colors.

Debit Cards Just Don’t Cut it.

robertw477 — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:00:33 +0000

Banks push their Visa/MasterCard debit cards hard. The reason is the merchant fees they make as you use the cards. Merchants are fighting back in court about these fees. Anyway using a debit card can be a huge hassle. First renting a car, I have seen huge arguments and problems with those using debit cards. Some car rental companies want large deposits on the cards or holds to protect their interests. Some do not or will not rent to people with debit cards. I have seen problems in the US and outside the US. Bottom line use a credit card for rental cars always. The next issue is hotels-they also are afraid of daily room charges and place holds on the cards for a few hundred dollars a day to cover any room charges on incidentals. If enough of these cash holds are placed on the card there might be issues clearing checks if there are not sufficient excess funds. Next consumer protection. You have much more protection with credit cards regarding problem merchants, bogus charges etc. With a debit card you are not in a great position fighting charges. When banks are pressed about protections they usually state there are various rules they follow. Credit card companies do a much better job in protecting consumers. What if you by an airlines ticket with a debit card and they go bust? With a credit card yo get your money back, with a debit card you have a big problem and might lose the money.

Sirius In The Hall of Shame Again!

robertw477 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:31:16 +0000

I often refer to my Hall of Shame, which are companies who I feel have poor customer service, or poor customer policies. I have found Sirus radio, now Sirius/XM to be particularly arrogant in their practices. First customers should know that the contracts they offer renew themselves. You have to contact them to cancel before your comtract is up or it will rener on its own. I hate such contacts and feel they are against public policy. Today I called Sirius about some problems I have with my current car receiver. The car unit has some sort of short. this unit is not installed in my dash so I can replace it easily. I purchased a used unit of Ebay and intended to activate the new unit while disconnecting the old unit. My account at sirius is paid through the end of the year 2008. The rep I spoke to (from India of course) told me that I would be charged $15.00. Sirius simply presses a button for a preexisting customer and they want $15.00. I am not paying that money. I will send them an email today and see if they respond. If not when the contract is up I will cancel and sell my (good) unit on Ebay. After being a customer for several years who would think they would try and charge me. Also the rep from India doesnt care and why should she? Somehow I wonder who is runnign this company? A preexisting customer buys a replacement piece of equipment and they want to charge to acticate it? What a rip off. Now that XM merged with Sirius, I don’t expect things to be any different. In order to hear many of the combined stations, custmers will have to upgrade their equipment. I would not upgrade anything. At some point podcasts and internet radio may become a reality and pose a competive threat to Sirius.

FOLLOWUP: I got an email today telling me how they value my business, however any change of receiver is a $15.00 charge. I guess they have no common sense. I will try to keep my old unit working. When I cancel I guarantee they would be more than happy to activate the other unit at no charge.

Being Thrifty (Cheap) Now popular?

robertw477 — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:28:16 +0000

With gas at $4.00 per gallon, inflation and all sorts of things going on, becoming cheap is now trendy. Take a look at the national news, and local news. They are talking about people clipping coupons and getting back to save money. These savings were always there, but now it seems like people feel more comfortable looking for that hot deal and taking advantage of it. Everyone is looking to save a buck. I consider saving money similar to getting income without having to pay tax on it. Store brands are more in vogue, as is the early bird dinner etc. Saving money is a habit you should try to do no matter what the economy is doing.

Are you Being thrifty?

robertw477 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:38:24 +0000

It is now hip to be thrifty. People hate to use the word cheap. Every newspaper, the media, is focused on a few things. The high price of gas, and how consumers can save money. Much of the advice is ancedotal and of limited use. I see a big increase in the crowds and sales at my local wholesale clubs. One of my suggestions is to really find out how much you are saving, and know a great deal when you see it. Personally I look for loss leads at local stores and load up when I see a great price. Make sure that the package size is the same as you normally buy. Some of the product companies are changing the yield on a product so they dont actually have to raise the price. I will often go back to the same stores during the week to make sure I have as much as possible if the price is right. Make sure to buy items you really use and will not spoil. To save gas pick up items on the way home from work or while doing other tasks. While prices have been going up, local markets are still running specials for their customers. Maybe even more than normal in some cases. They need to get customers in the store to buy the higher margin stuff also.

Office Supply Deals

robertw477 — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:31:49 +0000

When I first got started in business the main places to get office supplies was a local office supply store, mail order companies like Quill, or find limited items in a Kmart or Walmart. Then Office Depot opened and was founded in Fort Lauderdale,Fl. They were a smash hit the day they opened. Lots of inventory, big catalog and better prices than the small office stores and more convenient than mail order. Every single small office supply store went bust. I think the stores were more aggressive in pricing initially to get a large market share quickly. I might be wrong on this, however I do think they worked really hard to get those customers.

Currently we have Office Depot, Office Max, Staples etc. I often get and use coupons that the top three mail to me. Office Depot coupons these days have so many exclusions I think they are saying you can only buy items that they have a high profit margin. However Office Depot accepts competitor coupons. I use this to my advantage when shopping in these stores. Sign up for the frequent buyer cards for more offers via email and mailed offers. These office stores make very little margin on the basics like case copy paper, case laser paper, cheap pens, manilla file folders. It is the fancier stuff that they make large margins on. Toner and ink carts are their own industry. Also shop their clearance area for big savings. Often you can use coupons in clearance area. Using top deals I iften save 50% or more. Because I do so well with the promotions, I find better deals in the stores than going to Costco or Sams Club for office supply items. For some reason I dont see great deals in the limited items they carry.