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CompUSA still really really really sucks
Originally posted on February
8th, 2003
The poor misguided one eye jacks...
We've all had horror stories
with retailers. I'm sure you've got a doosie just as your neighbor
does. Here's another one to put on the pile.
One of my clients in SF has a
home PC that they like to use for checking email and a little
work now and then. Well, somehow the 1-port Linksys went out
with all lights on (Diag, Act, etc) and there was nothing I could
do to reset it or get it re-flashed with the latest firmware
so I thought I'd pop down to CompUSA to get another one.
On the way to their house, I
stopped in the CompUSA store in San Bruno CA. It was 10am sharp
and there were a few people standing at the doors waiting to
go in. I don't know about you, but why don't these guys (CompUSA
store managers) open the doors and let the customers in? Do they
really prefer to just stand there right at the door and monitor
their watches for the precise minute to open the door? Weird.
If I ran a store I would be happy to open the door to take their
money and help them. That's just me I guess...
Anyway, so I get in the store
and I can't find any 1-port DSL/Cable routers. I'm looking for
the 1-port model # BEFSR11 specifically. I stopped and asked
a CompUSA floor walker if they had any of the 1-ports (model
# BEFSR11)... (here it goes, the good part...) he looked at me
kinda funny (like I didnt know what I was talking about) and
said, "Linksys doesn't make a 1 port DSL/Router". They
don't? Are you sure that Linksys doesn't make one? He said, "Linksys
has never made a 1 port linksys DSL/Router". really... that's
funny... cuz your website listed one and I've been using them
for over 2 years.
He then said, "well why
would you want a hardware router anyway, software routers are
better". I said, "you mean a software firewall right?"
He said, "Oh, yeah, thats right." I then asked him
how long he's been working for CompUSA. He said 3 years. I said
that I come in here a lot and I've never seen him before.
So, ignoring the CompUSA robot
box reader, I found a 4-port Linksys DSL/Router for about $85
bucks. I know, you can find them all over the net for $35 but
I needed it quick for this job.
I zoom back to my clients home
office and start opening the box...
The box is shrink wrapped. I
removed the wrap and started opening the box... before I'm 1
minute into opening the box I start to notice things are a-miss...
the corners on the box are crumpled and frayed. Hmmm... Being
a veteran computer user and retail victim of re-packed and resold-like-new
items, I knew I was in trouble. I continued to open the box and
found a power supply marked bad in permanent ink right on the
back of the power supply!
Okay, now I'm behind in my project
thanks to the ineptitude of the CompUSA management. I ran back
to CompUSA to complain. The returns clerk actually started arguing
with me about this. He was defending their actions by saying
that sometimes people return things that work just fine and they
just repack them up for sale.
I promptly told him this was
against the law and that Fry's Electronics was sued for this
as well as other retailers.
He got me another box and I wanted
to open it to make sure it was okay. He wouldn't let me open
it in the store! He told me to go outside and return it if I
had a problem. I told him the only problem I had was CompUSA
and him.
I got out in the car and check
the contents of the Linky. Everything was okay and I went back
to my clients home office to get him up and going.
Morale of this story? Stay far
far away from CompUSA. Promote your local repair shop. They may
a bit more expensive, but if you read the reviews in PC Mag and
others, you'll find you'll receive much better support and a
knowledgeable technician.
Michael
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