J
Jose
Flightless Bird
Re: Staples as a Source for Buying Computers--Market Driven at theConsumer's Expense?
On Jan 7, 10:56 am, "W. eWatson" <wolftra...@invalid.com> wrote:
> David C. Holley wrote:
> > While I can see whole dollar prices as possibly being indicitive of a
> > discontinued item, I find it unlikely that other odd prices such as .97,
> > .92, .68 have any significant meaning. Staples uses a pricing model that
> > looks at the true cost of a product from acquisition to warehouse to
> > delivery to the retail stores with such issues as transportation, storage,
> > handling, etc. It goes beyond just looking at the cost to purchase the
> > product and the selling price of the product. As such, the odd prices are
> > most likely generated from a pricing algorithim and accepted as is unless
> > the analyst decides to adjust them.
>
> > "Jose" <jose_e...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> >news:c21fd80c-231f-41ba-9f49-34b0ac3731e3@21g2000yqj.googlegroups.com...
> > On Jan 6, 11:09 am, "W. eWatson" <wolftra...@invalid.com> wrote:
> >> I bought a new HP computer at Staples, and recently started into
> >> creating a set of rescue disks. It was mystifying. I resorted to
> >> Newsgroups and here. Last night, I Googled HP and noticed a chat. I
> >> tried it. It was busted. I noticed something about contact them for
> >> support. I called. I found out I had a year of free support any time.
>
> >> I have no recollection of Staples telling me anything about this, other
> >> than I had a year of parts replacement. Today I went over and looked at
> >> their PCs, and found none mentioned free HP support, but did offer, for
> >> a price, their care. BTW, I did dig out a support phone number (I don't
> >> think they mentioned free) from HP's minimal getting started booklet,
> >> which seems very h/w oriented. HP answered my questions satisfactorily..
>
> >> So to me this looks like Staples as less than honest about what one gets
> >> with computers bought there.
>
> > In that case, the first recommendation I have is to come up with
> > (borrow/copy/create) a genuine bootable XP installation CD (if your
> > new system came with XP). You may find that a lot handier later if
> > your system doesn't boot some day.
>
> > Not telling you about something is not the same as not being honest.
>
> > There are good bargains to be had at these stores - especially in the
> > electronics department.
>
> > A "trick" for shopping these places (Staples, Office Depot especially)
> > is to pay special attention to the price. If the price does not end
> > in .99, that item is discontinued and reduced for quick sale.
> > Reasonable offers accepted.
>
> > If you see a price ending in .97, .92, .68 etc. - make them an offer.
> > 25-50% of the display price (or less) even.
>
> > If the sales person doesn't know anything what you are talking about,
> > speak to the manager. Somebody put that goofy price on there and
> > knows what it means. They know what you're talking about. If the
> > manager doesn't know, find the correct manager or call the next day
> > and talk to them on the phone.
>
> > It may be a display item with a few miles on it or be scratched, they
> > may not have the right box or power cord, but you will get it cheap.
> > Computer, TVs, printers, cameras, etc. They usually have the same
> > warranty. It not, you can always walk.
>
> > Make an offer!
>
> I'm skipping over several messages just to see my response a few minutes
> ago. Particularly note my mention of the mgr, and my claim their
> approach has nothing to do with me, but has to do with the information
> available to the customer. Other than that I am going to report this to
> Consumer Reports.
Good idea I reckon - all of the HP warranty and service information is
clearly stated in the HP documentation - 24/7, toll free, chat, etc.
I guess you found that okay though.
You can also look up retailer information on the free pages of the
Better Business Bureau (www.bbs.org) and determine if the have earned/
received a BBB accreditation and read an overall grade (A+ - F),
reliability reports and customer experiences even if they are not
accredited.
You can drill down to your particular retailer.
Oops - Staples has no BBS accreditation!
On Jan 7, 10:56 am, "W. eWatson" <wolftra...@invalid.com> wrote:
> David C. Holley wrote:
> > While I can see whole dollar prices as possibly being indicitive of a
> > discontinued item, I find it unlikely that other odd prices such as .97,
> > .92, .68 have any significant meaning. Staples uses a pricing model that
> > looks at the true cost of a product from acquisition to warehouse to
> > delivery to the retail stores with such issues as transportation, storage,
> > handling, etc. It goes beyond just looking at the cost to purchase the
> > product and the selling price of the product. As such, the odd prices are
> > most likely generated from a pricing algorithim and accepted as is unless
> > the analyst decides to adjust them.
>
> > "Jose" <jose_e...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> >news:c21fd80c-231f-41ba-9f49-34b0ac3731e3@21g2000yqj.googlegroups.com...
> > On Jan 6, 11:09 am, "W. eWatson" <wolftra...@invalid.com> wrote:
> >> I bought a new HP computer at Staples, and recently started into
> >> creating a set of rescue disks. It was mystifying. I resorted to
> >> Newsgroups and here. Last night, I Googled HP and noticed a chat. I
> >> tried it. It was busted. I noticed something about contact them for
> >> support. I called. I found out I had a year of free support any time.
>
> >> I have no recollection of Staples telling me anything about this, other
> >> than I had a year of parts replacement. Today I went over and looked at
> >> their PCs, and found none mentioned free HP support, but did offer, for
> >> a price, their care. BTW, I did dig out a support phone number (I don't
> >> think they mentioned free) from HP's minimal getting started booklet,
> >> which seems very h/w oriented. HP answered my questions satisfactorily..
>
> >> So to me this looks like Staples as less than honest about what one gets
> >> with computers bought there.
>
> > In that case, the first recommendation I have is to come up with
> > (borrow/copy/create) a genuine bootable XP installation CD (if your
> > new system came with XP). You may find that a lot handier later if
> > your system doesn't boot some day.
>
> > Not telling you about something is not the same as not being honest.
>
> > There are good bargains to be had at these stores - especially in the
> > electronics department.
>
> > A "trick" for shopping these places (Staples, Office Depot especially)
> > is to pay special attention to the price. If the price does not end
> > in .99, that item is discontinued and reduced for quick sale.
> > Reasonable offers accepted.
>
> > If you see a price ending in .97, .92, .68 etc. - make them an offer.
> > 25-50% of the display price (or less) even.
>
> > If the sales person doesn't know anything what you are talking about,
> > speak to the manager. Somebody put that goofy price on there and
> > knows what it means. They know what you're talking about. If the
> > manager doesn't know, find the correct manager or call the next day
> > and talk to them on the phone.
>
> > It may be a display item with a few miles on it or be scratched, they
> > may not have the right box or power cord, but you will get it cheap.
> > Computer, TVs, printers, cameras, etc. They usually have the same
> > warranty. It not, you can always walk.
>
> > Make an offer!
>
> I'm skipping over several messages just to see my response a few minutes
> ago. Particularly note my mention of the mgr, and my claim their
> approach has nothing to do with me, but has to do with the information
> available to the customer. Other than that I am going to report this to
> Consumer Reports.
Good idea I reckon - all of the HP warranty and service information is
clearly stated in the HP documentation - 24/7, toll free, chat, etc.
I guess you found that okay though.
You can also look up retailer information on the free pages of the
Better Business Bureau (www.bbs.org) and determine if the have earned/
received a BBB accreditation and read an overall grade (A+ - F),
reliability reports and customer experiences even if they are not
accredited.
You can drill down to your particular retailer.
Oops - Staples has no BBS accreditation!