Fry's Electronics Experience (SFbay only)
Daniel Pang
cadad wrote:
>
> Mayank Thanawala wrote:
> >
> > Hello all,
> >
> > Sorry about the cross posting but I want my experience to be known.
> >
> > I went into Fry's Electronics three times last week. The first time was
> > Monday; I was looking for the OS/2 v.4 upgrade. They had the regular
> > edition on theshelves, but no upgrades. So I asked the software sales
> > person: "Do you haveany more of the upgrade edition?" The answer: "Any
> > more? Any MORE?!? Look,we never got any to begin with, OK?"
> >
> > And that's *my* fault?!? So I went in again on Friday and found the
> > software, walked out and was happy. Until I got home and found that I was
> > missing a CD and had an extra of another. OK, I thought, manufacturer's
> > fault, the store will exchange it, no problem. Right?
> >
> > Sort of. I went back to Fry's on Saturday and walked up to the service
> > desk. I waited about 5 minutes for someone to notice me, and finally someone
> > lobbed a form at me and said "fill." O-kay, so I filled out the form (5
> > minutes), which asked me why I was returning the product, etc etc (I wasn't
> > returning; I was exchanging).
> >
> > So five minutes or so after I've finished the form and have been standing
> > around again, someone finally helps me. I had gotten past being upset by
> > this time, and I was quite calm.
> >
> > After he found the manager of the store to sign my form, he took a new OS/2
> > box, we emptied the contents of both boxes and compared them item by item.
> > It was not enough for him to look at my box and see that I had 2 CD's
> > labelled "Device Driver Pak." Why on Earth would I need two Device Driver
> > Paks?!?
> >
> > So this comparison takes some time, and finally I am left with a complete
> > package, a conglomeration of new and old. It was artistic, but I told the
> > guy "Incidentally, this is the most ludicrous exchange procedure I've ever
> > been through." His answer: "yeah, we get a lot of that."
> >
> > So after we've reassembled the two boxes, we have to find the manager again
> > to OK the exchange and give me an affidavit...yes, an affidavit...to fill
> > out. It's all in this legal language, I such and such bought said product
> > manufactured by ______ from this store at that address, and on and on.
> > After I finally get this thing filled out to some extent, I have to wait for
> > the person again, and we have to find the manager AGAIN, and he signs it and
> > I get to be escorted out of the store by the manager.
> >
> > On my way out, I asked if there was some place or method for me to file a
> > complaint. He says he's the manager, so what's my complaint? I tell him
> > that this procedure is ludicrous, that I've never been through such an
> > elaborate exchange procedure in my life for any product at any store. He
> > says it's their policy. I explain that if I know before buying a product
> > that I'll have to go through all that if the product is defective, then I'm
> > less likely to buy the product from him. I explain that one responsibility
> > of a store is to deal with the manufacturers, so the customers don't have
> > to. That's why stores earn money. I explain that my time is worth such and
> > such per hour, and shouldn't I get $10 off the product? All this is done
> > very calmly and without belligerence. He says there's nothing he can do
> > (he's the manager?!?). I say if that's the case, don't expect to see me in
> > here ever again.
> >
> > He says, "Have a good evening, sir."
> >
> > I understand the need for software piracy protection, but this is
> > ridiculous! I was _exchanging_ for an identical product; furthermore, an
> > _upgrade_ product that's already dependent on a previous license!
> Welcome to Fry's,
> Your story is typical of the experiences I have had a Frys. If you
> remember the old Fry's grocery stores, they sold and and retired, then
> decided to open a electronics store and opened the first Fry's. Just
> look around and you will see they still run it like it was a grocery
> store only they forgot to add courtesy and custumer service.
> I think they are two types of people in the store at FRY'S:
> The Fucker and the Fuckee.
Besides the above problems, does anyone has problem with Fry's rebate
offer? I send in a few rebate requests for at least 2 months already,
I still haven't recieve my rebate checks. I have been checked with them
for so many time for so many times, but they couldn't give me anything
which song reasonable. I talk to couple of my friends, they also
encountered the same thing. I just wonder, does anyone out there has
the same problem too?
Mayank Thanawala
Andreas Ramos
Mayank Thanawala (may...@ibm.net) wrote:
(a long posting about Fry's customer abuse)
Why do you think they call it Fry's? The customer always gets fried :)
--
--
yrs, andreas
__________________________________________________________________________
Andreas Ramos and...@andreas.com http://www.andreas.com
Harold Sasaki
On Fri, 11 Oct 1996 Andreas Ramos <and...@netcom.com> wrote:
=> Why do you think they call it Fry's? The customer always gets fried :)
ROFL
This type of thing is pretty typical at Fry's. My question is why does
every cashier need to call for customer service everytime you buy
something?
One tip, if you are having trouble with getting a sales person to help you
(like getting a disk drive out of the case), just start walking around
behind the yellow lines where it says "employees only" and you will get
help immediately.
--
-----
Harold Sasaki
hsa...@harold.com
www.harold.com
Jeffrey Pawlan
You should consider yourself most fortunate that you got
someones's attention in a mere 5 minutes and actually got
to speak to a manager in less than an hour! When I have
returned defective products to Frys, it has NEVER been less
than 45 minutes and is always an ordeal to discourage the
customer from every trying that again.
cadad
David A. Kaye
Mayank Thanawala wrote the quoted material below:
" I went into Fry's Electronics three times last week.
Mistakes #1, #2, and #3.
I judge a company on the ads they run. Fry's spends tons of money on
computer rag and SJ Mercury ads. Once I counted 25 fullpage ads in the
Mercury. What does this mean? They cut corners somewhere else, in this
case on staff. They hire idiots with attitude. But unlike McDonald's
they don't appear to give them any training. This is where local
computer stores come in. Deal with someone you *know*, someome who will
be there next week or next month. I've had good luck with Domino's
Computers. Yes, they're small, but the people know things, and they're
willing to help. I bought my most recent computer from NCA in Berkeley
and was treated well. I'm told their other stores don't do so well, tho.
--
Copyright 1996 30,000,000 Chinese live in 130
David Kaye countries outside China.
Harold Sasaki
Pierre Jelenc
Mayank Thanawala <may...@ibm.net> writes:
>
> And that's *my* fault?!? So I went in again on Friday and found the
> software, walked out and was happy. Until I got home and found that I was
> missing a CD and had an extra of another. OK, I thought, manufacturer's
> fault, the store will exchange it, no problem. Right?
Why bother with a store? I placed my order online with Indelible Blue, it
was on my desk the very day of release (Sept 25th?) at 10 am.
_I_ had two copies of the demos CD and no drivers CD. Sent email to IB and
got the drivers CD a day and a half later in the mail.
Pierre
--
Pierre Jelenc Know what's weird? Day by day nothing seems to
rc...@panix.com change, but pretty soon everything is different.
pie...@nycbeer.org Calvin & Hobbes
http://www.columbia.edu/~pcj1/
Jim Stuyck
In <andreasD...@netcom.com>, and...@netcom.com (Andreas Ramos) writes:
>Mayank Thanawala (may...@ibm.net) wrote:
>
>(a long posting about Fry's customer abuse)
>
Well, I just checked the list of sites for demos on October 25/26 or
thereabouts, the "Connect the World with OS/2" thing, and saw that about
6-8 Fry's stores are scheduled for these dog and pony shows. So, rather
than view this as something negative, why not look at it as an opportunity?
After all, the management of the place is letting volunteers in to show
off OS/2. Whether or not these shows have any positive effect... well,
time will tell ;-)
Jim Stuyck
David Shepherd (SGS-Thomson)
Mayank Thanawala (may...@ibm.net) wrote:
: Sorry about the cross posting but I want my experience to be known.
: I went into Fry's Electronics three times last week.
Your story sounds familiar - I found the best description of Fry's some
where on the net as "the place where you queue up for 1 hour to return
the things you queued up for 1/2 hour the previous day to buy".
I had an occasion where I waited for half an hour while various
"managers" decided how to cope with the fact that the price ticket
on something I was buying was $3 less than what the computer siad
(eventually the ruling was that that item had to be charged at the
computer system's price but that I had triggered a $10 discount due
to pricing error so that took $10 off the price of a different item
that I was buying at the same time - logical - and don't even ask
what happens when you try to pay with travellers cheques!) - also
from overhearing a conversation at the next sales point if their
computer wants a drivers license as id then that's what it wants 0
- a calif id card donesn't do it - however, it turned out it just needed
any drivers license number to guarantee the cheque so they used the
license from the friend who'd driven him there!
: So after we've reassembled the two boxes, we have to find the manager again
: to OK the exchange and give me an affidavit...yes, an affidavit...to fill
: out. It's all in this legal language, I such and such bought said product
: manufactured by ______ from this store at that address, and on and on.
: After I finally get this thing filled out to some extent, I have to wait for
: the person again, and we have to find the manager AGAIN, and he signs it and
: I get to be escorted out of the store by the manager.
Look - at Fry's the people at the sales terminals even have to get
a managers permission to open the cash register to give you change if
you are paying with cash (or travellers cheques!).
BTW, the slightly worrying thing is that the box you returned has in
all probability been reshrink wrapped and placed back on the shelf with
a "returned by previous purchaser" label on it. I considered buying
an OmniGo 100 from Fry's until 1) I spotted that *all* the boxes had
already been opened and 2) they advertised a very good price via an
HP $50 rebate - except that reading the fine print showed that you
couldn't qualify for the rebate on purchases until the next week so
I went in the next week to find that the price had gone up by $50.
: On my way out ...
BTW you forget to include the ever so friendly way in which they
search all your bags as you go out.
Overall Fry's is an amazing place to browse in and seems to be ok
so long as no problems occur but then things really start to get
difficult. BTW, perhaps the fact that they have such a large number
of customer return points right next to the entrance should be a
warning!
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
david shepherd
email: d...@dtc.hp.com, tel: (415) 857-3799
Douglas R. Sheppard
Well, you may have had a bad experience due to dopes working
at Fry's, but when dealing with dopes you have a chance for things
to actually work in your favor as well!
I was trying to exchange an 8-bit sound card once because the
software was messed up. They were confused and made me do a return
instead. BUT GET THIS... they let me return it as a 16-bit sound card!
So I made some money on this and was able to turn around, buy a new
8-bit card, plus software, plus joystick, and some candy.
So, God bless those dopes!
-doug
Kay-Yut Chen
: Mayank Thanawala (may...@ibm.net) wrote:
: (a long posting about Fry's customer abuse)
: Why do you think they call it Fry's? The customer always gets fried :)
: --
: --
: yrs, andreas
: __________________________________________________________________________
: Andreas Ramos and...@andreas.com http://www.andreas.com
I totally agreed. However, they do have pretty good price and one of
their store is closed by my place.
So what I do is that I go in, pick up what I want, pay and leave.
I NEVER deal with any sales rep. If I want to exchange anything,
I just go straight to return it, tell them I am not satisfied
with the product instead of giving them an education.
Then I buy the item I want to exchange. it is much faster that
way. I guess the reason they keep their prices low (lower than
other software and retail store but not lower than mail order)
is to hire idiots for $5.25 per hour.
--
=====================================================================
| A Traveler between dimensions | |
+ ------------------------------+ |
| |
| In the Kingdom of Drakkar, I am known as <Narius the Mentalist> |
| To the denizens of Britainnia, my name is <Seldon the Avatar> |
| The Terran Confederation pilots call me <One the Cat Slayer> |
| |
| Seldon Dragon |
| #UDIC# |
| |
| <<Kay-Yut Chen>> |
| |
=====================================================================
Renee L. Roberts
IDavid A. Kaye wrote:
>
> Mayank Thanawala wrote the quoted material below:
>
>
>
> I judge a company on the ads they run. Fry's spends tons of money on
> computer rag and SJ Mercury ads. Once I counted 25 fullpage ads in the
> Mercury. What does this mean? They cut corners somewhere else, in this
> case on staff. They hire idiots with attitude. But unlike McDonald's
> they don't appear to give them any training. This is where local
> computer stores come in. Deal with someone you *know*, someome who will
> be there next week or next month. I've had good luck with Domino's
> Computers. Yes, they're small, but the people know things, and they're
> willing to help. I bought my most recent computer from NCA in Berkeley
> and was treated well. I'm told their other stores don't do so well, tho.
>
> --
> Copyright 1996 30,000,000 Chinese live in 130
> David Kaye countries outside China.
I seem to recall a "Fry's Horror Story Page" somewhere. Lemme check...
Here is one of them...
http://www.accesscom.com/~dave6592/frys.html
Enjoy!
Renee Roberts
Reality is a point of view
[Note: trimmed]
+---- do...@pbi.net wrote (Fri, 11 Oct 1996 14:54:37 -0700):
| I was trying to exchange an 8-bit sound card once because the
| software was messed up. They were confused and made me do a return
| instead. BUT GET THIS... they let me return it as a 16-bit sound card!
| So I made some money on this and was able to turn around, buy a new
| 8-bit card, plus software, plus joystick, and some candy.
+----
Stealing candy from babies isn't nice.
I'm constantly amazed by the consistently bad service at places
like Fry's and NCA. Slim margins aren't enough to explain the
terrible handling of customers buying things for hundreds or
thousands of dollars. If someone could manage to put together a
chain of stores that had competitive pricing and reasonable
service they could put everyone else out of business.
Unless nerds like lousy service. Sometimes I wonder. Just look
at the most popular PC OS . . .
--
Gary Johnson "Rosebud . . ."
gjoh...@season.com <a href="http://www.epic.org/privacy/wiretap">Freedom?</a>
CAMPAIGN '96: Juck 'em if they can't fake a toke.
vl...@best.com
d...@crl.com (David A. Kaye) wrote:
>willing to help. I bought my most recent computer from NCA in Berkeley
>and was treated well. I'm told their other stores don't do so well, tho.
YECH!!! Stay far away from NCA, especially the one in Berkeley. I
bought a scan convertor from them and had to return it when it
wouldn't work with my system. Of course I didn't take it back untill
8 days after purchase and I could only get a gift certificate for the
original amount. They only have a 7 day money back return policy. I
asked the manger to call their other stores and see if he could find
another one in stock. He picked up the phone and called one store, I
asked him to call the others and he just said they wouldn't have them
either. The whole time this is going on he is talking with an
ex-employee and giving me the brush off. If this place has ever heard
of customer service it must have been in a bad dream.
Wouldn't you know it, the day this happened I found a web page devoted
to NCA horror stories, oh well, lesson learned :(
Hope you have better luck if you have to return anything.
L8r.
Tim Smith
In article <53lvtv$q...@panix2.panix.com>, Pierre Jelenc <rc...@panix.com> wrote:
>> And that's *my* fault?!? So I went in again on Friday and found the
>> software, walked out and was happy. Until I got home and found that I was
>> missing a CD and had an extra of another. OK, I thought, manufacturer's
>> fault, the store will exchange it, no problem. Right?
>_I_ had two copies of the demos CD and no drivers CD. Sent email to IB and
>got the drivers CD a day and a half later in the mail.
I had the right number of everything, but the flaps on a couple of the
CD sleeves were up and rumpled as if they had been used. If it hadn't
been for the tightly shrinkwrapped floppies, I'd have been sure that my
package was used. I wonder if IBM is having some problems with their
manufacturing?
--Tim Smith
smi...@ibm.net
In <Dz53F...@oriole.sbay.org>, gr...@cris.com (George Bonser) writes:
>Since I found the Sunnyvale NCA, which is just up the street from
>Fry's, I buy all of my computer stuff there. I WILL go to Fry's for
>electronics parts but not for computer hardware.
------------SNIPPED--------------
The NCA in Sunnyvale was purchased, some 2 or 3 years ago by the
the same group that started the original FRY'S Electronics. NCA has
turned into a mini-Fry's since that time. 3 or 4 years ago, you could
walk into NCA and get sound technical advice, not so any more.
NCA's reutrn/repair polocies haven't deteriorated to Fry's level, yet.
I still do business with them, but it is only a matter of time before
the cloning process is complete and you won't know the difference
between the 2 stores. Go into the San Jose NCA on Blossom Hill Rd.
to see what the future of NCA looks like. I go to Sunnyvale, because
of the idiots and dolts I have attempted to deal with in the Blossom
Hill store.
In the meantime, everyone should adopt the attitude that I have taken
towards Fry's.... "If Fry's is the only place that I can get something I
need, then I don't really need it..."
Bill
Brendan Vila
Just thought I'd drop my own comments into this discussion/barbeque...
I am ashamed to admit it, but I once was employed(for a week) by the
Fry's in Palo Alto. This was going on 2 years ago now, so things may
have changed(yeah, sure, and my grandmother's98 and pregnant..).
While emplyed there, I saw firsthand some of the things that the
employees have to deal with. You think the customer experience is bad?
They give each new REGISTER emplyee half an hour of training on how to
run the registers, and how their policies work/where to get things, etc.
From the registers, people are "promoted" out to other areas, but
everyone starts on registers, regardless of experience of area of
expertise(assuming they have one).
The employees are treated with as much, if not a bit more, contempt as
the customers. Random entrance/exit searches(I never had to personally
submit to these searches, being 6'5" tall and not a small person, I dont
deal well with searches unless you carry a gun and a badge that says
'police officer', but I saw others forced to submit to them.) are a
regular occurence, with or without cause, the searches are usually
conducted upon the people who are on the manager on duty's<MOD> shitlist
that day.
Training is non-existent. I suppose they assume that the jobs they have
to offer are mindless, not requiring any real skill. Just the ability to
speak english(this is only a formality) and to read a register screen.
And the pay is not, in fact, minimum wage. It's a whopping $4.75 an
hour. Whee!
When I quit after a very short time, all the manager had to say was
"Bye, checks come in next week." and went about his business.
With this type of attitude behind the scenes, its a bit clearer as to
how things got so bad for the customers. My advice? Don't go there
unless you absolutely have to. And then, don't go there without a
detailed list of EXACTLY what you want, accept no substitutions.
Cheers,
Brendan
--
---------------
NOTICE: Any person who collects, uses or distributes this electronic
or postal mail address, or its derivatives for data bases, searches, or
mass mailing lists which produce unsolicited mailings in any form
consents to pay the above said person $5,000.00 US Dollars for each use
and distribution. Additional or continued use of these addresses in any
medium (e.g. data bases or mailing lists) will be considered to be in
contractual agreement to above said conditions. This notice shall in
no way be construed as a solicitation for mail, electronic or postal.
C & A Wholesalers
On 12 Oct 1996 05:54:35 GMT, cro...@kuentos.guam.net wrote:
>Service is fairly good though, and prices are decent.
>
Service is fairly good compared to what exactly? The service one may
get in a 3rd world country perhaps (yes...I am being sarcastic...had
to call those jerks today and went through the usual rude phone hell).
Carrie :)
==========================================================
Would you like to receive weekly e-mails on items you can
buy at wholesale prices? If so, reply with the e-mail
address you wish to receive this weekly information at.
Josef Grosch
In article <53knkg$k...@news-s01.ny.us.ibm.net>,
may...@ibm.net (Mayank Thanawala) writes:
> Hello all,
>
> Sorry about the cross posting but I want my experience to be known.
>
> Monday;
[ A long story about Fry's treating their customers like dirt ]
Mayank,
I sympathize with you, I really do. I also have gotten the Fry's treatment.
But I must ask; did you know, before you walked in on Monday how,
rotten they are? If you did know, what where you doing back. If you did'nt
know, welcome to the Fry's Haters Club.
This long story of woe is standard. Frys' is a terrible place to shop.
I refuse to set foot into the place and I advise you do the same.
Josef
--
Josef Grosch | Laugh while you can, monkey boy ! | FreeBSD 2.1.5
jgr...@sirius.com | - John Warfin - | UNIX for the masses
J. Link
In case all this rhetoric inspires you to seek employment with Fry's, here's a
Fry's Employment Application:
FRY'S ELECTRONICS EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION
Name: __________________________
Address: |_| YMCA
|_| Halfway House
|_| Cardboard Box on Page Mill Road
|_| None of the Above
City: _____________
Phone: 011+____________
Education: |_| Some Grammar School
|_| 8th Grade
|_| Some High School
|_| Umm... "Self-Taught"
|_| Watched Lots of TV
IQ: _
Position: |_| Customer Service Associate
|_| Surly Sales
|_| Today's Floor Supervisor
|_| Door Nazi
|_| The guy who gets the RAM out of the case locked with
Kryptonite Bolts (just in case Superman comes in).
=====================================================================
CASHIERING POSITIONS
English is your |_| second language.
|_| third
|_| fourth
You are at a register and the customer's total is $6.31. The
customer hands you a $10.00 bill. You should...
_
|_| Have the customer wait while you call the Federal Reserve to
make sure the bill is good.
_
|_| Mumble, "Customer service..." and stare vacantly into space
while waiting for your supervisor.
_
|_| Yell out, "Check approval please!"
_
|_| All of the above.
A customer picks up a can of soda but decides he doesn't want it
while at the register. You...
_
|_| Call Sunnyvale to double-check his resale number.
_
|_| Call Pepsi to check the expiration date on the soda.
_
|_| Refuse to return it because he doesn't have a receipt.
_
|_| All of the above.
=====================================================================
COMPUTER OR SOFTWARE SALES
A customer approaches you on the floor and asks how much memory you
need to run Windows `95. You...
_
|_| Pretend you don't hear him and walk briskly into the next aisle.
_
|_| Continue to stare blankly into space.
_
|_| Blurt out the first number that comes into your head
_
|_| Say, "Can't you see I'm helping another customer?!" and run off
to the backroom to smoke a cigarette.
You pick up the ringing phone, expecting to hear your girlfriend
and/or mother. A customer asks if you have Photoshop 3.05 for
Windows in stock. You...
_
|_| Blurt, "Certainly!" in a loud voice, while checking your teeth
in the reflection from your suitcoat and trying to remember if
you hid the last copy well enough.
_
|_| Snarl, "Not my department!" into the receiver and slam down the
phone.
_
|_| Play a game with the other clerks to see who can get a caller to
hold the longest by offering to "Check the Fremont store."
_
|_| Explain how you're really a software developer, and that your
Visual Basic version "Fotoshop" is really far superior and only
slightly more expensive.
=====================================================================
AUDIO/VISUAL SALES
A kindly older gentleman asks to purchase the 13" TV that was
advertised in the morning paper for $99, a gift for his
grand-daughter's college dorm room. You...
_
|_| Tell him that, darn it, you've just sold the last one. However,
the top-quality "SONY" brand TV right next to it is only $225!
When he points out the stack of sale TV's next to the display,
tell him they're empty boxes. If he picks one up to see, run.
_
|_| Scoff at his selection. Explain that all the kids nowadays
would be humiliated by anything less than a 32" Mitsubishi with
Stereo Surround, only $3,200!
_
|_| Tell him Sunnyvale has some, and they'll hold one. Then call
Sunnyvale and tell them to send him to Campbell. Repeat with
Fremont store.
_
|_| Invite him out to your car, where there's an "Open Box Buy."
You're working the AV room today. Customers come in to see the Home
Theater equipment. You...
_
|_| Diddle nonchalantly with the equipment, and tell people you have
the same $1,400 Carver amp at home. Only your mom knows you buy
Realistic from Radio Shack.
_
|_| Insist repeatedly that the Technics speakers are really the same
as the Infinity Crescendos, just without the expensive
nameplate.
_
|_| Fantasize idly of your dream job at Circuit City. Someday,
someday...
_
|_| Put "Top Gun" into the VCR and turn the volume up so loud that
you're instantly sterile
=====================================================================
EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE
Have you been fired by Radio Shack or any subsidiary of the Tandy
Corporation in the last three years?
_ _
|_| Yes |_| No
Have you been involved in retailing in the USSR, North Korea,
Thailand, or any of the former Soviet satellites?
_ _
|_| Yes |_| No
Are you "computer literate?"
_ _
|_| Yes |_| No
Can you program your VCR?
_ _
|_| Yes |_| No
Do you know how to use an ATM?
_ _
|_| Yes |_| No
Do you know how to se a remote channel changer?
_ _
|_| Yes |_| No
Can you flush a toilet without assistance?
_ _
|_| Yes |_| No
NOTE: If answer to any of the above is "yes," please answer "YES."
=====================================================================
Expected Salary:
_
|_| $4.85/Hr. Name of Elementary School Attended: ____________
_
|_| $5.00/Hr. Name of High School Attended: ____________
_
|_| $5.15/Hr. Name of College Attended: ____________
_
|_| $6.00/Hr. Name of Graduate School Attended: ____________
Previous Employment:
_
|_| Circuit City
_
|_| Lorenzo's Carwash
_
|_| Domino's Pizza Delivery
_
|_| "Would you like fries with that?"
_
|_| Just Turned 16 and Need a Job!
For how long?
_
|_| One paycheck.
_
|_| A few weeks.
_
|_| Until the federales catch up with me.
_
|_| I think I'm in the stock room right now.
=====================================================================
Signature: ___________________ Date: __________
Thanks for applying to Fry's Electronics. We're certain you'll be
robbing us blind in no time!
Tony Waddell
may...@ibm.net (Mayank Thanawala) wrote:
>I went into Fry's Electronics three times last week. The first time was
>Monday; I was looking for the OS/2 v.4 upgrade. They had the regular
>edition on theshelves, but no upgrades. So I asked the software sales
>person: "Do you haveany more of the upgrade edition?" The answer: "Any
>more? Any MORE?!? Look,we never got any to begin with, OK?"
[As well as some other stuff about his experiences at Fry's]
I learned long ago that Fry's is the place to go only when you've
checked all other computer stores for the item you want at the price
you're willing to pay. Unfortunately, Fry's often has the lowest price
(and often not), but it seems like they also usually have the item
you're looking for while other places may not have it in stock.
With that said. . .
As you are all aware, Fry's has a very paranoid mentality when it
comes to their customers. They assume that every customer walking
through their doors is going to rip them off. It's apparent they also
mistrust their employees. This is why you must wait for a managers
initials on just about every piece of paper they create. Have you
noticed that when you purchase something at the cash register that
they must always call a manger over to okay the transaction? It
doesn't seem to matter what the price of the transaction is; large or
small, it needs a managers approval. Then when you think they're done,
the register clerk has to go make a photocopy of the entire
transaction. Sometimes they want to copy your driver's license. Also,
don't forget that you're subject to search as you leave the building.
I'm reminded of the time I took a laptop, still under warranty, in for
repair. I had lost the original receipt, but since I remembered that
they xeroxed every thing, I asked them to go to their files and pull
out the records (I was able to provide them with all the information
they needed to do so -- date, amount, method of payment, etc). They
handed me a pre-printed form that I had to fill out AND charged me
$10.00 for a "DOCUMENT SEARCH". Incidently, they had to call the
manager over to initial the DOCUMENT SEARCH FORM. Takes 10-12 days for
a document search, and they would call me when the documents were
found. (Good news: documents where found in only 7 days, I was able to
get the laptop repaired under warranty at no charge). I didn't mind
they they wanted some proof that I had actually purchased the laptop;
I was unhappy about the $10.00 charge and the 7-day wait.
All in all, Fry's is pretty demeaning to their customers. Again, I
generally only shop there when an item I want is not available
elsewhere, or when they have the best price.
Tony
Margarita Lacabe
C & A Wholesalers (snug...@netmagic.net) wrote:
: Service is fairly good compared to what exactly? The service one may
: get in a 3rd world country perhaps (yes...I am being sarcastic...had
: to call those jerks today and went through the usual rude phone hell).
Hey, don't give service in third-world countries a bad name. You'll
find better service in most third world countries than you will in stores
like Fry's. :-)
--
Margarita Lacabe - Derechos - ma...@derechos.org - http://www.derechos.org
____________________________________________________________________________
Se llama Fray Antonio, esta en la carcel en Argentina a razon de sus ideas
politicas - ayudanos a obtener su libertad! http://www.derechos.org/antonio.html
vi...@global.california.com
Regarding your application for Fry's employment <too long to include>
I loved it. Must say tho - don't you think that you would lose some of
the applicants mid-span? :) It IS rather long.
C & A Wholesalers
On 11 Oct 1996 17:49:17 GMT, d...@dtc.hp.com (David Shepherd
(SGS-Thomson)) wrote:
>I had an occasion where I waited for half an hour while various
>"managers" decided how to cope with the fact that the price ticket
>on something I was buying was $3 less than what the computer siad
>(eventually the ruling was that that item had to be charged at the
>computer system's price but that I had triggered a $10 discount due
>to pricing error so that took $10 off the price of a different item
>that I was buying at the same time - logical - and don't even ask
>what happens when you try to pay with travellers cheques!)
My dad went there with me one day, because he thought it was so neat
taht you could go to this "superstore" and get things at such cheap
prices with "fast, friendly service"....and I tried talking him out of
it..but no avail. He wanted some diskettes, and found one of those
bulk packs (along with about 50 other packs identical to the one he
grabbed), and saw a price that was pretty good. After spending 30
minutes in line (fast service!), the price rang up almost 10 dollars
higher.....he told the person that the shelf price was something else.
So it took another 30 minutes of trying to get a manager and
explaining it, then another 20 minutes for someone to go back to check
(dad finally went back himself..salesperson checking...no sign of
him). Dad and the manager confirmed that the shelf price was what dad
said it was...then the manager said that dad must have moved all about
50 boxes of these disks to the wrong location (never mind the fact
that the disk aisle was filled/stocked to capacity with disks and
there would have been no where for him to move them to!), but dad held
firm. The manager then said that they weren't gonna honor the price,
and dad threw a bigger fit and showed the their ad with the fast
friendly service on it and asked the manager if he was aware of the
truth in advertising thing....amazingly dad got the disks at the price
that was shown on the shelf...and the clerk that originally went to
check on the price came back saying he couldn't find the disks
anywhere....amazing!
Mark J. Welch
Over the past 12 years, I have had many experiences with Fry's
and unfortunately their customer service AND product quality
is dropping. I have bought at least $30,000 worth of computer
equipment there in the past decade -- and returned about
$10,000 worth because it was defective. Finally, last fall,
I bought a defective power supply which damaged my computer,
and Fry's gave me a deliberate run-around, until finally the
Fremont store manager (who refused to talk to me until someone
at Fry's corporate offices told him he HAD to speak with me),
said he would not make any effort to resolve the problem and he
said "sue me." So I did. The people at small claims court
knew Fry's very well. I ended up collecting the full amount
of my claim.
Mayank Thanawala wrote:
> On my way out, I asked if there was some place or method for me to file a
> complaint. He says he's the manager, so what's my complaint? I tell him
> that this procedure is ludicrous, that I've never been through such an
> elaborate exchange procedure in my life for any product at any store. He
> says it's their policy. * * * He says there's nothing he can do
cro...@kuentos.guam.net
I>
>Overall Fry's is an amazing place to browse in and seems to be ok
>so long as no problems occur but then things really start to get
>difficult. BTW, perhaps the fact that they have such a large number
>of customer return points right next to the entrance should be a
>warning!
>
>--
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> david shepherd
> email: d...@dtc.hp.com, tel: (415) 857-3799
Some friends from HP dropped me at Fry's in Palo Alto, and I came out with an
Apple Stylewriter 1500 printer. Boy is the place a complete mess. Lots of old
and obsolete inventory, too much people and a certain sense of disorganization.
Service is fairly good though, and prices are decent.
I couldn't understand why a big computer store so close to HP's own HQ got
IBMs, Compaqs and Apples on sale, but no HP PCs, especially since HP is also
pushing a home line of PCs. The only thing HP is printers.
Rgds,
Chris
Famous People on Operating Systems (Please feel free to contribute)
Edgar Allen Poe, writing a poem when his PC crashed---
"Microsoft, nevermore, nevermore."
President Roosevelt, during the day Windows 95 is launched---
"This day shall live in infamy."
Thanks to those who contributed. ***cro...@kuentos.guam.net***
Richard Cortese
In article <325fbf0b....@news.prado.com>,
Tony Waddell <to...@prado.com> wrote:
>may...@ibm.net (Mayank Thanawala) wrote:
>
>>I went into Fry's Electronics three times last week. The first time was
>As you are all aware, Fry's has a very paranoid mentality when it
>comes to their customers. They assume that every customer walking
>through their doors is going to rip them off. It's apparent they also
>mistrust their employees. This is why you must wait for a managers
For what it's worth, I've been at the Campbell store when they led
an employee away in handcuffs. I've also gotten stuff off the shelf
where much of the contents were missing as in: Somebody bought the
software, installed it & kept the manuals, then returned it. Fry's
put it back on the shelf w/o checking it.
I think the appropriate saying here is, "Just because I'm paranoid
does not mean they are not out to get me!"
BUT sucker that I am, I saw a 27" stereo tv there for a good price
& think I'm about to become weak again<sigh>.
Rick
dx
Tony Porczyk <tpor...@best.com> wrote:
> Since we are only talking about bad experiences, let me tell you about a
> store where I had nothing but good experiences: Central Computer in San
> Jose.
I recently solicited opinions about Central Computer, and based on the positive
response, bought an HP printer from them. Their price was $150 less than the
so-called "superstores." They didn't have the printer in stock in the S.F.
store (hence no matching from the superstores), but got one up to the city from
their SJ store the next day. Quick, efficient sales service, low prices.
I can't say how they'd handle a return.
-dx
--
--
"I don't mind popcorn, or roller-rinks or clotheslines
so much. It's Cinemascope that drags me." --Rod McKuen
gary goodman
Douglas R. Sheppard wrote:
>
> Well, you may have had a bad experience due to dopes working
> at Fry's, but when dealing with dopes you have a chance for things
> to actually work in your favor as well!
>
> software was messed up. They were confused and made me do a return
> instead. BUT GET THIS... they let me return it as a 16-bit sound card!
> So I made some money on this and was able to turn around, buy a new
> 8-bit card, plus software, plus joystick, and some candy.
>
>
> -doug
Doug:
Fry's policies may be cynical and exploitative, their priorities
may be misplaced and self-serving, and their employees may be thoughtless
or stupid, but you are not part of the solution.
You're just a common thief.
gary goodman
Mayank Thanawala wrote:
> . . .I got home and found that I was missing a CD and had an extra of another. OK, I thought, manufacturer's
> fault, the store will exchange it, no problem. Right? . . . finally I am left with a complete package, a conglomeration of new and old. It was artistic, but I told the
> guy "Incidentally, this is the most ludicrous exchange procedure I've ever
> been through." His answer: "yeah, we get a lot of that."
> So after we've reassembled the two boxes, we have to find the manager again
>While were on the subject of mixing and matching parts from incomplete boxes:
I bought and returned a simple peripheral type item that had a defective part. When I
went to pick out a replacement, I found most boxed were previously opened, the quality
of identical parts seemed to be different, and some parts had obvious signs of
post-factory use. I bought a monitor, unpacked it, and the pedestal feet (those little
rubber things) looked pretty dirty. Was it factory grime, or was it a previously used
part?
Some of this might have to do with the abyssmal quality of today's manufacturing of
consumer electronic items, planned obsolescence, and the economics of competition: cost
cutting. I mean, I have had 3 cordless telephones in the past seven or eight years.
None have lasted for more than 2 1/2 years, and repairs cost 75% of the retail price. I
have a rather expensive Clarion tape deck that's never worked right. (on the other hand,
I've had a panasonic answering machine since 1984 which runs as well as it did when it
was new. Funny. Their cordless phone started going down in 8 months. I've had a
Harmon-Kardon stereo receiver since 1977! that just went bad, after 19 years). Fry's
must get their share of defects.
But I also believe that Fry's returns things to the shelf to resell without
discrimination. Furthurmore, I suspect that they purchase factory seconds,"B" quality
goods and pass them off as "A". One would be surprised at what a widespread practice
this is among cut-rate retailers, not just electronics. I would love to hear from
employees that can confirm this or correct me.
Another funny thing happened at fry's: I bought a bunch of stuff once, a monitor, a
couple of printers, etc. The checker at the door found a mistake: I had not been charged
for one of the printers! So back to the cashier, manager, etc, they throw a triplicate
form at me. Why can't I just pay for the printer and leave? Why do I have to spend
another minute putting up with this? It was the checker who was pushing this through so
aggressively: he gets a $20 bonus for finding the mistake!
Buyer beware.
David A. Kaye
smi...@ibm.net wrote the quoted material below:
" The NCA in Sunnyvale was purchased, some 2 or 3 years ago by the
" the same group that started the original FRY'S Electronics.
This is not altogether a bad thing. Founders often are pushed out of
companies or decide to get into partnerships which turn the companies in
different directions.
The founders of Wells Fargo started American Express. The founders of
Safeway started Lucky Stores, PayLess, Alpha Beta, and Skaggs Hardware. A
founder of Apple started NeXT. Both Starbuck's and Spinelli's trace their
roots back to Peet's. Double Rainbow ice cream started out as a Haagen
Dasz outlet. Basically, once an entrepreneur always an entrepreneur.
The question is not when but *will* NCA become another Fry's. Yes, NCA
does look like Fry's based on their display ads. Yes, NCA may be in
danger of becoming another Fry's. But I'll withhold judgment for the
time being.
--
Copyright 1996 4,000 Indians died in Union Carbide's Bophal chemical
David Kaye disaster, yet today the company still hasn't paid.
kiy...@kiyoinc.com
In <53nbqs$8...@lehi.kuentos.guam.net>, cro...@kuentos.guam.net writes:
>
>Some friends from HP dropped me at Fry's in Palo Alto, and I came out with an
>Apple Stylewriter 1500 printer. Boy is the place a complete mess. Lots of old
>and obsolete inventory, too much people and a certain sense of disorganization.
>Service is fairly good though, and prices are decent.
Are you sure they didn't drop you at "Weird-Stuff Warehouse"? Complete mess,
obsolete inventory, disorganization, decent prices?
>
>I couldn't understand why a big computer store so close to HP's own HQ got
>IBMs, Compaqs and Apples on sale, but no HP PCs, especially since HP is also
>pushing a home line of PCs. The only thing HP is printers.
>
Maybe the local clientel gets HPs at an employee discount?
>Rgds,
>
>Chris
>
Cory Hamasaki http://www.kiyoinc.com
Kiyo Design, Inc. OS/2 Newsletter & OS/2 Web Store
11 Annapolis St. (410) 280-1942
Annapolis, Md 21401 Tues-Sat 11-5, Sun 12-4
kiy...@kiyoinc.com
In <53nhr8$c...@news1.halcyon.com>, t...@coho.halcyon.com (Tim Smith) writes:
>
>I had the right number of everything, but the flaps on a couple of the
>CD sleeves were up and rumpled as if they had been used. If it hadn't
>been for the tightly shrinkwrapped floppies, I'd have been sure that my
>package was used. I wonder if IBM is having some problems with their
>manufacturing?
>
>--Tim Smith
I saw the same thing on the Merlin that I got directly from IBM. Hand delivered
by IBM on Day-One. Rumpled CD sleeves. Everything was in the box but it had the
'feel' of a return. I broke the shrinkwrap myself on roll-out day.
Perhaps they manufactured Merlin in stages and did a run that had to be
reassembled by surly, overworked people. That would explain the reports of
missing CDs, doubles of the driver CDs, etc.
As long as it gets straighten out, no problem.
Juan Tuboneya
vi...@global.california.com wrote:
: Regarding your application for Fry's employment <too long to include>
: I loved it. Must say tho - don't you think that you would lose some of
: the applicants mid-span? :) It IS rather long.
Loved it too... I think I am going to fax a copy to Fry's. One problem
tho, you assume that the applicants know how to check the little boxes,
and not confuse the check boxes with push buttons.
David A. Kaye
Tony Porczyk wrote the quoted material below:
" Since we are only talking about bad experiences, let me tell you about a
" store where I had nothing but good experiences: Central Computer in San
" Jose.
No dice. I've been to Central Computer in SF. When they sell computers
to people, they take the software such as Windows 95 which rightfully
belongs to the customer and RESELLS it. In fact, they're quite bold
about doing this. The packages are quite clearly marked that they are
not to be sold except with a new computer. To me this is a reprehensible
business practice. When someone buys a computer with software they are
lawfully entitled to get the disks.
--
Copyright 1996 "An unsupervised teenager with a modem is as
David Kaye dangerous as an unsupervised teenager with a
gun." - Gail Thackeray, Arizona State Attorney
David Masterson
cro...@kuentos.guam.net wrote:
>
> I couldn't understand why a big computer store so close to HP's own HQ got
> IBMs, Compaqs and Apples on sale, but no HP PCs, especially since HP is also
> pushing a home line of PCs. The only thing HP is printers.
>
anything with respect to UNIX here in the land of all the major UNIX
related manufacturers (well, maybe you could get a book on LINUX in the
back...).
Is it any wonder why Bill Gates is the richest man in America...
--
David Masterson
dmast...@global.california.com
Reality is a point of view
[Note: trimmed]
+---- kiy...@kiyoinc.com wrote (12 Oct 1996 11:40:44 GMT):
| Are you sure they didn't drop you at "Weird-Stuff Warehouse"? Complete mess,
| obsolete inventory, disorganization, decent prices?
+----
I thought Weird Stuff moved to Fremont.
Marc Pawliger
I'm as eager as the next guy to offer up my own Fry's Tale Of Horror, but
submitted for your approval:
It was this past Wednesday about 10 minutes after opening time at the
Lawrence Expy Fry's (the parking lot was half full; I wasn't the only
customer). After I passed "Checkpoint Charlie" just past the turnstile, a
well-dressed salesman came up to me and asked in impeccible English, "How
can I help you today?". After looking around to make sure this was, in
fact, Fry's, and I hadn't accidentally wandered into a Nordstrom's, I
raised my just-dropped jaw and asked about Jaz drives for Macs. I was
sure that would throw him. But no; "Right this way, sir!" he said. After
checking with me to make sure the drives included a Mac SCSI cable
adapter, taking back one box that looked like it had been damaged in
shipment, checking to make sure I didn't need anything else and wishing me
a good morning, he left and I took my two drives towards the front of the
store.
I happened to choose the aisle with "PC speakers" and decided today I
would treat myself to replacing the substandard ones I had. I hadn't been
there 30 seconds when another salesman came over and inquired whether he
could help me or make some recommendations. He stayed there for about ten
minutes helping me listen to all 20 or so types they had, (correctly)
pointing out good and bad points, and even said "you know those <X> brand
speakers are more because of the name; the <Y> brands are the same
speakers for about 1/3 less" (they were, too). I was shocked. He even
opened up the box to make sure it hadn't been rewrapped and all the cables
and such were included.
I finally left with my $1,100 worth of stuff and, other than having to
check my driver's license signature against the one on my credit card at
the checkout desk (they matched :-)), without having to consult a manager,
I was on my way.
Since the hardware is still sitting here in my office, I know it wasn't a
dream. Besides, my dreams are better than that :-) So it must've been the
full moon...
--marc
--
| Marc Pawliger pawl...@adobe.com 408.536.4918 |
| Adobe Systems Photoshop Wiseguy(tm) San Jose, CA |
Juan Tuboneya
David A. Kaye (d...@crl.com) wrote:
: No dice. I've been to Central Computer in SF. When they sell computers
: to people, they take the software such as Windows 95 which rightfully
: belongs to the customer and RESELLS it. In fact, they're quite bold
: about doing this. The packages are quite clearly marked that they are
: not to be sold except with a new computer. To me this is a reprehensible
: business practice. When someone buys a computer with software they are
: lawfully entitled to get the disks.
It would not be fair to single out Central. Many of the local shops do
this. $40 for the OEM and $80 for the retail version of Windows 95. The
reason they are doing it, I think is because there is a market for it.
Please, I don't need your comments about how wrong this is or whatever, I
am merely reporting a common business practice, not supporting it.
Chet Gerhardt
In ba.market.computers Mark J. Welch <mark...@ca-probate.com> wrote:
: Over the past 12 years, I have had many experiences with Fry's
: and unfortunately their customer service AND product quality
: is dropping. I have bought at least $30,000 worth of computer
: equipment there in the past decade -- and returned about
: $10,000 worth because it was defective. Finally, last fall,
: I bought a defective power supply which damaged my computer,
: and Fry's gave me a deliberate run-around, until finally the
: Fremont store manager (who refused to talk to me until someone
: at Fry's corporate offices told him he HAD to speak with me),
: said he would not make any effort to resolve the problem and he
: said "sue me." So I did. The people at small claims court
: knew Fry's very well. I ended up collecting the full amount
: of my claim.
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! :) :) :) :)
davs...@ix.netcom.com
d...@netcom.com (dx) wrote:
>Tony Porczyk <tpor...@best.com> wrote:
>> Since we are only talking about bad experiences, let me tell you about a
>> store where I had nothing but good experiences: Central Computer in San
>> Jose.
>I recently solicited opinions about Central Computer, and based on the positive
>response, bought an HP printer from them. Their price was $150 less than the
>so-called "superstores." They didn't have the printer in stock in the S.F.
>store (hence no matching from the superstores), but got one up to the city from
>their SJ store the next day. Quick, efficient sales service, low prices.
>I can't say how they'd handle a return.
>-dx
>--
>--
> "I don't mind popcorn, or roller-rinks or clotheslines
> so much. It's Cinemascope that drags me." --Rod McKuen
My experiences at Central have not been so positive. They have jacked
me around on price virtually every time I read an ad in Microtimes and
tried to buy product based on their latest ads. I do not believe that
they are entirely honest in this respect. This calls to question other
business practices.
davs...@ix.netcom.com
pawl...@mv.us.adobe.com (Marc Pawliger) wrote:
>--marc
It is clear that what actually happened to you is that you stepped
into that Episode of "Outer Limits" that is secretly being filmed in
Silicon Valley. This kind of treatment should have raised your
suspicions. On the other hand, perhaps that was Nordstrom's. Do you
mysteriously own a new wardrobe?
I would be deeply suspicious. Be seeing you, David Stafford
Robert Collyar
davs...@ix.netcom.com wrote:
>My experiences at Central have not been so positive. They have jacked
>me around on price virtually every time I read an ad in Microtimes and
>tried to buy product based on their latest ads. I do not believe that
>they are entirely honest in this respect. This calls to question other
>business practices.
>
Perhaps you haven't noticed that virtually every ad in MicoTimes has a
disclaimer about prices subject to change w/o notice. Central has had
such disclaimers on their ads for years. MicroTimes is NOT the most
accurate nor up-to-date pricing guide around.
Central has been in business for many years. They have grown and
changed a great deal since then. They are now among the best and most
respected dealers in the area. A good many people who frequent this
group have spent well into 5 figures at Central on personal purchases
alone.
I have no doubt that you have had trouble with Central. I do,
respectfully, have considerable doubt that it was all their fault. Your
own message calls into question your shopping practices. I do not
believe that you are entirely honest (nor complete) in your complaint
.
Jim Duncan
David A. Kaye (d...@crl.com) wrote:
: No dice. I've been to Central Computer in SF. When they sell computers
: to people, they take the software such as Windows 95 which rightfully
: belongs to the customer and RESELLS it.
Like the earlier poster, I've been really pleased with
Central Computer and have never had anything go wrong - unlike
with Fry's.
--
SEMPER| w ["] http://www.okay.com
FAC | |___|_____...ji...@okay.com - Jim Duncan
TOTUM | H 408.364.4541
*******\_____I_____/ 37 3 10N/121 59 10W *******
Jim Stuyck
In <53o1qd$a...@ari.ari.net>, kiy...@kiyoinc.com writes:
>In <53nhr8$c...@news1.halcyon.com>, t...@coho.halcyon.com (Tim Smith) writes:
>>
>>I had the right number of everything, but the flaps on a couple of the
>>CD sleeves were up and rumpled as if they had been used. If it hadn't
>>been for the tightly shrinkwrapped floppies, I'd have been sure that my
>>package was used. I wonder if IBM is having some problems with their
>>manufacturing?
>>
>>--Tim Smith
>
>I saw the same thing on the Merlin that I got directly from IBM. Hand delivered
>by IBM on Day-One. Rumpled CD sleeves. Everything was in the box but it had the
>'feel' of a return. I broke the shrinkwrap myself on roll-out day.
>
>Perhaps they manufactured Merlin in stages and did a run that had to be
>reassembled by surly, overworked people. That would explain the reports of
>missing CDs, doubles of the driver CDs, etc.
>
>As long as it gets straighten out, no problem.
>
I suspect the problem with the corners of the CD sleeves is the "air" in
the box. There is so little in the box that the CDs can move around quite
a bit, so that in shipping/handling they bounce from end to end of the
box.
A few years ago, I found problems with packaging of another release of
OS/2. The IBM people responsible were quite concerned and I found that
they did a lot of test-shipments to test their packaging. This go-round,
when there are no 5 1/4" diskettes to get "squeezed" in their sleeves,
the situation is less critical. CDs don't get "crushed" like floppies.
Anyway, the box makes it appear that there is a lot inside, a lot more
than really exists (take a look -- lots of empty space), but that shouldn't
really affect the CDs.
Jim Stuyck
Jim Stuyck
Jack Hamilton
d...@crl.com (David A. Kaye) wrote:
>The packages are quite clearly marked that they are
>not to be sold except with a new computer. To me this is a reprehensible
>business practice. When someone buys a computer with software they are
>lawfully entitled to get the disks.
What law is this?
--------------------------
Jack Hamilton j...@acm.org
David A. Kaye
Jack Hamilton wrote the quoted material below:
" What law is this?
Copyright law. Take a look at Microsoft's fine print, or the fine print
of any major software publisher. The software is licensed for ONE
computer at at time. By installing the software on one computer then
selling the disks they are selling the product for TWO computers.
Not only that, but just try getting support for pre-installed software
when the someone who now ones the disk has already called for support.
A lot of companies today will give support for only the first 30 days,
and the clock begins ticking with the first support call.
--
Copyright 1996 The Japanese company Kanebo produces underpants
David Kaye which purposely release sweaty smells
dx
Robert Collyar <bcol...@netcom.com> wrote:
> Perhaps you haven't noticed that virtually every ad in MicoTimes has a
> disclaimer about prices subject to change w/o notice. Central has had
> such disclaimers on their ads for years. MicroTimes is NOT the most
> accurate nor up-to-date pricing guide around.
And they all do this because the lead-time on these publications makes it
virtually impossible to guarantee prices set weeks or months in advance will
still make sense when an issue hits the stand. They include prices because
they will give you an indication of the store's prices relative to other
dealers.
Central, among others, has a web site that has up-to-the-minute prices.
They will also quote prices over the phone. If they *quote* you a price,
then change it when you come in to buy, I'd be more suspicious about
their honesty.
John C. Leung
George Bonser wrote:
>
> Since I found the Sunnyvale NCA, which is just up the street from
> Fry's, I buy all of my computer stuff there. I WILL go to Fry's for
> electronics parts but not for computer hardware.
>
> I have found NCA's prices to be competative with Fry's and quite
> frankly, I would rather spend my money with someone else after the
> ordeal I was put through when I tried to buy a rather large disk
> drive. Yeah, I FINALLY go waited on only to have some BOOB type my
> name onto a computer and have it spit out a piece of paper with the
> price of teh item on it, SHEESH, they could have preprinted the papers
> and let me put my name on it and take it to the cashier. Then the
> cashier gives the paper to the Keeper of The Diskdrives and I wait at
> the cash register for another 5 min. till the Bearer of the Diskdrives
> brings it to the register. By this time my teeth are floating and I
> have GOT to get out of there.
>
George,
The reason you had to wait for a quote to be printed out has NOTHING to
do with YOU. The reason why you are inconvenienced is so that the
salesperson can put HIS name on the quote, so that he can receive his
commission for the product that you have just bought.
If you have, in fact, received useful help from the salesperson, I think
you owe him the opportunity to receive what he has earned.
However, if he just simply hijacked you after you had already made your
decision, and "helpfully" offers to punch up a quote "for you," it is
absolutely your right to tell him that you're in a hurry, and you don't
want a quote. In reality you NEVER NEED a quote.
Lawrence Foard
David Masterson wrote:
> More than that, I can't understand why none of the major stores provide
> anything with respect to UNIX here in the land of all the major UNIX
> related manufacturers (well, maybe you could get a book on LINUX in the
> back...).
For some reason it always seems that computer store sales people
know the least about computers of anyone in existance. You might
as well go to Golden Gate park and ask the residents for advice,
some of them may have actually used an OS not written by
Bill Gates at some point in there lives.
> Is it any wonder why Bill Gates is the richest man in America...
Lets hope he drops out and starts the philantropy (sp?) hobby at
an early age.
--
The virgin birth of Pythagoras via Apollo. The martyrdom of
St. Socrates. The Gospel according to Iamblichus.
-- Have an 18.9cents/minute 6 second billed calling card tomorrow --
http://www.vwis.com/cards.html
Tim Smith
Richard Cortese <rico...@netmagic.net> wrote:
>For what it's worth, I've been at the Campbell store when they led
>an employee away in handcuffs. I've also gotten stuff off the shelf
Since moving to Seattle, I only get to experience Fry's about once a
year, but it is always memorable. The last time I was there, a few
months ago, I noticed that the Fry's across the street from Weird
Stuff has a reserved parking spot near the door for the police.
--Tim Smith
jo...@ibm.net
In <32608F...@global.california.com>, David Masterson <dmast...@global.california.com> writes:
>cro...@kuentos.guam.net wrote:
>>
>> I couldn't understand why a big computer store so close to HP's own HQ got
>> IBMs, Compaqs and Apples on sale, but no HP PCs, especially since HP is also
>> pushing a home line of PCs. The only thing HP is printers.
>>
>anything with respect to UNIX here in the land of all the major UNIX
>related manufacturers (well, maybe you could get a book on LINUX in the
>back...).
>
Last week in the fry's Sunnyvale store I was asked about Linux by someone
holding two different offerings in the OS section at Fry's. NCA has always
carried LINUX CD's. Fry's has a decent offering of texts and all the
O'Reiley books. I picked up their guide to "SCCS and RCS" that day.
I've wondered why Netscape hasn't promoted NetBSD and Linux as
Affordable web servers to MS NT/W and NT/S. Or why they have
refused to carry any OS/2 software aside from the OS itself.
Gary Hammer
In message <53rrlh$16...@news-s01.ny.us.ibm.net> - jo...@ibm.net13 Oct 1996
22:49:21 GMT writes:
:>
Promoted? They don't even offer a server for Linux or BSD. That was very
annoying to me when I wanted to move to their server. I'll stay with
Apache, thenks.
Gary Hammer, Webmaster
OS/2 "Must-Have" Utilities List and Links
http://www.musthave.com
Jack Hamilton
d...@crl.com (David A. Kaye) wrote:
>Jack Hamilton wrote the quoted material below:
>
>" What law is this?
>
>Copyright law. Take a look at Microsoft's fine print, or the fine print
>of any major software publisher. The software is licensed for ONE
>computer at at time. By installing the software on one computer then
>selling the disks they are selling the product for TWO computers.
But we don't know know that the software is being installed on another
computer. You're just speculating.
In any case, software agreements are not the law. They may legally
enforceable, but that's not the same as being a law.
--------------------------
Jack Hamilton j...@acm.org
David Shepherd (SGS-Thomson)
John C. Leung (cen...@centralcomputer.com) wrote:
: George Bonser wrote:
: >
: > Since I found the Sunnyvale NCA, which is just up the street from
: > Fry's, I buy all of my computer stuff there. I WILL go to Fry's for
: > electronics parts but not for computer hardware.
: >
: > I have found NCA's prices to be competative with Fry's and quite
: > frankly, I would rather spend my money with someone else after the
: > ordeal I was put through when I tried to buy a rather large disk
: > drive. Yeah, I FINALLY go waited on only to have some BOOB type my
: > name onto a computer and have it spit out a piece of paper with the
: > price of teh item on it, SHEESH, they could have preprinted the papers
: > and let me put my name on it and take it to the cashier. Then the
: > cashier gives the paper to the Keeper of The Diskdrives and I wait at
: > the cash register for another 5 min. till the Bearer of the Diskdrives
: > brings it to the register. By this time my teeth are floating and I
: > have GOT to get out of there.
: The reason you had to wait for a quote to be printed out has NOTHING to
: do with YOU. The reason why you are inconvenienced is so that the
: salesperson can put HIS name on the quote, so that he can receive his
: commission for the product that you have just bought.
I had this when I bought a portable CD player from Fry's - only problem
was that the 'droid was unable to copy the model number from the box he
was holding into the computer to print out the sales slip so gave
me a sales slip for another model $10 more expensive. So I went to
the cashier explained the problem and had a *lengthy* discussion
(as we both had US English as a 2nd language - having dealt with
many US cashiers recently I can see why people with UK accents may
have problems with VTD :-) over whether I wanted to buy the
CD player in the box or the one on the sales slip - when this was
resolved she simply tore the sales slip up and scanned the box
and let me buy it (... subsequently we went through the "I'd like
to pay with travellers checks as the sign says 'travellers checks
welcome' discussion followed by the call to a supervisor to see if
she was allowed to give change from a travellers cheque discussion
etc - anyway I got out in only about 20mins at the cash till so
I did pretty well that day :-)
BTW this is nothing quite as good as an experience I had in Dixon's
in the UK where I tried to buy a deskjet print cartridge and the
'droid who was going to ring up the sale couldn't find the price so
called over another 'droid who found it in a huge price list book
and then they had a brief argumen over who's id was going to
be attached to the sale one claimed he got the customer first and
the other that he was the one who'd found the price!
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
david shepherd
email: d...@dtc.hp.com, tel: (415) 857-3799
Danny Low
cadad (ca...@concentric.net) wrote:
: Your story is typical of the experiences I have had a Frys. If you
: remember the old Fry's grocery stores, they sold and and retired, then
: decided to open a electronics store and opened the first Fry's.
This is not correct. One of the brothers in the Fry family decided
to branch out on his own and started Fry's Electronics although
he started the first store with family help (i.e. money). The Fry's
Supermarkets continued for several years as a separate independent
operation. It was eventually driven out of business by the
same competitive pressure that drove Albertsons out of the bay area.
So it was a good thing for the Fry family that one of them decided
to start up his own business.
Danny Low
"Question Authority and the Authorities will question You"
Valley of Hearts Delight, Silicon Valley
HP NSD dl...@ppg01.sc.hp.com
Danny Low
Lawrence Foard (ent...@vwis.com) wrote:
: For some reason it always seems that computer store sales people
: know the least about computers of anyone in existance.
This may be the oldest joke in the industry:
Q: What is the difference between a used car salesman and a
computer salesman?
A: The used car salesman knows when he is lying to you.
Dale DePriest
|> On 11 Oct 1996 17:49:17 GMT, d...@dtc.hp.com (David Shepherd
|> (SGS-Thomson)) wrote:
|>
|> >I had an occasion where I waited for half an hour while various
|> >"managers" decided how to cope with the fact that the price ticket
|> >on something I was buying was $3 less than what the computer siad
|> >(eventually the ruling was that that item had to be charged at the
|> >computer system's price but that I had triggered a $10 discount due
|> >to pricing error so that took $10 off the price of a different item
|> >that I was buying at the same time - logical - and don't even ask
|> >what happens when you try to pay with travellers cheques!)
Well sometimes they do honor the price. I went in and was browsing
around the air conditioners and found one marked $200 when every other
one was marked $349. I took it to the counter and after the standard
manager/clerk delays and humming and hawwing they sold it to me for
the marked price. The price was on a sticker and the model number was
also on the sticker. The sticker number matched the box.
--
_ _ Dale DePriest San Jose, California
/`) _ // da...@Cadence.COM voice: (408) 428-5249
o/_/ (_(_X_(` ISO 9000 Program Manager fax: (408) 894-3484
Danny Low
Reality is a point of view (gjoh...@dream.season.com) wrote:
: I'm constantly amazed by the consistently bad service at places
: like Fry's and NCA. Slim margins aren't enough to explain the
: terrible handling of customers buying things for hundreds or
: thousands of dollars. If someone could manage to put together a
: chain of stores that had competitive pricing and reasonable
: service they could put everyone else out of business.
People have been saying this ever since Fry's first opened.
It has not happened yet. It probably will never happen.
You are not the first person to have this thought.
This is Silicon Valley. Someone must have attempted to
do this. The fact that this thread keeps popping up year
after year after years says that what you want is not
going to happen.
Renee L. Roberts
We found a similar situation a while back. Don't even remember what it
was, but you'd think from their reaction that we had gone and made our
own label (Hmmm....That's an idea! Hehe). Then they told us that it was
an obvious mistake, and that we should have known it. It took around 20
minutes to convince them that it wasn't OUR fault, and that they have a
price accuracy guarantee, as well as state law on our side before they
"allowed" us to purchase the item.
Renee Roberts
J.C. Dill
On 14 Oct 1996 20:46:39 GMT, dl...@ppg01.sc.hp.com (Danny Low) wrote:
>cadad (ca...@concentric.net) wrote:
>: Your story is typical of the experiences I have had a Frys. If you
>: remember the old Fry's grocery stores, they sold and and retired, then
>: decided to open a electronics store and opened the first Fry's.
>
>This is not correct. One of the brothers in the Fry family decided
>to branch out on his own and started Fry's Electronics although
>he started the first store with family help (i.e. money). The Fry's
>Supermarkets continued for several years as a separate independent
>operation. It was eventually driven out of business by the
>same competitive pressure that drove Albertsons out of the bay area.
>So it was a good thing for the Fry family that one of them decided
>to start up his own business.
My understanding is that this brother is the *black* sheep in his family and he
was given a grocery store to run and stay out of the rest of the family's way...
Well he added appliances and small electronics to this grocery store.. and now
you go to get a computer and can stop by the grocery aisle on the way out! Now
you know why they have such a wide range of food products at Fry's Electronics.
BTW I say BRAVO to black sheep in anyones' family. Even if Fry's isn't the best
store around, it beats trying to buy a computer at Safeway!
jc
Patrick Gainer
In article <53u9bd$r...@hpscit.sc.hp.com>,
Danny Low <dl...@ppg01.sc.hp.com> wrote:
>Reality is a point of view (gjoh...@dream.season.com) wrote:
>: I'm constantly amazed by the consistently bad service at places
>: like Fry's and NCA. Slim margins aren't enough to explain the
>: terrible handling of customers buying things for hundreds or
>: thousands of dollars. If someone could manage to put together a
>: chain of stores that had competitive pricing and reasonable
>: service they could put everyone else out of business.
>
>People have been saying this ever since Fry's first opened.
>It has not happened yet. It probably will never happen.
And how could it? Most of the complaints in this newsgroup are
from computer people trying to buy 64-bit superdense streaming
floppy optical ram-cache simulators. How can a store possibly
hire technically competent, full-time, sales staff at minimum
wage? We aren't talking about Sears, power tools, and garage
door openers, we're talking about an industry where stuff
changes so quickly that the stuff you buy is usually obsolete
before you get your VISA bill in the mail.
Pat
Wilbur PB
In article <53u9bd$r...@hpscit.sc.hp.com>, dl...@ppg01.sc.hp.com (Danny Low)
wrote:
>People have been saying this ever since Fry's first opened.
>It has not happened yet. It probably will never happen.
Well Frys just blows. i only go there when i have the exact model number
of what i want and don't have to talk to anyone there. Their prices really
arent that great, and their selection isn't either, they just have a whole
bunch of everything. My favorite computer store is ComputerWare, this is a
mac only store, i don't know of any good PC stores, cuz i don't have a PC
and havent looked. But computerware is very good, their service is great,
their prices are often only a few dollars more (2-5 dollars on a 100
dollar purchase) or they have the same price. Their tech support is very
good too, and they are always willing to answer questions. better yet,
their salesmen don't work on comission (i don't think frys do, but it
seems like it) so they really are more like consultants than salesman.
anyway, if you have a mac, they are the best place to go. they have
several stores in the bay area, there is a list at www.macsource.com
WilburPB
PQ
I've bought things at both Fry's and NCA based strictly on price. In
fact, if you see something less at either store you can go to the
competitor and get the lower price if that's convenient for you. Between
the two, Fry's wins for "selection" and NCA wins for "service." But
neither will win any awards in either category.
If I buy anything at either store, I try to minimize the necessity of
returning anything (becuase of the hassel) by making sure I really need
or want the thing I'm buying and by making sure everything is in the box
that's supposed to be there.
I have had a few returns of software and had few problems doing so except
positioning myself so that I got someone's attention so that they could
do the paperwork necessary to get my money back. It's a wait and a
hassel but you should know this in advance and it's the trade off you pay
for the "lower" prices.
Service? At those prices, forget about it entirely!
Regards,
Passion
sma...@slip.net
d...@netcom.com (dx) wrote:
>Robert Collyar <bcol...@netcom.com> wrote:
>> Perhaps you haven't noticed that virtually every ad in MicoTimes has a
>> disclaimer about prices subject to change w/o notice. Central has had
>> such disclaimers on their ads for years. MicroTimes is NOT the most
>> accurate nor up-to-date pricing guide around.
>And they all do this because the lead-time on these publications makes it
>virtually impossible to guarantee prices set weeks or months in advance will
>still make sense when an issue hits the stand. They include prices because
>they will give you an indication of the store's prices relative to other
>dealers.
>Central, among others, has a web site that has up-to-the-minute prices.
>They will also quote prices over the phone. If they *quote* you a price,
>then change it when you come in to buy, I'd be more suspicious about
>their honesty.
>-dx
There is only one problem with your explanation: computer prices
almost invariably go DOWN with time, not up. Therefore, prices at the
store should always be equal to or less than those in the ads. This
refers to all stores, not just Central.
David K. Bryant
gjoh...@dream.season.com (Reality is a point of view) writes:
> +---- dl...@ppg01.sc.hp.com wrote (14 Oct 1996 20:55:09 GMT):
> | People have been saying this ever since Fry's first opened.
> | It has not happened yet. It probably will never happen.
> +----
>You clipped the important part. I suspect that people LIKE the
>bad service.
As long as people flock to Microsoft they will flock to Fry's.
(do lemmings flock?)
There will always be those that you can feed shit to and they
will think it's pate'.
Cameron Slye
Yeah I have $75 rebate I have never got from them, as soon as I find my copy
that I kept I am going to call, it has been 2 months...Anyone else have the
same problems ?
Ronald sez: Reply To This Address Only If You Are A Stupid E-mail Spammer - So Sayeth Guilmette
In article <325E528B...@pawlan.com>,
Jeffrey Pawlan <jpa...@pawlan.com> wrote:
>You should consider yourself most fortunate that you got
>someones's attention in a mere 5 minutes and actually got
>to speak to a manager in less than an hour! When I have
>returned defective products to Frys, it has NEVER been less
>than 45 minutes and is always an ordeal to discourage the
>customer from every trying that again.
Well, I _do_ have some sympathy for Fry's regarding the returns procedure.
They get an awful lot of dipshits who come in and buy something when they
are not sure if it is what they need or not (and sometimes on the advice
of the incompetent sales people there at Fry's) and then they (Fry's)
has to restock it or return it to the manufacturer. That costs time and
money so they don't want to do that. (They do have good prices on some
things, and I think they keep prices low, in part, but avoiding having to
dick around with returns whenever they can.)
What really pisses _me_ off is how they will bandage up something.. some
product package... that some dipshit has returned (often without the manuals
in it anymore) which was actually returned because it didn't work, and then
they will just put it back on the shelf and hope that the next dipshit that
buys it won't notice that it is totally broken and has no manual.
When buying anything at Fry's always inspect all packaging carefully. Do
not accept anything other than a product which is quite definitely in
the _original_ and _complete_ and _unbroken_ manufacturer's packaging.
Oh yes... and by the way... Advice and/or opinions expressed on any subject
from any Fry's employee has been emprirically and statistically determined,
over time, to be a very accurate NEGATIVE predictor of reality. Want to
know who will will the Presidency in '86? Just ask a Fry's employee. If
he says it will be Clinton, you can bet money it will be Dole.
--
-- Ron Guilmette, Roseville, CA -------- Infinite Monkeys & Co. ------------
---- E-mail: rfg @ monkeys . com -------------------------------------------
------ Copyright (c) 1996 by Ronald F. Guilmette; All rights reserved. -----
Ronald sez: Reply To This Address Only If You Are A Stupid E-mail Spammer - So Sayeth Guilmette
In article <tporczyk.845135817@shellx>, Tony Porczyk <tpor...@best.com> wrote:
>[ note: Newsgroups trimmed down ]
>
>smi...@ibm.net writes:
>
>> The NCA in Sunnyvale was purchased, some 2 or 3 years ago by the
>>the same group that started the original FRY'S Electronics. NCA has
>>turned into a mini-Fry's since that time. 3 or 4 years ago, you could
>>walk into NCA and get sound technical advice, not so any more.
>
>Since we are only talking about bad experiences, let me tell you about a
>store where I had nothing but good experiences: Central Computer in San
>Jose. Their prices are not much different than the so-called
>"super-stores", but the selection of quality equipment is better (if you
>don't mind buying computers in components), and a couple of times when I
>needed to return something, the customer service was exemplary.
>
>I am in no way affiliated with them, just been doing all my computer-related
>purchases there since they were a tiny place on Kiely Blvd...
I agree completely.
Their prices tend to be just slightly higher than, say, Fry's or NCA, but
it is often worth it because you _know_ when you get there that you can
maybe talk to someone who knows what they are talking about, and they won't
try any of these bait and switch pricing games on you.
The folks at Central Computer seem very trustworthy to me.
Ronald sez: Reply To This Address Only If You Are A Stupid E-mail Spammer - So Sayeth Guilmette
In article <53nhos$j...@news-s01.ca.us.ibm.net>, <smi...@ibm.net> wrote:
>In <Dz53F...@oriole.sbay.org>, gr...@cris.com (George Bonser) writes:
>>Since I found the Sunnyvale NCA, which is just up the street from
>>Fry's, I buy all of my computer stuff there. I WILL go to Fry's for
>>electronics parts but not for computer hardware.
>
> The NCA in Sunnyvale was purchased, some 2 or 3 years ago by the
>the same group that started the original FRY'S Electronics. NCA has
>turned into a mini-Fry's since that time. 3 or 4 years ago, you could
>walk into NCA and get sound technical advice, not so any more.
I can attest to this.
I have done business with NCA all the way back to the last 80's, and up
until a few years ago, there were _very_ competent people maning the front
lines of sales there.
Now I understand why that seemed to change a few years back.
Sigh.
:-(
Martin Guerrero
Your stories sound so familiar! I've had very similar experience!
What I've found is that yes, Fry's can have pretty good deals --
so long as you don't ever plan on returning it, and so long as you
know it is not defective...
Steven M. Scharf
sma...@slip.net wrote:
> >-dx
>
> There is only one problem with your explanation: computer prices
> almost invariably go DOWN with time, not up. Therefore, prices at the
> store should always be equal to or less than those in the ads. This
> refers to all stores, not just Central.
In general this is true, but memory is one item that bottomed out a
month ago, and is now going up in price pretty significantly. Hard
drives also fluctuate in price according to supply, right now the
supply of SCSI drives is short, and prices have risen.
Also, occasionally they get a lot of stuff at a very low price, then
a few weeks later it's gone. I.e. Fry's was selling 4X CD ROM drives
for $30 for a while, but now these are gone, and a 4X drive is about
$60.
Danny Low
J.C. Dill (jcd...@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
: My understanding is that this brother is the *black* sheep in his family and he
: was given a grocery store to run and stay out of the rest of the family's way...
: Well he added appliances and small electronics to this grocery store.. and now
: you go to get a computer and can stop by the grocery aisle on the way out! Now
: you know why they have such a wide range of food products at Fry's Electronics.
: BTW I say BRAVO to black sheep in anyones' family. Even if Fry's isn't the best
: store around, it beats trying to buy a computer at Safeway!
The story I read is the store was started as an electronics store
from the beginning. I worked only a few blocked from the original
Fry's Electronics when it opened and it was an electronics store
from the beginning. The brother was more of a "grey" sheep
rather than a black sheep as his family did back his venture.
BRH
David Kaye wrote:
: No dice. I've been to Central Computer in SF. When they sell computers
: to people, they take the software such as Windows 95 which rightfully
: belongs to the customer and RESELLS it. In fact, they're quite bold
: about doing this. The packages are quite clearly marked that they are
: not to be sold except with a new computer. To me this is a reprehensible
: business practice. When someone buys a computer with software they are
: lawfully entitled to get the disks.
I bought a computer from Compaq direct, and the disks did not come with it.
In fact, when I asked for the disks, they said they would have to charge
more for the computer if they included the disks for the software that
was on it (Dos, Windows, etc.). Not that I was getting any discount on
the computer. In fact I paid book price for that Compaq.
It also meant that I had no small problem when I decided to double
click on the "cleanup.bat" file, just to see what it would clean-up.
So I would like to know about the law that entitled me to the disks.
Which law?
Shawn
In article <NEWTNews.8453...@brh.vip.best.com>, BRH wrote:
: I bought a computer from Compaq direct, and the disks did not come with it.
: In fact, when I asked for the disks, they said they would have to charge
: more for the computer if they included the disks for the software that
: was on it (Dos, Windows, etc.). Not that I was getting any discount on
: the computer. In fact I paid book price for that Compaq.
Preinstalled software like what you describe is called "Bundled
Titles", and the computer OEMs work out special deals with the
software companies (Microsoft, Cypress, Intuit, etc.). OEMs like
Compaq pay a much smaller licensing fee for bundled titles than they
do if the software company has to supply disks & manuals. If they
had to pay the higher licensing fees, you can bet those will be
passed along, meaning the system will cost most in the store than it
does now.
Now what you DO have with you system is a "Quick Restore" CD. If
anything happens, you can put the CD in the drive, insert the floppy
disc, and restore your system to the point that it was when you first
purchased it... including all the bundled titles.
: It also meant that I had no small problem when I decided to double
: click on the "cleanup.bat" file, just to see what it would clean-up.
Was this in the Compaq Phone Center directory, per chance?
And do you routinely run strange batch files/programs without looking
at them to see what they do first?
: So I would like to know about the law that entitled me to the disks.
: Which law?
There is no law -- it's called a "licensing agreement".
Shawn
--
Fer sell cheep: IBM spel chekker. Wurks grate.
Chad Page
: +---- kiy...@kiyoinc.com wrote (12 Oct 1996 11:40:44 GMT):
: | Are you sure they didn't drop you at "Weird-Stuff Warehouse"? Complete mess,
: | obsolete inventory, disorganization, decent prices?
: +----
: I thought Weird Stuff moved to Fremont.
Actually, they're splitting into two stores - one in Sunnyvale and
one in Fremont (check their web site)... I'm pretty sure he wasn't
at Weird Stuff, since he was at the Palo Alto store.
It would be funny if the software store in Fremont happens to wind
up being in the same place the old Herb's Software was... :)
- Chad
dx
d...@netcom.com (dx) wrote:
> There is only one problem with your explanation: computer prices
> almost invariably go DOWN with time, not up. Therefore, prices at the
> store should always be equal to or less than those in the ads. This
> refers to all stores, not just Central.
And there's only one problem with your objection: the long-term trend in
prices is down, but the short-to-middle-term trend is highly variable. As
others have pointed out, SIMM prices jump up and down daily. Same goes
for CPU prices.
The ads in rags like Microtimes are meant as best-guesses at the time of
printing, but there's no way these companies can predict the future down to
the penny. If you want to know the price that day, check their web site
or call them on the phone.
-dx
--
--
"I don't mind popcorn, or roller-rinks or clotheslines
so much. It's Cinemascope that drags me." --Rod McKuen
Danny Low
: bad service.
People tolerate the bad service for the low prices and selection.
This is a common phenomenon. I see the same complaints about
San Jose Camera which is the photographic equivalent of Fry's.
Aaron Daniel
sma...@slip.net wrote:
: There is only one problem with your explanation: computer prices
: almost invariably go DOWN with time, not up. Therefore, prices at the
: store should always be equal to or less than those in the ads. This
: refers to all stores, not just Central.
/Except for the recent jump in ram prices and how HD's dipped to their low
point about a year or more ago (once in a while I see SCSI gig's at under
$200, but not very often. Anyone know a place that has them for that
right now. e me). With both of these prices changing that would inturn
change the price of a pc system that you may have priced.
As for the ram, I've heard the stories that it is from a surplus because
the ram makers were expecting pc owners to buy more after "upgrading" to
windoze 95......but it didn't happen. Now that the surplus is gone so are
the very cheap prices, though it's still less than it used to be. I
suppose this good old supply and demand can work on other computer parts
too....though it does seem that if they have a price in an ad they should
try to follow through with it.
Aaron
(what's the URL of computer central?) --
##############################################################################
http://www.engr.ucdavis.edu/~ardaniel arda...@ucdavis.edu
UCDavis Cross Country web page: www.engr.ucdavis.edu/~ardaniel/cc/UCDCC.html
=============================================================================
Mark Hood
to...@prado.com (Tony Waddell) writes:
> Now to put this at least a little on topic for ba.internet (one of the
> many groups this is being cross-posted to). I bought my ISDN TA from
> them
> [...]
> delays by PacBell in getting the line installed forced me to return the TA
> before my 30-day return privilege expired. After PacBell finally got
> the line installed I went back to Fry's to re-purchase the TA.
Speaking of which, what's the deal with PacBell's ISDN installation techs?
They seem to be totally incompetent and even downright devious.
When my installation day finally arrived, I waited by the door for about a
half hour starting at about 12:30 (I got a 1-5PM window), got up to feed my
cats, heard a knock at my door, and when I opened it 10 seconds later the
tech had already left, leaving a yellow tag on my door knob saying they
couldn't find anybody at home.
I call the PacBell ISDN people, they claim to page the tech for the next
five hours while I wait, and finally say they don't know what happened. Now
I'm waiting for my 2nd re-scheduled installation in a week.
-- Mark Hood
Barry Twycross
In article <540ko2$a...@hpscit.sc.hp.com>, dl...@ppg01.sc.hp.com (Danny Low)
wrote:
>People tolerate the bad service for the low prices and selection.
>This is a common phenomenon. I see the same complaints about
>San Jose Camera which is the photographic equivalent of Fry's.
Its possible to give too little service. I asked to demo a lens at SJ
Camera, they refused. I do not understand this at all. I've never been
back there and I've since bought the lens elsewhere ($300 worth of it.)
--
Barry
Ba...@netbox.com <http://www.netbox.com/barry>
------
Posted under the restrictions imposed by the US government.
David Masterson
Lawrence Foard wrote:
>
> David Masterson wrote:
> > Is it any wonder why Bill Gates is the richest man in America...
>
> Lets hope he drops out and starts the philantropy (sp?) hobby at
> an early age.
Even if he did, by now I'd think that the Microsoft sales machine would
just roll on without him.
--
David Masterson
dmast...@global.california.com
Eric Edwards
> >Central, among others, has a web site that has up-to-the-minute prices.
> >They will also quote prices over the phone. If they *quote* you a price,
> >then change it when you come in to buy, I'd be more suspicious about
> >their honesty.
>
> >-dx
>
> There is only one problem with your explanation: computer prices
> almost invariably go DOWN with time, not up. Therefore, prices at the
> store should always be equal to or less than those in the ads. This
> refers to all stores, not just Central.
Over the long haul, yes. That is *generally* true. In the short term
prices do flucuate. Retailers get special deals on limited quantities.
They respond by lowering prices. When they run out, they raise their
prices back to normal. Distributers add and delete product lines. The
low cost vender one month may not carry the item next month. And, of
course, their are RAM chips.
Even without fluctuations, the price in Microtimes may be lower than
reality. Magazines have lead times. Retailers don't create ads based on
current prices. They look at trends and project what their prices will be
when the magazine hits the shelf. That's what you see in print. Not a
verified price, but a projection. Usually they're pretty close, close
enough to simply take the projection as the real price. But sometimes,
their just plain wrong. The classic example of this is ads for ram chips
in late 1991/early 1992. Magazines like Byte have an 8 week lead time.
The result is that two months after DRAM prices started moving rapidly
upward, magazine advertizements were still showing decreases. Even 4 and
6 months out there were totally unrealistic prices advertized: the result
of retailers expecting the "shortage" to end soon.
----
"..very sad life. Probably have very sad death. But there's symetry"
Remember the home hobbyist computer: Born 1975, died April 29, 1994
ASW
Sure does sound like Fry's to me. They never were one for customer
service, unless you are doing to spend a couple thousand dollars.
ASW
Mayank Thanawala wrote:
>
> Hello all,
>
> Sorry about the cross posting but I want my experience to be known.
>
> I went into Fry's Electronics three times last week. The first time was
> Monday; I was looking for the OS/2 v.4 upgrade. They had the regular
> edition on theshelves, but no upgrades. So I asked the software sales
> person: "Do you haveany more of the upgrade edition?" The answer: "Any
> more? Any MORE?!? Look,we never got any to begin with, OK?"
>
> And that's *my* fault?!? So I went in again on Friday and found the
> software, walked out and was happy. Until I got home and found that I was
> missing a CD and had an extra of another. OK, I thought, manufacturer's
> fault, the store will exchange it, no problem. Right?
>
> Sort of. I went back to Fry's on Saturday and walked up to the service
> desk. I waited about 5 minutes for someone to notice me, and finally someone
> lobbed a form at me and said "fill." O-kay, so I filled out the form (5
> minutes), which asked me why I was returning the product, etc etc (I wasn't
> returning; I was exchanging).
>
> So five minutes or so after I've finished the form and have been standing
> around again, someone finally helps me. I had gotten past being upset by
> this time, and I was quite calm.
>
> After he found the manager of the store to sign my form, he took a new OS/2
> box, we emptied the contents of both boxes and compared them item by item.
> It was not enough for him to look at my box and see that I had 2 CD's
> labelled "Device Driver Pak." Why on Earth would I need two Device Driver
> Paks?!?
>
> So this comparison takes some time, and finally I am left with a complete
> package, a conglomeration of new and old. It was artistic, but I told the
> guy "Incidentally, this is the most ludicrous exchange procedure I've ever
> been through." His answer: "yeah, we get a lot of that."
>
> So after we've reassembled the two boxes, we have to find the manager again
> to OK the exchange and give me an affidavit...yes, an affidavit...to fill
> out. It's all in this legal language, I such and such bought said product
> manufactured by ______ from this store at that address, and on and on.
> After I finally get this thing filled out to some extent, I have to wait for
> the person again, and we have to find the manager AGAIN, and he signs it and
> I get to be escorted out of the store by the manager.
>
> On my way out, I asked if there was some place or method for me to file a
> complaint. He says he's the manager, so what's my complaint? I tell him
> that this procedure is ludicrous, that I've never been through such an
> elaborate exchange procedure in my life for any product at any store. He
> says it's their policy. I explain that if I know before buying a product
> that I'll have to go through all that if the product is defective, then I'm
> less likely to buy the product from him. I explain that one responsibility
> of a store is to deal with the manufacturers, so the customers don't have
> to. That's why stores earn money. I explain that my time is worth such and
> such per hour, and shouldn't I get $10 off the product? All this is done
> very calmly and without belligerence. He says there's nothing he can do
> (he's the manager?!?). I say if that's the case, don't expect to see me in
> here ever again.
>
> He says, "Have a good evening, sir."
>
> I understand the need for software piracy protection, but this is
> ridiculous! I was _exchanging_ for an identical product; furthermore, an
> _upgrade_ product that's already dependent on a previous license!
Ross Gard
In article <wilburpb-141...@ple-ca17-17.ix.netcom.com>,
wilb...@ix.netcom.com (Wilbur PB) wrote:
> In article <53u9bd$r...@hpscit.sc.hp.com>, dl...@ppg01.sc.hp.com (Danny Low)
> wrote:
>
> >People have been saying this ever since Fry's first opened.
> >It has not happened yet. It probably will never happen.
>
> Well Frys just blows. i only go there when i have the exact model number
> of what i want and don't have to talk to anyone there. Their prices really
> arent that great, and their selection isn't either, they just have a whole
> bunch of everything. My favorite computer store is ComputerWare, this is a
> mac only store, i don't know of any good PC stores, cuz i don't have a PC
> and havent looked. But computerware is very good, their service is great,
> their prices are often only a few dollars more (2-5 dollars on a 100
> dollar purchase) or they have the same price. Their tech support is very
> good too, and they are always willing to answer questions. better yet,
> their salesmen don't work on comission (i don't think frys do, but it
> seems like it) so they really are more like consultants than salesman.
> anyway, if you have a mac, they are the best place to go. they have
> several stores in the bay area, there is a list at www.macsource.com
> WilburPB
Thank you for your kind thoughts about ComputerWare. It is feelings like
these that keep us going.
Regards,
Ross Gard
_________________________________________________________
Ross Gard ga...@best.com
Systems Engineer (408) 328-1072
ComputerWare - The MacSource http://www.macsource.com/
605 West California Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086-5020
Ted Chen
sma...@slip.net wrote:
>
> d...@netcom.com (dx) wrote:
>
> >Robert Collyar <bcol...@netcom.com> wrote:
>
> >> Perhaps you haven't noticed that virtually every ad in MicoTimes has a
> >> disclaimer about prices subject to change w/o notice. Central has had
> >> such disclaimers on their ads for years. MicroTimes is NOT the most
> >> accurate nor up-to-date pricing guide around.
>
> >And they all do this because the lead-time on these publications makes it
> >virtually impossible to guarantee prices set weeks or months in advance will
> >still make sense when an issue hits the stand. They include prices because
> >they will give you an indication of the store's prices relative to other
> >dealers.
>
> >They will also quote prices over the phone. If they *quote* you a price,
> >then change it when you come in to buy, I'd be more suspicious about
> >their honesty.
>
> >-dx
>
> There is only one problem with your explanation: computer prices
> almost invariably go DOWN with time, not up. Therefore, prices at the
> store should always be equal to or less than those in the ads. This
> refers to all stores, not just Central.
Wrong! Prices do go up based on availability. I'm a reseller, and
recently memory prices have went up by about 40% and the Pentium Pro
200MHz CPU went up from 575 to 849$, this is within a months time.
Another item is the Intel Endeaver MB. prices have went up 10-20$ each.
All hard drive prices went up. this week Pentium 133 CPUs went up while
the Pentium 200(586) CPU went down. If you look at 4X and 6X Cd-roms,
they went up about 20$ within 2-3 months. So you are wrong about prices
only go down.
Jeff Glatt
>spa...@monkeys.com
>Want to
>know who will will the Presidency in '86? Just ask a Fry's employee. If
>he says it will be Clinton, you can bet money it will be Dole.
I wouldn't bet too much money that either Clinton or Dole will win the
Presidency in '86.
I believe that Nancy Reagan was president then
Andrew Laurence
On 12 Oct 1996 16:34:51 -0700, d...@crl.com (David A. Kaye) wrote:
>Tony Porczyk wrote the quoted material below:
>" Since we are only talking about bad experiences, let me tell you about a
>" store where I had nothing but good experiences: Central Computer in San
>" Jose.
>
>No dice. I've been to Central Computer in SF. When they sell computers
>to people, they take the software such as Windows 95 which rightfully
>belongs to the customer and RESELLS it. In fact, they're quite bold
>about doing this. The packages are quite clearly marked that they are
>not to be sold except with a new computer. To me this is a reprehensible
>business practice. When someone buys a computer with software they are
>lawfully entitled to get the disks.
They may not be the ones doing this. They may have bought these disks
from someone _else_ who was not providing the disks to their
customers. It's best not to jump to conclusions.
Andrew Laurence
On 15 Oct 1996 03:53:17 -0700, spa...@monkeys.com (Ronald sez: Reply
To This Address Only If You Are A Stupid E-mail Spammer - So Sayeth
Guilmette) wrote:
>Their prices tend to be just slightly higher than, say, Fry's or NCA, but
>it is often worth it because you _know_ when you get there that you can
>maybe talk to someone who knows what they are talking about, and they won't
>try any of these bait and switch pricing games on you.
Actually, Central Computer usually has _lower_ prices than Fry's.
Contrary to popular folklore, Fry's is not cheap on their
non-advertised items.
Tom Stangl
Masashi Kobayashi wrote:
>
> > Actually, Central Computer usually has _lower_ prices than Fry's.
> > Contrary to popular folklore, Fry's is not cheap on their
> > non-advertised items.
>
> Computer. But, let me say one thing here.
OK, Fine - WHERE is your employers' website? Lycos and Alta Vista show
nil.
--
Tom Stangl
***http://www.ba.dsm.org/~talonts/
***Bay Area DSM Homepage
1990 Talon AWD
1992 Laser AWD
Brad Albom
Hi-
>Yeah I have $75 rebate I have never got from them, as soon as I find my copy
>that I kept I am going to call, it has been 2 months...Anyone else have the
>same problems ?
I just got my $75 Fry's rebate check today.
Still waiting for rebate check from CompUSA that was sent in 4 months ago.
CompUSA says "it's coming soon."
--
-brad albom
Software Engineering Solutions, Inc
2685 Marine Way, Suite 1215, Mountain View, CA 94043
email: br...@sesinc.com <- Office address
alt : br...@via.net <- Home address, checked more frequently
phone: (415) 969-0141
alt : (707) 552-5248
Masashi Kobayashi
> Actually, Central Computer usually has _lower_ prices than Fry's.
> Contrary to popular folklore, Fry's is not cheap on their
> non-advertised items.
I didn't want to say something here, because I'm working for Central
Computer. But, let me say one thing here.
You got the point! Average Central price is lower than Fry's price. It's
almost impossible to beat Fry's advertised prices on newspapers. On some
products, they lose some money to get more customers.
Philip J. Koenig
[removing "ba.internet" from newsgroups due to irrelevance, and adding
"ba.consumers" for the converse reason]
"Masashi Kobayashi" <mas...@aimnet.com> wrote:
Well that would be an interesting revelation - since technically, in
California, it's illegal to advertise a product below your cost. Consumer
protection laws in this state forbid that practice to make it more difficult
for well-funded predatory retailers to sell products below cost to force their
competition to exit the market. If this is true, the appropriate govt. agency
should be notified. (although I should mention that the recent elimination of
the cellular phone "no-bundling" law goes against the spirit of this. I don't
know if this meant a retreat from the "no loss-leader" provisions or just a
specific exception for the cellular market)
I suspect that companies such as Frys, given their large purchasing power and
pull with vendors, negotiate limited-time or limited-quantity buys from their
suppliers from time-to-time and that they are not actually selling below their
cost. OTOH, technically that practice would *also* be illegal (preferential
wholesale pricing) unless the supplier in question makes the same prices
available to all retailers. In other words, it is not OK to negotiate a special
and private deal for only a special retailer, but it is OK to say that you have
a special promotion price, but that it is only available to dealers who sell
XX million $ of product annually, for example. (and make the price schedule
available to all dealers)
Phil
--
Philip J. Koenig Computers & Communications p...@aimnet.com
[Notice: the contents of any unsolicited email sent to this email address
is hereby declared public property and may be used for any purpose I deem
necessary. You have been warned.]
Philip J. Koenig
[removing "ba.internet" due to its irrelevance to the thread and adding
"ba.consumers" for the converse reason]
dil...@dnai.com (Andrew Laurence) wrote:
Nonetheless, the spirit of what David said is right: there is a reason
that products are licensed only to the end-user of the product it was
originally bundled with, and whether you are the entity that originally
"unbundles" it and wholesales it to another vendor, or the vendor that
ultimately sells it to the end-user, you are violating the license and
selling the product illegally.
People sure will come up with convoluted justifications to pirate
software.
To paraphrase one of my favorite lines: "What part of 'Not for Resale'
don't you understand?"
Shawn
In article <326714...@best.com>, Tom Stangl wrote:
: OK, Fine - WHERE is your employers' website? Lycos and Alta Vista
: show nil.
I don't work there, but I can answer that one. :-)
http://www.centralcomputer.com/
Enjoy!
Shawn
--
Daddy, what does "FORMATTING DRIVE C:" mean?
dx
> OK, Fine - WHERE is your employers' website? Lycos and Alta Vista show
> nil.
Huh? Alta Vista, when searching for "Central Computer", gave me 5000 hits,
the first 4 of which were pages from Central Computer's web site, including
their home page:
http://www.centralcomputer.com
(which would've been tough to guess in the first place!).
smi...@ibm.net
In <53ossh$q...@crl6.crl.com>, d...@crl.com (David A. Kaye) writes:
>smi...@ibm.net wrote the quoted material below:
>" The NCA in Sunnyvale was purchased, some 2 or 3 years ago by the
>" the same group that started the original FRY'S Electronics.
>
>This is not altogether a bad thing. Founders often are pushed out of
>companies or decide to get into partnerships which turn the companies in
>different directions.
>The question is not when but *will* NCA become another Fry's. Yes, NCA
>does look like Fry's based on their display ads. Yes, NCA may be in
>danger of becoming another Fry's. But I'll withhold judgment for the
>time being.
>
If you had dealt with the original NCA, when it was a little hole in the
wall store in an industrial park, you would see the radical transformation in
the store's policies and atmosphere over the last 5 years. I still rate NCA
much higher than Fry's. NCA's customer service, at the Sunnyvale store,
is still great; or at least it was 5 months ago. This is the number one
criteria, in my book, for whether I deal with a store or not. I would rather
spend my money somewhere that I know I can count on, if I have any problems,
than save a few bucks at a place that will try to humiliate me first and help
me only as a last resort.
Bill
Brendan Vila
Tom Stangl wrote:
> OK, Fine - WHERE is your employers' website? Lycos and Alta Vista show
> nil.
Hey Doofus! Yeah you! With the modem up yer butt!
Believe it or not, not *EVERY* company HAS a website. The WWW is still a
relatively new thing for a lot of companies. There are still a lot of
resellers who would prefer to SAVE the $50k a year that they would have
to someone to manage their site and pass the savings along to their
customers. Do YOU have a website? I looked in Yahoo and Excite, and I
didnt see YOU anywhere there, what's YOUR excuse?
Whee!
________________
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