Computer Fairs - A cautionary tale with a happy ending!
Paul LeMasonry
thought I'd let everyone know about my recent experience
regarding an item purchased at a computer fair in Sittingbourne. We
all know these fairs can be a good source of cheap parts, mostly for
bits for computers that are still usable but not now available to buy
from the main stream. It's also a good place for traders to off load
their old, now not-up-to-spec goods cheaply.
Last summer I was after a larger HDD for my computer (then a 486) and
a trader in the hall was selling them at what I thought was
reasonable prices for what they were. So I settled for a 1.7Gb drive
and paid my money. The drive, a Western Digital, was presented to me
wrapped only in an anti-static bag, but what the heck, it's a fair
after all. I duly checked the drive and all was intact, seals and
labels etc, with a date stamp of June 98 on it (which I thought
nothing of at the time). It was too big for my 486, but it did well
for a Pentium I was putting together, so I was happy.
That was until a couple of weeks ago. I went to turn on my computer
and with much whirring etc, the BIOS came up with an error message. I
ran the Windows start-up disc, only to find that the drive had
crashed with bad boot sectors and DOS declared it unusable.
I found a telephone number for Western Digital UK and gave them a
ring, mainly to find out if anything was salvageable or whether the
drive was just fit for the bin. The operator informed me that all
Western Digital HDD's hold a three year warranty and gave me a
telephone number in Holland that I had to ring. I rang the number and
the operator there told me, "we haven't made those drives for a few
years!". A bit miffed, I gave him the details on the drive and it
turns out the new/unused drive I thought I bought, was in fact a
repair job by Western Digital. The good news was they would honour
the repair warranty and replace the drive. Which they did, but not
like for like. As they did not have any 1.7's they sent me a 2.1, result!
This story falls nicely into place with a little scam someone was
pulling on the Newsgroups a while back, asking for large dead HDDs.
He was relying on people not realising that they hold such a
warranty, getting them replaced for free and selling them on. Had
this not happend to me, I would not have known about it and had the
drive not crashed I would have still believed that it was new/unused.
If anyone has bought such a drive and would like to check it's
validity, the number in Holland is:-
00 31 20 4467651
Cheers for now
Paul
*o0o*
This is very intresting and i am glad there is a happy ending to this but
1.drive was in anti static bag maybe cos it is OEM
2. I would never buy WD cos there high fail rate
Sittingbourne Computer fair is prity good i have bought computer cases , case
fans and the like
but i would never buy anything that was other than that kind of stuff cos as
u say traders can off load
returned and old stuff with little coming back on them. Can you tell us what
trader it was so we could
all avoid him in future?
se ya
LEX
Paul LeMasonry
from *o0o* <l...@REMOVEpunkass.com> contains these words:
> HI
> This is very intresting and i am glad there is a happy ending to this but
> 1.drive was in anti static bag maybe cos it is OEM
Quite possible, but then nearly all parts I've bought have been
supplied in such a wrapping. So that didn't arouse any suspicions
when it was handed to me.
> 2. I would never buy WD cos there high fail rate
Like most things, we pay our money and take our chances. I bought a
Western Digital drive back in 96 and it's still working well
(touching wood!). Any drive can fall over, what impressed me was the
way Western Digital did not quibble over the warranty.
> Sittingbourne Computer fair is prity good i have bought computer cases , case
> fans and the like
> but i would never buy anything that was other than that kind of stuff cos as
> u say traders can off load
> returned and old stuff with little coming back on them.
It can depend what it is your after. Many people want to keep old
machines going and all for their own and quite valid reasons. As
parts for these machines are not supported by the main stream
dealers, then so long as you know what it is your buying, you're
happy with what it is and the price. Then I see nothing wrong with
getting these parts from these people.
As is the case with me, I bought what I thought was unused stock.
When you discover things to the contrary, that's when it all turns
sour and leaves a nasty taste in your mouth. Had the trader been up
front with me and said the drive was a second user repair job, I
would have known what it was I was buying and any possible risks
associated with it.
> Can you tell us what trader it was so we could all avoid him in future?
I had to search hard for the receipt I was given, but the trader was
Manhattan Computer Supplies Ltd, of Romford Essex. My attitude would
have been quite different had Western Digital not done the honourable
thing. My only gripe is not being told the full history of the drive.
Everything else, the price etc, was all above board and I was happy.
Really it's all about being up front and being told what it is you're getting.
> se ya
> LEX
Cheers for now
Paul
Sax of London
>Hi All,
> thought I'd let everyone know about my recent experience
>regarding an item purchased at a computer fair in Sittingbourne. We
>all know these fairs can be a good source of cheap parts, mostly for
>bits for computers that are still usable but not now available to buy
>from the main stream. It's also a good place for traders to off load
>their old, now not-up-to-spec goods cheaply.
>
>Last summer I was after a larger HDD for my computer (then a 486) and
>a trader in the hall was selling them at what I thought was
>reasonable prices for what they were. So I settled for a 1.7Gb drive
>and paid my money. The drive, a Western Digital, was presented to me
>wrapped only in an anti-static bag, but what the heck, it's a fair
>after all. I duly checked the drive and all was intact, seals and
>labels etc, with a date stamp of June 98 on it (which I thought
>nothing of at the time). It was too big for my 486, but it did well
>for a Pentium I was putting together, so I was happy.
>
How much did you pay? I have seem 10GB drives on sale for just over 100
pounds.
--
Sax of London
Email: s...@wychcraft.demon.co.uk <-- I don't want ANY spam! Nor any GMO's!!
David Akister
and beyond. In my experience if a product is being offered at a ridiculously
low price compared with retail, there's a reason for it. If may be 'seconds'
stock, liquidation stock, return-and-repair or grey import. So its Cavaet
Emptor I think. Thats not to say there isn't a number of bargains to be had.
Obviously traders on the fairs have little overhead and so can offer great
prices - even on some current kit -and a number of them use the fairs to
supplement their usual mail-order or shop business. But lets face it, unless
you buy from a trader you're are familiar with - many do the shows every
week - then you are taking a risk. When you see a pile of static-sensitive
electronics dumped a cardboard box and selling at a fiver, it probably
doesn't come with a manual,drivers and the manufacturers warranty :-)
Regards
David Akister
Senior Software Engineer
Wellgate Technology Ltd
Computer Book Specialist
Sax of London <S...@wychcraft.demon.SPAMco.uk> wrote in message
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