and now, everyone's favorite store, worst buy

[whitak24]

so, yesterday, i was at my GF's house and ended up working on her mom's computer for most of the day. it's got some random problem where it will just freeze up now and then -- doesn't give you any kind of invalid page fault error or anything....just crashes.

i'm pretty sure it's probably some kind of special M$ error, but i couldn't track it down so we're trying to get it replaced. it's an ancient acer (bought in 1997) piece of crap from best buy, and of course they bought the extended warranty, so now we're just trying to get BB to replace the computer (that store has to be good for something).

so yesterday the gf and i took it over to BB and dropped it off at the service dept. she and her mom had taken it in a few times and they always blew them off and said there was nothing wrong with it, so i just went in and of course the chick who took it was totally stupid. she probably does well to hook up a computer and turn it on.
i went off on a bunch of jargon-filled bulls--- about how it doesn't work and it was obviously a hardware problem, etc. since she had NO idea what the words i was using meant, she figured she better take it in and have them run some diagnostics on it. still haven't heard from them.

anyway, so then the GF and i got into a mini argument about whether her parents should buy stuff from best buy. it just annoys me because they go over there and buy stuff and usually (imo) end up getting ripped off, because they could find way better deals elsewhere but they don't look around. besides, they believe what they hear from the idiotic salespeople in there and follow their recommendations (i know, it's frightening). somehow, in their minds, best buy = a good place to buy electronics and computers because they advertise on tv a lot.

not sure what the point of this post is, other than to blow off steam (don't really want to go off on the GF about it). oh, and if anyone has some good stories about why you shouldn't shop at best buy, that would be good too. that way in conversation i can just throw them out and hopefully start subsconsciously convincing them that they should shop elsewhere.

[Speedfreak]

Got any pictures of your girlfriend? :D

[topane]

Originally posted by Speedfreak
Got any pictures of your girlfriend? :D HAHAHAHAHAHA :laugh:

[jase71]

When it comes down to it, there's only two kinds of computers.

Prebuilts, like HPs, Compaqs, Acers, Dells, and the rest. And Custom builts that you do yourself, or you pay someone to build for you.

If you treat your pc like an appliance, you might as well buy a pre-built. And if you buy a pre-built, it doesn't really matter if you buy it from Best Buy, Sears, Walmart, or wherever. None of those stores have a real clue about the hardware they're selling. They're a store. Nothing more. And they're selling mass-produced pcs that are little more than toasters with a cdrom drive.

Custom builts are the better pcs. That's what you get when your pc is more than an appliance. It's what you buy or build when it's a hobby. It's the better system. If it's worth the work and cost to you.

I used to build pcs for my friends and relatives, happy with the knowledge that they were getting better systems than they would at Best Buy.

But they loaded them up with crap, comet cursor, webshots, Neko, and they made my beautiful custom jobbies run like the same crap you pick off a shelf at Best Buy. And then, when something didn't run right, they came to me, the guy who built it, to explain why their pc locks up, or is slow, when their system tray is so full of tsr applets it stretches half way across the screen. My system, and I, took the blame for their usage of every free trashware program available on the internet.

I realized, they want an appliance, not a performance machine. They want a station wagon, not a Porsche.

So I started sending them to Best Buy (or the equivalent) to buy their pcs. They're just as happy, their pcs run just as crappy. But they're just a 1-800 number away from someone who gets paid to listen to their whining, which means I don't have to. I no longer have to play tech support every evening for various relatives. And when they complain about their pc running badly, I just smile and nod understandingly. After all, it's not my fault now. I didn't build it.

My mother-in-law has gotten much easier to deal with since I've discovered the magic of pointing her to Best Buy for her purchases.

[dbax791]

I guess I'm missing the point, but if you have a circa 1997 computer, you can't really expect it to run most stuff these days. And did the extended warranty go 5 years? If so, who would expect a computer to last 5 years?

I don't mind best buy - just ignore the hype for extended warranties. I just bought a new monitor from them today for about the same price I could find anywhere on the net + shipping. :confused:

[BrewMaster]

Originally posted by whitak24
so now we're just trying to get BB to replace the computer (that store has to be good for something).
i doubt they'll have a '97 Acer sitting around in the back room. they'll probably give you a credit that is nothing near the amount that her parents paid. good luck...

[Blu]

Originally posted by BrewMaster

i doubt they'll have a '97 Acer sitting around in the back room. they'll probably give you a credit that is nothing near the amount that her parents paid. good luck...

Usually the warranties say somthing along the lines of: "will replace with comparable hardware." The stores are usually forced to give buyers the current low-end PC.

[johnnymk]

The way BestBuy tries to force you to buy their extended warranties ("Oh, BTW, we don't work on commission!"), I would try to get as much as I can out of them, even if it's 5 years old. After all, they sold her the warranty and now they've got to live by it.

[Greykiller2k2]

All you need to know about BestBuy (http://www.bestbuysux.org.)

[brainsmile]

so far I have no complaints but then again I'd never buy a comp from them

[whitak24]

Originally posted by Blu


Usually the warranties say somthing along the lines of: "will replace with comparable hardware." The stores are usually forced to give buyers the current low-end PC.
yeah, it looks like that is what's going to happen. basically, what BB does is that if the item is not able to be repaired, they give you a credit for the amount originally spent on the item, so in this case they'll be getting a $1200 credit (the price of the CPU).

the GF talked to BB last night. they tried to run diagnostics, but they tests kept crashing, so in their words "the whole motherboard has gone bad" (which i would interpret to mean that they don't really have any clue what is wrong with it). so they're going to try to run some more tests today, but if those tests confirm that it can't be fixed, they should get a new computer. so it's not entirely bad.
]Originally posted by jase71

But they loaded them up with crap, comet cursor, webshots, Neko, and they made my beautiful custom jobbies run like the same crap you pick off a shelf at Best Buy.
that so perfectly describes how my gf's mom uses her computer :heh:

you're right about how they just want an appliance.....i just wish i could get them to understand that they could get the same appliance online for a lot less than they could get it for at best buy if they just paid attention. but hey.....i'm over it now. i was just in the mood to vent yesterday.

[whitak24]

Originally posted by Speedfreak
Got any pictures of your girlfriend? :D
yes, i do

[jase71]

Originally posted by cpugeek04

*cough*prove it*cough*

Apex doesn't allow links to those kind of web sites. :D

[WhiskeyPapa]

Originally posted by jase71
When it comes down to it...<snip>
Well said. You just wrote my life story. I used to think I was actually helping my friends and family, but in the end, it just wasn't worth it.

The whole experience spoiled my joy in building PCs. I haven't built one in years.

[attgig]

Originally posted by jase71
I realized, they want an appliance, not a performance machine. They want a station wagon, not a Porsche.

So I started sending them to Best Buy (or the equivalent) to buy their pcs. They're just as happy, their pcs run just as crappy. But they're just a 1-800 number away from someone who gets paid to listen to their whining, which means I don't have to. I no longer have to play tech support every evening for various relatives. And when they complain about their pc running badly, I just smile and nod understandingly. After all, it's not my fault now. I didn't build it.

WORD!
so nicely put.

[whitak24]

Originally posted by cpugeek04

*cough*prove it*cough*
*cough*no*cough*

]Originally posted by jase71

Apex doesn't allow links to those kind of web sites. :D
hahahahaha. good one :heh:

[dbax791]

Originally posted by jase71


Apex doesn't allow links to those kind of web sites. :D

Oh jeez, JASE, I'm laughing so hard I'm almost choked on my pepsi :heh: :bigmouth: :bawl:

[johnnymk]

I read some of those posts by the disgruntled employees of BestBuy. Man, what a sleezy place to work for! Sounds worse than some of those used car places around here.
I can't imagine that the pool of qualified employees is large enough to keep attracting workers to a place like that.

[whitak24]

Originally posted by cpugeek04

will you send it to me if i promise not to post it/share it/passwird it?
it's in your hotmail. and if you don't keep your promise, i'll unleash DF with his nipple burner :heh:

[Speedfreak]

Good Job on the Perversio...err..persuation, Agent cpugeek04. Now, you know what to do.

[Merlin]

Originally posted by jase71
But they loaded them up with crap, comet cursor, webshots, Neko...

Great, now we've resorted to dissin' Neko. So, kick any puppies today? :P ;)