fossildoc
06-24-2007, 02:26 PM
I recently had an experience at Lucky Electronics (LE) which may be of interest to other students.
I was in desperate need for a digital voice recorder (DVR) to record lectures, to compensate for my inability to keep up with fast-talking profs who don't give us their PowerPoints.
I was unable to find a single suitable DVR model online which was in stock, ready to be shipped, so I went to LE, a large electronics store popular with students. I called first and spoke to the manager. He assured me that he had such a device, that it was "good for recording lectures", and that it had a USB connection. I re-emphasized USB to be sure he knew what I was talking about.
I went to the store and bought the thing, the last one in stock. I dealt with the manager; once again I asked if it had a USB connection, and he assured me it did. I paid 95 Florins ($54.29 US), a price 'special' for me on account of my good looks.
When I got it home I opened the box, and what do you think I found? Choose an answer before proceding.
a) exactly what I asked for
b) a worthless piece of junk
c) a DVR with no pc connector
d) a DVR with a serial port connector
e) both (b) and (d)
If you chose 'e', you are correct.
Let's for the moment concede that answer 'b' is purely subjective, and ignore the fact that the only sound ever recorded on this thing was air conditioner noise, even when seated directly in front of the teacher. We'll also ignore the fact that the manufacturer did not answer my email, because that's not the fault of LE.
But what about answer 'd'? The manager certainly knows the difference between serial port and USB; he sells cables and the ports themselves. Has anyone ever seen a serial port connector on a modern laptop? (The key word is 'modern'; the early ones had serial ports.) There is a device to convert serial to USB, but other stores on the island were out of them and I needed my DVR right away. That's irrelevant, anyway; the point is that the manager misrepresented what he sold me.
I called the manager and told him of the problem. He said to bring it in and he would exchange it. For what? He didn't have any other DVRs. Well, maybe he would offer to further lower the price on a digital camera he tried to sell me when I was in the store; each time I said I wanted to read the specifications online before buying (he didn't have the instruction manual -- hmmm...), he lowered the price a little more. Doesn't sound right.
I kept the DVR and won't go back to the store. It's worth 95 Florins for me not to risk losing my temper and getting deported, so I keep the recorder as a reminder that I should never go back to LE.
And neither should you.
[edited for language. censors mean its not ok to get around censors with symbols/alternate spelling etc.]
I was in desperate need for a digital voice recorder (DVR) to record lectures, to compensate for my inability to keep up with fast-talking profs who don't give us their PowerPoints.
I was unable to find a single suitable DVR model online which was in stock, ready to be shipped, so I went to LE, a large electronics store popular with students. I called first and spoke to the manager. He assured me that he had such a device, that it was "good for recording lectures", and that it had a USB connection. I re-emphasized USB to be sure he knew what I was talking about.
I went to the store and bought the thing, the last one in stock. I dealt with the manager; once again I asked if it had a USB connection, and he assured me it did. I paid 95 Florins ($54.29 US), a price 'special' for me on account of my good looks.
When I got it home I opened the box, and what do you think I found? Choose an answer before proceding.
a) exactly what I asked for
b) a worthless piece of junk
c) a DVR with no pc connector
d) a DVR with a serial port connector
e) both (b) and (d)
If you chose 'e', you are correct.
Let's for the moment concede that answer 'b' is purely subjective, and ignore the fact that the only sound ever recorded on this thing was air conditioner noise, even when seated directly in front of the teacher. We'll also ignore the fact that the manufacturer did not answer my email, because that's not the fault of LE.
But what about answer 'd'? The manager certainly knows the difference between serial port and USB; he sells cables and the ports themselves. Has anyone ever seen a serial port connector on a modern laptop? (The key word is 'modern'; the early ones had serial ports.) There is a device to convert serial to USB, but other stores on the island were out of them and I needed my DVR right away. That's irrelevant, anyway; the point is that the manager misrepresented what he sold me.
I called the manager and told him of the problem. He said to bring it in and he would exchange it. For what? He didn't have any other DVRs. Well, maybe he would offer to further lower the price on a digital camera he tried to sell me when I was in the store; each time I said I wanted to read the specifications online before buying (he didn't have the instruction manual -- hmmm...), he lowered the price a little more. Doesn't sound right.
I kept the DVR and won't go back to the store. It's worth 95 Florins for me not to risk losing my temper and getting deported, so I keep the recorder as a reminder that I should never go back to LE.
And neither should you.
[edited for language. censors mean its not ok to get around censors with symbols/alternate spelling etc.]