🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <997@aluxp.UUCP> wg@aluxp.UUCP (Bill Gieske) writes:
>I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS pay mail orders with a credit card.  AND, I do not 
>pay the credit card charge UNLESS I have the product AND it works.  Otherwise,
>I notifiy the bank that I did not receive the item or whatever and refuse to
>pay the charge until I have the item, it works, and I am satisfied.  This
>gives ME control over the process, rather than the mail order outfit.  Mail
>order outfits are always cooperative when you owe them for products shipped.
	That's one approach.  I use a credit card, but only deal with
companies that I've used before with good results, or if I must,
companies which have rave reviews.  The companies that I've dealt with
(Mac Connection, PC Connection, a couple others) have generally gotten
the stuff to me before I could possibly check to see if my credit card
has been charged, and so, I don't care.  I have to check outside my
door after I hang up the phone.  The one exception was because I
forgot I ordered the stuff for a couple weeks, and UPS didn't actually
leave it (I was on vacation or there was some other screw up - DON'T
GO ON VACATION! :-).  I called the company, they put in a trace, the
stuff arrived a couple days later (really BTS, but the stuff in it (a
bulk disk order) was fine).  I do have a an arrangement with UPS that
lets them give me the stuff on the first attempt.  This helps alot.
	Not all stories work like this.  Other people have purchased
all sorts of stuff, and have been shafted left and right, and
sometimes by companies that they have had prior good luck with.  Six
month delays, the check was cashed almost before it (the check) was
sent, bad stuff, etc., you've heard it before.
	I use mail order because of the computer stores around here.
Computer stores around here fall into two categories.  They have stuff
but are only open when I'm at work (M-F 10-4 or some such nonsense).
It is either that or they don't carry anything of use.  There is a
BusinessLand in the building at which I work which I can visit any
time.  They don't have anything within my price range (I will only pay
up to twice list price :-).  They don't have anything in the way of
supplies (ribbons, disks, cables, a replacement mouse (these break).
I have tried repeatedly to actually buy something there with no
success.  I even tried today.  I think that they are really a front
for some underworld (read criminal) activities.  Maybe I'll ask for a
"nickle bag" (is that still common usage terminology?) and see what
happens.  It might be amusing.  It would probably get me arrested,
maimed or killed, but it'd be worth it (as few things are) to actually
find out what it is that they do.
	My favorite store is one that I use to work near, which has
horrible hours (but I was so close that it didn't matter), had
reasonable prices, often had what I wanted in stock, would actually
order things if I asked them to, and they would get these things
quickly (not next week or in a few months).  The staff wasn't
incompetent (incredible), but were sometimes rude (though working with
the public tends to make even fairly nice people that way).  I'd pay
more for a 24 hour computer store that ALWAYS has everything even
remotely reasonable in stock.  I wouldn't even care if the salespeople
were utterly incompetent and rude a**holes, so long as I could get
what I wanted **right now**.  (Really, a city like Boston should be
able to support one of these.)  I'd pay more for fast, reliable mail
order.  Oh, I guess I do that now.
	When I was at Mac World, I saw a demo of a really neat new
version of a product (which escapes me, but I don't think I actually
got one).  The salesman said, "... and you can pick it up at the Mac
Connection booth, right over there."  I replied that I would get it
sooner if I called the 800 number, and I wouldn't have to carry it
home.  Its almost true (It is true that I wouldn't have to carry it
home).
	I've always thought of myself as the ideal consumer.  No
thinking is allowed.  If I see it, I want it.  If I want it, I simply
buy it.  If I run out of money, I ask for more credit (and they give
it to me in huge quantities, for no apparent reason other than I have
a history of actually spending it).  I'm looking for the idea store.
The idea store is always open, always has what you want, and the
salesmen will sell you anything without regard to its value to anyone
under any circumstances, so long as you are willing to own it.  For
food, Store 24 is pretty close, but doesn't quite always have
everything.  I used to live near something called Day/Nite SuperStore,
which was perfect, except that they closed.  Seriously, you could buy
the most awesome steak (or even munchies) even at 4 AM.  (I couldn't
due to a metabolism problem which causes me to fall unconsious at that
exact time.  I'm told that this will be fixed in the next release).
	Stephen.