To: CyberPagan@OutoftheDark.com
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 22:46:53 -0700
From: "SAM AGRO" <samagro@eudoramail.com>
Subject: (No Subject)
BEWARE of COMPUSA

Hello Reader !

This is a public service message for the unwary buyer - YOU !
Its also a rather mild way for me to get back to a scamster called CompUSA.This isnt just two incidents against me,a whole lot of people have had similar (or worse) experiences with this business.Dont believe me ?
Click : http://www.outofthedark.com/CyberPagan/CompUSA.html

Incident 1 :
Recently I purchased a product worth $1500 from the CompUSA store in Plano (75 and Plano Parkway).There was a defect in the product and one of its key features was not working.Researching on the Net I came across websites and postings wherein people said they had a similar problem with the product.So I took it back to the store wtihn 3-4 days of having bought it.
The Sales person outright refused to take it back.Then I asked for the Sales Manager who said that they would take it back but would charge me a 15% open box fee.
I said "Why would you charge a fee if the product is defective?"
He said "We have never received any complaints about this product so it cannot be defective."
After a lot of arguing he wouldnt take it back and NEVER even offered a replacement.
Next I took it to a different CompUSA location (Beltline and tollway).Here the Sales Manager had the same attitude but said "We can give you a replacement".
I said "The product has a necessary feature thats defective.A replacement would have the same problems as per reports on this product from other consumers."
His answer was "Thats not possible ; they would have recalled the product by now".
I said " Recalls take time and legal action to happen - they may recall it months from now when enough people have filed complaints against this product manufacturer."
He just would'nt take it back.Thats $1500 down the drain for me.

Incident 2 :
About 4 years ago,a newcomer to this land,I bought a Toshiba laptop for my brother in India from a different CompUSA store.The sales staff were very aggressive - they told me that no warranty would be valid if the laptop were to be taken out of the country.After a lot of smooth and false (as I was to discover later) talk they made me buy an extra  3year international warranty plan by paying $350.They gave me a booklet containing numbers to call in each country including India for any problem.After I paid that ,they said that the warranty would not cover the screen in case of any damage to it.They made me buy another warranty for the screen paying an additional $100.Thats a total of $450 in addition to the cost of the laptop.

About 4-5 months later,the pointer mouse on the laptop developed a problem and would'nt work.Only an external mouse worked.My brother took it to the CompUSA-Toshiba authorised International Warranty dealer in Bombay,India.They would not honor the warranty and gave all sorts of excuses.Finally my brother paid out of his own pocket and had the unit fixed elsewhere.
A lawsuit against Comp USA for this scam is in consideration.If anyone else has had a similar horror story to share,please email me.

So why buy from CompUSA ?
Their products are almost always priced 10 % higher than Best Buy or Circuit City.
Although they claim a price match policy,in my experience,they have never honored it in the past even after submitting adequate proof of prices at other stores.
Their sales persons are very aggressive about selling extended warranty on products that you buy.The extended warranty - whether domestic or international - is a big scam.They always find ways around it to claim that it doesnt cover x,y,or z when you actually bring back the product to them for repair/return/replacement.
 

My advise to you : avoid CompUSA stores at all costs.If you have money to burn,you're better off giving it away to some charity.Maybe you personally havent had a bad experience with this chain - but would you rather shop at a place that has a bad reputation amongst its customers or someplace that doesnt have such notoriety attached to it ?

If you have any more questions or clarifications,please email me at : samagro@eudoramail.com.

Sam
 
 

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