~~~~ Brag & Moan ~~~~

[webley]

This is advice/warning rather than a brag/moan.

REJECTED: Samsung ML-1210 printer $50 rebate from May/June of this year through New Rochelle and Buy.com. They said Buy.com wasn't a participating retailer and I'm quite sure I checked this with them before applying.

New Rochelle won't receive any more rebates from me. They are the only rebate "company" that I've had trouble with many times and I've sent in dozens of rebates successfully to the good ones like Young America and Staples. I've also heard this same opinion from many others. Stay away from New Rochelle rebates!

 

[GoSharks]

brag

just picked up a new (plastic container was slightly open) ti-89 at micro center for $71.50 including tax.

(orange sticker)

 

[CapnChaos]

Dell ripped me off!

On 7/14/2002 I placed an order for a monitor during their "free shipping on orders over $50" promotion. On checkout, I had no shipping charge listed, as it should be. But afterwards, on my invoice, I had a $115 shipping charge. So I called up and was told to call back when I recieved my order and they would refund the shipping charge. So when it arrived, I called back and was told I wouldn't be charged for shipping, it was justed listed there for their records. But NOW I have my credit card bill and I WAS charged even after being assured twice that I wouldn't be. I even have my original email from them telling me I would be refunded before I even made any phone calls. So now I call up AGAIN to have the charges refunded, and I'm told they can't be.

They can go to hell...

 

[Oakenfold]

NM my mobo was the culprit!

 

[DEFIANT1]

HUGE BRAG!

Just got back from Fry's in Sacramento. They had ONE Swiftech MCX-462 left sitting on the shelf, no box or paperwork; no mounting hardware either! Came complete w/a 68CFM Delta, already mounted, and just tested....works fine. Shelf price - $59.95

After talking to one of the CSR's, I got the price down to $29.99+tax = $32

Just finished ordering the mounting hardware from Swiftech.com - $14 shipped

So, in conclusion; I got the top-dawg HSF for $46 shipped....less than the retail price of the bare heatsink alone!!!

 

[lsman]

dell auction gateway 600XL -final for 1152!
maybe i should bid higher.

 

[rhand]

I went to Office Max to look at some scanners that were listed under hot deals. The store had the scanners printed for sale on a "Camera Clearance" store circular. A second circular stated "Take an EXTRA 10% off all clearance merchandise."

I picked up one of the scanners and took it to the register and showed the cashier the 10% off circular. She said she would have to ask about it. One of the assistant managers came over and told me that the scanner was already on sale, so the 10% off would not apply. He never said it wasn't a clearance item.

So, I asked what the extra 10% off applied to. The cashier said "the stuff on the clearance table" and pointed behind me. This table had a huge triangular laminated sign that read "Take an EXTRA 10% off all clearance merchandise." The asst. manager said the stuff on the table was already more than 10% off and wasn't going to be discounted further. I pointed out that the sign said "EXTRA 10%" off. This fellow, now getting red faced, told me that he couldn't have his cashiers calculating another 10% when people waited in line. I asked him why the sign was on the table and he said "to get people to notice the table."

Of course, I told him that was false advertising. He went over, jerked the sign off the table and said "if this will make you happy, I'll move the sign." And I said "but you will put it back when I leave the store." He said "probably".

I told him I wasn't going to argue over the extra 10% on the scanner, but that I couldn't in good faith deal with a store that used illegal advertising gimmicks to lure people in. I got his name, a business card for the manager (who wasn't in), and copies of the two circulars.

I told him his policy cost a sale and a customer.

I was totally a lady and never raised my voice, but I'm still mad about this. All that mental giant had to do was tell me the scanner didn't qualify as clearance merchandise. Instead, he admitted to illegal stuff. I don't do well with confrontation, but I just couldn't let this alone. I will follow through and call the manager.

Thanks for letting me rant.

 

[jarsoffart]

I went to the Team USA vs. China exhibition game at Oakland Arena (which I got tickets for at a discount price, 15 instead of 25) and I filled out a survey for them and mine was drawn and I got two free general seating Golden State Warriors tickets. w00t!

 

[mdcrab]

This is a general gripe about large company responses to e-mail inquiries.

In the past I have found that a lot of large companies do not answer questions sent to them by e-mail.
You can send them a very explicit question and they either respond either with a canned answer or if not a canned the answer, the reply misses the mark. If multiple, numbered questions are sent they only answer a few. Maybe the people that respond are given a minimum number they have to respond to in an hour, so they can't afford to spend much time on any one email?

My favorite is to send an e-mail inquiry on a bank account and they respond with a phone number to call. If I had wanted to speak to someone on the phone (or if the the question was of a complexity that it required talking to someone on the phone) I would have done that to start out.

My latest gripe is with Verizon Wireless (Baltimore-Washington region). Sent them two emails one on 8/13 and the other on 8/18. I know they received them due to the auto-responder. To date I have not received any responses. What really gripes me is that they say they normally respond in 8 hours!!!!!!!!!!

I am glad AnandTech has this forum so I can vent some of my fustration.

mdcrab :disgust: :disgust: :disgust: :disgust: :disgust: :disgust: :disgust: :disgust:

 

[brad2575]

Just want to have a big ol BRAG

I was working on getting that 40 gig maxtor HD from OD for $19 after rebates. The store by my work didnt have any, but assistant manager tried to hold one from warehouse for me, but it came up pending, she said it never did that before. So she wanted me to call her back the next day.

I called and she said she could give me the 60 gig maxtor HD for the same sale price of the 40 gig HD of $79. I said that is great but I have 2 rebates for total of $60. She said she would look more for the 40 gig drive and try to get back to me. Later that day, manager calls and says sorry we couldnt get any 40 gig drives but we will give you the 60 gig drive for the $79 and instantly honor your 2 rebates for $60 so I got a 60 gig 7200 maxtor HD for $20 with no REBATES!!!

Now that is what I call SWEET!!

 

[Colie]

I was at Office DEpot today looking at their clearance table and saw 3 Ericsson NiMH cell phone batteries for 28 cents each. I bought the three, went home and cut open the case to show 4 Panasonic AAA rechargeable batteries. 12 AAA NiMH batteries for less than a dollars including tax, unbelievable.

 

[Maximin]

I got HBO's Sopranos and Sex in the City baseball caps last Friday.

 

[radioactiveman]

On my last two orders from Amazon I have applied a coupon code at checkout. My last order was $10 off 100 and my second to last was $5 off $35 or something like that - I just checked my most recent order online and they aren't showing my coupon code. I thought maybe they weren't showing it online for some reason and that it would show up when I got the actual invoice with my shipped order. So I dug up my invoice from my last order and there's no coupon applied to it either! I also checked my credit card charge to be sure that it was wrong and again found that no coupon amount had been deducted...
Am I the only one this is happening to? Check your invoices if you get a chance...

 

[brad2575]

radioactiveman -

I recently bought something through them and had a coupon code and when I entered it, it came up with a message saying this is no longer valid (kinda hard to see error message). Then I entered a few other ones I had, all saying expired or invalid.

Are they showing up as being subtracted from total before you do final checkout? They showing on final screen with your total with a discount? If so I would make sure to print out screen to have proof and then go back to them with the proof and get your money back. (I know too late now though)

 

[radioactiveman]

I got a response today from amazon via email.

bla bla bla oversight bla bla bla email us back once your order ships bla bla bla refund you the amount of the coupon bla bla bla accept our apology.

I used a valid coupon. My coupon showed properly all the way through the checkout process. It happened to me twice in the past two weeks.

If you're going to order from amazon in the future, please do a print screen of your final page showing totals and coupons.

If you've recently ordered with a coupon, please check your account to be sure they haven't just dropped the coupon for the fun of it.

 

[DAWeinG]

*Brag mode on*

Ordered a Jumbo Jack no mayo and a Big Cheeseburger plain with onions at Jack in the Box. Whipped out my free Jumbo Jack coupon and scored big time!

$.99 + $.99 - $.99 coupon = $.99 + tax = $1.07 out the door!! W00T!!

Can't beat that with a twig!

*Brag mode off*

EDIT: Jack in the Box = own'd!

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~~~~ Brag & Moan ~~~~ continued here.