HOT AS HELL! WD 200GB 8MB $128 AR & After BVG + S/H (AMEX BVG Only, Temporarily DEAD)

[KidViciou$]

BVG is a pricematching service for some credit cards. I really dislike these posts, because most people don;t have BVG, and these threads clutter up the forum while only a few people can take advantage of them

You mean to tell me that 5 (edit: i guessed the number, i went back and searched and the real number is 6!) out of 2360 topics is cluttering up your viewing of the Hot Deals Forums? JESUS CHRIST! there are mroe locked posts than BVG posts. dont get all sour and cranky just because you can't take advantage of the deal. maybe if you build up your credit real good, American Express will invite you to join one of their high end cards that allow you to use their services. this IS a HOOOOOOTTTTT DEEEALLLL!!!! As long as one other person can take advantage of this, it is worth posting. i may be mistaken johnbear, but i dont remember you ever posting any hot deals. of course i didnt bother to look as searching will "take too much time out of my life"

BVG - Best Value Guarantee

Best Value Guarantee
Getting the best value on your purchases is easy. Best Value Guarantee ensures that you pay the lowest price available on covered items purchased entirely with an eligible American Express Card. If, within 60 days, you find an identical item to the one you just purchased with the Card advertised in print at a lower price than you originally paid, American Express will reimburse the difference in price to you, up to $250 per item.

Simply call 1-800-557-8317 for additional questions or to initiate your request for a refund. You will then be asked to send us the printed dated advertisement, your American Express record of charge, and the store receipt within 90 days of your purchase. We will gladly honor your request for a refund on a savings of $10 or more. Refunds are limited to up to $250 per item and up to $1,000 annually per Card Account. Please see additional limitations.





BVG @ American Express


Flame On!

 

[Muse]

KidViciou$, thanks for explaining BVG and in real terms, explicitly. I have an Amex CC, but I don't think I have BVG. I wonder if it's possible to get it or you just have to apply for a new card with the privileges. I poked around Amex's website but didn't see anything.

Edit: I just called Amex at 1-800-557-8317 and I could apply for a card with BVG but I'd have to pay an annual fee. Gold card is $55/year and there's a cheaper BVG covered card with around $30 annual fee. My current card has no fee - it's through my Costco membership. Anyway, it sounds complex and I don't know the pros and cons of the benefits, etc., so I'm having them send me the info.

 

[KidViciou$]

believe me, it IS worth it. i use my Amex whenever im buying from a questionable source, or when im trying to get a better deal such as this!

 

[Leejai]

NM

 

[smartt]

Jump up in the air three times, spin a broomstick on your nose, pat your head, scratch your a$$, and swallow ten chicken bones..... Just kidding.

 

[ImmortalBlade]

Originally posted by: bughill99
Well, I have a Platinum Cash Rebate card. You do NOT have to pay the balance off at the end of the month, I have a $3000 balance to prove it. Also, there is no annual fee for my card, either. My Platinum card is associated with a Costco membership, which should explain not having to pay a fee. This is a heckuva deal, I may be making my first claim soon.

How did you associate the Plat card with costco? i thought only the costco card could be associated with costco membership/fee?? Id like to know cuz i just applied for a starwood and would like to avoid the 30$ fee if i could

 

[cnoodle]

Has anyone actually gotten confirmation from AMEX on this deal? I have a card with BVG on it but was also worried about price matching a retail box to a bare OEM drive. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[KidViciou$]

cnoodle, i have done this EXACT same deal except the size was 120 gb. i even pricematched to googlegear for their oem drive without any problems.

they recieved my papers at Amex, so i shoudl get the yay (or nay) within a few days.

 

[Greg03]

>>Flame On!

What, you expect flames from people that can't enter "BVG AMEX" into google?

 

[Greg03]

About the PMing with BVG, I have been told time and time again that AMEX simply does not care what you PM because their liability is the same whether you get OEM or Retail. I have have described the difference between retail and OEM to AMEX CSRs till I was blue in the face and they couldn't care less.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: Greg03
>>Flame On!

What, you expect flames from people that can't enter "BVG AMEX" into google?

Oooo. In fact, smarta$$, I entered BVG into Google. Because I didn't know BVG was associated with Amex particularly. I thought it was a generic acronym. Hey, believe me, I'm NOT stupid. I read a lot of posts in this thread for clues on what was up with BVG, and it's the first time I'd seen "BVG". When you do a Google search on BVG you get some weird stuff, believe me, and I didn't check out all the hits, but the first page had nothing to do with AMEX, I assure you. Is THIS a flame? I hope so!!!! :|

Edit: Thanks again to KidViciou$ for taking the time to answer my entreaties and explain what BVG was about in the first place.

 

[KidViciou$]

What, you expect flames from people that can't enter "BVG AMEX" into google?

no, that was directed twoards johnbear incase he tried to flame my already hot deal

muse, np.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: KidViciou$

What, you expect flames from people that can't enter "BVG AMEX" into google?

no, that was directed twoards johnbear incase he tried to flame my already hot deal

muse, np.

Oh. I guess np means "no problem"? I guess I was hypersensitive, thin skinned, hair trigger like a mouse trap... Sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings... I thought he was referring to me because (AFAIK), I was the only guy who couldn't figure out what BVG meant.

 

[chrisjor]

MUSE,

While you are looking at cards look at these other valuable benefits you get from the "upper" level (Gold & Platinum) cards that Amex offers. I know that some people think that a $55 a year annual fee is rough (I know I do) but look at some of the benefits it gets for you. These are the benefits which are listed for my Amex Optima Platinum. I pay no annual fee. If you look at the Return Protection benefit it is particularly nice, because if you attempt a BVG claim and if for some reason it would ever be denied (rarely happens), and the merchant would not let you return the item....use the Return Protection benefit and have Amex take it back!! Additional warranty, damage and theft protection, fraud protection.......why would you not get one of these?

As for anyone who bitches about BVG posts.....I carried my Amex Blue for almost 2 years before I saw the phrase BVG on these forums. I had no idea I had this benefit until I saw postings about BVG here. I am grateful that I discovered that I was not utilizing my card to its fullest. Now my biggest problem is trying to keep from maxing out my BVG benefits in the first month of each year.

Also, though the Amex Optima Platinum is one of only a couple no annual fee BVG cards...it was going to have the benefit cancelled with the Blue card. Amex decided not to do this as it is a benefit for platinum members. But, several csr's have told me that it is entirely possible that this card will lose the BVG as well, over the next couple of years. I was also told that the annual fee cards would continue to carry the service.

Best Value Guarantee
With the Best Value Guarantee, you'll pay the lowest price available on items purchased with the Card. If you see a covered item advertised in print for less than you paid within 60 days of the purchase date, we'll refund the difference to you, up to $250 per item.


Buyer's Assurance
The Buyer's Assurance Plan extends the terms of the original manufacturer's warranty on a covered product purchased entirely with the Card up to one additional year on U.S. warranties of five years or less.


Online Fraud Protection Guarantee
Use the American Express Card online, and you won't be responsible for any unauthorized charges. Period. No fine print, no deductible - just pure protection, so you can shop with confidence anywhere on the Internet.


Purchase Protection Plan
The Purchase Protection Plan provides added protection-at no extra cost-for accidental damage to or theft of covered items purchased with the Card.


Return Protection
Return Protection lets you return a covered item purchased with the Card [ even if you purchased it online ] when the merchant won't take it back. Just contact us within 90 days of the purchase, and you will be reimbursed for the full purchase price, up to $300 per covered item.

Good luck getting one of these cards!! I am not wealthy by a long shot and I was able to get an Optima Plat. Another trick is to call Amex and tell them you want to "change" cards. I called and told them I would prefer an Optima Platinum rather than my Blue card. They moved my remaining credit limit from my Blue card and put it on a new Optima Plat. They then closed my Blue card and I had to pay off the remaing balance of my Blue.

 

[Mustanggt]

Can you PM a OEM googlegear hard drive to there retail ??

 

[SharkyTM]

BTW: you can apply for the Optima Platinum card online... its the Platinum cash card thats unavailable...

 

[Muse]

When they say they will refund you the difference between your purchase price and another advertized in writing price (up to $250), what exactly do they mean? If you can print out an online price, will they accept that? Or does it have to be a newspaper ad, magazine ad, in-store ad, etc. - i.e. preprinted at their behest?

 

[chrisjor]

You have to send them verification. I have 4, 120 gig WD SE drives at my house from BVG. I also have a 160 gig Maxtor 8 meg cache from BVG. Two televisions blah blah blah!!!

After I purchased the drive from the various retailers..these were Compusa, Buy.com, & Circuit City...I went online and found the drive for cheaper at Googlegear. I printed out a copy of the web page showing the Googlegear price, the current date and URL in the header or footer of the page. You then call Amex BVG 1.800.557.8317 and ask to file a new claim. They will ask where you bought the item, date, and other questions. They will not reimburse shipping or taxes, so they will ask for the total charge, then the price for that particular item so they can sort it out. You will be given a "claim" number at this time. You can now either mail in the print out of the webpage with your claim number on it and a copy of your receipt, or you can fax all of those items to them at 1.800.858.5971. Faxing is always better as it speeds up the process. You will receive a check within a couple of weeks for the difference (as long as it ts approved). I have never had a claim denied.

Other people have answered most of the questions here. Yes, you can match OEM with retail. Yes they will take CompUsa and Best Buy claims..when against internet orders. I am not sure what would happen with a company who will match web prices, never tried one.

Also BVG is very lenient on the terms. THere does not have to be stock on that item for it to work. As a matter of fact, they will pay some obviously ridiculous claims. The 160 gig Maxtor I mentioned above is a good example. I got it in December for like $106!!! I bought the OEM drive from Googlegear for around $249 and matched it to a printed price mistake in a Buy.com printed catalog. The price was quite obviously wrong, and I can almost guarantee that Buy.com did not sell any of those drives at the price they advertised!! I explained that to the girl at BVG, they paid the claim anyhow. As long as someone actually advertises the lower, BVG will pay.

I have sent faxes of printed ads and web pages.

 

[speeddragon]

Correct me if I'm wrong. I thought the Citi Price Protection Program (BVG) on their Diamond Preferred Card does not work with Internet purchase. Here is a quote from their web site:

What is not covered:
The Citibank Price Protection Program does not apply to:

• Internet purchases or advertisements.

Is there another Citi card that works like the AMEX BVG?

 

[KidViciou$]

i'll change the title to reflect just amex. i guessed on the citi part.

i just got off the phone with amex, and they said it looks ilke my claim will be approved and i should recieve the check within 2 weeks!

 

[wombat44]

Here's another vote for inclusion of BVG deals in Hot Deals. A BVG Amex card is an essential tool in any serious dealster's arsenal

-jim.

 

[wombat44]

I'm thinking of buying 2 for a RAID 1 (mirrored) array. This is an awesome price - BVG strikes again!

My question regards the need for 48-bit addressing for drives > 137 GB. Would I be right in guessing that most RAID cards don't support that? Particularly cheap ones like this? Does this rule out RAIDing these puppies?

 

[KidViciou$]

no need to worry, each drive comes with a promise ultra TX2

 

[wombat44]

Yeah, but if I'm RAIDing, then I'm running the drives through the RAID card, not the included TX2, no? Or does the Ultra TX2 do RAID?

 

[KidViciou$]

my fault, wasn't sure if you were doing 'hardware' or software raid. my hardware raid card is a modded ultra 100 to a ft100

at least raid cards aren't that expensive these days, i think the new drivers realeased by promise for their fastrack drives should handle above 137gb.

FastTrack 100 Downloads

yup, they have a bios update when used in conjunction with the drivers will work.