Eric says:

I placed an order for an external TB firewire LaCie drive from buy.com and waited for it's arrival. Nothing came. Several days after the date that was indicated in my shipping email I tried contacting them and after several false starts- they have a terrible support system- my order was reviewed and I was told I already had the item. That it was delivered, and that since Buy.Com does not request a signature the item was "left outside". Now my wife works from home, so she's always home, so I'm not sure how she didn't hear the delivery person ring the bell. Worse yet the "delivery" date was Mischief night, October 30th, so it's hard to believe they would leave a 300 dollar item outside without getting a signature.

Buy.com "reviewed" my claim and denied me via an automated email with no option for appeal. After writing them back I was told this,

Per company policy: "Title to goods passes to you upon delivery to the common carrier." (http://www.buy.com/corp/legal.asp). Basically this says that once a product is in transit via the shipping carrier, the ownership and responsibility of the product has passed from Buy.com to the customer. It is the customer's responsibility from this point forward to make sure someone is at the delivery address provided to accept the package. If no one is available at this address at the time of delivery, the carrier is authorized to leave the package at the door and the order is considered completed at that time. Basically, the security of the delivery location provided by the customer falls under the responsibility of the customer.

So apparently when you make a purchase from Buy.com you are actually not buying it yourself, but rather purchasing the item for a delivery service that may or may not send you the item. So what is to prevent the delivery agent from keeping the item, giving it to a friend, covering it with glitter and making a puppet friend?

I have tried to file a claim with paypal (what I used to pay), but I was hoping you might have some more information on what my rights are as a purchaser? Also if nothing else, please let others know this policy.

Filing a claim with PayPal was the right thing to do, but you might also want to contact the delivery company, assuming that you know who they are. We'd suggest sending an EECB to Buy.com's executives, but if they have an automated email set up to deal with this complaint, it kind of shows you how they feel about it. Still, it can't hurt.

Has anyone else had this problem with Buy.com? Did you get it resolved?

The Popcorn Test [Official Site]

(Photo: H Shap)

My Recent Best Buy experience:

I am a 22 year old computer engineer. I am also a garage drummer. In my garage I have my kit a 4.1 surround sound and a laptop. <a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i30.tinypic.com/1zdi5l.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> The laptops built in sound card was terrible so I wanted to upgrade. I head over to my local best buy and look for the Creative USB 5.1 surround sound (http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=206&product=10702).

Now some background I worked at a best buy for a year, and im well aware that the staff is generally untrained and incompetent. But this leads into something I didn't expect; blunt lying.

On my search around the computer dept I could not find the sound card, In the past I had seen it there and so I figured maybe they placed it somewhere else. So I looked for a sales associate. I find one and he points to the spot that I had just been searching and walks away from me. Ok I am fine with that. I find the dept lead and tell him the product I am trying to locate. He heads over to there computer system and types in “creative USB” it comes up with multiple internal sound cards but no external. Now I expect him to just say “Sorry we no longer carry that item” and I would be on my way, This did not occur. The dept lead turns to me and says “ theres no item like that you cant upgrade a laptops sound card” I politely responded “well there is a usb sound card out there ill just check another store” he responds “ excuse me but obviously I am not making my point, your just going to waste your time going to another store, it doesn't exist.” Now I am a generally mild tempered person but this bothered me. Because had I known any less I may have taken this persons advice and go home unsatisfied, I could just see that he had the mentality to often lie to customers. I finally responded and said “ok, you obviously dont know what you are talking about I am just going to leave.” he then again says louder “you are just wasting your time, just buy a better laptop” Thats it I had enough. I approach the store manager thats walking around w/ a balloon attached to his clipboard and explain the situation. The store managers response was “ our computer sales associates are well trained and if they say it does not exist, it must be true and you are wasting your time.” Appalled I shake my head leave the store and head to our local “micro-center”

At micro center I pick up my creative usb 5.1 as well as a information card on the product. I head home and log onto the creative website as well as new-egg and print out the detailed specs on the product.

I head back to the best buy, with my information in hand on this product, I approach the store manager who was quite surprised to see me again. I show him the product and information that I had collected. He then pages over the dept lead that I spoke to, and I requested an apology for his actions, “obviously the product exists I just want to know why you were so insistent on why I should give up my search for this product” with a stunned look on his face, he says “this is ridiculous I don't have time to deal with this Bullsh&*” Says this in front of his store manager, The dept lead just walks away and the store manager requests me to leave the store. Again appalled I said im sick of this service I want the number to cooperate I am going to file a formal complaint. The store manager responds in saying you cannot do this cooperate does not take complaints. I said ill find out for myself. Again he refuses to give me the number, At this point im getting heated and making a bit of a scene. Security comes over and is now “escorting me” out of the building. I later called the cooperate office and told them of my experience they apologized and said action would be taken, which It probably wont but, for anyone that goes into theses stores expecting a knowledge base, do your research first.

Thank you,

ACR.

Small Sedan: Hyundai Elantra SE ($18,000)
Midsized SUV: Hyundai Santa Fe ($27,000 to $39,000)
Luxury Sedan: Lexus LS 460L ($77,000)
Family Sedan: Honda Accord ($22,000 to $31,000)
Upscale Sedan: Infiniti G35 ($33,000 to $35,000)
Fun To Drive: Mazda MX-5 Miata ($27,000)
Small SUV: Toyota RAV4 ($23,000 to $30,000)
Minivan: Toyota Sienna ($24,000 to $37,000)
"Green" Car: Toyota Prius. ($24,000)

A good starting guide if you're looking to pick up a new car this year.

Top Picks 2008 [Consumer Reports]

10. Volvo C30
9. Porsche Boxster/Cayman
8. Lexus IS 250
7. Acura TSX
6. Volvo S40 2.4i sedan/V50 2.4i wagon
5. Audi A4 2.OT
4. Lexus GS 450h
3. Audi A3 2.0T
2. Audi TT 2.0T
1. Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec

If you're going to spend extra for a high-end car, might as well save some on gas.

Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Luxury Cars [Forbes Autos]

TV Stars [Consumer Reports]

Q. Who should consider a Mac?

A. Pretty much every average consumer using a computer should at least look at the Mac. It combines gorgeous hardware with an operating system I consider superior to Windows, with better built-in software. It can even run Windows programs if you buy and install a copy of Windows. And unless you do that, you won't be vulnerable to the vast array of viruses and spyware that threaten Windows users. Only a handful, so far, have been written to run on the Mac operating system, OS X.

Q. Who shouldn't consider the Mac?

A. People who spend much of their time playing cutting-edge games should stick to Windows computers, because there are far fewer games written for OS X. Apple doesn't offer hardware tuned for serious gaming. People looking for the lowest-price PCs should also avoid the Mac, because Apple's cheapest model, the Mac Mini, costs $599.

Another group that should shun Apple's computers are people who depend for support on corporate IT departments that are either ignorant about, or hostile to, the Mac. Finally, if you know and like Windows, and expect mainly to use Windows programs, stick with a Windows PC.

LARGE CARS
Audi A6
2008 Ford Taurus with optional electronic stability control
2008 Mercury Sable with optional electronic stability control
Volvo S80

MIDSIZE CARS
Audi A4
Saab 9-3
Subaru Legacy with optional electronic stability control

Midsize convertibles and small SUV's, inside...

MIDSIZE CONVERTIBLES
Saab 9-3
Volvo C70
Minivans
Hyundai Entourage
Kia Sedona

SMALL SUV'S
Honda CR-V
Subaru Forester with optional electronic stability control
Midsize SUVs
Acura MDX
Acura RDX
Ford Edge
Ford Taurus X
Honda Pilot
Hyundai Santa Fe
Lincoln MKX
Mercedes M class
Subaru B9 Tribeca
Volvo XC90

Top Safety Pick 2007 [IIHS]

With the market in shambles, renters have some leverage in the negotiations.

A rent-to-own arrangement, also referred to as "lease-purchase" or "lease-to-own" deal, is generally a binding agreement for a renter to buy at the end of a set period. In a seller's market it's harder to get landlords to agree to lease-options. But in many respects, the timing seems right for your parents to talk with the owner about structuring an option arrangement.

Rent-to-own arrangements are generally structured so the renter/buyer agrees to pay above-market rent (20 percent and up) over a period ranging from one to three years in order to accumulate the equivalent of a down payment. Thus, if your parents are paying $1,200 per month in rent, they may be asked to boost that to $1,500 per month for say, a 30-month period, thus accumulating a $9,000 "down payment" in that period. Typically, the buyout price at the end of these deals is at least 110 percent of the price the owner originally plunked down for the house.

An advantage of rent to own is that lenders generally require little or no additional down payment and will assume a mortgage that people like your parents may not have been able to get on their own, particularly if they suffered past credit problems. (By the way, your mom and dad will probably be expected to handle maintenance and upkeep on the house during this rent phase.) Make sure you or your folks get a few "comps," or comparative prices of homes that recently sold in their neighborhood, to give them a foundation for their offer. Realtor offices are pretty good about releasing some of these because they're hoping to get your business.

Lease-option best for rent to own [Bankrate]
(Photo:stirwise)

(Photo: Ted Shelton)

Days later, the rash hadn't gone away and we were starting to go insane. We bought 3 poison ivy products but only one of them really worked.

Extra-Strength Benadryl Anti-Itch Cream sorta/maybe dulled the itching, but we didn't notice a big difference. Ivy-Dry Super was fun to squirt on and we didn't have to touch our weeping balls of poison ivy, but after the menthol dissipated it didn't really seem to do much.

Then we tried Tecnu Outdor Skin Cleanser. You rub it on for two minutes then run it in cold water. It actually cuts the oils causing the irritation and washed them away, and we felt immediate relief. After that, we felt no more itching. Tecnu is awesome, you can get some here. They're selling it for about $11 on Amazon.

The winner was the Omron Pocket HJ-720ITC. For $50, it is over 99% accurate, stores 42 days of data, and allows you to upload results to your computer. Alas...

...there are still some bugs to be worked out. The pedometer only rates an "A-" from Money because of a quirk that forces you to reset the unit (and lose data) if you want to start counting at zero in the middle of the day. Still, it's light years ahead of those old, circa 1990 "pedometers" that were given away "free" for collecting five box tops from your favorite cereal.

Field test: Pedometers [CNN Money]

— FREE MONEY FINANCE

For instance, without signing a new contract, the most basic Verizon phone could cost you $200. Walmart has got it for $36.98. The big blue box also has RAZR's for $149.68 and Nokias for $29.87.

Choices by provider are, admittedly, limited, but if you don't need a specific phone, this is a cheaper replacement option than buying cellphone insurance, and more reliable than a used device on eBay.

Reader Nerdicus Damonus was able to do this with Verizon after his wife lost her cellphone, again. Your mileage may vary with other carriers. If you check out the phones online, you can see which phones go with which carriers.

The only drawback we see, besides supporting oh so very evil Walmart, is that they have a history of forcing manufacturers to make and send them lower quality versions of their products, so we can only hope that's not the case with the cellphones.

Now we're off to to scrub our fingers with lye for suggesting people shop at Walmart.

Pre-paid Cellphones [Walmart] (Thanks to Nerdicus Damonus!)
(Photo: Clean Wal-Mart)

This week we're selling more of our old DJ gear: speakers, amp, 16-channel mixer, dbx equalizer, and a cd-player, all rack-mountable.

2 JBL SOUND FACTOR SF-15 PA SPEAKERS Need Reconing
Mackie CR-1604 16-Channel Mic/Line Mixer Good Condition
DBX 215 DUAL 15 BAND GRAPHIC EQUALIZER
Numark CDN15 Pro CD Player - Rack Mounted - Used - Good
Mackie 1400i Power Amp FR Series Works Great

You might be surprised to learn that unicorn disco parties, while fun, have a much lower rate of return than mutual funds.

RELATED:
How To Sell On eBay
eBay Only To Verified PayPal Addresses Or You Can Get Scammed

Selling on eBay is a great way to make some extra cash. It's also amazing the psychic space you can clear up by getting rid of those items that every time you look at them slumped in a pile in the corner, you think, "man, I gotta sell that stuff someday."

Check out How To Sell On eBay if you need help getting started. — BEN POPKEN

(Photo: cleverswine)

They fit in your pocket. They have a nice hard cover with a bit of pliancy. There's a folder in the back where you can hold receipts. There's a built in ribbon as a bookmark. An elastic strap keeps the whole book bound shut. It feels very legit and professional, yet personal.

Ok, so what's the point of all this fetishization? Won't a regular notebook or piece of paper do? Certainly.

But if you have trouble committing to the anal record keeping required to track your spending habits, the psychological heft of putting it into a nice notebook may be just the trick you need. They're also easy to mod out with all sorts of tabs, too. — BEN POPKEN

Moleskine [Amazon]

Proclaim your ability to rock the phone tree to get the customer service you deserve. You've got a telephone and you know how to use it. Caveat Venditor, bitches. — BEN POPKEN

My Call is Important to You [Gawker Shop]

We invite you to join our garage sale and post links to your eBay auctions in the comments. We talk about it enough as a way to help make some extra scrizzle and pay down debts, we figured why not make a party of it?

The first set of speakers are the only items that work perfectly. The rest are in some state of semi-brokenness.
TWO 250 Watt Pro Audio Studio Monitors Used Sound Great
Gateway Solo 5300 CL Used Broke CD/R, Blank Hard-Drive
2 JBL SOUND FACTOR SF-15 PA SPEAKERS Need Reconing
AIWA NSX-Aj20 Compact Disc Stereo System
LG VX4400 (Verizon Wireless) FlipPhone. Doesn't Turn On
LG VX3200 (Verizon Wireless) Used. Dead Screen
Motorola T720 (Verizon Wireless) Flip Phone. For Parts

Pull up a chair, there's more space on the folding table, add your eBay goods in the comments. — BEN POPKEN

Our eBay Auctions

RELATED:
How To Sell On eBay
Ask The Consumerist: Ebay Laptop, Without The Fraud?

Numark CD MIX2 DJ MIXER
Wii Sports
Samsung A920 Cellphone
Avenues America Brown Leather Laptop Bag
D-link DI 707 7-Port Pro Router
Sony D-NS505 Sports ATRAC Walkman Portable CD Player

Everything works well, it's just time to do a lil' spring cleaning! Paypal accounts with confirmed US addresses only, please.

We promise 100% of the funds will go to high-yield online savings account.

Next week, we'll be selling a laptop, speakers, a PA, a leather jacket, more cellphones, and other widgets. — BEN POPKEN

Our eBay Auctions

After reading how much people loved the Etymotic ER6i headphones (see Above And Beyond: Etymotic Keeps The Music Flowing) we decided to check 'em out. Our iPod earbuds were starting to get a crackly speaker and they really hurt our ears. We picked up a pair of ER6is for $68.99 at Amazon. We love 'em!

The rubber earpiece actually fits in your ear, blocking out external sound nicely. Good frequency response. Treble really "plinks" true in the ears. Mid-tone bass seems slightly lacking but otherwise the sound is great.

The phones can get coated with ear gunk quickly so you'll need to clean the buds regularly.

Overall, great sounding and great feeling, much better than the Gameboy-style headphones the iPod comes with. Thumbs up. — BEN POPKEN

Using a pencil or a waterproof pen, you can actually write on it underwater. The pages are coated so they never get soggy. The book does get "damp" but it dries off after a while. Your writing stays legible. The book doesn't dissolve.

You can even order a custom notebook with different kinds of lined paper and your own cover. Prices vary depending on the model, but you can get basic spiral for $4.20.

Some of our best ideas happen in the shower. Now we never have to lose them. — BEN POPKEN

Rite-In-The-Rain [Official Site]

Go to Camera Finder and select the brand and model of camera that interests you. Right away it brings up a screen of 15 of the "most interesting" photos. You can then search across all of Flickr using standard queries, or refine your search by portrait, macro, night, landscape, action, or recent.

By comparing the results from different cameras, you can see how different cameras perform under different conditions.

And if you need that last psychic push to get you to shell out the cash, you can't help but feel inspired by browsing through all the pretty pictures.

Just make sure at checkout you give proper attribution and linkback. — BEN POPKEN

Flickr: Camera Finder [Official Site]

The ID token generates a new, security code every 30 seconds. When you login to complete a PayPal transaction, you must enter the six-digit code. Your token is unique to your account.

The security keys are now available for $5 purchase at PayPal.

Even if you're a dumbass and get successfully phished and enter your email, password, and token id, that information will only be good for 30 seconds. The worst part of many account breaches isn't the first attack, it's the 100 other guys the info gets sold to. — BEN POPKEN

PayPal Security Key [Official Site]

We're partial to the Ghostly International, poppies, and ex-libris.

The ties go for $30 or $40, depending on whether you choose poly-blend or black or white 100% charmeuse silk tie.

These ties are the perfect way to say, "I'm hip, AND I have I job." — BEN POPKEN

Cyberboptix [via Murketing]

Pioneer Elite Pro-FHD1 $6,000
Sony XBR2 $3000
Panasonic TH-42PX60U $2000 (but seen at some online retailers around $1300)

Presumably, the television sets will work throughout the rest of the year as well. — BEN POPKEN

The Last-Minute HD Super Bowl Party Guide [Gizmodo]

Desired specs:

• Would love for everything to be under $250, but could go up to ~$500.
• Color (but could go black and white if the price was right)
• On-board recording, not a transmitter (if this is even possible/feasible)
• Performs well in low-light conditions
• Records audio
• Can export video (would probably use a RCA to USB cable)
• Discreet
• Lightweight
• Sold by reputable vendor
• Made by reputable manufacturer

We're interested in using the device for some special Consumerist reports. Let us know your purchase suggestions in the comments or tips at consumerist dot com. — BEN POPKEN

We settled on the AirGo because first, it's highly waterproof and breathable. Reader Michael, who recommended the coat, bought it for a trip to Singapore where, "one can expect 1) a daily deluge and 2) heat like the bloody blue blazes."

Since we're not doing any hiking, we eschewed some reader's more outdoorsy looking solutions in favor of AirGo's urban minimalism. The day for night versatility of the 3/4 cut attracts as well. Eight form-fitting pockets means we can carry a lot of crap without looking lumpy.

Shopping at Koyono's site was ok, except it got hung up on firefox and thought we had nothing in our cart. It worked fine after we opened the page in IE tab. Ground shipping was free.

With temps as warm as they are this season, the AirGo could end up becoming our de facto winter coat. — BEN POPKEN

BlackCoat AirGo [Koyono]

How to buy a humidifier [Consumer Reports]

Forget trudging out to the woods or haggling with buck-toothed parking lot Christmas tree dealers, you can buy a tree online! The NYT mentioned these places in a recent article:

Realchristmastrees
Westendwreaths
Beckwithfamilychristmastrees

Safe and convenient, ease of delivery, plus guaranteed freshness. Some of those trees sold on the corner, who knows how long they've been sitting there. — BEN POPKEN

The Perfect Tree Awaits in the Field, or in the Computer [NYT]

"Readers who bought electronics products online were happier than those who bought at stores. That was the case for every product category we have data about. It proved especially true for digital cameras, audio gear, camcorders, DVD players, and digital video recorders. The top overall e-tailer was Crutchfield, closely followed by Costco.com, BuyDig.com, Amazon, Buy.com, and JR.com."

And here is something we really agree with: "For retailers with both Web-based and physical stores, you're better off going online." Why? Better selection, in-store pickup and in-store returns. —MEGHANN MARCO

The best places to buy stuff [Consumer Reports]

$100 restaurant gift card for signup, 10,000 Thank You points after the first purchase, 0% balance transfer until 12/07, 5% rewards back on supermarkets, gas stations, and the like, and 15.24% APR.

Terms and conditions here

Apply by going here and entering F1M3.

What do you think? Seems like a decent deal to our tiny brains. — BEN POPKEN

$100 from Citi AMEX Diamond Preferred Rewards Card [Blueprint for Financial Prosperity]

Enter the Banana Guard, a plastic sheath that locks around your your banana to protect it during transport.

It's available in several colors, like Mellow Yellow, Pretty In Pink, and Glow-in-the-Dark. Your for $6.99 plus shipping.

The only flaw we can see is the lack of a belt clip.

BananaGuard (Thanks to c-side!)

While running up cellphone bills and running out of pay-as-you-go phones in Budapest, Denton wished he had the Netgear phone. Instead he had to resort to the d class look of cruising to a wi-fi cafe, popping open the laptop and strapping on a headset.

He could've been walking around, fancy free, making calls inside the country for only 3c a minute. Arranging a hotel in Croatia for 5.3c/min. Chatting with the USA at 2.1c/min.

Just like computer-based Skype, you can call regular phones (with Skype-Out) and have a local phone number (with Skype-In).

Denton had several unkind things to say about a clunky user-interface, some missing features, and only a six-hour battery life, but considering he was spending $500 a month on European roaming charges, those are drawbacks he can live with it. Except for the battery life thing. That really sucks. Best pack an extra one.

Overall, this sounds like a product rushed to market before its time. Personally, we would wait a generation or so until they can make something comparable to at least a bare-bones mainstream cellphone. But if you're really on the go, especially internationally, and you don't feel like paying exorbitant roaming charges, and you don't want to have to whip out the laptop and headset every time you want to make a call, the Netgear Skype phone could be for you.

Netgear SPH101 Skype Wi-Fi Phone [Amazon.com]