• 6PM.com: DC Brand Shoes $20 + S/H, all sizes/styles, 856 to choose from
• Nicorette: free pack of Nicorette White Ice Mint (warning, site is slow)
• Circuit City: Panasonic SH-FX85 Wireless Multi-Room Speaker Kit for $44.96, requires in-store pickup

• Hewlett Packard: $400 Off $999 or more for Desktop Purchase w/ coupon code: DT1158 (Good for 2250 uses)
• NewEgg: Targus Notebook Wireless Optical Mouse for $8.99 w/ Free shipping after $20 off coupon code: EMCAKAKAK
• Buy.com: Av Lab Solar Backpack Charger for $29.99 w/ Free shipping after rebate

• Best Buy: Toshiba Satellite Dual Core Notebook PC $500
• Geeks.com: Canon Pixma iP6210D Color Inkjet Photo Printer $35 with Coupon
• Musicnotes.com: 20% or 30% off Guitar Guru Interactive Lessons with Coupons

• Newegg: 24-hour sale
• Woot: Refurbished Dyson DC18 All-Floor Vacuum for $259.99
• Buy.com: ASUS Eee PC 4G Surf Celeron M 900MHz 7" Widescreen Laptop for $294 + free shipping

• Staples: Peachtree Pro Acounting 2008 Free After Rebate
• Newegg: RCA RP5050 Digital Voice Recorder with Camera $35 Shipped
• MacMall: Wacom Graphire4 4x5 Graphics Tablet for PCs & Macs $40

• Meritline.com: 8 x 21 Rubber Armored Binocular for $7.69 w/ Free Shipping after coupon code M24804545POFF
• Frys.com: Crucial 4GB DDR2 PC5300 Laptop Memory Kit $34.99 after rebate
• HobbyLobby.com: 40% Off Hobby Lobby Printable Coupon (expires Sept 6)

• Amazon: 37 new coupon codes for September 2008
• Google: Get Chrome for free, Google's new super-minimal browser (still in beta, read review at Lifehacker)
• Apple: Seven refurbished Apple Aluminum iMac Core 2 Duo Desktops from $949 each + free shipping

• Newegg: Nikon Coolpix P60 8.1MP Camera $150 Shipped
• Amazon: Save Extra $20 off Kellogg's, Keebler & other Grocery Products
• 1-800 Contacts: Save $20 to $80 + Bonus $5 off Contact Lenses with Coupon

• Toys "R" Us: BOGO 50% off all video games up to $19.99
• Proctor & Gamble: Free Tide TotalCare sample
• BuyCostumes.com: Sale: Up to 60% off

• Amazon.com: Get three DVDs for $10 when you add all three to your Shopping Cart
• Golden Gadgets: 2 Pack of 9 LED Aluminum Pocket water resistant Flashlight for $3.99 + Shipping ($2.02)
• Newegg.com: A-DATA 16GB Flash Drive WHITE for $24.99 after $15 rebate!

• Lenovo: Employee Pricing on ThinkPad and IdeaPad Notebooks, up to 42% off (login with passcode 536686)
• Woot: Sandisk Clip 2GB MP3 Player for $19.99
• Newegg: ESET NOD32 Antivirus Home Edition v3 for $14.99 (Best antivirus around, won't slow down your computer)

• Buy.com: Kingston 4GB USB 2.0 Portable Flash Drive $14 Shipped
• Hanes.com: Save 15% off Complete Order on All Clothing
• Vann's: Sony FX820 Portable 8-inch DVD Player $150 Shipped

• Amazon: Kitchen & Home Labor Day Sale: Save up to 65%
• Linens 'n Things: BOGO 50% off bath furniture, more + 20% off coupon
• American Eagle: 40% off purchases coupon

• Newegg: Wii Fit with Balance Board, We Ski, and Hori Wii mat for $149.99
• Apple: Buy a Mac, get an iPod touch for free after rebate
• IKEA: Labor Day Sale, up to 50% off (in-store only)

• Eastern Mountain Sports: Labor Day Sale Save up to 70% off
• Amazon: Up to 50%+ off High Sierra Backpacks & Messenger Bags
• Geeks: Kodak EasyShare V1003 10MP Digital Camera $90

• Arbor Day Foundation: 10 trees for $10
• Arby's: BOGO free Super Roast Beef Sandwich, more coupons
• The Fruit Company: 25% off everything coupon

Newegg's official statement:

Earlier this year, New York State passed a law which potentially forces non-New York State internet retailers to collect and remit New York State sales tax if the retailer’s marketing affiliates engage in certain marketing activities targeted at New York residents.

In response to this law, on June 1, 2008 Newegg.com (“Newegg”) began collecting sales tax on its sales to New York State residents.

Since then, New York State tax authorities have issued additional guidance as to the circumstances in which internet retailers would be required to collect sales tax. Based on this guidance, Newegg has restructured its affiliate marketing program in an effort to ensure that Newegg is not presumed under New York State law to have to collect sales tax.

What this means to our New York State customers is that, effective 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time on August 21, 2008, Newegg will no longer charge sales tax on its sales to you. However, please be aware that you may still have an obligation to pay New York use tax on your purchases. (Use taxes are not charged or collected by Newegg but are paid directly by purchasers to the appropriate taxing authority.) Newegg cannot offer you any tax advice, so if you have any questions about whether you have to pay use tax, please consult an appropriate tax professional.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this email shall be deemed an admission that Newegg has ever been legally required to collect and remit New York State sales tax on its sales to residents of that state. Newegg continues to challenge the validity of section 1101(b) (8) (vi) of the New York State Tax Law.

Newegg stop collecting sales tax: Additional Details [Schiffner]

PREVIOUSLY: Hooray! Newegg Stops Collecting New York Sales Tax
(Photo: Matt & The Camera)

Dear Valued Newegg Customer,
As a result of recent changes in New York State tax law requiring certain out-of-state retailers to collect and remit sales taxes to the State of New York, we began collecting applicable sales tax for all orders shipped to New York addresses starting June 1, 2008.

After careful review and consideration, we are pleased to inform you that we have stopped collecting New York sales tax, effective August 21, 2008. This decision was driven by your direct and candid feedback and our continued commitment to you as our valued customers.

We appreciate your patience as we worked through this process, and would like to reiterate our commitment in offering our customers the broadest product selection, competitive pricing, fastest shipping, and award-winning customer service.

We look forward to continuing to provide you with the premier online shopping experience for all of your IT and consumer electronics needs.

Sincerely,

Bernard Luthi
Newegg.com
Company Spokesperson and
Vice President of Merchandising

Disclaimer: While Newegg no longer charges sales tax to its New York customers effective August 21, 2008, you may still have an obligation to pay New York State use tax on your purchases. Newegg cannot offer you any tax advice, so please refer to applicable law if you have any questions about use tax. Nothing in this email shall be deemed to approve the validity of any New York State law, including but not limited to section 1101(b)(8)(vi) of the New York State Tax Law, which purports to require Newegg to collect and remit New York State sales tax on its sales to residents of that state.

Rob says:

I bought a license for Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 from Newegg.com. Mind you, this is a “license only” version of Office (i.e., no media/CDs) for use with a pre-installed trial-version on your laptop/desktop. Lo and behold, the envelope arrived via UPS today.

While Newegg’s typically exceptional and speedy delivery was again spot on (24 hour turn-around), their packaging department was, shall we say, a bit wasteful?

First, here's what happened to trigger the suspended account in the first place:

I attempted to order a memory card from Newegg.com. I say attempted because beyond running the financial transaction and holding my money hostage for a week, nothing else was processed. The only reason I became aware that there was an issue was due to wanting to check the status of my order and attempting to log in. They locked my account which was less than 24 hours old. So I played the customer service game.

First came the email I sent, "I do not understand why my account is suspended.... I just wanted to check my order status. I tried to log in for the first time and it is suspended. Help me understand please."

Then the reply, "We apologize for the misunderstanding. However, we have an account that has a charge back with the same information you have provided. This is the reason we are unable to service you at this time. You will have to take care of this matter before we can further assist you."

Jenn called Newegg to talk to someone about the matter, and was surprised when "they gave me the name on the other account without prompting. The privacy act does not seem to be in their training. The name was my brother's, who lives at my house with me."

Jenn asked the CSR directly, "So, does that meant I'm not allowed to have an account because my brother has an issue with you?" She was told they'd get back to her via email:

The next email they sent said, "Unfortunately, we are not able to re-open your account. Apparently, there is a 3rd account yours is linked to. I have no further information than this.I apologize for the inconvenience."

Now annoyed, Jenn tried reasoning with Newegg via their live chat customer service, which is where the really shocking part of the story comes in—that Newegg is holding Jenn accountable for her brother's actions:

In that chat they gave me my brothers full name and account number. This is making me nervous as that's all private information that should not be released, I don't really care if we live at the same house. They proceeded to tell me,

Phoebe: We have checked that your acct is related to account with customer number CENSORED That account has charge back record with us. so we block that account. The account holder name is CENSORED.

Jenn: Yeah, thats my brother.

Jenn: We have the same address.

Jenn: Shipping and billing, or do you mean credit card information.

Phoebe: Sorry for keep you waiting.

Jenn: Not a problem.

Phoebe: I have checked that you need to let your brother to reversed the charge back with his bank and provide us with proof that shows the reversal was successful done.

Phoebe: We will then be able to further assist you.

Jenn: in order to have an unrelated bank and account unlocked....

Phoebe: Yes, please send the proof of the reversal to [redacted].

Jenn: I have absolutely no idea what you mean by reversed charge either.

Jenn: Are you kidding....

Jenn: Seriously are you kidding?

Phoebe: It is the issue between your brother and the bank. He may have issue with bank.

Jenn: So you're telling me, that I have to go to my brother, tell him that you guys gave me his personal information, tell him that unless he calls you, finds out what it is that you want done, takes care of it, emails you proof that its been taken care of, that I cannot order anything from you.

Jenn: My brother, who has nothing to do with my money and I have nothing to do with his.

Jenn: I just live in the same house.

Jenn: And this is the only way I am going to be able to order anything from you ever....

Phoebe: Sorry for all the inconvenience this may have caused you. I have checked with our related department that we will not unblock your account.

Jenn: Is there a reason why?

Jenn: Is there something I did that violated terms of service in any respect?

Jenn: Or is it simply that my account is related to my brothers account?

Jenn: And I still need to know if its banking information or credit card information thats related.

Jenn: Rather shipping and billing.

Jenn: Sorry.

Phoebe: You brother's account has charge back record with his bank. Your account is related to him since the address is the same.

Jenn: Gotcha, just so I have the facts straight.."

That was all strange enough, but then Jenn filed a complaint with the BBB and her story took a weird turn when a Newegg rep called her directly to explain why they would really never, ever, not in a million years, ship anything to her (emphasis ours):

Since going through their customer service did not get me the desired result, I filed a Better Business Bureau complaint. I was not happy about being used as a collection agency, the financial transaction being done before address verification, or the amount of information they were willing to release to me about someone who I have no legal bond to. Well, they got the BBB complaint, and they called. I answered and the woman on the other end of the phone seemed appalled and apologetic of the behavior of the customer service department and was totally utterly shocked. She requested all the emails and the chat logs to be emailed to her, so I did.

She called me back about 45 minutes after that conversation and said that it had nothing to do with me or my brothers account. Someone, who's name I don't recognize as they gave me that too, did something so horrible years ago that they have banned our address until the end of time. Absolutely no dealing with anyone at that shipping or billing address allowed. I politely said well that's fine but we've only lived here for 3 years that person is no longer here. She said "Well I cant help you, it doesn't matter that you haven't been the owner of that house for very long, its a security issue and we will never ship to you.

I find it truly terrifying that a business can ban an address until the end of time. She also told me that I could still order from them if I got a new address, shipping and billing of course. Which is kind of funny. I have absolutely no intentions of moving or changing my billing, address so I can order things from Newegg.com. I wonder if that's going to go along with Inspection reports when you buy a house from now on? Who will and will not do business with that address? I guess what bothers me more than anything is that I had to find this all out by chance. I was never contacted and told that due to security reasons my money was being refunded and my order was not going to be processed. They obviously don't need the business or the money.

Was Jenn's house the former site of a massive scam perpetrated against Newegg? Was the Newegg rep making up a story to put an end to the drama because the billing department refused to cooperate? We may never know, but it's clear that even Newegg has its limits when it comes to making sure the customer is satisfied. Or is even a customer in the first place.

(Photo: Getty)

The NYT explains:

In April, as part of its 2008-2009 budget, the state legislature passed what is being called the “Amazon Tax.” What’s new isn’t actually a change in the law—New York residents always owed tax on their purchases—it is an expansion of the law that is meant to force online retailers to collect the tax and send it to New York. Any company with physical operations in the state—such a store or office—already collects tax for the state.

Indeed, the state calculates that of the nation’s top 20 online retailers, 18 had already been collecting tax because they, like Dell and Staples, had operations in the state. The remaining two—Amazon and Newegg.com—have now registered to collect taxes.

The state now says tax must be collected by any online store that gets customers referred to them by Web sites based in the state.

Amazon's lawsuit is making its way through the courts, but a provision exempting them from retroactively owing tax on all prior purchases by NY customers if they signed up by June 1st forced the retailer to start collecting the tax. Overstock dropped all its NY affiliates and will not be collecting tax.

We suspect Overstock is going to get a lot more popular with New Yorkers pretty soon...

Let the Tax Collection Begin [NYT]
(Photo: Tom Simpson )

Dear Mr. [redacted],

Thank you Sir for taking the time to speak w/ me today. I have credited your credit card account $40.00 for this inconvenience. Our purchasing dept has been made aware of this situation, and they are investigating this as we speak.

Although the CSR was also investigating this on their end, I feel they should have credited you the $20.00 right away. There is no reason to make the customer wait. Our philosophy is to take care of the customer first, and then take care of the issue afterwards.

Feel free to contact me in the future Sir if you have any issues or concerns. :)

Thank you,

Mike Paulus

Kudos to Newegg for living up to their eggcelent reputation. It appears that Newegg takes responsibility for the rebates advertised on their site that they use to get people to buy their products after all.

PREVIOUSLY: Beware Of Rotten Newegg Rebate
(Photo: Getty)

To whom it may concern:

I wanted to let both Newegg and MyRebates411 know that I am displeased with the $20 rebate process for my Foxconn FV-N84SM2DT GeForce 8400 video card. (Newegg Order #72954831) I submitted my rebate in January following every rule MyRebates411 could dole-up including:

1.) Registering at the Myrebates411.com
2.) Writing my Myrebates411.com username on the rebate form
3.) Writing my Myrebates411.com transaction ID on the rebate form
4.) Writing Newegg.com, the promotion code and transaction ID on the
back bottom of envelope
5.) I included UPC code and original receipt.

I have done all this only to be told that Myrebates411 had a server crash that lost all customer rebate submissions information from December and January and not to contact Myrebates411 until April. However I can be assured it will come. This information came from the Myrebates411 web site. My username on their site is also no longer valid to check my rebate status after the crash.

It is now May 7th and no rebate has come. I have contacted Myrebates411 via email and was told by ?John? to email him a copy of my rebate form. (Ticket #8076) I did so and emailed ?John back on three occasions for an update yet he has not responded. Apparently John has better things to do then right a wrong his company made. Why do I have to be penalized because Myrebates411 had a server crash??

It is quite obvious to me that Myrebates411 could care less. I want to let Newegg know that as a long time customer I am thus far unsatisfied with Newegg utilizing a rebate program via Myrebates411. Furthermore I will avoid future products advertising rebates if I find out the company behind them is Myrebates411.

Newegg's response,

Dear Customer,

Thank you for contacting Newegg.

Please kindly note that all rebates are issued through the manufacturers directly. Any use of the aforementioned rebates is limited to the terms and conditions as determined by the product manufacturer. As for the mail-in rebate, we have contacted our related department for further investigation. Once I receive their feedback, I will update you as soon as possible.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.
Sincerely,
Ruby Luo
Have I exceeded your expectations today?

Some quick research revealed that myrebates411 is having some serious problems. Aside from the myriad of disgruntled customers, we discovered this statement from myrebates411 posted in March:

Our Customers,

***This is an automated message so please do not respond because it cannot be answered.***

Most of you know that we experienced a hardware crash on our servers at ipowerweb that was not our fault.

This crash affected our RAID drives which made it impossible to restore them on an as is basis. It does not mean that you lost your rebate. You will not lose your rebate. We are in the process of re-entering the data on our own systems from your mailed-in copies, and have almost completed the task.

It was not possible to restore all of the usernames and passwords of everyone on the website exactly as they were because new people are being added all the time and it might create duplications; therefore, some people will have their password NOT recognized when trying to check the status of their rebate.

If that happens, it will do no good to attempt to click the missing password link to get your password. Customers will need to create a new username and password and reregister when they apply for a new rebate. This new registration will not work to see the status of an old rebate. This problem only effects certain months.

We will begin issuing checks for November promotions to customers who have not received them due to the website outage. This will begin sometime next week.

We are asking customers to help us help you.
Attempting to answer the sheer volume of emails just to check a status is slowing down the main purpose, which is to help you get your check-because we attempt to answer every email.

Our priority is to get you your check and the volume or emails is seriously slowing down that process. We cannot possibly answer thousands of emails and get your check issued in a timely manner. We have upgraded our site to insure this never happens again. The site is functional so all new entries and some old entries will be able to track their status; however, some people will need to reregister. Even if you reregister, this will not insure you will be able to track your old rebates. It only insures you will be able to track the new rebates you enter.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Customer Service

Newegg blames myrebates411 and myrebates411 blames "ipowerweb?" We don't even want to hear ipowerweb's excuse. It seems like a big game of culpability hot potato. Hopefully, Newegg can put enough pressure on myrebates411 so that they'll cough up your $20. If not, we would like to see Newegg, at least, step up with $20 store credit as not to put any cracks in their reputation.

(Photo: Getty)

Newegg is selling an Icy Dock HD Enclosure for $26 with $22 rebate. Net cost is then $3.99 + shipping. It isn't until you look very closely at the fine print of the Terms and Conditions that you see that submission of the rebate voids the manufacturer warranty. The language is (purposely?) obscure, but I confirmed with Newegg and left a Product Review to alert consumers.
 
This may not make much difference in a product such as this, and Newegg says they will offer replacement for a year as part of their very customer-oriented General Return Policies (though I haven't analyzed the fine print of this policy). BUT if this is trend, I can see now that, in short order, WE WILL BE PAYING FOR OUR REBATES WITH VOIDED WARRANTIES! And they will be offered for products prone to failure. AND ... it will all be hidden in the obscure language of the fine print of the Rebates for which we wait 12 weeks!
 
Take a look — link to product below, no mention of the issue (except MY review). Look at PDF of Rebate, last line of T and C. There you have it!
 
It would be interesting to get Newegg's Corporate perspective, as I am sure they vet carefully their exclusive Rebates. And what is Icy Dock thinking here? I would MUCH prefer they come out and say: "We'll offer you our product for cheap (after rebate), but don't call us if it breaks."

I ordered a new 50 inch plasma tv on Sunday march 2nd from Newegg.com. We decided to get a PS3 to go with it so we could watch Blu-Ray movies. The PS3 was listed as SONY PlayStation 3 w/Spider Man 3 40 GB Black - Retail [link] [Ed. note: the current product listing does not mention Spiderman 3, but it may have been updated since this customer's order was placed.*]

I recieved the PS3 and TV on Wed March 5th. When I went through the package I noticed there was no Spiderman 3 Blu-Ray disk. I called NewEgg to see what they would do for me.

The lady their said it should have been in the box, and stressed that they do not OPEN that packages. I stated that in addition to their being no movie in the box, the box I recieved was also different than the one advertised on thir site. The box on the website shows a Spiderman 3 Blu-Ray disk on the box, and the one I recieved does not.

I have attached pictures of the 2 boxes.

What he ordered.

What he got.

She said that it is not her problem if Sony does not include the movie anymore. I responded that I did not order a PS3 from Sony I ordered one from NEWEGG.COM and that NEWEGG says i'm getting Spiderman 3. Also, as the box I recieved is different from the box pictured, they should have known that the movie was not included, and not advertised it as such.

She ended with, "Not our problem, call SONY" I ended with "I will call Sony, but it is not thier job to resolve this, and if they do not, I will be calling back and you WILL be making this right!" (At this point I have not yet booted the PS3 and was not 100% certain that the movie was not on the pack-in disk of trailers and such)

I called Sony, and after a 10 minute hold I got a nice guy who listened to the compliant and said "No Problem, I can resolve this for you" So I had to fax Sony my reciept, name, address..... and an Authorization # he gave me, and they said they would mail the movie within 2 days of recieving the info.

I do not believe Newegg.com will be changing their listing to reflect that Spiderman 3 is no longer included (in their inventory anyways), they will just wait for people to call, then say screw you. [Ed. note: well, actually it looks like they already have—see link above.*]

I called Newegg back to let them know that even though they screwed me over, Sony has stepped in to make it right, and that they are false advertising their PS3 w/ Spiderman 3 and that I was letting the Consumerist.com know about it. Her response was to tell me that they could only talk to the account holder (My wife) and goodbye. Funny they didn't mention having to talk to her last time I called, and before there were complain notes in my case.

*Note: Since I began writing this post around 7pm EST, the link referenced above has stopped working. Before 7pm it led to a product page for an ordinary 40 gb PS3 with no mention of Spiderman 3. It now returns the following message: "We apologize for the inconvenience, but the item you are looking for has been deactivated."

(Thanks to Terry!)

She asked Newegg for help:

I sent two inquiries to the address they supply—rebate@astarelectronics.com—and still have yet to receive any response. Is there any way you guys could try to get their attention? I have copies of my submission, and it's done correctly. I have no idea why they won't get back to me. I'm hoping maybe they would pay attention to Newegg since you guys are their buyer.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. All rebates are issued through the manufacturers directly. However, as you are our valued customer, we have made an exception and credited you $20.00 back onto your original payment method since the ASTAR was bank up. Please allow your account approximately 3-5 business days to finalize the transaction and make the funds available. We thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation.

(Thanks to Andrea!)

RELATED
"Newegg Honors Canceled PayPal Promotion Transactions"

"I'm confused," writes Rick. "Did I time warp back to 1998? Does CompUSA not realize that they compete DIRECTLY with on-line retailers?"

Whether you think Rick is right or not, he says, "...I put the product back on the shelf. I did not buy any of the other accessories I was prepared to purchase from you. NewEgg got all of my business."

Brick and mortar's will become ash and dust unless they step up and match or beat online undercutters.

comment on this post

Jon needs a very trustworthy person in the UK so he can get his Nokia cellphone repaired.

He bought his European model Nokia cellphone from newegg and Nokia US won't fix it. When he called the UK office, they said they can't ship outside the country. Aggravating!

Now he's stuck with a floppy necked cellphone unless there's a honest Brit left in the world...

Read the rest of Jon's "gotta open the safe but the key's locked inside" chonicle...

Jon writes:

"In mid-December I purchased a brand-spanking new Nokia 6170 from newegg.com for about $225. I'd spent at least a month looking for a phone I wanted, which is getting harder and harder to do when all you want is a phone that doesn't have 82 useless features crammed into it. So I went for the 6170 because it looked cool, it was unlocked (so I could pop in my Cingular SIM card, or switch to T-Mobile at a later date if so inclined), and it was a Nokia. I like Nokia's UI it's clean and transparent.

Sadly, the company isn't so well designed. Recently my girlfriend's cat decided to swat the phone off of a table onto a hardwood floor, screwing up the odd hinge that the 6170 uses. The phone still works perfectly, but now when you flip it open, there's about 30 degrees of flop in the hinge. It doesn't lock into position like it should. It's not a huge problem, but it's definitely annoying. I want my pretty phone to work right.

So I call newegg and say I need the phone replaced. They tell me the warranty's through Nokia, so Nokia has to fix it. They tell me to go to Nokia's website, where I can begin the process of getting the phone repaired.

I go, and enter the serial number on my phone so that they can be sure it's still under warranty. I put it in, and get an error telling me that the number's not in their system. Whaaaaa?

I call a support number, speak to a soft-voiced gentleman, and explain my situation. He asks for the warranty number, and puts me on hold for a few minutes. Then he comes back and says, "Let me explain the problem. This serial number is for a European version of the 6170. Where did you buy the phone from?"

(Now, I knew it was a Euro-version as far as I knew, the 6170 was never really offered stateside. Nokiausa.com did have it on their website as being for sale, but when I tried to put it in my cart back in December, the website would ask for my zip code, and then on a subsequent page the 6170 wouldn't be available anymore. I probably could have called Nokia and ordered it over the phone, but I didn't. I'm impatient, and it was cheaper at newegg.com anyways.)

I explain that I bought it from newegg.com. He tells me that Nokia USA can't honor the warranty, that my version of the 6170 is specific to Europe, etc. "But I just need the hinge fixed. It's the same hinge, Euro or not," I plead. No go. "Well, can you at least give me a number to contact the European offices?"

"No, I don't have that. We're two different companies."

The suckitude continued after I logged onto nokia.com and e-mailed the U.K. office. They told me that I could send it to them, but that they couldn't ship back outside the country. It ended with this line: " We suggest that if you have a contact in the UK then you ask this person to act on your behalf."

I barely have friends in the US, and I surely don't have any friends in the UK.

As it stands, it looks like I'll be stuck with my floppy-necked 6170, until I decide to buy another phone that I can't have serviced."

Angel, angel, spin me a dream, won't you, won't you, help this poor bloke get his bloody phone fixed?

If you're not terribly interested in what makes the supply chain clank inside one of Newegg's many distribution centers, the dozens of pictures of things like giant, multi-uddered packing peanut guns will probably not be for you.

Inside Newegg: They give us a Tour and you a Prize [AnandTech]

• If all the goofy Hot Coffee controversy didn't inspire you to play Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in one of its two versions on the Playstation 2, Best Buy is taking orders for the Xbox version for only $20. Ships in mid-February. [via TechBargains]

• Dell has extended their point-and-shoot camera sale for another day, with discounts in the 15 to 20% range. Ben's Bargains has a thorough index of cameras available with pre- and post-discount prices.

• Buy.com is selling the ACP-EP Memory 128MB USB 2.0 Mini Flash Drive for $4.95 with $6 shipping. Thing is, the shipping doesn't increase much when you order more, so toss in a couple dozen and give them out to your friends. [via Dealnews]

• Woot! is selling that damn InFocus 61-inch DLP HDTV again for $2,505 shipped—but this time they're throwing in a blender. You can help put feel a little sorry for these guys. It's one thing to have a whole bunch of extra USB keys sitting around, but these HDTVs have to be taking up a lot of space.

Highlights from Dealhack

• 30% off Dimension Desktop PCs (expires 1/18)

• Refurb iRobot Roomba 4210 Discovery over 50% off at Amazon

• Canon EOS 5D 12.8 MP Digital SLR $2804 at Dell Home [This is a great deal for a great camera. -Ed.]

• Today's Woot: Advent ADVW791 900Mhz Wireless Headphones for $45, shipped. We say: pass.

• FANTOM 300GB 3.5" External USB 2.0 Hard Drive for $120 + $7 shipping, after $20 rebate. We prefer FireWire hard drives, but if you just need some extra dumb storage, that's not a bad price at all.

• SanDisk 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo for $50 shipped after $20 rebate. Yes, this is what you want for your PSP, and it's in stock and ships free. It's a hot price—today's the last day.

• KitchenAid Onyx Black 12-Cup 700 Watt Ultra Wide Mouth Food Processor for $140 shipped. It may not be as sexy as the stand mixer, but it's hard to argue with 700 watts of triple-disced shredding action. Try coupon "HOHOHOHO" for possible additional discount.