Who needs to lie about inventory when you can inflate the price directly? LAPTOP has uncovered more dirty secrets of Office Depot employees being dishonest to customers, this time by altering price tags on clearance items to incorporate the cost of an extended service plan.
computers
HP Makes Up For Sending Reader "Repaired" Laptop Filled With Viruses
By 3.13.09
Aaron is happy to report that he has gotten resolution with his complaint about HP’s repair center sending him back his laptop filled with viruses. Good thing for HP that Aaron is honest, otherwise he could probably have three laptops right now, as three different HP reps contacted him about his story. On March 9th he wrote us:
Office Depot Employees Claim They're Told To Lie About Stock If You're Not Buying Extras
By 3.11.09
According to LAPTOP mag, Office Depot has implemented such a stringent sales quota program that the company has essentially broken the in-store laptop buying experience. If you don’t buy accessories and extended service plans, many associates will tell you the laptop is out of stock. Of course, this doesn’t happen at every Office Depot, but LAPTOP writes that they were surprised by the number of similar reports they received of it happening at multiple locations.
After Massive Runaround, HP Sends Your Laptop Back Filled With Viruses
By 3.3.09
HP is known for its incompetent repair process, but what makes Aaron’s case special is that at the end they decide to kick it up a notch. When he sends his computer in and gets it back from the repair center, HP has so ever so graciously filled it with free spyware and viruses.
Illinois Couple Swindles Best Buy Out Of $31 Million
By 2.27.09
The Chicago Tribune says that Russell Cole calls his $2.75 million Deerfield, IL home “the house that Best Buy built,” but now investigators are claiming that the Best Buy money was obtained through fraud.
Dell Hasn't Refunded Money For 45 Days
By 2.23.09
Rob bought a monitor from Dell. Not just any monitor, a defective one. Ok, he didn’t specifically request it to come defective, but that’s how it did. So did its replacement. “The backlight was flickering constantly and it made me feel nauseous just looking at it,” writes Rob. He’s returned the monitors but Dell has yet to give him back his money. Every time he calls, they tell him it will be just 7-10 days more and that he paid with two credit cards is complicating things. So far it’s been 45 days.
Microsoft "Vista Capable" Lawsuit Won't Be Class Action
By 2.23.09
Last week, a U.S. federal court judge denied class action status to the Microsoft “Vista Capable” lawsuit, on the grounds that “the plaintiffs could not demonstrate that their claims were common to the entire class of consumers who bought computers marked with the ‘Windows Vista Capable’ but without the ‘Premium Ready’ label.”
Dell Has Separation Anxiety Over Scanner, Can't Bring Itself To Ship It
By 2.16.09
Sean can’t get Dell to ship the scanner he ordered on January 20th. They keep canceling it at the last minute, then promising to ship it the next week. They really like your scanner, Sean. Can’t you just leave them alone and let them have their forbidden love?
By 1.22.09
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This terrible, terrible commercial for Lenovo’s new laptop is clearly meant to go viral a la Songsmith, but someone forgot that it should be amusing and not just cringe-inducing. You got your viral on, Lenovo, but now your new slogan is “That’s What She Said.” [YouTube via Engadget]
Reach Hewlett-Packard Executivce Customer Service
By 1.22.09
Expedite a quagmired Hewlett-Packard issue by calling their executive customer service at 1-800-756-0608 option 7. A guy named Tim Metcalf might be the one who helps you, or Dan or Yunsil. Their lines open at 8am, PST. (Photo: orangegeeky)
Acer's Secret Business Model Somehow Involves Envelopes
By 1.5.09
To date I’ve received one batch of five flat pacs [and] one batch of seventeen flat pacs. Each flat pac has three restoration discs (for a total of 66 discs), none of the flat pacs I’ve received has contained the promised system disc.
Fisher-Price Kiddie Camera Comes With Fun And A Computer Virus
By 1.3.09
Jeff says his kid’s new toy, a working camera from Fisher-Price, tried to give his computer a virus when he plugged it in!
Play Anti-Phishing Phil And Learn How To Spot Phishing Attacks
By 1.2.09
Phishing attacks are pretty cleverly designed, because they skip most virus checkpoints altogether and go for the true weak spot in human-computer interaction, the human. Lorrie Faith Cranor, a computer security researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, has been studying phishing attacks to identify new ways to fight them.
Fry's Price Matches, But Only If You Pay "Overnight Shipping" For Item In Your Hand
By 12.27.08
This Fry’s in Texas apparently wants you to pay for them to replace their inventory. Or they think their customers are idiots. Maybe both?
By 12.27.08
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A list of online tech help sites. [New York Times]
Staples: Give Us $80, We've Already "Set Up" All The Laptops In Stock…
By 12.22.08
Here’s a “set up fee” or “optimization” complaint we’re seeing more and more involving a wide range of retailers.
Apple Pulls Anti-Virus Advice Due To Bad PR?
By 12.4.08
According to Computerworld, Apple yanked a “controversial” support document from its website Tuesday, after it began a heated debate among the Apple faithful. What was the controversial advice? Apple suggested its users run anti-virus software.
Apple Stores Will Now Price Match Authorized Retailers
By 11.25.08
Apple Insider says Apple stores will be price matching other authorized retailers. The policy isn’t new — but it’s never been emphasized before and the Apple bloggers seem surprised that it exists.
