21 Feb
2002
21 Feb
'02
8:40 a.m.
At 08:26 PM 2/18/2002 -0600, Doc wrote:
There was a big hoorah here in Texas a couple of
years ago when a UT
student bought a new [Gateway?] computer at Best Buy. One of their
bundled specials. He loaded the carton in his car, took it home, and
found that he'd paid about $1200, IIRC, for a painter's coverall, a used
dropcloth, and half a 3 gallon can of Napthalene. The store dodn't
believe him and never refunded his money.
I think this is called the "Best Buy Upgrade". I had a similar
switch-a-roo at a Walmart and a sound card last fall. Instead of
the discounted Soundblaster PCI card I expected to find in the
box, was an old ISA sound card of a different make, still in
its unopened silver wrapping. They accepted my return without
question. I tried to explain they'd been defrauded by whoever
returned it before, but they seemed not to care. And the other
day I heard an anecdote from someone who works in a retail
clothing shop at a nearby mall - that franchise doesn't even
bother prosecuting shoplifting unless it's more than $1,000.
- John