Who’s minding the store?
I was at Best Buy the other day, to get the serial number for an Apple computer that was stolen from my daughter’s car. She made the mistake of leaving the computer in her car over night, and in the big city, that’s a no no.
I gave the clerk at Best Buy the information he needed to look up my computer purchase, and in no time at all, he found it. I mean he found my purchase, but not the serial number. Apparently, the serial number of the computer is not kept by the store. According to the clerk, the serial number was only on the box the computer came in, or on the recovery disk that came with the computer.
I explained to the clerk, that the Boston PD wanted it to see if the computer is in any pawn shops, but he still insisted that Best Buy didn’t have the number. I explained to the clerk that I was sent into the store by the corporate customer service department, who told me that the serial number is only kept on file in the local stores, and not in the Best Buy corporate offices. According to the clerk, I was given wrong information by the corporate office. The bottom line is no serial number, no chance of getting back the computer.
I would have thought that in today’s world of tracking and accountability that the store would be more diligent in their record keeping, but apparently I was wrong. I would have thought that Apple Computer Company would have required Best Buy to keep the serial numbers of the computers sold, if for no other reason then for accounting and inventory control, but I was wrong again. I would have thought that the serial number would have been printed on the receipt, or the extended service plan for easy tracking, but I would still be wrong.
It seams to me that stores like Best Buy should be required to keep records of the serial numbers of big ticket items like computers if for no other reason, then to be able to prove that the computers sold did not come off of the back of some truck high jacked three months ago. The store was glad to sell me the computer, and take my money, but apparently, that is where their responsibility to me and to Apple Computer ends. The next time my daughter buys a new computer; I will have to insist that she keep the box.
If this is the new way of doing business, we will all end up with a store room full of empty boxes just to prove that every thing we own is really ours.
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Picking a Health Club
Picking a health club can be a daunting confusing task that is unless there is only one or two in your area.
There are so many things to think about, from the equipment, to the classes offered, to the personal trainers, and the cleanliness of the facility.
Before joining a club, consider the following set of questions.
a) What are you expecting from your health club? Are you looking for group classes, cardio equipment, weights, a pool or sauna?
b) Is the health club near or on the way to your place of employment?
c) When you are given a tour, did the facility appear clean, and did the members appear happy and relaxed?
e) Does the club offer a juice bar, showers with towels, healthy snack machines, free trials for classes, or does that even matter to you
f) How attentive is the staff to the needs of the members? Were they smiling, glad to offer assistance, and answer questions.
Do they know how to use the equipment, and are their personal trainers on the floor if you have questions?
I recommend, that before you join the club, ask any of your friends or co-workers if they have used the facility, and how they feel about the place.
Ask them how much they pay, and how long they have been a member.
You should always ask the club if they are offering free passes or trial offers to try out the facility.
What ever you do, what ever club you choose, have fun, feel good, and get fit.
Extended Service Plans- Do we really need them?
Extended Warranties: Worth The Investment?
When the customer service representative offers an extended service agreement on a product you are buying in the store, or ordering over the telephone, do they really understand what they are talking about?
I just hate it when I receive a call, especially from Sears, and the person on the other end of the telephone is trying to sell me an extended service agreement on everything I have ever bought from Sears. It doesn’t matter if the item is twenty years old, dis-continued, or even if I have thrown it out years ago. As long as Sears has a record of it, you can always get it covered. It’s just as bad when you purchase home electronics, computers, car accessories, and even head phones from your local consumer electronics store.
A $39.00 pair of head phones will get you an extended service plan for three years at $49.00. A $400.00 computer will earn you an extended agreement for only two years, and cost you $199.00. Most of the extended service agreements don’t even offer you any coverage while the product is still under the manufacturers warrantee, and that makes the actual coverage even shorter.
If you ask the customer service representative when the extended service plan takes effect, the answer you are most likely to hear, is “as of today” and that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The customer service person or sales representative makes extra money each time they up-sell, and get you to buy an extended service agreement, or service maintenance plan.
The store is betting that you will forget that you bought the plan.
If you were to buy an insurance policy for your car, or invest in the stock market, the representatives would all have to be licensed by your state or the federal government. Doesn’t it make sense to require people selling us service plans to know more about their companies plans, and the coverage’s they offer?
Discount Warehouse Shopping
Have you ever noticed, that you don’t always save money by shopping at one of those so called discount ware houses?
I have noticed a pattern when I go shopping at one of those places, and it’s not good. First of all, most people end up spending much more then they can afford. I think this is because so many things are only available in bulk packaging, and it doesn’t take many items to go over the planned budget expense. The way that things are stacked up and laid out is designed to make the shopper feel like we are getting a great deal, and well, it usually works.
The hardest part of the shopping experience for most people is the comparison shopping they need to do to determine if they are really saving money, it’s not easy to comparison shop when you are buying ten cans in a package instead of one, and the ounce size of the cans is different. Because most of the boxes, cans, jars, and fruit or vegetable bags are in larger sizes, it is almost impossible, not to mention time consuming for the average consumer to know if they are truly saving any money.
What do you think, tell us about your shopping experiences?
