Comp USA idiots, part 897:

[bryanlove]

Lord. That is hilarious. I guess he heard somewhere about
getting shocked, and tried to figure it out. Thing is, I hear this
sort of nonsense every day, and it amazes me that the average Joe
knows so little about the equipment they use. Maybe the schools
should restore the Industrial Arts programs.

It can be really tragic when someone hears the addage, "It's not the
voltage but the current that can kill you" and assumes it means that
it's safer to stick a fork in a 120V, 15A wall outlet than to touch the
terminals of a 12V, 700A car battery.

 

[Matt]

Even the so-called know-it-alls can't tell you how they do matter.
I've read through this thread, and nobody really had a clue.
Best most of them could do was talk about Watts ... ?? ...
You guys ever heard of magnetic fields Heh! Ain't none of
you got it.

Well I believe I can say on behalf of the group that we are very lucky
and grateful to have you. Please do explain it for us.

Don't feel by yourselves. You should see the awful
quality of the "electronics" taught to Physicists, Mechanical
Engineers, Civil Engineers. Not one of them could repair a
TV set.

Who would expect a civil or mechanical engineer to be able to repair a
TV set? Not anybody who has read the course requirements or job
descriptions of civil or mechanical engineers.

 

[Papa]

Comp USA is staffed with sales people, not people who know something about
the products being sold. So your experience is no surprise.

Also, anything with the "Mad Dog" label is a piece of junk that, because of
their "bargain" prices, has duped a lot of buyers - including me.

 

[John Doe]

John Doe wrote:

It doesn't seem to matter. Bringing up the subject of the archives
seems a little foolish to me. Turning around then and saying it
doesn't matter seems a little foolish to me.

I guess the question is whether you knew or not.

Chiding someone and/or touting your real or imagined knowledge in a
subject line is acting like a not quite grown-up troll IMO.

 

[John Doe]

....

That's odd - the rest of us were reading a complaint about CompUSA
- but you seemed to think it was Best Buy. Why is that?

How would anyone know what to think? Why would anyone care?

Apparently the thread now has something to do with a gentle attempt,
a gentle ego, or something like that.

 

[jim]

That's odd - the rest of us were reading a complaint about CompUSA -
but you seemed to think it was Best Buy. Why is that?

Does it REALLY matter as they both suck?

 

[John Doe]

Cross-posting to whatever groups frequently results in cross post
generated noise and conflicts.

I posted to the consumer newsgroups because this was more a
customer service issue rather than a technical one.

Apparently you already know this, but, for the potential benefit of
others (in the consumer groups). I would forget about shopping at
local stores if you want technical information about computer
components. The void of technical information locally is very clear
after shopping for computer parts online.

GentleAttemptUSA [kidding] or any local chain store is the pits when
you want to know, especially nowadays.

Used to be they sold components and computers in computer stores.
Most if not all of that has moved to ordinary retail stores. If you
really want technical information/help, online is the place.

You could have been more tactful, IMO, but that is true.
(e-mail address removed) wrote:
"Unfortunately neither the MD website nor the product box listed
anything about its amp ratings..."

Others can dwell on the plural of "rating" but The Real Bev's
response is exactly the sort of response I would expect from an
author in the consumer group.

You get what you pay for.

 

[John Doe]

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 13:55:01 -0800, The Real Bev


A computer PS produces +5V, +12V, and -12V. While the overall power
output is 350W, there's no way to tell how that output is
approtioned without additional information. Good thing the current
ratings for the three output voltages are printed on the box.

Really?

It's all so very silly.

 

[John Doe]

In our last episode, a cross posted big stink was being generated
around and about some "free after rebate" power supply bought at
some local store which allegedly did not include output amp ratings.

Message-ID: <[email protected]>

After so much discussion about what appears to be a silly subject
(you get what you pay for), an X-No-Archive author comes along and
says that the output amp ratings were printed right there on the
box.

Message-ID: <[email protected]>

That deserves verification.

Tune in next time, as The Stomach Turns.

 

[The Real Bev]

Lot's of people couldn't care less, or don't know enough to care, but that
isn't the point. The point is that someone "who has even a basic level of
PC building experience and understanding knows what the 'amps' of interest
are" and, so, would not be confused when someone who does care asks about it.

The point is that the original poster included newsgroups other than the
one dealing with pc homebuilding. We answer from OUR point of view, not
yours. If you're unhappy with the answers from misc.consumers, feel
free to dump on the original poster for asking questions in the wrong
place.

Has this subject been covered sufficiently, or do we need to argue about
it some more? I guess it's better than Dems/Repubs, though, so if you
want to keep on I guess we can accommodate you.

 

[The Real Bev]

I posted to the consumer newsgroups because this was more a customer
service issue rather than a technical one.

Did you email or phone the Mad Dog people? They have a 'contact us'
email address and phone number. The CompUSA people can only rarely
answer hard questions. I don't know shit, but I've been able to answer
customers' questions that the salesdroid hadn't a clue about.

I'd say 100 times as many people want to know the output amps instead
of the input amps because for supplies of any given power rating, the
input amp ratings are all about the same, but the output amp ratings
vary greatly. And why would I ask Comp USA employees for the input amp
rating when both they and I could read it off the box?

Exactly. Such a person would not be all that bright, but we're used to
that around here.

BTW in the
store I worded my question very clearly: "How many amps can this put
out at plus 12 volts and plus 5 volts?"

Oh. That's very different. Never mind.

 

[The Real Bev]

Who cares anyway it was free after "rebates" at that point he can do the
research and if it doesn't do the job, throw it out. It was "free".

You forget the 8.5% sales tax. 'Free' really means 'not quite free'.

 

[The Real Bev]

Some things are so bad they're not worth the price even when they're
free, especially with Mad Dog's track record on rebates and Comp USA's
return policies.

MD doesn't take any longer than anybody else. Absolutely worst was a
'free' power supply I bought at Fry's -- the PS company sent me a
personal check 6 months later, although I guess it would have been worse
if they'd sent a bouncing check.

I got CompUSA to give me a cash refund on opened software. You just
have to have a good reason and persevere.

 

[The Real Bev]

...I asked if there was a manager or
other employee who might be able to find the bags. He disappeared
again, and this time, lo and behold, he emerged from the stockroom
with one of the bags in his hand.

Of course, the lazy **** never bothered to bring out the other 23 bags
- I know, because I've shopped in that store since and those bags have
NEVER been on display, yet they still show up as "in stock" on the web
site.

The same thing happened when I was looking for Dual-Layer DVD+R media.
The store has them in stock, but none are out on the shelf. Sorry,
CompUSA, but I'm not going to go through THAT crap again just for the
privilege of spending my money in your store. I'd sooner shop at Best
Buy than badger one of your lazy minimum-wage punk employees into
finding my items in the stockroom again.

That's happened to me too. It took maybe half an hour for the droid and
manager to find what I was looking for in the back room. In addition to
all the other problems, it appears that their inventory system sucks
too.

A portable hobby like knitting is of immeasurable value in situations
like this.

--
Cheers,
Bev
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Little Mary took her skis upon the snow to frisk.
Wasn't she a silly girl her little * ?

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

"larry moe 'n curly" <[email protected]> wrote:

PS
Besides, I avoid rebates like the plague.

In another post in this thread, you said you're mad dog rebate took
six months and then the check bounced.

On the bright side, that's only half the time that my slowest rebate
took to arrive.

Mad Dog eventually made good on the bounced check and also paid the
bounced check fee, but they weren't truthful to the Better Business
Bureau and told them that I had asked for the first check to be
cancelled (I simply wanted to know if it would bounce -- they had a
reputation for issuing bad checks) and that they had sent the
replacement check by overnight delivery (arrived ten days later, as a
postcard).

 

[David Maynard]

The point is that the original poster included newsgroups other than the
one dealing with pc homebuilding. We answer from OUR point of view, not
yours. If you're unhappy with the answers from misc.consumers, feel
free to dump on the original poster for asking questions in the wrong
place.

Why would I dump on the original poster for "asking questions" when he did
not ask any questions?

He posted what amounts to a 'consumer alert' about the lack of appropriate
specifications for the "Mad Dog" PSU and the lack of technical competence
at the CompUSA store he visited.

Has this subject been covered sufficiently, or do we need to argue about
it some more? I guess it's better than Dems/Repubs, though, so if you
want to keep on I guess we can accommodate you.

I suppose it depends on whether you want to continue arguing that AC amps
has any bearing on whether a PSU can properly power a computer system.

 

[The Real Bev]

Why would I dump on the original poster for "asking questions" when he did
not ask any questions?

He posted what amounts to a 'consumer alert' about the lack of appropriate
specifications for the "Mad Dog" PSU and the lack of technical competence
at the CompUSA store he visited.


I suppose it depends on whether you want to continue arguing that AC amps
has any bearing on whether a PSU can properly power a computer system.

OK, I give up. The intent of the original poster was clear -- he was
just venting, not hoping for useful information. CompUSA (and Best Buy
too) stores are staffed by drooling and dishonest incompetents. Mad Dog
buys archaic merchandise, palms it off on unsuspecting pc-builders and
pays its helpdroids to further confuse the matter. Nobody has EVER
received a cent for their efforts at rebating. Uh, there must be
something else. Oh yeah. I am a hopeless loser please kill me now.

But I'm still goddam good at grammar and spelling!

 

[Ruel Smith]

It's not my fault.

No, it's Bill Gate's fault.

 

[David Maynard]

OK, I give up. The intent of the original poster was clear -- he was
just venting, not hoping for useful information. CompUSA (and Best Buy
too) stores are staffed by drooling and dishonest incompetents. Mad Dog
buys archaic merchandise, palms it off on unsuspecting pc-builders and
pays its helpdroids to further confuse the matter. Nobody has EVER
received a cent for their efforts at rebating. Uh, there must be
something else. Oh yeah. I am a hopeless loser please kill me now.

And what purpose does it serve to put words in his mouth he never said and
claim every post by whoever was his?

 

[Shawn Hearn]

That's happened to me too. It took maybe half an hour for the droid and
manager to find what I was looking for in the back room. In addition to
all the other problems, it appears that their inventory system sucks
too.

A portable hobby like knitting is of immeasurable value in situations
like this.

Gee! My visits to CompUSA are usually quite different. A friend and I
are both computer geeks. We went to the CompUSA in Wilmington DE to pick
up the Hitache 160GB hard drive that they advertised for $60. I figured
I would buy a cheap enclosure and use the drive on my PowerMac G5.

Not surprisingly, they were sold out. We ambled over to the department
where the mp3 players are sold and we got into a long conversation about
speakers for my friend's 2nd generation iPod. We tried several speaker
models that were on display. Then my friend decided to forget about
buying a set of speakers and she bought a new iPod photo instead. The
CompUSA guy who we were talking with looked like he was still in his
teens. He was quite knowledgeable and very helpful. He even recommended
a good restaurant nearby where we ate a delicious dinner.

I have been shopping at CompUSA for years and I never expect their staff
to harbor much technical knowledge. For some reason, all the CompUSA
stores in my area are almost always busy whenever I am there. I try not
to buy much stuff there because its almost always cheaper to buy online,
but some stuff such as Apple products aren't discounted so I don't mind
shopping for that kind of stuff there.