So I was fully ready to work on the Sempron 3300+ article alongside my dual core stuff for next week...except the two Celeron D 345s that I ordered, from two separate places, didn't arrive until after the NDA had already lifted...so that kinda threw a wrench into things :) But now that I've got the CPUs, I'm running those tests in the background while I work on stuff for next week.
Also while trying to run Sempron 3300+ benchmarks earlier, I realized that all of my Socket-754 boards up here are no longer functional (all two of them). In order to remedy the situation, I had to run down to CompUSA to pick up a board so I could have the article ready for Monday. The one thing I dread the most about going to places like CompUSA or BestBuy is having the dreaded service plan pushed on me. I'm sure their tactics work on some folks otherwise they wouldn't still be doing them, but there is nothing more annoying. Luckily my trip to CompUSA today wasn't nearly as bad as past experiences; the two sales gals stopped pushing the plan on me only after having me say no twice - usually it takes many more tries before they give up. I've literally tried everything from telling them I'm never going to use the product and I just bought it to keep in my attic, to telling them that my company won't authorize me to purchase anything above and beyond the base price of the item - nothing seems to work. How do you all handle this problem (other than just shopping online, which I do most of the time but there are times when I need to get something right away and for that I have to go to BB/CompUSA)?
Also while trying to run Sempron 3300+ benchmarks earlier, I realized that all of my Socket-754 boards up here are no longer functional (all two of them). In order to remedy the situation, I had to run down to CompUSA to pick up a board so I could have the article ready for Monday. The one thing I dread the most about going to places like CompUSA or BestBuy is having the dreaded service plan pushed on me. I'm sure their tactics work on some folks otherwise they wouldn't still be doing them, but there is nothing more annoying. Luckily my trip to CompUSA today wasn't nearly as bad as past experiences; the two sales gals stopped pushing the plan on me only after having me say no twice - usually it takes many more tries before they give up. I've literally tried everything from telling them I'm never going to use the product and I just bought it to keep in my attic, to telling them that my company won't authorize me to purchase anything above and beyond the base price of the item - nothing seems to work. How do you all handle this problem (other than just shopping online, which I do most of the time but there are times when I need to get something right away and for that I have to go to BB/CompUSA)?
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IronChefMorimoto - Friday, April 15, 2005 - link
I just tell them..."Sir, would you like our $259 service plan for that floppy drive you're purchasing?"
"Hmmm...lemme think about that. You'll knock it down to $5, right?"
"Uh, no, sir -- it's $259."
"But you're gonna put it on your credit card, right?"
"Well, no -- you pay for it."
"Yeah -- I pay 10% off the original item and you include the service plan, right?"
"Yes -- wait -- no, sir. You're confusing me."
"Oh -- god. I'm sorry. I get a 100% instant rebate on everything I buy if I buy the service plan, right?"
"Sir -- you don't want the service plan do you?"
"No, I don't. Still confused?"
crtfanboy - Friday, April 15, 2005 - link
I just grit my teeth and bear it. Having to harass people is just as annoying as being harassed, and they have to do it all day.Viditor - Friday, April 15, 2005 - link
I usually tell them that my Platinum Visa already extends the service by 2 years (not quite true, but THEY buy it).gnumantsc - Friday, April 15, 2005 - link
You should just be smug with them and say do you know who I am? I thought so, I'm Anand, the owner and creator of AnandTech and you should be honored to have me in your store buying products and if you keep on harassing me about extended warranties then I won't buy anything here anymore :)And if that don't get them to piss off keep on asking their sales people technical questions until they start to cry for the fun of it.
Its always sad to see how Sales ppl who work in computers know nothing about technology or anything about they are selling.
Anand Lal Shimpi - Friday, April 15, 2005 - link
Charlie HayesIt's not that the service plans aren't useless, it's about sales people not taking no for an answer. How many times should one person be required to say no before the sales pitch is dropped?
Take care,
Anand
Charlie Hayes - Friday, April 15, 2005 - link
I know that most people here hat those service plans, but they have saved me hundreds of dollars. I got a new PDA, a new digital camera, dvd player, phones, batteries for phones, etc. I wouldnt disregard service plans altogether. Obviously Anand would be voiding it any way, so my advice doesnt apply here.Anand Lal Shimpi - Friday, April 15, 2005 - link
HardwareD00dThat's great, I'm definitely trying that next time :)
The thing is, I try saying no - I say no a lot, but I shouldn't have to say no more than once, maybe twice. There was a time last year in Best Buy where I had to say no over 7 times, which is just ridiculous.
ViRGE
I picked up an ABIT NF8, not too bad for CompUSA - I was surprised. I just wish we had Fry's on the east coast.
ChineseDemocracyGNR
Nothing about Socket-939 Semprons yet, at this point AMD has no real reason to transition over to Socket-939 for the Sempron. Remember it costs more to make/package a Socket-939 CPU than a Socket-754 CPU simply because of the additional pins that need to be routed out from the die itself.
RyanVM
Not exactly my style :)
Take care,
Anand
RyanVM - Friday, April 15, 2005 - link
You know, I'd probably just tell them "I run one of the largest hardware review sites on the internet. Do you really think I need a service plan?"ChineseDemocracyGNR - Friday, April 15, 2005 - link
Anand,do you know anything about the socket 939 Semprons? I was wondering if they will have x86-64 instructions.
And what about the 3300+ you have, still no 64-bit?
ViRGE - Friday, April 15, 2005 - link
Just what board did you purchase, anyhow? CompUSA doesn't strike me a place with a good selection of high-quality motherboards.