Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Retail store goodness

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 2
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous 1 2 template Next
  • #1

    Retail store goodness

    I worked at CompUSA in St Louis (The main one, they're closed down now) back in '98-'99 and part of 2000...

    I worked in the hole in the wall called the Parts Department (Later they redesigned the store and turned it into an "Upgrades Counter")

    I've had some good customers over the times..

    "I have a computer at home, it's made of metal. What kind of RAM does it take?"

    Uhh.. I don't know? Bring it in and I'll tell ya.

    --

    And then there's the time where a guy brought in his computer and he wanted RAM for it. He had me remove the RAM stick out of it and test it to find out what kind it was. I rang him up for the RAM upgrade and then he demanded me to install it.

    My boss told me that I am not allowed to do RAM upgrade installations because that would be giving away a free tech service. I told the customer that and he got pissy.. It was great! Watching the customer stand at my counter for about and hour or so watching him try to install 2 SIMMs in his machine and failing, whining, and crying was priceless.

    --

    And then there's the customer that thought that buying an LS120 drive would also give her a free copy of Windows 95. (Believe me, I'm not making this up!)

    --

    And then there's the customer who bought RAM from us, decided he wanted to install it himself and ended up frying his motherboard (thanks to electrostatic discharge) calls us and threatens to sue us because we "didn't offer to install it for him for free". He claimed that we told him that it was easy to install and anyone could do it (which is a lie, we always offered to install it for $40 extra).

    --

    And then there's the guy who wanted a Maxtor 8.4 GB hard drive.. but started whining because it was "ATA33 and not IDE".. Even after showing the customer that it had an IDE connector and the data transfer method is ATA33 as it was printed on the box he still was pissing, whining and moaning that we were false advertising the drive.

    Those are just the few memories that come to mind from working there...
    Fixing problems... one broken customer at a time.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Quoth Blade_Raver View Post
    And then there's the customer who bought RAM from us, decided he wanted to install it himself and ended up frying his motherboard (thanks to electrostatic discharge) calls us and threatens to sue us because we "didn't offer to install it for him for free". He claimed that we told him that it was easy to install and anyone could do it (which is a lie, we always offered to install it for $40 extra).
    To be fair, it IS an install so simple anyone but a retarded monkey could do it.
    Guess what that makes this guy?
    ...WHY DO YOU TEMPT WHAT LITTLE FAITH IN HUMANITY I HAVE!?! -- Kalga
    And I want a pony for Christmas but neither of us is getting what we want OK! What you are asking is impossible. -- Wicked Lexi

    Comment

    • #3
      This reminds me of my current motherboard which is tiny and requires taking out my Video Card to put in the RAM. Very annoying. I had the model up from this one which was great until it kept dying constantly because the entire line of that specific motherboard was screwed up. Yet they kept selling the stupid thing!
      Be like the flower that perfumes the very hand that crushes it.

      Comment

      • #4
        Quoth Blade_Raver View Post
        that we were false advertising the drive.
        No sir, it's just a product we carry, if you really think the box is a lie, you need to contact the company that created it and get on their case. We're not doing any such thing as False Advertising, we're just giving the product a place on our shelves.
        "I call murder on that!"

        Comment

        • #5
          Quoth Blade_Raver View Post

          And then there's the customer that thought that buying an LS120 drive would also give her a free copy of Windows 95. (Believe me, I'm not making this up!)

          I still remember the good old days of my LS-120. I really loved that thing.
          I don't have an anger problem! I have an idiot problem!-Hank Hill

          Comment

          • #6
            I went with the syquest 135..
            You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take,and statistically speaking, 99% of the shots you do take.

            Pirates Vs. Ninjas. Which would you choose? http://s1.darkpirates.com/c.php?uid=40174

            Comment

            • #7
              Quoth JustADude View Post
              To be fair, it IS an install so simple anyone but a retarded monkey could do it.
              Guess what that makes this guy?
              Just because it is something we take for granted in the computer field doesn't necessarily make it easy. If you don't know how to do something, it's not easy. Granted you could look up how to do it, but you can put it in so that it's not seated correctly or put it in the wrong way (not realizing it's keyed).

              Besides, if it WAS so easy, then people wouldn't pay the outrageous prices for hardware and software installs.

              He was sucky for demanding service in that way, but I hardly think it makes him retarded because he couldn't install a DIMM.

              Comment

              • #8
                Quoth donruss View Post
                I still remember the good old days of my LS-120. I really loved that thing.
                What's LS-120? Somthing from the ancient times?
                Linux user (Debian and Kubuntu)
                Programmer in C and perl!

                I'm "only" 16 but do NOT try and outskill me with machines

                Comment

                • #9
                  The LS-120 was a drive that was developed to replace the floppy drive. The disks could store 120 MB, and the drives were backwards compatable with floppies. The disks were kinda expensive though, and the drives never caught on.
                  "Sir... sir... diagnosing computer problems over the phone is like diagnosing brain cancer with a pointy stick"
                  -ahanix1989, inspired by bash.org

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    I have a magic word for computer stuff like this. It's "Dad!"
                    I don't go in for ancient wisdom
                    I don't believe just 'cause ideas are tenacious
                    It means that they're worthy - Tim Minchin, "White Wine in the Sun"

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Okay, so I have to ask, which one? I liked going to the one on the Rock Road because at least I could find someone who knew vaguely what I was looking for. Ever try to convince someone that they make switchboxes for monitors? I had one when I had a Mac and a PC. I kept being told by others that there was no such thing, even though I had a print out from a website showing what it was.

                      At the Rock Road one, at least the employees were honest enough to tell me that I'd be better off finding it online since it wasn't something they carried in the store.
                      Random conversation:
                      Me: Okay..so I think I get why Zoro wears a bandana
                      DDD: Cuz it's cool
                      So, by using the Doctor's reasoning, bow ties, fezzes and bandanas are cool.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Quoth fma_fanatic View Post
                        Okay, so I have to ask, which one? I liked going to the one on the Rock Road because at least I could find someone who knew vaguely what I was looking for. Ever try to convince someone that they make switchboxes for monitors? I had one when I had a Mac and a PC. I kept being told by others that there was no such thing, even though I had a print out from a website showing what it was.

                        At the Rock Road one, at least the employees were honest enough to tell me that I'd be better off finding it online since it wasn't something they carried in the store.
                        I worked at the Dorsett Rd store..I started before they bought out Computer City to acquire the Rock Road and the Ballwin locations and built the new CompUSA in south county.

                        Of course switch boxes exist, I know them to be called KVM switches. They were rarely in stock at the store I worked at though.
                        Fixing problems... one broken customer at a time.

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Quoth ebonyknight View Post
                          Just because it is something we take for granted in the computer field doesn't necessarily make it easy. If you don't know how to do something, it's not easy. Granted you could look up how to do it, but you can put it in so that it's not seated correctly or put it in the wrong way (not realizing it's keyed).

                          Besides, if it WAS so easy, then people wouldn't pay the outrageous prices for hardware and software installs.

                          He was sucky for demanding service in that way, but I hardly think it makes him retarded because he couldn't install a DIMM.
                          Actually, I did my first DIMM install well before I had any sort of training, formal or informal... heck, before I'd even popped the case for the first time.

                          I asked the guy at the shop what the cheapest way to get my comp (the only off-the-shelf Brand Name comp I've ever owned) to work better was, and he told me to put a second stick of RAM in the empty slot on the board. All he told me other than that, as far as advice went, was I wouldn't need anything except a screw-driver to open the case.

                          When I got home I popped the side panel and looked for a thing like the one in my hand with an empty spot next to it. Yes, I did push it in wrong the first time, but when it didn't go I looked at the side and noticed the key-notch, so I flipped it around and it went in fine.

                          As I've mentioned before, people only pay for installs for simple things like that because they're afraid of the unknown and refuse to take the 5 minutes it would take to turn it into the known. Anyone who has gotten the square peg through the square hole can do basic stuff like upgrading the memory on an OTS rig like that.

                          Either that, or I'm an effing genius, and I really don't think I'm THAT far to the right on the Bell Curve.
                          ...WHY DO YOU TEMPT WHAT LITTLE FAITH IN HUMANITY I HAVE!?! -- Kalga
                          And I want a pony for Christmas but neither of us is getting what we want OK! What you are asking is impossible. -- Wicked Lexi

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Oh, on that refusal to pay for RAM installation issue.. the guy was installing a pair of 32mb 72-pin Non-Parity SIMMs.

                            Not exactly as easy as installing DIMMs, but relatively simple nonetheless.. (Insert at 45 degree angle, make sure it's a solid contact, straighten it up to 90 degree angle and done granted you didn't do anything stupid like leave the computer powered on or forget to touch the metal case to get all ESD off ya )
                            Fixing problems... one broken customer at a time.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Quoth Blade_Raver View Post
                              touch the metal case to get all ESD off ya )
                              the real killer imo is coke on the desk, atleast 40% of the machines that got dumped together at my old job while there was an open bottle of coke on the desk came back 3-4 months later with randomly corroded parts :-/

                              of course it could just be that the boss used to buy the dodgiest parts from the dodgiest people who found them after they fell off the back of a stolen truck :-/
                              It is better to be the hammer than the nail.

                              Comment

                              Previous 1 2 template Next
                              Working...
                              X