thats how so many people get ripped off...lack of knowledge...she should of did her homework 1st or ask for help from someone with knowledge on PC's before buying something...in my mind she screwed herself
I worked the counter at a computer store for quite some time.
I may/may not make a comment to a person given this scenario.
I would try to always base the conversation I would have with a customer on their personality and perspective.
Also, she definitely did not get ripped off. She won an auction. She saw a product, she entered the price she would like to pay for it, and she ended up winning. She then paid and the seller then shipped the item.
Ebay has many, many laptops available for browsing. It is her fault for not comparison shopping. She made a decision to NOT tackle this purchasing decision properly in the first place, for whatever reason, and now you think it is possibly your position to educate her in her error.
People need to be allowed to make their own mistakes. "Information providers" are oftentimes placed in a position of low regard by the people that receive the advice.
I'd strongly consider just giving her a price for installing either/both modem(s) and going from there.
I may/may not make a comment to a person given this scenario.
I would try to always base the conversation I would have with a customer on their personality and perspective.
Also, she definitely did not get ripped off. She won an auction. She saw a product, she entered the price she would like to pay for it, and she ended up winning. She then paid and the seller then shipped the item.
Ebay has many, many laptops available for browsing. It is her fault for not comparison shopping. She made a decision to NOT tackle this purchasing decision properly in the first place, for whatever reason, and now you think it is possibly your position to educate her in her error.
People need to be allowed to make their own mistakes. "Information providers" are oftentimes placed in a position of low regard by the people that receive the advice.
I'd strongly consider just giving her a price for installing either/both modem(s) and going from there.
settle down, it never hurts to ask, if i bought a something and later found out it was a POS i would hope i would be able to return it
And I, as the auctioneer, would feel inconvenienced when I would have to email you back to inform you that I don't take returns. And then I would spend several moments throughout the day thinking about it and feeling even more inconvenienced.
Did she overpay? Yes
Should she get a refund? If it is based solely on the price, then no. If it is defective, then yes.
Should you tell her? Maybe, it depends. If you do tell her that she overpaid, then don't encourage her to get a refund just b/c of that. It was her mistake, not the sellers. But do let her know that in the future, she could find great deals at Dell or something.
Should she get a refund? If it is based solely on the price, then no. If it is defective, then yes.
Should you tell her? Maybe, it depends. If you do tell her that she overpaid, then don't encourage her to get a refund just b/c of that. It was her mistake, not the sellers. But do let her know that in the future, she could find great deals at Dell or something.
I wouldn't even work on a laptop like that. If I were you, I would tell her it is not worth putting any more money into and to get a refund if she can.
If you get it working, she will be back, Every problem she has with it will be your problem now.
On a side note, with all of dells advertising, how is it possible that people do not know they can get a new laptop from them for ~$700
If you get it working, she will be back, Every problem she has with it will be your problem now.
On a side note, with all of dells advertising, how is it possible that people do not know they can get a new laptop from them for ~$700
thats also what i was thinking, you can forget about putting any kind of main stream consumer A/V on there
Lumathix
Golden Member
- Mar 16, 2004
- 1,686
- 0
- 46
Who is this lady and what is her relationship with you? I can't tell you whether I'd tell her or not till I know your relationship with this woman. If she's some random person whom you don't even know her last name, then no stay out of it. If it's a relative, or close co-worker, maybe. You would basically be calling her a dumbass for the purchase she made, and unless you're close to her, she could take that the wrong way.
Whoa, what kind of tech are you? (are you really a tech, or you just sometimes fix your parents computer?) If you can't handle working on a 400mhz with XP, I dunno what you could handle... The OP runs a business, so every little problem she has she pays him to fix, its called a job...
Also, I hope that all of you that are so quick to point out "It's not worth it to work on" Don't actually run businesses, if you do its time for a lesson in customer service: Lesson 1) The customer is always right. It is not your decision to tell the customer if it is worth it to work on or not, it is your job to tell the customer how much it will cost to repair the laptop. If the customer then determines that she would like for you to repair it at the agreed upon price, you do the work and collect the money, if she instead decides that it is not worth it, she goes on her way.
WhoBeDaPlaya
Diamond Member
- Sep 15, 2000
- 7,415
- 404
- 126
Damn :shocked: I just let go a better loaded 600E here w/extra CPU module for $180 shipped insured!
What benefit will you get by telling her she got ripped off? The person sent her a modem when hers didn't work. That wasn't bad. Odds are she can't get her money back anyways, so all you're going to do is make her upset.
So the question remains, what do you hope to get from this?
So the question remains, what do you hope to get from this?
The lady is just a walk in customer. I guess I just felt bad for her because she kept on about how her teacher said she was using one of the two school pc's they had in that class too much. She said she had to scrape up the $450 she spent for that. It was painfully obvious she knew nothing about computers and had little money now or then.
The PCMCIA modem seems to install fine, I can't test it until tonight when I have a LAN line that works (#$%#!@%$ BellSouth).
If all works well I'll just tell her to have a nice day and come see me in the future if she wants to buy a machine. I won't mention my thoughts on the deal.
If the modem he sent her ends up not working I'll give her the option to buy a PCMCIA modem from me, or she can decide to try and get a refund from the guy.
I just hate to see the lady get reamed like that when she obviously didn't need to be. Yeah, she's gotta learn, or she should have done some research first, but it sounds like she was in a tight spot to begin with.
Someone here mentioned that bringing up the fact she got ripped might make her feel stupid to the point where she resents me (more so my business), I hadn't looked at it that way, and that does make sense.
Live and learn I suppose.
The PCMCIA modem seems to install fine, I can't test it until tonight when I have a LAN line that works (#$%#!@%$ BellSouth).
If all works well I'll just tell her to have a nice day and come see me in the future if she wants to buy a machine. I won't mention my thoughts on the deal.
If the modem he sent her ends up not working I'll give her the option to buy a PCMCIA modem from me, or she can decide to try and get a refund from the guy.
I just hate to see the lady get reamed like that when she obviously didn't need to be. Yeah, she's gotta learn, or she should have done some research first, but it sounds like she was in a tight spot to begin with.
Someone here mentioned that bringing up the fact she got ripped might make her feel stupid to the point where she resents me (more so my business), I hadn't looked at it that way, and that does make sense.
Live and learn I suppose.
You can get a fully functional AMD based HP or Compaq laptop for the same price after rebate (or have in the past), so this business about spending $150 more on Dell is nonsense. While DaiShan and Shaft are fully within their capitalist right to take the positions they have, my personal opinion is that if one fails to exercise one's conscience, it may wither. While I disagree with the full measure of reasons they put forth, I do believe that their answers, for the time, hold true.
Do not tell her she got screwed - just install the modem. If the new modem does not work, THEN you may suggest to her that she might consider getting a refund and purchasing something else locally(assuming you can still get $400 notebooks from the likes of compusa/office depot). "I paid too much" is not a valid reason for refund, so there is no reason to cause the woman unnecessary grief. HOWEVER, if the item proves faulty, there is no reason you should not gently suggest to her that she might avoid more future problems by getting a refund.
If she thinks you are calling her stupid, you either need to work on your people skills, or you didn't want her for a customer anyway. She should be eternally grateful/loyal.
Do not tell her she got screwed - just install the modem. If the new modem does not work, THEN you may suggest to her that she might consider getting a refund and purchasing something else locally(assuming you can still get $400 notebooks from the likes of compusa/office depot). "I paid too much" is not a valid reason for refund, so there is no reason to cause the woman unnecessary grief. HOWEVER, if the item proves faulty, there is no reason you should not gently suggest to her that she might avoid more future problems by getting a refund.
If she thinks you are calling her stupid, you either need to work on your people skills, or you didn't want her for a customer anyway. She should be eternally grateful/loyal.
I think he gets paid for service so having her come back isn't going to be an issue. Personally, I wouldn't say anything about it to a stranger as it would come off as abrasive and she would get the impression that your shop sucks, which in fact it would with you talking down to me as if I were a moron of some sort.
I probably wouldn't tell her - it's not really any of your business how much she paid. People can react in odd ways if told they made a bad decision.
However, I might act all shocked - 'OMG. I don't think the Windows installed on this computer is genuine - I think it's a pirate copy. Did you know that software piracy funds organised crime, drug dealing and terrorism? Technically, I should report you to the anti-piracy dept at M$. However, as I can see you struggled to get this lappy, I'm not going to cause any trouble. Anyway, I can't be 100% sure that it's fake. Maybe you should contact the seller and ask for the original CD and the certificate?' This could give her quite a good bargaining chip with the seller, if she subsequently wants a refund or discount.
I wouldn't really comment on the price - although perhaps hint a bit that it's a bit dated, but at the same time reassure her that it should manage most day-to-day tasks.
However, I might act all shocked - 'OMG. I don't think the Windows installed on this computer is genuine - I think it's a pirate copy. Did you know that software piracy funds organised crime, drug dealing and terrorism? Technically, I should report you to the anti-piracy dept at M$. However, as I can see you struggled to get this lappy, I'm not going to cause any trouble. Anyway, I can't be 100% sure that it's fake. Maybe you should contact the seller and ask for the original CD and the certificate?' This could give her quite a good bargaining chip with the seller, if she subsequently wants a refund or discount.
I wouldn't really comment on the price - although perhaps hint a bit that it's a bit dated, but at the same time reassure her that it should manage most day-to-day tasks.
That particular laptop has an internal modem. You have to get a patch from IBM to get it to work though.
slatr
Senior member
- May 28, 2001
- 957
- 2
- 81
As nice as you want to be by telling her.. don't.
That will bite you in the a$$ some way or another almost every time.
You just can't treat business customers like you would family.
Stay detached or next thing you know you'll be on the phone for 6 hours with IBm and the seller. Then when its all said and done.. you think.. she'll be calling you at night.. at home.
That will bite you in the a$$ some way or another almost every time.
You just can't treat business customers like you would family.
Stay detached or next thing you know you'll be on the phone for 6 hours with IBm and the seller. Then when its all said and done.. you think.. she'll be calling you at night.. at home.
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