OT - mods, please allow - claims of fraudulent deals

[858diver]

Personally, I am getting tired of the morality police who have surface recently. Why can't we tone down the fraud rhetoric, focus on hot deals and let the mods do the policing. The rules here are pretty strict when it comes to fraud, including AT's cooperation with law enforcement.

Consider the iPAQ 3135 $50 after PM and MIR thread Here

If someone is able to take competitive information in to a store and convince the manager to give them a great deal, then so what? Who is being harmed?

Based on the comments and reports on the product, the manufacturer is clearly trying to get rid of their inventory, and the stores may be more than happy to get $100 for it.

 

[SinMen]

Yeah, why can't we just focus on hot deals in the Hot Deals forum? BTW, what kind of hot deal can I find in this thread?

 

[ThaPerculator]

ouch. He's got a point....

 

[paawk]

Obviously some people ONLY read "Hot Deals". So I think it's reasonable to post an OT message to address some of the posting issues that arise. There's about 40-50 people out there who insist on posting "Where's the hot deal here???", I assume trying to look clever and subtle. The reason we have
moderators is to MODERATE. We don't need people trying to increase their post totals who insist on poiting out ever mistake made on the forum. Stop refreshing the forums every 30 seconds and go visit that big yellow thing in the sky, it's what the rest of us call the 'sun'.

In general on the Internet people like to be hear, and see their little nickname in lights. Instead of wasting 15-30 seconds to post a reply, just keep moving. Trust me we won't miss your insight.

 

[sharpie00]

<< Yeah, why can't we just focus on hot deals in the Hot Deals forum? BTW, what kind of hot deal can I find in this thread? >>



Nicely said


And as far as 858diver's comments are concerned, it's not a hot deal when you try to rip people off. And why the hell are you starting another thread that you know you're going to get flamed in?

peace out

sharpie00

 

[SinMen]

Putting OT in the title means the owner know exactly where it should belong. There is a reason why we have different forums with different forum rules. Haven't you read it before you join?

 

[Clammy3]

<< If someone is able to take competitive information in to a store and convince the manager to give them a great deal, then so what? Who is being harmed? >>



By the store rules of pricematching, he is not entitled to that deal. We all complain about how bad stores are when they try to violate their pricematching policies and deny the legitimate requests. Yet when someone gets the manager to violate the policy, that's OK? It is not the policy violation that is bad, then - it is that us, customers are on the receiving end of it? When stores try to break the rules, they are the bad guys and comitting fraud. When consumers do it, that's perfectly fine.

Who is being harmed in the transaction? Well, considering the increased resistance by both B&amp;M stores and online stores to do the legitimate pricematches which I have noticed lately, I would say just about everyone who pricematches. For example, while I haven't done that deal myself, I remember people reporting that Staples giving them really hard time on legitimate Kodak DC4800 pricematch after the store figured out that a lot of pricematches were to dealers showing the post-rebate price on the camera.

 

[EDiT]

Despite the fact that from time to time I possess certain moral flexability, I agree that we should limit this board to LEGIT deals. If anyone wants a board to post their steals in, they are more than welcom to start their own with their own funding. I'm sure it'll get plenty of traffic.

 

[Spuffin]

[rant] i *CERTAINLY* have to agree with paawk on the points that were made. People constantly like to ask "where's the hot deal" or "not a hot deal" and other pointless one-liners. Some of you may remember back in the days of bbsing where people that would constantly post "one-liners" would be open to flame. Anyways if you people (you know who you are) would just IGNORE bad posts then it would sink to the bottom never to be seen again! but why would you want to do that? then you couldn't post a stupid one-liner and try to attain golden member. Maybe if they did away with the naming if members by the post count we would get less of this crap. I am fairly certain there are people labeled as "senior member" who post a lot more meaningful things than some diamond members. Perhaps some of you who are familiar with slashcode may realize how good it is when you have to read useless garbage some people post and that also includes this post which I am sure some of you will take offense to. again, you know who you are. [/rant]

 

[SinMen]

So your point is we should just ignore any rules. You are probably one of those who drive 80 mph in a school zone, pass a school bus with flashing red lights. Or if when you see your mom get raped, you would just walk away and say, "Heck, it will be over if I just walk away."

 

[Kwad Guy]

The people who try to generate their own hot deal by finding a
clueless employee to facilitate the deal are just hastening the
approach of the day when stores no long do price matches, no longer
allow easy returns, etc...

Liberal policies are constructed to lure legitimate buyers. These
policies have a real cost, and a perceived value to the company.
When the real cost exceeds the perceived value, they go away.
When the real cost is driven up by predators, "regular" customers
are the losers when the policy changes.

Kwad

 

[858diver]

I am hardly saying that anyone should ignore or be above the rules.

My point is that the mods here have defined a very clear line of what should and shouldn't be posted here, what the penalty is for crossing the line, and we should leave it to them to police posts - not have endless banter about whether a deal is legit or fraudlent.

Both my wife and I have excellent relationships with managers at our two local Staples store, and have a pretty good understanding of what they will and won't go for. Most of the items posted here (particularly when rebates are involved) are end of life or obsolete material they are trying to clear out, so managers tend to be pretty lenient with PMs.

 

[volfan]

<< when you see your mom get raped >>


Let's please not this far with this thing. No need to go that damn far!
I do agree that the worthless one-liner responses that provides the forum with nothing useful just to get their post count up is just as bad as posting an Off-Topic thread. I think it would be cool to give better status to the people who post the most useful posts and replys...that would be ideal.

 

[SinMen]

^ will get your post count up, no need to type a one liner. A couple ^ in every forum a day will get you more than 9000 post count in a year. Hmm, may be I should do that.

 

[Rally1]

you just did

believe it or not some people dont care what # of posts they have. In fact some people just start a new account just so they start at zero again.....

poster of this thread has a point, as long as the deal is not illegal, there is no reason not to post it. We struggle with ethics everyday, I think it is up to the individual to decide, you dont get to decide for me.

 

[dwil]

Seems like someone (read SinMen) is bucking for a MOD position.

I have my opinions on PM, OT, and a whole lot of other things.

Let the MODS MOD, and post the deals you find.
If it's borderline, it will get locked.
If it involves talking to a MGR to get it, do it. Or stay the hell out of the thread.

If you don't like OT posts in FS/FT, HOTDEALS----- uh... don't click on it, and CERTAINLY don't respond to it. The last time my mouse clicked a link with asking me first, I had it shot.

 

[SinMen]

Look at your sig, may be you are the one who really want to be a mod. I just can't stand people who would blatantly ignore the rules. Who cares if the deal is legal or not, there's not even a deal in here. And if you don't like what I have to say, DON'T respond. May be you should shoot you keyboard too, so it won't do the typing for you.

 

[dwil]

I'll help you out SinMen, i'll repsond again.

This way, this thread keeps coming to the top.

Becuase the point here is... if a deal can be done legally, do it. If you don't like the deal, keep your moral high ground and pay MSRP.

If there is an off topic that ONLY effects HOTDEALS, I vote that it stays. A discussion of 6cyl vs. 8cyl engines has it's place in OT. But this belongs here.

 

[Logan5]

<< I just can't stand people who would blatantly ignore the rules. ... May be you should shoot you keyboard too, so it won't do the typing for you. >>



SinMen, didn't you "blatantly ignore the rules" by starting this thread?

Rally1 is right:



<< ... it is up to the individual to decide, you dont get to decide for me. >>



Good decisions can only be made after careful consideraton of available information. If someone thinks that something in the deal constitutes fraud then I, for one, would like to hear about it. It will help me decide if I should go for it. The Mods are here to monitor the this board according to this board's rules. You can't reasonably expect them to police the workings of the actual deals themselves, unless it involves something blatant like "smack the manager upside his head with a two-by-four to get him to PM"

 

[SinMen]

<< SinMen, didn't you "blatantly ignore the rules" by starting this thread? >>


Look again, young man, I did not start this thread.

 

[SinMen]

<< Becuase the point here is... if a deal can be done legally, do it. If you don't like the deal, keep your moral high ground and pay MSRP. >>


The point here is not if the deal is legal. I don't care, may be you do. There's no need to start a thread with title, "OT.....". Post whatever you think in the original thread. And don't forget there's a thread named "Brag and Moan" in the Hot Deals forum.

 

[her209]

Blah blah blah... blah blah... blah, blah blah blah blah... blah blah blah.. blah blah.

 

[dwil]

Nope, but you got the first flame in...

Congrats.

 

[Logan5]

Sinmen,
My deepest apologies, I got confused whilst switching between windows.

 

[SinMen]

<< Nope, but you got the first flame in...

Congrats. >>


You can consider it flaming. I view it as pointing out the obvious.