Comp USA Stories
 
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This is my first consumer oriented web page. It has come about because of changes I have noticed during my weekly shopping at Comp USA. In the Boston area they are about the only place to buy hardware and software as other stores like Lechmere Sales and Computer City have long since gone out of business. Having had two negative experiences in both the Danvers and Woburn stores within the last two weeks I wish to share them with the public both in the Boston area and elsewhere. Should you send me email depicting your problem or success it will be published within this web site. Within this website you may post your story to our server (Tell your story) and you may look at your own published story and those of others(See your story). This web site it not out to bash Comp USA. Positive and negative comments are equally welcome.
 
 

Incident 1 Dec 23, 1999
The Epson 600 Printer

 

  I bought an Epson 600 Printer at COMP USA Woburn during late spring 1998 for use by the band which I run. It didn't take me long to figure out I was spending about $20 a week on black and white cartridges . Not long after I purchased a Brother Laser printer from COMPUSA which prints cheap and fast. The Epson has been used extensively for color forms and printing photographs which it has performed well. Only when I decided to move the Epson to a different location did I realize the black and white no longer worked. I went through the battery of all the tests that are supplied with the printer. Web sites suggested that the problem was typical with this printer and couldn't be easily fixed. The Epson website avoided this issue. The Woburn store suggested I take my printer to the Danvers store. I prepaid a forty dollar fee to have the problem checked. They apparently ran the same tests and informed me the print head need be replaced for nothing for no less than $250 but the printer could be replaced for about $150. For this they they kept the $40. While driving by the place I decided to just pick the inoperable printer up. I was informed that I would have to drive forty miles round-trip to my home to get the exact slip they gave me to pick it up even though I had the receipt for the $40 they charged. This is an internal store policy established by Mr. Bachelder, the service manager. An operation manager took my side on this one and COMP USA at least gave me back the broken printer which now gathers dust in my closet. As I waited in line again I listened Mr Bachelder tell a customer who bought Packard Bell from Comp USA how big of trouble he was in with this warrantly. Mr Bachelder seemed to really enjoy. This and other Comp USA dutifully sells Epson printers knowing that if you don't use them, you lose them. HP and Canon printers give you a new print head with each refill so you don't have this problem.
 
Incident 2 Jan 8, 2000
The Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000.

  On Jan 8, 2000 I decided to buy the new Microsoft Flight Simulator game for my nephew Eric who shares my computer. Eric had just recently purchased a racing wheel for the computer and I thought this and the new Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 would be a nice combination. I noticed Sunday that Eric had tried to install the Flight Simulator but something was wrong. Eric is very computer bright and can generally install and configure any software. When I tried several times to install the Simulator myself the DirectX 7.0 install got hung up each time. I went through the registry of the computer and removed all instances of DirectX and yet could not install it. The program would run under Windows but lacked the speed and resolution provided by DirectX game methodology. Even though I didn't feel very well I drove up to the Woburn Store and waited in the Customer Service line to return in uninstallable software. The customer in front of my got a friendly refund for a CDR Drive(No restocking fee, a Sears type charge). Having never returned anything to Comp USa I expected the same. Was surprised when no refund of any type was offered. I was told I could only exchange it for another copy of the same software. This was of no value because another copy was just going to have the same problem. There was no data error with the CD, just the Software would not load on my machine (HP Pavilion MMX 200). I was told by the acting manager I could replace it with other software for of the same price ($70). Not really feeling like shopping under pressure when I didn't feel well I simply asked for a voucher so I could come back another day. This request was denied by the store manager. I couldn't really believe this! It is true that some software can be installed and run forever without having the original CD but not game software. The simulator does not run without the original CD being checked . The software and paperwork remained on the counter as I left because I really wanted out of this place. These people made me feel like a 14 old kid who bought a game, copied it onto this computer, and returned it the next day. They never noticed the receipt contained a lot of other items purchased nor did they want to check my sales record which they dutifully keep, to see I was a great customer. Perhaps Boston area people have been spoiled by the easy return policies of our earlier local stores like Lechmere but the hard-hitting corporate national chains are changing the way of doing business. Customer loyalty means nothing. Just that corporate and in-store policies reep high profits at the expense of the consumer.
 
 

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