Cris Mooney
A Personal
Web Page:
"Of course, that's just my opinion, and I may
be full of shit"
- Dennis Miller -
Since this opinion was considered in great detail,
it will be difficult to change my mind. However, it's not impossible. I
am always open to reason. I welcome well thoughtful, logical, response. |
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Recorded March 21, 1998
The Old Bait And Switch
(opinion)
For three consecutive PC Magazine issues, vol 17 no. 3-5, Umax ran this
ad offering very inexpensive PCs as a "limited time offer*".
When the ads ran, none of the product was available. Instead salespersons
offered a more expensive replacement. This is Bait & Switch to me.
I recommend
(no UMax) business. Beyond this, you may wish to write them to express
your opinion on the matter. Below is the letter I sent.
Update: Since the ad ran well after the supplies lasted (it any ever
existed), I don't care about that footnote that I subsequently found on
the third page of the ad (no one else of the number of people I had talked
to had found it either); however, the note may cover their legal butt.
You may be able to read this on at the right side of this
page. In the next to last line of the "legal size" paragraph,
the footnote for "Limited Time Only*" changes from Limited Time
to Limited Supplies with the footnote "*Pricing for UmaxPC 2230/200
and UMaxPC 2430/233 available only while supplies last".
Update #2: Subsequent to sending
the letter, I did buy a new high end PC from BOLData.
Not to leave you with the impression that BOLData is any gem either, they
did ship me the wrong DVD drive (old model) and Graphics card (good, but
different than what I ordered). And, one ISA port is bad, as well as one
audio input channel being dead (I may have trashed the audio input). BOLData
support is hard to reach, and I do not recommend DOLData. As of, Sept 1999,
I recommend EMachines for low end purchase, but this sort of recommendation
changes all the time - product seems good, and support has been decent
for the friends that I know that have had problems.
Update #3: In December of 1999 I
purchased a system from Neocomputers,
and there was a mistake on the shipped configuration. I thought I would
once again have a battle on my hands, but that was not the case. When I
contacted this company be email, their response was quick and helpful.
They made good on their mistake, working out a resonable deal with me.
All too many companies these days give you the run around - but this was
not the case. Though I can't guarentee they will stay this good, I must
say my experience with their service was excellent.
To the following letter I have gotten no response (none was requested):
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 11:32:49 EST
To: Umax sales <sales@umaxpc.com>
From: Cris Mooney <csm@ForUS.com>
Subject: Umax-Sold Out...Count me in as a lost customer
Cc: Gateway 2000 sales <olsales@gw2kbbs.com>, Dell Home/Home
Office Customers <DCS_On-Line_Order_Support@dell.com>, support@compaq.com,
sales@progen.com, direct.sales@micronpc.com
To Umax, and Whom It May Concern:
As a long time Umax scanner owner, and a Mac user that had held your
company in a respectful position, I would like to enter myself into what
must be a long list by now - those who will no longer deal with your company.
In the near future I am going to be in the market for a PC, and would
have considered your company as a viable option - perhaps even for one
of your higher end models. However, a friend drew my attention to your
recent ad, and I felt the need to verify what sort of company Umax was.
Though I called right when each ad came out, and continued to come out,
you had none of the advertised product available - and the sales person
offered a more expensive "alternative" without compassionate explanation.
Though I would really have been interested in a more expensive model, I
was not yet in the market nor would I ever do business with a company using
such bait and switch methods. I learned what I needed to know.
The ad that continued to be run in PC Magazine for multiple issues AFTER
you were unable to meet demand has put an unremovable blemish on your company
name. The ad never said "limited quantity", a more justifiable but often
as sleazy a technique, just "limited time" (with an * and no footnote).
Yet the ad continued to run. When was the "limited time", and why were
ads scheduled to run after that date? I do not want an answer, since none
will change my resolve to avoid your company and down talk Umax at every
opportunity.
Any vendor running such a full page ad would clearly be aware of the
sort of response they would get. I don't care about the law, I don't care
about excuses, this was clearly a case of bait and switch. I will not deal
with such a company, ever again.
Regards,
Cris Mooney
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