Buying tips ,product reviews and personal views

[MaxJoker]

There`s a multitude of products and variations available as we know , from Mobiles - Computers and TV`s etc etc etc add infinitum. But what are your experiences of using them and or buying them ? , did they live up to expectations or did they blow up in your face (Though hopefully not literally) .

Plus better still did you get a great deal on what you bought, and how did you manage that?.

Also do you have a commercial preference, as i`m quite fond of SAMSUNG . But that’s only because so far their products have been constant, as in they actually worked longer than a month once i`d unpacked them!. Tell you for me PHILIPS has been the most unreliable , last thing i got from them was a DVD player (DVP5980/05) that worked for about a week before dying on it`s arse , still that feat was surpassed by it`s replacement which wouldn`t even except an actual DVD !


But back to deals and how to maybe get them , because as we know those sales assistants don`t really want to give you anything (Sometimes not even their time) they don`t have to , but are also keen on a sale and especially standing order after care insurance (Remember that one ,as it`s our golden dangling carrot of power ) .

Now me i lie like a bastard when on the hunt for products, and why not as those assistants do. Take this laptop i`m writing on , the
TOSHIBA Qosmio G50-127 for instance .Back when i got it this was priced online at between £1200 and £1300 respectively but was two hundred more instore at PC World . Unfortunately i didn`t have anywhere near that, yet still wanted it so knew a face to face debate was the only chance i possibly had.

Here`s a tip you already know .The best times to ever go instore for bargains is between 3 and 5pm on Fridays , because for one thing that`s when assistants are most happiest

Frankly luck played a part as almost straight off i saw the right assistant (He must have been about 25 which is the ideal age to be reasonable i find , as he`s old enough to care about making a sale but young enough to believe moneys not everything ) standing in the specific PC area talking to two older customers (Husband and wife ?) .So i stroll up alongside (Pretending to look at the selection as i go) just in time to hear the male ask if deals were available.
The assistant told him that no deals were possible on actual prices (The big fibber) ,but that he may be able to throw in a web cam or something. Course that answer doesn`t please them and they grumble off , leaving me to catch his eye with a smile and a jokey " People huh ?" .

More conspiratorial comments followed that i won`t bother you with but the up shot was i introduced myself and he got around to asking me if i needed any help .

Now that`s where they can smell blood so never , NEVER give any sign that you don`t know about the product you`re looking for or at . Best way is to say it`s for a younger relative (I said it was for my baby sister , although technically and actually i don`t have one ) as that enables the assistant to go through the products specifications on the card (As there`s always a spec card near the item) your computer illiterate relative may want while you nod like you know what the hell they`re going on about (See that`s the risk you run when choosing the slightly older assistant as they might have some real knowledge , but it`s swings and roundabouts really).


Anyway to cut a long story short-ish we got around to this expensive thing after wasting roughly 15 minutes checking out other models . Wherein he said "Wish i could get this for my own sister , generous gift is it for her birthday ? "


Now sometimes you`ve got to take a fifty fifty risk , you’ve spoken to this person for several minutes is the timing right to up the ante ???. Or in other words will they believe your lies

You see it`s not every brother who`ll contemplate buying his young sister a £1500 laptop , so either i`ve got money to burn and hence am in a weak position to re-negotiate price. Or i just love her very much and have a really good reason. Thankfully he believed the latter , well he believed my tale of her about to come out of hospital having survived a particular bad attack of meningitis

Yes i`m evil , well i can be , plus at least i admit it

Just always remember this assistant is your enemy , he (Or she) stands between you , your wallet and that desired product !

You MUST get the product while maintaining that wallets strategic reserve , OK !

" By any legal way possible ! "

Anyway back to my war story (Well it`s a gritty shitty front line battle to win a good deal people ) as it`s one of my best and i`ve told it enough to others so why not write it down


So it`s like for my young weak ill sister right , well the health problems concerning Laura (Hell yes i named the bitch) had the intended effect , those being

1) Sympathy
2) Patience
3) Flexibility (Financially i mean as no bodily fluid changed hands)


By this time of course we`re talking about a decent 20-25 minutes having passed since we first began speaking , and yes that might seem a long time but then that`s the whole point. As the longer we can keep him talking to us and not getting a sale with somebody else the more leverage we`ll have when it comes to the final act.


So the talking progresses and we get to the options , as in i say " If i can somehow buy this what might i get with it ?". I then followed that up with how risky it is to be online nowadays without protection up the kazoo ,to which he agreed .See always find the common ground if you can because the more times you both agree the less appealing disagreement will become to the other person.

So we talk about the dangers for awhile (Eating up more time) and have a look at antivirus software , i do what i`ve done from the beginning and add some humorous quips here and there (Keeping the mood light ). He offers to throw in some Norton i say that BitDefender might suit Laura more (Use that imagined relatives name whenever feasibly and believably possible) , he agrees.Then we move onto free spyware , well i move onto it and he wants to push something i`ve never heard of but i want spyware doctor , he agrees .

Now after much dancing about we edge closer to an actual price , he wants the full amount sure but that instance only lasts a minute or so because once i talk about the difference online and he momentarily thinks in passing about the past forty five or so minutes he`s spent with me the cost drops three hundred to PC World.com`s valuation . You see these bastards will hum and har and deny deny deny , but if you time it right they will in fact match their online price , still i`m getting of the story , alright so we`re now making head way.

Only that`s not even close to the price i can afford so while being non committal yet comradely we head over to a desk to flesh out the "Details "

These being the very costly extended insurance , which if he can pin me down on will give him a nice increased commission
So i hedge around for all i`m worth , while going over how great he`s been with the extras blah blah vomit .

Times a ticking though and we`ve gone well over the hour mark together by now and he wants that sale , so i ask about any price legroom as in can he drop that price lower.

Now i`m doing my damnedest to shorten this written ramble , so let`s just say differing views are expressed but in the end the past plays it`s part and after some teeth sucking he goes with 999.

Which although very nice indeed is still too much, so i say i`ll agree to the full 5 year insurance via direct debit only .......... so he knocks off the 99 and makes it an even 900

I show my appreciation, and then ask how much of a discount can i get off that for cash

Now that throws him a bit but well he and i have been through so much, so he says ten percent

I say i was hoping for a bit more give , and what about 15 percent

Shit i`m writing far too much and i`m sure only the most dedicated insomniac will have read to this point , sorry it`s late and i`m a tad intoxicated .Whoops so maybe none of what i've written will even read correctly ? , mind you if it helps at least one fellow member somehow save a a few pounds then my relentless typing will not have been in vain

Let`s cut to the chase .

I got my 15 percent from Mr No Reductions ending with us settling on me paying £855 saving £645 (All i could pay give or take 20 quid) , which in old money is nearly half off , especially when you add up the freebies .Talking of that when finally walking towards the till i had to go that extra bastard mile, i asked for a compatible web cam like the one he was going to offer that couple.

I got it



Then it was time to play that last shameless card .At the till I hand over my cash , they bag the gifts while the dude goes into the storage room and brings this baby out .But then i`m also asked for my card as I need to finalize that hefty insurance scam . Only heck I somehow forgot to bring the card with me so can`t do that right now .

To say the guy looked pissed off is a true understatement , in fact i`m quite sure he knew something was smelling quite fishy . Still a deals a deal, plus hey i arranged to come back and sort that problem out.

Course I never have

Anyway that`s one of my ways to get a great deal , but you must be prepared to bullshit and front it out to the bitter end .Also no method is fool proof , so you have to be able to see when you`re onto a loser then cut those predicted loses and walk away , don`t let them pressurize you into anything .


Erm what`s this thread about again ? , i mean apart from me being able to impart my dishonest wisdom . Man and i`ve got more stories where they came from , but back to this thread

Oh yes !

Do you have any electrical product reviews ?
Do you have any personal purchasing experiences you`d like to share ?

If so please do as this forum is all about sharing , thanks

[tabler]

Wow GS that was a big one (as the actress said to the bishop) are you in the same game as me (Marketing) by any chance?

I only buy Sony, every thing I have (laptop,telly,hi-fi,dvd rcorder)is Sony I dont think you can beat it.

Last year I bought a cheap DVD player for my bedroom, it was a Tevion from Aldi it lasted 7 weeks before it went kaput, because it was only £15 I didnt keep the reciept so that was money up the spout.

It is true, you only get what you pay for.

And yes, these days I always barter.

[Wendigo]

Originally Posted by GreenSkull

Do you have a commercial preference, as i`m quite fond of SAMSUNG . But that’s only because so far their products have been constant, as in they actually worked longer than a month once i`d unpacked them!.

Nice essay there GreenSkull.
I had one Samsung DVD recorder and it worked for about 18 months with a few niggles before suddenly deciding it would record what it liked, when it liked regardless of the timer and then wiping information off discs that had not been finalised. It also only played about 60% of all discs including a large number of genuine discs. On the 2 disc versions of The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man, it would not play the main disc but would play the extras discs.
On the plus side I have to say the DVD editing menus were great but I would not call it reliable.

I now have a SONY RDR-HXD995 Freeview+ 250GB Hard Disc Drive DVD Recorder which is a superb piece of kit. I have it tied in to my SKY+HD system and am having fun recording HD programmes and editing out the bits I don't want before recording them onto discs. I bought it already chipped to play all regions to avoid all the aggro of looking for a region hack.
On the negative side it could do with the editing menus that the Samsung system had but that's really being picky as it only cost me around £225 and has already proved its worth for me in the 3 months I have had it.

Historically my old Betamax recorders the Sony C5 and C7 and Sanyo VTC5150 were the best machines I have ever had but that's me being a nostalgic old git.

Also my old downstairs TV a Philips 32DW9625 has been going strong for a decade or so and although it looks massively bulky compared to the new slim-line models it's been a great buy.

[MaxJoker]

Originally Posted by tabler

Wow GS that was a big one (as the actress said to the bishop) are you in the same game as me (Marketing) by any chance?

I only buy Sony, every thing I have (laptop,telly,hi-fi,dvd rcorder)is Sony I dont think you can beat it.

Last year I bought a cheap DVD player for my bedroom, it was a Tevion from Aldi it lasted 7 weeks before it went kaput, because it was only £15 I didnt keep the reciept so that was money up the spout.

It is true, you only get what you pay for.

And yes, these days I always barter.

Hi Tabler thanks for the great contribution , man alive and Wendigo`s was class to. Although more importantly i think you should both be awarded medals of persistence for somehow reading the thing

No i`m not with marketing, i`m currently getting on my employers tits

Yeah i've heard some great things about Sony , and i have stuck loyally to them with my console purchases that`s for sure. From the PS1 through to the much maligned PS3 , actually i did big up Samsung the night before but on reflection (Sober reflection ) i realize i only have two products of theirs (Slaps head) in the flat (Also just worked out that the ex-ex-girlfriend must have taken my portable , bugger had forgotten about that !).

Still both of them were the last two electrical goods i bought so erm i was sort of right (In a completely wrong way ), got the Samsung LE46A656A - 46" Widescreen 1080P Full HD LCD TV - With Freeview for the reduced price £800 . A damn fine piece of kit which with a touch of a button and a single seconds pause (Though why i have too wait that long is anyones guess ?) takes into Full HD dream land (But more on that later).
Then again the two guys who delivered it were so rough i got stressed out when they left that they might break back in and steal it , so maybe i shouldn`t have battered i mean bartered Dixons (A notoriously bad store staffed by demons) down so much and paid for it to be delivered ?

Even got a 10 percent reduction on sunglasses (Need them as i tend to always look directly at it ) at specsavers by pretending my (Non-existant) last pair were broken in a foreign mugging (Took a guess as the woman was in her late fifties and had been talking a minute before to another sales person about that mornings Sun headline (True story , although i seem fixated on using the word Sun today it seems must be because it`s so sunny ?) .

Whoops the Postie is knocking me up down below (As someone must had said to somebody sometime?) , gotta go for now

[MaxJoker]

Originally Posted by Wendigo

Nice essay there GreenSkull.
I had one Samsung DVD recorder and it worked for about 18 months with a few niggles before suddenly deciding it would record what it liked, when it liked regardless of the timer and then wiping information off discs that had not been finalised. It also only played about 60% of all discs including a large number of genuine discs. On the 2 disc versions of The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man, it would not play the main disc but would play the extras discs.
On the plus side I have to say the DVD editing menus were great but I would not call it reliable.
Historically my old Betamax recorders the Sony C5 and C7 and Sanyo VTC5150 were the best machines I have ever had but that's me being a nostalgic old git.
Also my old downstairs TV a Philips 32DW9625 has been going strong for a decade or so and although it looks massively bulky compared to the new slim-line models it's been a great buy.

Yes posty had gone but left one of those friendly red notes of his , and i`m not talking about a fifty
Caught him up further down the street , anyone would think the miserable sod was on casters the rate he moves ?.Oh and i call him a sod as on receipt of my very light package i commented on this being a lovely morning for a walk , but he came right back "Not with this on your shoulder it isn`t " .

Now i don`t know if he meant the bag or the chip ? , still i said nothing as i`m trying to get him to knock three times before clearing off (Figure that`ll give me enough time to get down all those stairs and find him still in a half mile radius of the block ?).

Anyway , thanks for the detailed response Wendigo and once again for hacking through that essay (- Same goes for all those generous members who thanked me , may that good karma flow back to you ten fold -) of course now there`s a pop quiz on it so please clear your desk and get ready

Speaking of hacking have double checked and the only other Sammie product i have is my DVD R135 (Have a working hack if anyones interested) which came with the TV , and is a rarity as it`s black . Everything else i have is either Toshiba (Two laptops one old one new-ish , although it eats pork) or Panasonic (CD player that`s seen much better days) . Also got three phones one i love a Motorola Razr V3 , which is three years old now seems indestructible as i`ve dropped it a couple hundred times (But then you always hurt the ones you love ) and even drenched it five times .The worst time being just before christmas when i put a nearly frozen bottle of Hoegaarden alongside it and the beer unbeknown to me slowly tricked up , out and down soaking it. My other two are a Motorola Q Global (Hate it) and a Motorola Razr Maxx (Which i`m starting to develop warm feelings for )

Though i still can`t believe i claimed to be so fanatically Samsung when i only have two products , then i guess the TV and player are two of the most vital bits of kit we need . Haven`t got one of those actual HD things as of yet , but i have used my PS3 to watch a couple of crispy clear films so far Dark Knight Returns and Hellboy2 . The former really dazzled up on the screen , but to be honest i was really disappointed with the images of Hellboy2 , who knows maybe there was just too much going on for me to focus , too many weird looking characters all competing for attention ? , still the story was shit so that might have had something to do with it

Anyway onto the Beta , never had one myself but i do remember going into a corner shop that was renting out the videos. Think they`re worth a few pounds now ,so don`t knock nostalgia or yourself for being a nostalgic git . As i`d say everyone over thirty is one nowadays

Ahhhh and they can say what they want about your Philips 32DW9625 , but they won`t be walking away with it that`s for sure , well not without a backbrace and a truss

[Simo]

Will send you a private message if thats ok greenskull as ive got four dvd players in the house all region 2 and have never got to grips with hacking ,maybe you could advise me on how to change them. Liked this thread but mobile phones are the bane of my life.Maybe its that at work nowadays i have to do everything and go through everything via the computer screen a few hundred thousand times a day but mobiles and in particular texts drive me up the wall.They make my eyes ache and the machines themselves are far from healthy , people i tell this to often laugh but really using a mobile is similar to holding a leaking microwave up against your head!.As for the best deals i ever managed,well i really enjoyed reading the letters on here but ive never been able to haggle.Closest and so the best i ever managed was to get twenty pounds off a suitcase because the handle was marked , but the thing bugged me every time i used it as i always kept looking right at the mark and wishing id paid that extra twenty for a pristine one.




Simon

[flake56]

zero assumption software has been a lifesaver both when total failure of disc but would still spin (thanks to gibson software to help with that) and when a system failure and needed system recovery used. worth the money though it takes a little useage of it to really get the best out of it. recommend it to any one needing to recover either a program or jpgs mpegs etc. mind that it will recover to the dir structure in use for a working disc or to a found files dir if disc no longer has a file system available to use. great stuff and better support (free) including just the free useage software.

[tabler]

I use 2 mobile phones a Sony Erikkson k800i for personal use and my Blackberry for work now my contracts are up soon and I have been thinking about replacements.
My question is does anyone use an i phone, what are the benefits the advantages etc and how do they differ to a normal phone.

Thanks.

[brianwp]

I walked into AT+T the other day and said..."I need a phone". I was immediately barraged by questions about myself that I didn't even know the answer to. "Do you need conference call capability, internet access, weather alerts", blah, blah, blah. I said "listen honey, I just need a damn phone"! "Yes, but don't you want to send videos, video messages, and text messages, get the latest news, and yank your dick online, blah blah blah"? "No, not really, I just want a bloody phone"! "Will you need worldwide or just nationwide service, with unlimited minutes, GPS, blah, blah"? "No, I just need a phone I can use around town"! After all the bullshit, I got a plan that only costs $29.99 a month! Ha! They tried, though.

[MaxJoker]

Today i finally broke the guy at the leather shop , it`s taken me three weeks of popping in there every other day and trying on the same two jackets. One a 70`s style loose fit light brown job , the other a deep purple tighter model. But finally i did it. Originally they were £230 and £200 respectively and although he was willing to do a deal for the pair at £330 that was too much for me so i said i`d have to just decide on which one i wanted and worked out a twenty percent reduction on whatever one i eventually chose. Thankfully cash or credit was never mentioned during those preliminary negotiations , now that`s vital and something my fellow grifters i mean bargain shoppers must always strive for. Anyway here`s the method i used to get these two jackets away from a pretty tough nut.

Firstly during my original visit and as i was going away to think about my choice , i made the effort and complimented the store and the quality of the merchandise. Did that there and then as it`s best to get such things well out of the way as it costs nothing and helps give the impression that you`re friendly . Which i am anyway but still it all helps build up a semi decent relationship with the enemy , just never say it again to him or at any time during the ultimate arrangements .
Ok so that was day one , and as i said i then left it a day and went back the next and spent ten minutes or so trying them both on and having a brief chat . It went that way for the next two weeks , sometimes i stayed longer sometimes shorter and yes some may say "For Christs sake GS you mean sum`bum get a life and either pay the poor sap or clear off " .

But that`s not the point , i mean we`re on the hunt for a deal here alright . Principles don`t enter into it !. What you don`t think this guy would try to screw me over and out every quid if i let him ?, sure he would. Only i`m not going to let him , and this is how it`s prevented.

Week three and he`s sick of the sight of me i reckon and so nearly broken , that`s when i bring out the heavy artillery . I find a couple faults with each jacket , hey they`re leather so have them . Then while he`s reeling from that i move onto a huge trench coat and start checking sizes , so he`s thinking "Oh god don`t tell me the buggers going to look for something new" .

Except i surprise him by talking about my eldest brother and how it`s his birthday in a month and a bit , how he`d go crazy for this jacket etc etc . So he`s now next to me and wrong footed , but finding the ability to talk about this idea. Certainly as the coat has a £560 price tag , so we talk for about 40 minutes . I try on the coat and we have a laugh , then i depart .

Monday i return look at this trench coat again, say a few words act very indecisive and go . Wednesday comes and goes , i don`t visit the shop. Thursday to ,but on friday i return and go see the two jackets again . The guy is relieved , then we talk about the jackets that trench coat and the heat . Especially the heat , as who the hell buys leather coats during the middle of summer right ?.

So then an inquiry about reducing the original offer of £330 for the pair is mooted by me at which point i then go over to the trench coat . Saying without saying something along the lines of "If you can do a deal with me here , maybe you`ll do a deal with me there ". He knocks off £30 , which is good but not what i`m looking for . So we talk a bit more and i leave.

D day , erm as in Deal day

This is the first time i`ve ever been in two days running and so surprise him with a cheery hello. Thankfully it`s damn hot again so i can comment on the fact along with other things.

Ok it all might be convoluted , as is this whole unasked for essay but hey someone has to save the thread alright !. Plus unlike some forum contributors at least i post things that actually happened

Anyway so i try on both jackets once more , and point out those tiny flaws. Such as the 70`s style jacket has a crease near the pocket . The owner says that`ll fall out over time but we all know he`s lying , but then he just wants the sale so no biggie. I go up to that pesky trench coat , then back to those jackets . Say i can`t choose between them and would like them both but can`t afford the £300 , he hums a bit then lowers it by another £10 . Still that`s too much for me so i try on the creased jacket again and try smoothing the crease with a troubled expression. He lowers it to £260 for the pair but tell`s me that`s his final offer , sadly that`s still too much. So i pull out the old “How much for cash “ , see maybe he was thinking all along that we`d been talking about cash but we`d never ACTUALLY said so . Now he`s thinking hard and i`m taking out some tens from my pocket while staring at the trench coat , see it`s all coming into play now right at the end game . Remember all that time i invested , all the talking i did ?. Well it was his time to , so is he going to watch that go to waste and walk out the door ?. He blinks and say`s £230 for cash , I raise out my hand and before i shake his say "£200" , now it`s a risky move but then anyone who knows me out in meatworld understands that`s always how i tend to be. He say`s no and that it`s too low , so i ask him to meet me in the middle and say £215 . The guy doesn`t like this but as with before the past comes into the mix , so he relents . But instead of finishing the shake i put my hand in my pocket and start withdrawing the tens , the reason why i didn`t shake on the deal will soon become apparent to my fellow members . Also the reason one of my closet friends calls me TR.

That being i don`t have £215 on me

So when the twentieth tenner lands on his palm but isn`t followed by anything other than my embarrassment as i search my pockets his eye begins twitching . I think he starts smelling a rat at last ?, a rat that`s got the upper hand . Or maybe he just mentally slaps his forehead and admires my cheek (I like to imagine the latter )

Either way he has to except , because who in their right mind is going to let a deal walk over the price of a x-large pizza right ?.

So i pay £200 for the pair and we depart as friends , oh alright i depart

But then all`s fair in the biz they call Haggle