OT: Mac and PC Dealers

[Christopher Browne]

On 8/25/06, William Park <opengeometry-FFYn/CNdgSA at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 24, 2006 at 08:54:10PM -0400, phiscock-g851W1bGYuGnS0EtXVNi6w at public.gmane.org wrote:
> > * At Canada Computes I was purchasing a PC laptop and had the model
> > number. I asked the sales guy if I could see the unit. The answer: No.
> > No explanation. Just: 'No'. That encapsulates the PC dealership
> > experience.
>
> Yes, I also find that Canada Computer's people-skill lacking.  That's
> why I don't buy from there, unless it's < $10 which is my cost of gas
> going to other place.

If you don't know what you're looking for, it's a bad place to go.  If
you do, they're often fairly much the cheapest vendor.

> But, consider the people you're dealing with.  It's low paying job for
> people with very little education.  That's true for any front-line
> sales, and most definitely true where margin is low and they have to
> rely on volume.

Yeah, people seem not to get that these aren't computer *service* stores.

Further, it's something of a mistake to think that they have much if
any competence in computing.  It is more useful to think of them as a
place to buy boxes that (by some useful coincidence) happen to contain
computer components.

The same is true at Future Shop, Best Buy, and such; they are in the
business of selling boxes containing prepackaged bits of technology,
whether that be computers, video game consoles, plasma TVs, or washing
machines.  Information not in the product catalogue tends to be beyond
them...

If you actually want knowledge and competence, then you have to be
prepared to pay Apple style premiums.

And it seems to me that Apple has pretty much sewn up the "willing to
pay extra for real support" portion of the consumer market.

People don't seem interested in paying an extra $500 to have supported
Linux systems...
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