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Obviously the honest salesman has been driven out of the competition by the more successful dishonest ones. It's a pretty logical result from ( a ) having a society that subscribes to an economic ideology of individual greed, and ( b ) having an economy that is so complex that it's often impossible to distinguish honest salesmen from dishonest ones even for the few customers that still do care about such things.
Went to the local shop today with my father. 520 out of stock but they did have Geforce 210 cards there. It's equivalent to his old card and he's not looking to upgrade. Took the 1GB model though for twice the video memory as the old busted card for $10 more but then get it back and a bit more with a whopping $15 mail in rebate anyway. Pretty sweet rebate for a $49 card.
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kavazovangel: Can't you order for them?
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Kabuto: It's hard enough convincing them to order a book or movie online for them. PC parts are out of the question.
Yeah, but the amount they'd be saving is worth it, as I'm sure you already know. Just show them how much they'd be saving, and if they still don't want to, then assholes are what you're gonna have to deal with, unfortunately. There are very few honest businessmen left, and this is the sad reality we all have to live with. Hell, ordering online seems to be the only way to get a decent price on anything these days.
He's stuck in the bathroom.

Seriously, though. I don't think he was dishonest, just incompetent.

You just have to know what you need and then go and get it. You'll pay a premium getting it from a well-heated brick and mortar store filled with well-paid nincompoops.
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Kabuto: I went to a computer store today. Tell him I need a video card that has a 300W power supply requirement. Sure he says. We're getting them in tomorrow. One $65 card and another $90 for a 500W power supply. Wait what? I said 300W power supply. Is it rated for 300W? Yes he replies. But I'm not covering the warranty if you don't buy a power supply. What?

I'm getting pretty annoyed at this point. He then asks what processor I have. Answer with Q6600. He goes on how 300W won't even power the processor alone. What? What the hell has it been doing for the past two and a half years then? My parents certainly haven't been staring at a blank screen for two and a half years. The conversation basically ended there. I understand safety factor but there's no way in hell I need a 200W safety margin especially given the card he's selling has a lower max power usage than the card that came with the pc.

These guys drive me insane with their dishonesty. Yesterday HP wanted to charge $117 for a replacement 9500GS (a scaled down 9500GT) video card. The card isn't even worth half that.

Since it's my parents PC, they don't want to order online. So I'm stuck talking to assholes all day.
For them, it's all about sales coupling. You buy a camera? They'll try to get you to buy
a) memory cards
b) a bag
c) lens cleaning kit
d) a tripod
e) extra batteries
etc.

It's how they work.

And in a way, I can't truly blame the salesperson for trying to get you to buy a 500W PSU because there's a chance he was playing it safe. Most people (including salespersons) are woefully ignorant about PSUs in general and think that any cheap 300W/500W PSU is fine. You'd be surprised how often an inadequate PSU is the source of crashes - because PSUs work with peak power efficiency meaning that 300W means it can perform at 300W at peak moments for brief periods, not for extended use. And hardware wattage on the box is very unreliable as well and often shows the average usage - not when under stress. It's better to be safe than end up with a system that locks up under load ...
Card is already installed. Damn is his machine quiet now.
They give you cash, then you order online. Done.
That's how they work. They don't get paid for standing around: a considerable part of their salary depends on the value of the stuff they shift, so naturally they always try to recommend something that's one better (and consequently a bit more expensive, but probably not out of your reach) than what you want, even if it's more expensive because of a feature that sounds nice but that's all but useless to you. My friend's mom does this all the time.
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StingingVelvet: They give you cash, then you order online. Done.
They do that for movies, games, music and books but nothing else.

I don't feel right lying to them. And if something happens, they'll be pissed to have to deal with an online store.

The newer cards are nice though for HDMI. They had a first gen HDMI card that required a separate audio cable running from the graphics card to the sound card. As a result, sound was awful. Obviously part of that is the standard speakers but it was really bad. Now it sounds much better because it's direct through the mobo to the sound card.
Post edited December 06, 2011 by Kabuto
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Falci: Use a shotgun! Shotguns bring out the honest salesman in everyone! :D

And don't be afraid to abuse the lead injection into those creatures of villany!
Don't do that at S-mart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlZZl7GOulo