A computer components & hardware forum. HardwareBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » HardwareBanter forum » System Manufacturers & Vendors » UK Computer Vendors
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Are Computer Fairs all crap?



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #21  
Old September 30th 03, 05:28 PM
Lee J. Moore
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Lem wrote:

"Lee J. Moore" wrote:

When they arrived with it, I drove the 40 miles back to Trentham
Gardens with them because I realised the only chance of a refund
was on the same day.


Probably wasn't worth the cost of the petrol!


You mustn't realise how much modems cost in 1993. A 9,600bps V.32 model
(considered 'fast' then) could cost £90. IIRC, USR were selling 28.8
external models for over £300 back then.

.....and then there was the phone bill. Ouch. Still remember it. Don't
like to talk about it. g
--
Lee J. Moore
http://cafe-society.com

  #22  
Old September 30th 03, 06:13 PM
Colin Wilson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

....and then there was the phone bill. Ouch. Still remember it. Don't
like to talk about it. g


I topped =A3330 a quarter with alarming regularity, and I was only a home=
=20
user !

--=20
Please add "[newsgroup]" in the subject of any personal replies via email
* old email address "btiruseless" abandoned due to worm-generated spam *
--- My new email address has "ngspamtrap" & @btinternet.com in it ;-) ---
  #23  
Old September 30th 03, 08:34 PM
David Stritch
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


snip
Yes, I attend a certain auction in Manchester from time to time which is a
disposal 'outlet' for Maplins to sell off their customer returned stock. I
speak to other bidders and a few are quite open about them buying these
returns cheap here to sell at computers fairs without bothering to test
them.
--

Best Regards
Niel Humphreys
Snowdon Computers Ltd

Did you happen to be there about a month ago? Do they perhaps mention in
their FAQ that they don't acceppt general trade stock from companies because
it may be "problem stock" that may not work. Instead they sell ****e that
there is no question about. It will not work. I resell used equipment but
will not knowingly sell faulty items and had to bin at least 75% of the crap
I purchased. Well at least it thought me a lesson.

David.


  #24  
Old September 30th 03, 09:42 PM
Snowdon Computers
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"David Stritch" wrote in message
news

snip
Yes, I attend a certain auction in Manchester from time to time which is

a
disposal 'outlet' for Maplins to sell off their customer returned stock.

I
speak to other bidders and a few are quite open about them buying these
returns cheap here to sell at computers fairs without bothering to test
them.
--

Did you happen to be there about a month ago? Do they perhaps mention in
their FAQ that they don't acceppt general trade stock from companies

because
it may be "problem stock" that may not work. Instead they sell ****e that
there is no question about. It will not work. I resell used equipment but
will not knowingly sell faulty items and had to bin at least 75% of the

crap
I purchased. Well at least it thought me a lesson.



Yep, that's the one. You would think that they would at least bother to open
the boxes and remeove the maplins RMA sheets if they are trying to pass
faulty returned stock off as liquidated & bankrupt stock wouldn't you? I
have even found in 2 boxes the original customer receipts along with their
credit card numbers!

What I find incredible is that as they regularly do this, the stuff still
seems to sell for near retail prices anyway. There must be no end of new
punters going to each of their auctions who get 'once bitten' to drive the
prices up.

...and now the infamouse quote:
http://www.robsonkay.co.uk/pages/faq.phtml
Q Can I sell my goods through Robson Kay?
A We do not accept goods from private vendors. Whilst we are happy to
consider one-off sales on behalf of companies closing their factories,
shops, or other businesses, we do not accept general tradestocks from
companies as we believe this results in "problem stock" such as
out-of-date/incomplete/broken items being delivered to us. Whilst we cannot
be sure that tradestocks being sold for Liquidators do not fall into the
aforementioned descriptions, there is more chance that stock being sold for
Liquidators has not been "picked over" in the way that private tradestocks
may have been.

--

Best Regards
Niel Humphreys
Snowdon Computers Ltd


  #25  
Old October 1st 03, 01:11 AM
Dom Robinson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article , says...
Lem wrote:

"Lee J. Moore" wrote:

When they arrived with it, I drove the 40 miles back to Trentham
Gardens with them because I realised the only chance of a refund
was on the same day.


Probably wasn't worth the cost of the petrol!


You mustn't realise how much modems cost in 1993. A 9,600bps V.32 model
(considered 'fast' then) could cost £90. IIRC, USR were selling 28.8
external models for over £300 back then.

....and then there was the phone bill. Ouch. Still remember it. Don't
like to talk about it. g

Neither did my parents back in the late 80s when I disconnected from a BBS
late at night, except I thought I had done. I didn't have a phone in my room
and I logged off, then switched the Atari ST off obviously just before the
signal had returned back to tell the phone line to disconnect.

8am the next day..., my Mum asks "Why are you using the phone line before
school?" "I'm not", I replied. I picked up the phone upstairs and heard the
modem noise...

I just realised that I used the ST from 1987 to 1994 and it cost £350. I could
never get 7 years out of a PC these days. I've still got the ST too.
--

Dom Robinson Gamertag: DVDfever email: dom at dvdfever dot co dot uk
/*
http://DVDfever.co.uk (editor)
/* 940 DVDs, 259 games, 33 videos, 67 cinema films, 69 CDs, laserdiscs & news
/* star trek nemesis, bringing down the house, phone booth, human nature
"Everyone's a winner!" - Newsgroup troll 'Time To Burn' on the lack of choice
foistered upon viewers by broadcasters who don't watch their own output
  #26  
Old October 1st 03, 11:21 AM
Lee J. Moore
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Dom Robinson wrote:

....and then there was the phone bill. Ouch. Still remember it. Don't
like to talk about it. g

Neither did my parents back in the late 80s when I disconnected from a BBS
late at night, except I thought I had done. I didn't have a phone in my
room and I logged off, then switched the Atari ST off obviously just
before the signal had returned back to tell the phone line to disconnect.


Ouch! Calls weren't 1p a minute then either.

8am the next day..., my Mum asks "Why are you using the phone line before
school?" "I'm not", I replied. I picked up the phone upstairs and heard
the modem noise...


Did you run away/get grounded/have the modem confiscated? (*Delete as
appropriate.)

I just realised that I used the ST from 1987 to 1994 and it cost £350. I
could never get 7 years out of a PC these days.


Oh yes you could. Stick a four port (or wireless) ethernet card in it,
install a lightweight linux distribution on it, use it as a router that
serves four 'puters the internet via your DSL connection. Old PCs never
die, they just need a new hobby.

I've still got the ST too.


I've still got...2xZX81's (one inherited), 1x48k Sinclair Spectrum (circa
1993), 1xCommodore 64, 1xCommodore Amiga and the oldest PC I've kept is an
Escom P100 dating back to 1996. All in working order.

Getting back +topic, I really should setup a store at a crappy computer fair
eh?
--
Lee J. Moore
http://cafe-society.com

  #27  
Old October 1st 03, 11:22 AM
Lee J. Moore
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Lee J. Moore wrote:
1x48k Sinclair Spectrum (circa
1993)


Erm....1983. Oops.

--
Lee J. Moore
http://cafe-society.com

  #28  
Old October 1st 03, 12:54 PM
Bagpuss
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Wed, 01 Oct 2003 11:21:51 +0100, "Lee J. Moore"
wrote:


I just realised that I used the ST from 1987 to 1994 and it cost £350. I
could never get 7 years out of a PC these days.


Oh yes you could. Stick a four port (or wireless) ethernet card in it,
install a lightweight linux distribution on it, use it as a router that
serves four 'puters the internet via your DSL connection. Old PCs never
die, they just need a new hobby.


Altertivly just use the same apps that came with the PC, which means
it still gets its intended use. Providing the capacitors on the mobo
don't go off or something else pops.

Just turning the PC into an overly power consuming expensive 4 port
router is cheating :-)


--
This post does not reflect the opinions of all saggy cloth
cats be they a bit loose at the seams or not
GSX600F - Matilda the (now) two eared teapot, complete with
white gaffer tape, though no rectal chainsaw
  #29  
Old October 1st 03, 02:20 PM
Lee J. Moore
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Bagpuss wrote:

Oh yes you could. Stick a four port (or wireless) ethernet card in it,
install a lightweight linux distribution on it, use it as a router that
serves four 'puters the internet via your DSL connection. Old PCs never
die, they just need a new hobby.


Altertivly just use the same apps that came with the PC, which means
it still gets its intended use. Providing the capacitors on the mobo
don't go off or something else pops.


hehe. Win95 and an IE version incapable of rendering tables! Oh, and MS
Works...an early version which I always thought should be renamed "Office
for plebs." And what on earth was the point of MS Space Simulator?

Imagine the sheer number of security patches that would have to be installed
before connecting to the net. And I do remember that the patches did slow
Win95 down drastically on that system. The OS was very /nearly/ Win98
after patching...erm....if that makes sense.
--
Lee J. Moore
http://cafe-society.com

  #30  
Old October 1st 03, 02:23 PM
Bagpuss
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 20:06:58 +0100, "Alec"
wrote:


"Computer Fairs, the bricks and mortar version of ebay". Lots of mad
people paying over the odds for computer based tat no on else in their
right mind would want.
--
This post does not reflect the opinions of all saggy cloth
cats be they a bit loose at the seams or not
GSX600F - Matilda the (now) two eared teapot, complete with
white gaffer tape, though no rectal chainsaw
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Reformating My Computer Von Fourche Compaq Computers 1 February 3rd 05 02:22 PM
Computer totally up shit creek Paul Harris Homebuilt PC's 18 February 11th 04 12:23 AM
Computer freezes: Logitech mouse or F-Secure? Zoe Miller Dell Computers 3 December 18th 03 07:55 PM
Major Computer Problems Toronto Garage Door Company General 20 November 13th 03 10:41 PM
Major computer problems... Wayne Tarzwell Homebuilt PC's 2 July 19th 03 05:32 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 03:51 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 HardwareBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.