Compocalypse '09: The Repricening

[cleolinda]

If you are a salesguy at the Best Buy off 280 (Birmingham) who looks a touch like James McAvoy and helped a girl in a red v-neck who charged in and dragged you all around the store chattering away about what "people on the internet" told her about various computer brands:

Hi... sorry about that?

So... yeah. Apparently my will to deal with life returned. I marched in there with my printed-out specs ("I WANT THIS ONE. WHERE IS THIS ONE. HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE THIS ONE") and my carefully prepared questions ("OKAY SO WHAT DOES IT NOT COME WITH") and my Microsoft Office XP disk ("CAN I PUT THIS ON A COMPUTER RUNNING VISTA BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR IT AGAIN I THINK THAT IS REALLY STUPID I MEAN WHO WANTS TO DO THAT") and trooped through the store asking about service agreements and externals and UPSes and headsets (for podcasting!) with the intent of finding out how bad the total damage will be when I go yet again, tomorrow, third day in a row, and actually make purchases. I mean, yes, I went to newegg.com, but apparently the Best Buy price ($509) is as good as anyone else's, and yes, I am buying it off the shelf, and yes, someone somewhere probably could build this and transfer my data more cheaply, but you know what? I will PAY THE STORE to MAKE MY LIFE BETTER at this point. I DO NOT CARE. MAKE THIS COMPUTER-NOT-HAVING GO AWAY.

(Salesguy also said, "Yeah... I have a Gateway. DO NOT EVER GET A GATEWAY," which made me laugh.)

So basically, I'm getting the Asus. And don't bother trying to talk me out of it, because she already has a name.

(TO BE CONTINUED.)

Comments

[wondersheep.livejournal.com]

I have an Asus netbook. I loves it. I call him Moco 'cause he's green and moco is Spanish for booger.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

*random comment*

Haha, I posted a comment here and when the page reloaded, I saw your comment come up since it's the first one on the page, and thought, "Wait, I didn't use my Deadpool icon, did I?" And then realized it was not my comment. :)

Glad to see others are enjoying it, too. *g*

[krazycat.livejournal.com]

You know what? Off the shelf has better warranty than a self-built machine. If you don't know how to change parts yourself, I would never recommend getting someone to build it for you - unless you can with 100% certainty rely on them to be there if it breaks. And it will, it's just a computer.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Well, that was partly my theory--if someone builds it, where do I go when it breaks?

[shia-labeouf.livejournal.com]

i know this is very frustrating for you and everything, but damn, i am so amused by this saga. you have the ability to make almost anything entertaining.

[pumblechook.livejournal.com]

This. Heartily agreed.

[genmaicha.livejournal.com]

I, for one, am eager to hear her name. (I name my electronics, too.)

There's an end to the flailing and stress in sight. I would totally be in your position, too, except that I jumped to replace my dying old machine Scrubjay before he gave up the ghost, and got Ibis as a Christmas present. So I am completely sympathetic to the flailing and sorry that you've had to go through it, because computer problems suck. I mean to say. Words. Thing.

[fineprnt.livejournal.com]

Haha, me, too.

[edda.livejournal.com]

OH GOD I AM SO EXCITED.

And yes, some things are worth extra cash if they make your life easier.

[piccgirl.livejournal.com]

Sounds great!

I love imagining you dragging the guy all over the store, talking about what the internet told you to do. That sounds like something I'd do. "They said to get that one, I'm getting that one Don't try to tell me otherwise What do you mean you don't have it?" ( I think I may have actually done this with friends, at a Dillards...whoops)

I want to hear the name!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Heh. "THEY TELL ME THAT THEY USE THE ASUS MOTHERBOARDS WHEN THEY BUILD THEIR OWN. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE MYBOOK EXTERNAL, THEY SAY THEY LIKE THE IOMEGA OR MAYBE IT WAS THE PIONEER OR MAYBE THOSE ARE ACTUALLY THE SAME THING, I DON'T KNOW, THERE WERE THINGS THAT THEY SAID."

[megalosaurus.livejournal.com]

yay! I have nothing more to add.

[alliancesjr.livejournal.com]

Hooray! What is her name?

My computer's name is Felix. No, really.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

You will have to wait and see!

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

Huzzah! I'm glad to hear you've made it through the flailing to Determined, and I look forward to hearing the continuation.

[robinmc.livejournal.com]

Apparently my will to deal with life returned. Yay! Very glad to hear it.

[annemaeve.livejournal.com]

Yeay you, the educated and empowered buyer! That's just what you should do: research the heck out of something, make up your mind, then march in and out-sales guy the sales guys.

Can't wait to hear what you're christening the new 'puter!

(Will you let The Clutziest Bella anywhere near it?)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

(HALE NO)

[angelene.livejournal.com]

If there is a guy out there who looks a touch like James McAvoy and is up to helping a girl with her disaster-computer... could he call me, please?

Kidding! Sort of.

No, (more) seriously: when you say "I'm getting the ASUS", what uh exactly do you mean? Forgive me if you stated it perhaps repeatedly throughout the comments to your previous entry/entries, but... I can't see it. I mean, are you getting a pre-built ASUS brand of desktop computer, or do you just mean that it's mounting an ASUS MB?

May I suggest that you insist that it comes with the most current and/or working drivers and/or BIOS installed? Because many, many, many of my troubles with my current machine derived from the fact that the guys who did the HW installation for me did it using the factory discs from the box, which are NOTORIOUSLY prone to contain waaaaay outdated (i.e. likely bugged) versions of drivers and the such. Which, odds are, wouldn't make life with your new machine as better as you'd expected/loved to.

The good thing is about this is that... you live in the US and, well, I don't know exactly what specs your new machine has, but if it's strong and if it's fast, then chances are you're getting it for roughly 1/3 of the price of what it'd be selling at here/in Italy (and/or possibly in Europe). Bugger that.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

It's an Asus hard drive/tower/everything-whatever off the shelf, pre-built. Dual (duo? No one will explain the difference in wording to me) core, 6GB RAM, 650GB storage, every kind of CD drive except a Blu-Ray, wireless LAN whatever who-waaa included. I'm not a gamer, so I didn't insist on a pimped-out video card or a quad core. For the price, it's got more/better stuff on it than most of the other brands I looked at.

[ahirutwin.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad to hear that your ducks are lining up nicely. Especially because Best Buy is the awesome-est store ever and the people that work there are the coolest. :D $509 isn't that bad, when you think about it.

I'm really wondering what you named her, though. XD

[elbales]

*sporfle*

Oh, Cleo, never, never change.

So what's her name?

[lunylucy.livejournal.com]

Woo, we're moving towards the happy ending!

And dude, wasting time and adding stress can totally be valued in $ terms as well, so yes it is "worth" paying more to avoid both.

[greyduck.livejournal.com]

I ain't talkin' you outta nuttin'. I have no problem with the Asus people. (They've had their rough patches, but none recently that I'm aware of.)

And you know what? I'm a "computer guy" and I still buy off-the-shelf when it's appropriate. As in, "Look, I could spend two sleepless nights assembling this beeyotch myself, or I could come home unbox it plug it in turn it on AND BE USING IT IMMEDIATELY." So. Nothing wrong with that, is what I'm saying.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and also, if something flames out, where's your warranty? This is what I figure. Also, mostly, this is the end of my patience talking.

[http://users.livejournal.com/lady_alatariel_/]

Awesome! I got my laptop a year and a half ago from Best Buy and haven't had a single problem with it. Same thing with my mom's.

Mine's name is Pete :)

[queenanthai.livejournal.com]

IT'LL NETWORK YOUR FUCKING DOG.

[alliancesjr.livejournal.com]

OH YEAH CHECK OUT THIS GQ PROCESSING MOTHERFUCKER

ITS CONNECTORS ARE GOLD AND SO ARE ITS CHAINS

[jasminelily.livejournal.com]

Hee. The only thing that I will say is that I got Vista kicking and screaming, and...yeah, I don't know what everyone is complaining about. There are lots of things that are better, and the only way I even notice a difference for the worst is that it asks you twice before you download any programs or updates (which is so not a big deal). I'm sure that it was way buggy at the beginning, but I got my computer last summer, and have yet to have any Vista issues at all (knock on wood, obviously).

[mentalmishaps.livejournal.com]

Same thing happened with me. Vista hasn't given me any problems yet. Although, you can turn off that double notification thing. Search User Account Controls, and there's an option to turn them off.

Wait.

[beltainelady.livejournal.com]

There's a cute guy in the Best Buy on 280?

And why didn't I know you lived in B'ham??

(Just moved here).

Re: Wait.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Heh, I don't know--I mention that I'm in Birmingham and/or Alabama all the time. : )

[maramala.livejournal.com]

Hey, Asus isn't bad. My siblings have Asus lappies.

Also, don't bother getting MS Office, just download the FREE Open Office http://www.openoffice.org/. The transition is barely noticeable, and you'll never look back.

[padawansguide.livejournal.com]

LOL!

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

See, I can't walk into a Best Buy anymore without snickering thanks to Chuck, so I'm cool with ordering my laptop from Dell. :)

[tabbyclaw.livejournal.com]

OH GOD ME TOO. I so desperately want a Buy More uniform polo, but the fact that I'm still in a job where that really is the kind of thing I have to wear every day depresses me too much to enjoy the idea.

[katharhino.livejournal.com]

YAYS with the decision having been made! That always helps me feel better.

I name all my electronics "The Precious". My iMac is named "The Precious" and I changed its desktop icon to be a little gold ring. And my digital camera is called "The Digiprecious" and before some creep stole my iPod it was called "The Tiny Precious."

[bumblebee-1983.livejournal.com]

Oh my God, that's awesome.

My MacBook is named Rorschach. Because he's that awesome. And kicks all sorts of ass.

;)

Happy happy!

[suzeclues12.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for a happy ending!

Once you've decided,you just have to go for it - commit to it. Decide that whatever happens, no matter how many back issues of Consumer Reports you've had to slog through (ahem, I swear The Husband just might cuddle them at night, he loves them so), you've made the right, best decision.

Our family has horrible luck. With everything. As soon as the purchase goes through our bank act., a better item will come out, a hidden fault will be announced, something will be wrong. It's just a day to day fact.

Good thing we no longer live in AL any more - last time we did, a hurricane hit.....(also, bad weather stalks The Husband. Good thing he's so cute!).