Opportunist gits (laptop power cable)

[RGDave]

OK, I've posted before about this lark, so sorry if it's boring.
My laptop power supply cable gave in last night, so I popped into work and borrowed one off a colleague who has the same, and BINGO, all fine and dandy.
So, this afternoon I thought I'd go on a reccy to hunt down a new lead.
None of the big stores "do" original HP/Compaq leads but "you can buy a universal lead, sir"......hmmm.....
Got a little grumpy, 'phoned the original retailer who have got them in for £46, except it's a drive and £46 seems a bit pricey.

In the end, gave up, came home and ordered the original part from Amazon for £19.50 (or could have had a "clone" for £14-ish).

It'll take 3-5 working (so I'm netbooking for the foreseeable).

The lesson learned; forget trying to buy anything from the chain stores. Staples had a belkin universal for £49.99 and the best that PC world could offer was a universal for £99.99.

£99.99 for a power cord.....

What is wrong with these places
£99 laptop power cords?
£50 HDMI cables (online for less than £5)
£20 USB cables (I just bought a dozen for work at 96 pence each...HQ also!)

I can't believe anyone actually allows themselves to be sold this stuff. Talk about taking advantage of consumers who don't know better or don't shop on t'internet.






Rant over.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I've always felt these big stores prey on the innocene of customers in the same way AG do with golf. If the customer isn't knowledgable about what they want they'll get steered to their own particular profit leaders (in AG's case Hogan, Wilson, Yonex and Nicklaus). It's hard though if your not overly computer literate (I'm not and wouldn't have the foggiest but I'd have asked here to get some smidegeon of a clue) and you have a problem with your PC. To a certain extent you are in their hands

 

[RGDave]

To a certain extent you are in their hands

and that is what really gets me.

There were a couple of folk in one shop.....as I approached the accessories area of the store, this nice lady took one look at my power cord and said to her teenage daughter "look, that man has the same lead as we need".
She asked if I was going to replace it with the £99 lead, to which I replied...."not likely, not when you can get them on Amazon for under £20".....
I left the shop, they left the shop, but soon enough an unsuspecting person is going to fall for this nonsense.

In fairness to golf shops, at least they don't mark up Titleists and Srixons to £50/dozen, because they know sooner or later they are going to have very unhappy people complaining......

I'm not anti big stores, but the marketing of "add-ons" is unacceptable i.m.o.

I would have happily parted with £30 for a lead there and then, but they don't even do them; presumably to protect the racket of selling stuff to the unwary.

 

[DanJ88]

Yeah I feel all the "technology" stores do take advantages, they prey on peoples lack of knowledge and naivity. But then again who can blame them? People shouldn't be so gullable and believe everything their told and just take the first thing someone tells them, you should know by now to shop around and especially use the internet!!

So in my opion it's consumers own fault to a certain extent, the businesses just take advantage for sales and at the end of the day like I said who can blame them? Tehy are there to make money and they will do whatever it takes so..

Dan

 

[RGDave]

That's true DanJ, but the more folk are aware, the less big companies will be able to get away with it. One of the best things about the internet.

Not everyone in society feels good about taking candy from babies.

 

[big_russ]

Bought a new big telly a couple of weeks ago and was "told" that I would need a compalible HDMI lead. When I asked which lead they recommended I was shown a big shiny box with one lead in it and a £99.99 price tag. When I then said I would make do with the one I already had for my old TV I got a shake of the head and "you wont get the best picture quality".
Stopped at Sainsbury on the way home, paid £9.99 and really can't fault the picture.

 

[big_mean_bunny]

not that I condone it, however I am an ICT Technician in a school and we usually pay about 40 per adaptor from our preferred suppler.

PC world are a disgrace though. Once went in for a usb lead for my friends printer and they showed me some that were 35 quid!

 

[RGDave]

Bought a new big telly a couple of weeks ago and was "told" that I would need a compalible HDMI lead. When I asked which lead they recommended I was shown a big shiny box with one lead in it and a £99.99 price tag. When I then said I would make do with the one I already had for my old TV I got a shake of the head and "you wont get the best picture quality".
Stopped at Sainsbury on the way home, paid £9.99 and really can't fault the picture.

Superb! THIS is what I'm on about. Well done to you. I have a "wholesale" (no brand) gold HDMI cable which does the trick perfectly with blu-ray and HDTV.

 

[viscount17]

have to give the guy in Shasonic his due. In the same situation over the HDMI lead his attitude was 'we are expected to push the gold-plated super low-loss £99 cable but quite frankly for the average user it's a waste of money. I wouldn't necessarily recommend the £10 one out of Asda but if all you're doing is watching TV and DVDs you don't need anything else.'

 

[clubchamp07]

My youngest son was looking a charger for his ipod, wifey went into Tesco's to get him one. £16, a bit steep, fair play to the guy in the store, he told wifey that we could get one off Play.com for about a 5er. Deal done, does the same thing it even has a light on it, which the one in Tesco's hadn't.

 

[RGDave]

My youngest son was looking a charger for his ipod, wifey went into Tesco's to get him one. £16, a bit steep, fair play to the guy in the store, he told wifey that we could get one off Play.com for about a 5er. Deal done, does the same thing it even has a light on it, which the one in Tesco's hadn't.

Good man...more confirmation for my theory.

I bought a Nintendo DS car charger/carry case/stylus set for my daughter today. £1.99

Best thing about it? The car cigarette USB adapter, will work for apple ipod touch and skycaddie too. Result.

 

[MarkE]

I broke one of my golden rules a few days ago and bought a pc part from pc world. A friends pc I was fixing needed a new network card. I usually get these from ebuyer at £1.99. Friend needed pc NOW so had no choice. Luckily it was on special offer at the time, only £17.99, exact same part