clark@sdcsla.UUCP (Clark Quinn) (12/05/85)
> I've been trying to find a dealer > carrying the ST in the West LA area without success, > and I wonder why they are hidding them (it's almost > Christmas!). > > Adolfo Adolfo, I was up in LA for T-day and found that Priority One Electronics (in Chatsworth, mind you) had both the Atari 520ST and the Amiga for sale. I decided to go see them side-by-side. Overall, I might get the Atari, but that's not the point. **Flame on** They had the Atari for what appeared to be $100 off list price, but beware tricky ads. $499 w/o monitor, but the ad doesn't mention that you *have* to buy the monitor. OK, monochrome $199, for a rough total of $698, $101 less than list $799. color $399, for a total of of $898, $101 less than list $999. But then the !#$%!!! salesperson tries to tell me that the price doesn't include the disk drive. I calmly inform this person that the Atari includes the disk drive (ad says $199 for additional disk drive) and try to move onto other issues. Person insists, "No disk drive." I try to find ad in INFOWORLD to say, "see"! No magazine. Finally, I leave in disgust. The salesperson was saying "Come on Monday, we'll know then." What, do they get smarter after the weekend? ARGH! I even had to advise someone else in the store that what the salesperson was pushing for them wasn't what they needed. It's business like that that is responsible for the disillusionment with the computer industry and the recent market downturn. Nobody in the store could even answer simple technical questions about either the 520 ST or Amiga. (note: the Amiga also seemed approx $100 cheaper than list.) **Flame off** The question is, should you buy there once you know what you want, and take advantage of their cheaper prices, or avoid like the plague? (I am assuming that someone like the manager would, with some effort, be able to ascertain that the machine does come with the disk drive.) -- Clark Clark N. Quinn Institute for Cognitive Science C-015 University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California 92093 (619) 452-2541 (UCSD): (619) 457-1274 (Home) {ucbvax,decvax,akgua,dcdwest}!sdcsvax!sdcsla!clark OR clark@nprdc