glenn@cs.utexas.edu (Gwangwu Lai) (02/14/90)
I saw an add in the _Computer Shopper_ advertising a "mini-vacuum" by the following company: National Computer Accessories 1510 Micorwack (could be a misspelling) St. Sacramento, CA 95814 The ad says "No gimmicks." Or are there? The ad shows the picture of a vacuum with the title "mini-vacuum from 5.95 & up." Two prices are listed: 5.95 for "mini-vac," and 9.95 for "super-vac." It further claims that two AA batteries are required for a "mini-vac," and four AA batteries are required for a "super-vac." When I called, the lady told me that they are the same thing except that a "super-vac" has more batteries and lasts longer. I ordered a "mini-vac." The fact is that that a "mini-vac" takes four AA batteries, and is not the one shown in the picture. Presumably a "mini-vac" and a "super-vac" are different other than the batteries. I expected to buy the one shown in the picture (and the one described to me by the saleslady), not some other merchandise the company thinks it could sell me. I returned the merchandise and explained the whole thing. It was their error. They merely disregarded my explanation, and charged me a "restocking fee" of 15%. It cost me only about two bucks for this lesson, but when you do mail-order, be sure to look out for such things. Had I returned something I bought which costs several hundred dollars with a "restocking fee" of 15% because the mail-order company had made a mistake, I'd probably not be here announcing this to the world, but busy preparing to sue the party who has screwed up. Glenn