CompUSA Gripes

CompUSA is a computer retailer

Invoice

July 30, 2003. I was having a problem getting a rebate for a product purchased at CompUSA and needed another copy of my receipt. Entering the order number on their web site confirmed only that the order was shipped but did not provide a full receipt. To get the full order details you have to have an account set up with compusa.com. I had placed the order for the item without establishing an account at their web site. I needed the receipt, so I singed up for an account. No go. The web site still would still not show me a receipt for the purchase.

My guess is that this is because the purchase was made without having an account. The rebate was not from CompUSA.

In Stock or Not? That is the Question

At the end of January 2002, CompUSA advertised an item for sale in their circular in my Sunday newspaper. On February 1st, I decide to go to my nearest CompUSA to purchase it. Their web site has a feature that shows you whether an item is in stock at the CompUSA stores near you. It does not work.

On the right is a screen capture of their web site showing the item in question as being in stock on February 1st at the store on Broadway and 57th Street in Manhattan. According to the web site, it was in stock as of 8:42 that morning (at the bottom). I checked this before setting off to the store. Needless to say, the item in question, an Acomdata external USB 2.0 hard disk, was not in stock when I got there.

The trip to the store and back wasted a lot of time.

Perhaps I'm too harsh?

After all, it could have been in-stock that morning and sold out by the afternoon when I got there. Possible, but not likely.

I checked the CompUSA web site the next day. As show here at the right, the item still shows as being in stock as of February 2nd at 10:12 AM.

How likely is it that the item was in stock in the morning, sold out by the afternoon and in stock again the next morning? Brutally unlikely.

But what about rain checks? Does CompUSA offer rain checks when they run out of sale items? I asked three different store employees. Their answers: yes, no and maybe.

The person at the counter with external hard disks said there are no rain checks. Another employee, just walking down the aisle, said that it depends on the item and that I should check at the business counter in the store. The business counter offered a rain check before even asking what the item was.

I filled out the forms but never went back for the rain check. Why?

The item was an external USB 2.0 hard disk and it requires a USB 2.0 adapter card. There was a full rebate on the adapter card but only if purchased along with the external hard disk. The adapter card was in stock and I would have had to buy it then and there and pay full price. I just didn't trust them to handle the complicated paperwork involved in buying half a combo rebate one day and the other half later. Then again, can I ever trust that they actually have an item in stock before dragging back to the store?

Stealing Software From Demonstration Computers at CompUSA

Wired Magazine ran a couple stories about people using demonstration computers at CompUSA to steal software on the computers. The first story involved an Apple iPod. People would walk into CompUSA (or any computer store), plug their iPod into display computers and use it to copy software off the hard drives. The article described a teenager who stopped at a display Macintosh, pulled an iPod from his pocket and plugged it into the machine with a FireWire cable. A person peeped over the kid's shoulder and saw him copying Microsoft's new Office for OS X suite, which retails for $500. When the iPod is plugged into a Macintosh, its icon automatically pops up on the desktop. To copy software, all the kid had to do was drag and drop files onto the iPod's icon. Office for MacOS X is about 200 MB; it copies to the iPod's hard drive in less than a minute. An honest person is quoted in the article: "I went over and told a CompUSA guy, but he looked at me like I was clueless." CompUSA representatives didn't respond to requests for comment. Neither did Apple officials. Perhaps the most damning part of the story is that CompUSA and other computer stores could take a few simple steps to prevent software from being copied, according to a Mac expert.
Have iPod, Will Secretly Bootleg Feb. 28, 2002 By Leander Kahney. Wired Magazine.

A follow-up story noted that Apple's iPod isn't the only means of pilfering software from demonstration computers at CompUSA. One person told how a not-too-bright CompUSA employee actually copied some software for him when he asked to test an iMac's built-in CD burner. Quoting: "The CompUSA employee gladly complied. They inserted my CD-R into the drive, and then they dragged files to the recordable media. Among these folders and files they dragged over to burn, they copied AppleWorks, the Apple productivity suite that retails for $99 separately. I walked out with a burned CD of an application I didn't pay for, and I didn't ask for.... Why be covert, when the employees are happy to help?" The article goes on to describe how digital cameras and the Internet can also be used to copy files.
Smile, You're on Bootleg Camera March 8, 2002 By Leander Kahney. Wired Magazine.

Spying at AOL Kiosks in CompUSA

This story is from a reader of the Langa List newsletter by Fred Langa. It was discussed in the April 15, 2002 issue of the newsletter. The reader wrote of his experiences at the AOL Icafe kiosks in CompUSA where they advertise "TRY AOL HIGH SPEED INTERNET" and signs invite you to check your email. The user interface on the Icafe computer was not the usual AOL interface, instead it was surrounded by a CompUSA frame. When the computer had to be re-booted, the person noticed the new interface was called NetKey Creator Studio. Turns out that NetKey is Spyware and CompUSA has no notices, signs or disclaimers indicating that you are being watched while using the computers in the AOL Icafe. The employees at CompUSA were not helpful.

Page created: February 2003

Page last updated: August 1, 2003