On Shadiness (With a Capital “S”)

Ever heard the story of the company that despite being the largest online bookseller still has tables made out of doors? I guess my company is legendary for being cheap (so I guess I’m at the right place). And cheapness extends to our little 5-person NY office, where we all take care of everything from the actual work (the stuff they pay us for) to bypassing the whole luxury of having an office manager and having to get our own equipment and supplies.

I needed a new flat screen monitor, so I got myself down to Best Buy around the corner and got myself an LG that was ON SALE (kudos to me). I carried the thing back to the office myself and set it all up. I then decided to fill out the warranty info, ya know, to save the company some bucks in case my equipment broke down.

So I got a pen and the warranty form out of the box. And then I saw it. The whole damn thing was already filled out! WTF???

I was pissed and went back to Best Buy the next day to explain to the manager that I was sold a product that was supposedly new (they even got it from “the back”) only to find out that it had been sold back in November to a guy named Ashmir, who lives in Brooklyn and would like to hear more about computers and games (a geek). I told him a discount would be in order. He said he couldn’t give me a discount, but he could exchange my second-hand-sold-as-new monitor for a new one IF i brought it back. My retort: “I just have a problem with you guys packaging and selling this as ‘new’ when it’s clearly been used AND when you have an ‘open box’ section.” As for bringing it back to exchange it for a brand new one, I had to pass. I just didn’t want to unplug it, carry it back down, get the new one, etc again. Values and principles are only for those who have time and patience to spare.