LOLBest Buy need I say more?

CidBahamut said:
Warranty covers repair labor, which means I don't have to spend my time on it.
Yes it's easy to learn once you get into it, but it isn't something that's trivially easy or automated.


Same boat as computer assembly. Yes it might be easy to learn but it still isn't automated or trivially easy.


All I heard was: "Eternally rising profit margins".
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That's because you hear what you want to hear. It's not eternally rising profit margins, it's maintaining and maximizing your profit margins for the good of the company. Exploitation of the stupid is all it takes.

As for the computer and oil change thing... clearly you haven't done either. Change oil: Get under car, unbolt oil stopper, drain oil, unscrew oil filter, drain oil. Screw in bolt, screw in oil filter. get out from under car. Pour in oil. Done. Computer: It just plugs in. I did not require studying or anything to learn. I opened a computer and I learned it on the spot. If you don't know how to do something, there are plenty of methods to learn how to do it out there. Don't say someone's evil for marketing towards to stupid. Geek squad offers many services that you could do yourself. The fact that you pay them so that you don't have to do it yourself is the premise of their entire business. I recommend you just don't shop at Best Buy. I mean, I don't normally but that's just me.
 
CidBahamut said:
Actually the default is that it automatically does it for them every day.
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Actually, the default is null, and that the computer gives them the choice (but it recommends you set it to install automatically). The default setting is midnight (I believe), a time when most users this would apply to are asleep with their computers off.
 
Kotsu said:
As for the computer and oil change thing... clearly you haven't done either.
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You would be wrong.

Kotsu said:
Computer: It just plugs in. I did not require studying or anything to learn. I opened a computer and I learned it on the spot.
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Building from scratch does require knowledge. You try plugging in some DDR RAM into a board that takes RDRAM sometime and let me know how that works out for you.
 
CidBahamut said:
You would be wrong.


Building from scratch does require knowledge. You try plugging in some DDR RAM into a board that takes RDRAM sometime and let me know how that works out for you.
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You try updating a PS3 for functionality purposes when you don't have internet connection and let me know how that works out for you.
 
Kotsu said:
You try updating a PS3 for functionality purposes when you don't have internet connection and let me know how that works out for you.
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I'll let you know right after I purchase some electrical appliances for my stone dwelling that has no electrical outlets.
 
This is getting retarded.

If a consumer makes an expensive purchase without being informed, fault lies with them.
 
I'm just saying, you may not have wireless internet and it's hooked up for your blu-ray player... I mean, it's all possible.
 
Kotsu said:
I'm just saying, you may not have wireless internet and it's hooked up for your blu-ray player... I mean, it's all possible.
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That is probably the only scenario in which charging for the firmware update would be acceptable.
 
Healthy business practices would be that if it serves a purpose to ask one set of clients, it serves a purpose to ask all. Hence, just ask everyone to update their firmware. Should you say that you can do this yourself? Yea, probably. But does it hurt to ask a closed ended question, get your yes or no, and proceed from there? Nope.
 
While I'm not completely sure, I think that blu ray movies come with firmware updates for players on discs.
Whether or not Sony puts PS3 updates on the disc is anyone's guess. Or informed statement. Whatever.
 
I think most blu ray players these days have NIC cards so that they can be sold as NetFlix capable.
 
Do they? I've only owned a bluray-only player for like three months when my brother still lived with us, so I'm not really up to speed with what those newfangled majiggers do these days.
 
Not exactly the main discussion of the topic any more, but I thought it was funny that several of you apparently think that elderly folks purchase the majority of PS3s lol.

I also don't understand why you all just assume that every salesmen at Best Buy is a terrible person and would lie to you about what the service is and covers. I mean, sure there are going to be those douchey salesmen who try to tack on everything and make the biggest sale they can, but from my experience while working at Best Buy most people aren't like that. Will people offer it? Sure, but most wouldn't shove it down your throat. And if the consumer had the smarts to ask the salesmen what the update entailed, I doubt the salesmen would lie to them.

Best Buy is becoming extremely service oriented, because thats where the money is. They can't compete with places like Target, Amazon and Walmart on just product sales, but where they can compete, and where they make most of their money, is with things like Geek Squad (and Best Buy mobile, but thats another topic). Sure updating the PS3 firmware isn't difficult, but can you tell me one other place you could go if you wanted someone else to do it? Just because they offer it, doesn't mean they push it. But if they can make a couple extra bucks on a PS3 sale, when they already make basically jack shit, then why wouldn't they? They are a business after all, it is their job to make money. And if you can't take the time to research for yourself, or ask someone about it, then IMO Best Buy deserves your money.

Oh also...

Valandil said:
I doubt the system has changed much since I worked for Hastings, which has far less purchasing power than Best Buy, but even though our inventory system would show the "cost" of an Xbox or a PS2 to about $10-15 dollar less than the retail price, what it did not show is that Hastings received massive rebates, sometimes up to 42% for each unit purchased from Sony and up to 37% on systems purchased from Microsoft.
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I really doubt that lol. I mean, I thought playstation used to LOSE money on every sale of a PS3, I doubt they'd be selling them to BB or any other company for basically half off. I'd like to see some proof on that one before I believe because I highly doubt they're getting that much off.
 
RaidrX said:
I really doubt that lol. I mean, I thought playstation used to LOSE money on every sale of a PS3, I doubt they'd be selling them to BB or any other company for basically half off. I'd like to see some proof on that one before I believe because I highly doubt they're getting that much off.
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Many retailers are paying what you'd assume dirt cheap prices and that is because they are the ones who's profit margins are through the roof. Sony and Microsoft would allow for a profit margin naturally, but in addition to that manufacturers often factor in the 3rd party adding their own margin. Or at least that's been my experience working in all sorts of manufacturing fields. If you've been in purchasing of any kind, you'd know many places will get things at cost, then tack their own 20% profit margin on it before selling to the end user.

This is because the manufacturers look to retailers to sell their products in the mass, therefore the sell to retailers in mass quantities for bargain basement prices as long as they keep coming back. Because they're dropping how many truck loads off at a time? So they're making headway.
 
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Well, I know on things like HDMI cables, furniture, and shit like that BB jacks the prices beyond ridiculous. I got a 100$ Geek Squad cable for 4 dollars with my discount because we paid 5% above cost. But I just don't see a gaming console (same with laptops and computers) coming in at half off, then being basically having the cost marked up behind the scenes.

I remember seeing an infograph showing where the 60$ of a video game purchase goes, and it held pretty true to what I was paying above cost with my discount.
 
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Places like Best Buy make the highest margins on things like cables and accessories. Find a friend who works for Best Buy and ask them what the employee rate for something like an HDMI cable it. It'll make you want to burn the store down.

As for the issue at hand in this thread... it's a swindle, but it's a fairly common swindle, and one that's been used in various incarnations for decades. It's particularly egregious in its nature, given that the Geek Squad aren't doing a damn thing that a highly-trained pigeon couldn't do, but it's not all that incredibly different from that anti-rust underbody coating that your car dealer has been selling for years.
 
RaidrX said:
Well, I know on things like HDMI cables, furniture, and shit like that BB jacks the prices beyond ridiculous. I got a 100$ Geek Squad cable for 4 dollars with my discount because we paid 5% above cost. But I just don't see a gaming console (same with laptops and computers) coming in at half off, then being basically having the cost marked up behind the scenes.

I remember seeing an infograph showing where the 60$ of a video game purchase goes, and it held pretty true to what I was paying above cost with my discount.
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Perhaps not with gaming consoles. I've not personally worked for either manufacturer or a retailer. But if it's anything like vehicles.. well there's cost, and there's selling price.
 
Yeah I'm not saying best buy doesn't get things way below cost. As I mentioned with the $100 cable i got for $4, I got some sick deals because I only had to pay 5% above cost. But we're discussing the PS3 price here, and I just highly doubt they were getting them for basically half off.
 
RaidrX said:
Yeah I'm not saying best buy doesn't get things way below cost. As I mentioned with the $100 cable i got for $4, I got some sick deals because I only had to pay 5% above cost. But we're discussing the PS3 price here, and I just highly doubt they were getting them for basically half off.
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But what it really comes down to is cost. How much do you think it actually costs the company? BB would more than likely fall under 1 distributor matrix. Being one of the largest they'll no doubt get the best rates.
 
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