superboost
06-30-2007, 12:04 AM
So last year I opened a computer shop in the local mall here. Things were great for a bit, then a month later, another fellow decides to open a shop. Looks exactly like mine, has similar colors, offers similar services and similar prices. However, while my store is called KMD, he calls his DNK.
A few complaints to mall management about the store, and he changes the name to Cybertron Wholesale Computers.
Long story short, the guy is incredibly shady. Many of my customers are people who he has fucked over. I've heard horror stories of used power supplies sold by him going bad, used network cards going bad, used laptops dieing before the 30 day period is up. I've seen him try to sell new PCMCIA network cards to customers with brand new laptops only requiring a driver install or the wifi switch to be turned on. I"ve seen evidence of his work, when pissed off pc owners are carting their systems out and they run into me. Windows reinstalls with drivers missing, or supposed "system formats" still riddled with spyware and virii. How does a new windows system wipe have a date 10 years ahead and lock up every 10 minutes? He hands out businiess cards that read "hot laptops. don't tell the popo's". I've also had several customers tell me he's tried to sell them stolen merchandise and stolen beats (one out of the guy's own recording studio, with his name still on them).
Anyway, this takes the cake. My mother referred a neighbor of hers to my shop. He came up, and asked where the computer shop was, and one of the other mall store owners pointed him there. Long story short, he asks if a "mark" works there. He describes me as a tall fellow with dreads. The guy says "oh yes, mark works here, but he is a field technician. He will not be in today but I can accept the computer on his behalf." Pretty much lies through his teeth. He charges my neighbor $125 to swap a power supply and somehow manages to wipe windows and reinstall it, with zango spyware, bootleg copies of Mcafee antivirus and Office and other spyware that causes the machine to randomly play voice files and run explorer until the CPU maxes and the system locks up. My neighbor takes it back and is very pissed.
I get home and he comes to my door asking me to rectify my mess. He says "you work for cybertron right? my computer is broken." I tell him, no, that is my competitor. He tricked you.
So we eventually confront the offending store owner with my neighbor, mall management and a police officer. The manager is well aware this is one of many complaints lodged against this fast talking asshole. I can't stand fast talkers. He's been tricking and duping these poor people out of their money for quite awhile. Its really tough having a business in the hood. I try to charge fair prices and build nice systems, but its bad when you sell a 2.4 ghz laptop for $400 and he undercuts you with a 700mhz p3 128mb of ram for $299 (a few of which had broken touchpads and batteries). People don't know the differnce between specs and buy the severely outdated laptops.....
I'm just very very pissed and had the cop not had been there, I probably would've struck his ass in the mouth. This is my rant per se. Anyway, the current plan is to hopefully round up all the customers he's screwed over within the year he's been here and have them all meet at his shop at once and complain to management. I want to drive this ass-clown out. He's giving my business a bad name and is bad for the community.
A few complaints to mall management about the store, and he changes the name to Cybertron Wholesale Computers.
Long story short, the guy is incredibly shady. Many of my customers are people who he has fucked over. I've heard horror stories of used power supplies sold by him going bad, used network cards going bad, used laptops dieing before the 30 day period is up. I've seen him try to sell new PCMCIA network cards to customers with brand new laptops only requiring a driver install or the wifi switch to be turned on. I"ve seen evidence of his work, when pissed off pc owners are carting their systems out and they run into me. Windows reinstalls with drivers missing, or supposed "system formats" still riddled with spyware and virii. How does a new windows system wipe have a date 10 years ahead and lock up every 10 minutes? He hands out businiess cards that read "hot laptops. don't tell the popo's". I've also had several customers tell me he's tried to sell them stolen merchandise and stolen beats (one out of the guy's own recording studio, with his name still on them).
Anyway, this takes the cake. My mother referred a neighbor of hers to my shop. He came up, and asked where the computer shop was, and one of the other mall store owners pointed him there. Long story short, he asks if a "mark" works there. He describes me as a tall fellow with dreads. The guy says "oh yes, mark works here, but he is a field technician. He will not be in today but I can accept the computer on his behalf." Pretty much lies through his teeth. He charges my neighbor $125 to swap a power supply and somehow manages to wipe windows and reinstall it, with zango spyware, bootleg copies of Mcafee antivirus and Office and other spyware that causes the machine to randomly play voice files and run explorer until the CPU maxes and the system locks up. My neighbor takes it back and is very pissed.
I get home and he comes to my door asking me to rectify my mess. He says "you work for cybertron right? my computer is broken." I tell him, no, that is my competitor. He tricked you.
So we eventually confront the offending store owner with my neighbor, mall management and a police officer. The manager is well aware this is one of many complaints lodged against this fast talking asshole. I can't stand fast talkers. He's been tricking and duping these poor people out of their money for quite awhile. Its really tough having a business in the hood. I try to charge fair prices and build nice systems, but its bad when you sell a 2.4 ghz laptop for $400 and he undercuts you with a 700mhz p3 128mb of ram for $299 (a few of which had broken touchpads and batteries). People don't know the differnce between specs and buy the severely outdated laptops.....
I'm just very very pissed and had the cop not had been there, I probably would've struck his ass in the mouth. This is my rant per se. Anyway, the current plan is to hopefully round up all the customers he's screwed over within the year he's been here and have them all meet at his shop at once and complain to management. I want to drive this ass-clown out. He's giving my business a bad name and is bad for the community.