Watch What You Pay
It's a well-established law of life that stuff breaks just when it is least convenient. For instance shoe laces only break when you're rushing to leave the house for some important meeting, and when you have no idea where the replacement laces (that you bought a year ago for this very eventuality) are now located. Since I had only a short time at home this weekend between returning from one business trip and leaving for another, it only stands to reason that my (one and only) watch should choose this moment to stop working.
It didn't exactly stop - it just started telling weird time, a good sign that the battery was giving up the ghost. So this necessitated a trip to the mall and the crappy kiosk which replaces batteries.
I was prevented from approaching the spotty kid at the kiosk by an Indian family who had got there just ahead of me, along with a collection of about fifteen watches that the father seemed undecided what he wanted to do with. "Fuck off, fuck off, fuck off" I was thinking, as my miniscule weekend drained away. Eventually I got to the desk and asked the kid how long it would take. About 25 minutes was the response. The cost? "Twenty five dollars, which includes a five year guarantee."
Something made me suspicious that there was a better price available.
"Is that the only option?"
"You can have it done for $14.99 but that only has a one year guarantee. For the five year we replace the seal and do testing, otherwise it will void your warranty from Guess."
Note that my Guess watch must be ten years old and I'm sure it didn't cost $50 even then. I'm not even sure it had a warranty, but it must have expired long ago. I looked at the kid.
"I bet it's the same battery in each case, right?"
"Yes the battery is the same."
"So it clearly can last five years - why would I pay more for the five year guarantee?"
"After a year you can bring it back if it stops working."
Stupid bastard.
"Just do the one year version, OK?"
It's bad enough paying $14.99 for a battery that costs about $1 to be installed, but needs must when you're short of time. The higher price is pure scam though, and I hate people that try to rip you off. Wankers.
It didn't exactly stop - it just started telling weird time, a good sign that the battery was giving up the ghost. So this necessitated a trip to the mall and the crappy kiosk which replaces batteries.
I was prevented from approaching the spotty kid at the kiosk by an Indian family who had got there just ahead of me, along with a collection of about fifteen watches that the father seemed undecided what he wanted to do with. "Fuck off, fuck off, fuck off" I was thinking, as my miniscule weekend drained away. Eventually I got to the desk and asked the kid how long it would take. About 25 minutes was the response. The cost? "Twenty five dollars, which includes a five year guarantee."
Something made me suspicious that there was a better price available.
"Is that the only option?"
"You can have it done for $14.99 but that only has a one year guarantee. For the five year we replace the seal and do testing, otherwise it will void your warranty from Guess."
Note that my Guess watch must be ten years old and I'm sure it didn't cost $50 even then. I'm not even sure it had a warranty, but it must have expired long ago. I looked at the kid.
"I bet it's the same battery in each case, right?"
"Yes the battery is the same."
"So it clearly can last five years - why would I pay more for the five year guarantee?"
"After a year you can bring it back if it stops working."
Stupid bastard.
"Just do the one year version, OK?"
It's bad enough paying $14.99 for a battery that costs about $1 to be installed, but needs must when you're short of time. The higher price is pure scam though, and I hate people that try to rip you off. Wankers.
posted by Mr Bison at
9:54 AM
1 Comments:
It's like the extended warranties sold with fridges and tv's that cost almost the same price as a replacement. Fucking rip-off bastards.
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