Frost Bite: Rants

The Great Rebate Scam

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 15:34:45 GMT

With Thanksgiving around the corner, many are, I am sure, already drooling at whats on sale either in the electronics store or wherever it is that they get high. Just remember that most items that are on sale are available at that price because of a retailer rebate. Yes, the great rebate scam- this is what I am getting at. [article] enlightens us and maybe (?) will put some sense in those of us who go weak in the knees when looking at their favorite new toy on sale at the store.

Podcasts

Fri, 01 Jul 2005 23:27:00 GMT

Separating signal from the noise

Apple iTunes Store (I think this is one of the worst stores around, I haven't seen the updated one. That means I am still talking about the old one) has brought iTunes to the masses and is being touted as a grest advancement in empowering the people, giving everybody a voice and all the other ideals that democracy stands for. (Apple ads and the supporting PR campaigns are bland to say the least) Follow the link and read the author's opinions on this new strain of excitement. My reactions were along very similar lines and thought I'd rather link to his post rather than rehash most of what was being said (this is one of the flip sides to blogging - information re-cycling with absolutely no value addition).

Is Enterprise enterprising?

Mon, 20 Jun 2005 00:54:23 GMT

I tried to rent my own wheels from enterprise car rental for this weekend and I called my friendly neighborhood Enterprise office and asked them if they had any compact cars that I could rent for the weekend. The employee in his practiced ease of handling customers said their weekend specials were three day specials and that meant that I had to rent the car for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The cost of this option was $15 for the car and $25 coverage totalling to $40 per day. Since the weekend ran for three days that meant $120 plus taxes. These taxes are charged on a dialy basis and together amounts to another $10-$15 per day. It was then that I interrupted his rhetoric and told him that I wanted the car for just two days and wasn't terribly excited about renting the car for three days. I then learnt that if I wanted to do it my way, then I had to pay weekday rates for the car for a period of two days. The car together with full coverage costs $65 per day exclusive of taxes. So, I was looking at either spending $130 plus taxes for the two day option or $120 plus taxes for the three day option. Not too much between them eh?

The Enterprise agent didn't seem to think so, in his saccharine voice he tried to get me to take the three day rental on the grounds that it was way cheaper than the two day option. His point of argument based itself on the fact that it was cheaper on a per day basis but not really any cheaper considering that I was paying for an extra day. Now, at that rate had I been offered the two day option I would have taken it. I totalled both the options and asked the agent what the difference really was and why he was pushing me to jump head first into this three day option. While he was in the midst of a hurried and impromptu explanation of the apparent joy I would get from driving a Dodge Neon for an extra day, I cut him off and told him that I wasn't interested. I took the bus instead and Greyhound was 'kind' enough to relieve me of $61 for a 5 hr trip to Philadelphia.

They want to make a pre-determined amount of money from each transaction and have devised 'clever' (I am using the term very loosely) methods to beguile unsuspecting customers with their pitch 'more is better' into taking exactly what Enterprise wants them to take all the while giving the customer the impression that he (the customer) is in control and he has to power of choice.

Aren't they enterprising?