on the lighter side DOA iMac

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Barry Ritholtz <ritholtz () optonline net>
Date: Sun, 09 Jan 2005 07:56:04 -0500
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: DOA iMac

Hi Dave,

I'm curious if any other IP-ers have this experience with a shipper:

My new G5 iMac arrives -- only it has a thin pink stripe down the
center of the screen. Tech support is very helpful, we run a few tests.
They declare it DOA -- email me a shipping tag. I carefully pack the
Mac up, and take it to FedExKinkos to ship to Cupertino --  we seal it
up, attach the shipping label. So far, a bad situation -- a brand new
dead PC -- is moving along better than expected. Minor headaches, but
all parties involved were very helpful.

I ask for a receipt, and -- here's where things get odd -- KinkosFedEx
says they don't do that.

No receipt? Um, excuse me? I am handing you over $1,800 worth of
hardware -- admittedly DOA hardware -- but its still 2 grand worth of
computer that I am responsible for.

The guy at Kinko'sFedEx says:  "Sorry, we can't give you a receipt,
unless you pay for the shipping - - and Apple paid for it. Keep a copy
of your print out of the label as a receipt. Or you can wait for the
driver to arrive, and watch him scan it into the shipment."

This is a seriously flawed process; If FedEx loses it, then I have no
proof I entrusted it to them; Or an unscrupulous person can pretend to
have shipped a DOA PC (which is really fine), and blame the receiptless
FedEx, keeping the merch. Either way, its potentially not good for
either party.

I cannot wait 2 hours to watch the driver scan it into the system; Nor
am I going to place $2,000 worth of hardware I am responsible for into
the hands of a stranger. 

But I have an idea. Do it yourself reciept :  Snap a shot of the boxed
Mac in Kinkos on the LG phone, email myself the photo -- Voila! Instant
reciept!  (you can see the photo of the iMac G5 at the Glen Cove Road
Kinkos Fed Ex in Greenvale NY
here:    
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/writing/2005/01/fed_ex_receipt_.html )

Even better, my car's GPS places me in the Kinko's parking lot. I don't
know how long e911 keeps records, but it should show my location of
where the emailed photo was made from -- FedEx Kinkos.

So now I feel I have covered myself against loss, but was this really
necessary? Has anyone else had any issues with getting receipts from
shippers?

Hey Fed Ex. How about a reciept next time . . .



Barry L. Ritholtz
Chief Market Strategist
Maxim Group
britholtz () maximgrp com
(212) 895-3614
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Big Picture:  A blog of capital markets, geopolitics, with a dash
of film and music!
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/

------ End of Forwarded Message


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