The Ramblings

I’m sitting here in my apartment here in Hyde Park, Cincinnati on a partly cloudy day, watching the Celtics vs Cavs through my SlingBox Solo. I’m also on Jellyfish watching the Wish List smack. A few updates for my first real full week in Cincinnati.

Overall…Cincinnati is a cool small city (it’s no Seattle but its got its own uniqueness). The diversity that I’m used to (being in Ann Arbor and Seattle) isn’t quite there, the make-up of the city is mostly Caucasian and African-American, but no big deal, just an observation.

Things I don’t like…My Kia rental car was broken into in Newport, KY (the city across the river that splits OH and KY). I parked my car under a lamppost about a block away from the busy area of Newport, which – after speaking to the officers – is normally patrolled by constables, I assumed that it was safe, stuck my GPS in the glove compartment and went on my merry way to see Ironman. I returned 2 hours later to find my passenger window shattered, GPS and Soccer bag missing. Really, really, really lame…whoever decided to commit this crime must have been watching me from a distance and my only comment to you is “Please go do something with your life that contributes to society, other than being a thug.” What really is crappy about the situation is the fact that the person who committed the crime isn’t punished, I’m the one stuck paying for the window and replacing the gear that was stolen from me! However, optimistically speaking I got a better rental vehicle (but I had to drive to the Covington, KY airport at 1:00 PM EST on a Tuesday) that has leather seats and XM Satellite radio.

Comments about electronics/gadgets stores…I’ve made two trips to Best Buy these past two weeks (every time with the intent to purchase a SlingBox Solo and/or Garmin GPS matt). My first try was to bargain with Best Buy folks on the SlingBox Solo because I had read in a Wired.com article that they were willing to match the prices found at other electronics stores such as Buy.com (I had seen the SlingBox Solo on their website for $15 less + Free S&H). After talking with several customer service reps and managers they wouldn’t/couldn’t go lower than $10 discount (they made some excuse about how Buy.com has no OH and stuff, which in response I challenged him on that comment…really? Buy.com, no OH? I don’t think so…they have to pay people to and they have warehouses that use electricity too. I think you can say they have less OH but to say they have no OH?!). Well in the end, I left the store unsatisfied and displeased with Best Buy. I thought to myself Best Buy is essentially a wholesale/volume retailer of electronics, they shouldn’t be concerned about the profit margin they derive from specific products, they should be more concerned about volume and inventory turn times (let the manufacturers, SlingMedia, worry about profit margin).

Verdict…Buy.com 1 Best Buy 0.

My second trip to Best Buy was to buy the Garmin GPS matt (it’s a better solution than the suction cup they include with the GPS units). Once again, I went in, this time without checking Buy.com, willing to pay the mark-up to get the product immediately. I had a 10% discount coupon I wanted to use but it was on my computer in electronic form because I don’t have a printer here in my Cinci apartment. When I initially checked out I asked the sales girl if she could just enter the code/serial number into the computer (I have a RewardZone membership so it shouldn’t have been a problem), she tried it and it worked. I thought “Great!” Not so fast grasshopper…haha the manager woman asked her manager and they said I needed a paper copy. We then proceeded to try to use their system/computers to print the coupon, I was going to log onto my e-mail to print it but apparently, they aren’t allowed to check G-Mail from their computers. I understand the policy from a company standpoint (someone probably abused the system and checked his/her e-mail excessively) however it really wasn’t helpful in my situation. I also tried to get them to lookup my RewardZone account (they do it by my phone number at checkout) but they weren’t able to do that either. I thought, “I thought Best Buy was a high-tech company, right?” Not so, why couldn’t they just take my electronic coupon number?! I sort of understand it from a “corporation” standpoint but this is why Buy.com is kicking your butt from my standpoint! Once again, in the end I left the store unsatisfied and displeased with Best Buy.

Verdict…Buy.com 2 Best Buy 0.