CompUSA hot deals Oct 12-18 2003 (US)

[UALOneKPlus]

Siemens SpeedStream Cable Modem $29.99 AMIR ($69.99 - $30 MIR) HOT

Hi-Val 4x DVD+/-R+/-RW Dual Format DVD-RW Drive $129.99 AMIR ($159.99 - $30.MIR) Warm

Western Digital 200GB, 7200RPM, 8MB Cache Internal EIDE Ultra-ATA/100 Hard Drive $129.99 AMIR ($199.99 - $70 MIR) Hot

Seagate Barracuda Plus 120GB, 7200RPM, 8MB Cache Internal ATA/100 Hard Drive $59.99 AMIR ($129.99 - $70 MIR) VERY HOT

[aviationwiz]

Maxtor 120GB, 7200RPM, Internal SATA/150 Hard Drive Price: $109.99 after: $10.00 instant rebate, $30.00 mail-in rebate

[cfitz]

Nice disc drive deals, UALOneKPlus and aviationwiz. In fact, I tried to buy the Seagate. But CompUSA has a new (to me) policy of forcing you to automatically sign up for "Verified by VISA" when you use a VISA credit card (perhaps others as well).

Despite VISA's deceptive claims that this program protects you, the consumer, by giving you "reassurance that only you can use your VISA card online", it actually reduces your protection as a consumer. This program adds an extra layer of "security" which does nothing but protect VISA and the merchant with whom you are doing business. It does this by adding a mechanism by which VISA can obstensibly assure that, as they say, "only you can use your VISA card online".

What does this really mean? It means that if, through the negligence of VISA or an online merchant, a thief obtains your Verified by VISA account information, that thief will be able to charge your card and you, not VISA or the merchant, will be liable for the full amount of the fraud. Why? Because VISA will have "proof" that it was actually you making the charges - the "Verified" by VISA information that "assures" that "only you" could have been using it.

Thus, VISA has neatly turned the tables on consumers with this Verified by VISA program, eliminating what has been until now the consumer fraud protection offered by credit cards and absolving merchants and VISA of responsibility for protecting your credit card information.

Let this serve as warning to all who read it: Verified by VISA does not protect you, it protects the merchant and VISA!

Excuse my language, but "verified" my ass!

Well, CompUSA lost a $150 purchase today, and unless they change their policy they have permanently lost a customer who regularly spends about $1000 a year on computer equipment.

cfitz

[cfitz]

One more thing: when CompUSA automatically signs you up for Verified by VISA, it does so not just for CompUSA purchase, but for all purchases using that card. That is the way the Verified by VISA program works. Thus, if you make an online VISA purchase with CompUSA, you will have left yourself open to full liability for credit card fraud on all future purchases made with that credit card at merchants that use the Verified by VISA program. You might want to think twice about ordering from CompUSA...

cfitz

[cfitz]

Well, what do you know? Best Buy also has an 8 MB, 120 GByte hard drive on sale this week, for $10 less than CompUSA and without the "Verified" by VISA bs:

http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=13042

(thanks redk9258)

Guess which store got my business today?


cfitz

[UALOneKPlus]

Thanks for the info, cfitz!

I plan on going into the store to see if the Seagate is available.

The Best Buy deal is very hot, but I hate doing multiple rebates

[cfitz]

The Best Buy deal is very hot, but I hate doing multiple rebates

Yes, that is the drawback with that deal... pick your poison...

Personally, the rebate hassle is a one-time issue (for this particular purchase), while if you get the Seagate on-line at CompUSA you have signed up forever, so the choice is clear to me in my circumstances.

I plan on going into the store to see if the Seagate is available.

That is a good alternative if it works for you, but unfortunately none of the CompUSA stores in my region have it in stock. By the way, did you know you can check in-store availability online? They have a button on the product page at compusa.com - it might save you a wasted trip. You could also try using MasterCard, American Express, etc. Presumably they don't force you into this Verified by VISA scam.

cfitz

[aviationwiz]

cfitz,

I never thought of the Verified by Visa thing like that before. You drive very intresting arguments. I never thought that it would prevent CC fraud, but this is very intresting. It shows that if there IS CC fraud, you are liable, not Visa. Not a very good thing to sign up for. My recomendation cfitz, get a MasterCard.

[UALOneKPlus]

Thanks cfitz for the tip about the in-store inventory check.

[UALOneKPlus]

Maxtor 120GB, 7200RPM, Internal SATA/150 Hard Drive Price: $109.99 after: $10.00 instant rebate, $30.00 mail-in rebate

BTW I went to my local CompUSA, and they only had the Maxtor Ultra ATA 120 GB hard drive in stock, with the ad listed above.

Is CompUSA confusing Ultra ATA with SATA??

[cfitz]

My recomendation cfitz, get a MasterCard.

Yeah, that or a Discover card, although it still seems there are some places that don't accept Discover. Anyone have any experience with American Express Blue?

cfitz

[cfitz]

BTW I went to my local CompUSA, and they only had the Maxtor Ultra ATA 120 GB hard drive in stock, with the ad listed above.

Is CompUSA confusing Ultra ATA with SATA??

The picture on the web site shows an SATA (or is it "a SATA" - how do you pronounce "SATA" - ess ay tee ay, sa-tuh or say-tuh?) sticker on it, so I don't think they are confused.

It is listed as in-stock at my local CompUSA. I have no need for it since I don't have an SATA motherboard, but if I happen to be in the area I will try to stop by, check, and report back.

cfitz

[CDRecorder]

how do you pronounce "SATA" - ess ay tee ay, sa-tuh or say-tuh?

I always say "ess ay tee ay", but I don't know how most people pronounce it.

[cfitz]

That's what I say too, but I have never heard anyone else pronounce it, so I can only guess that is the accepted pronunication.

cfitz

[aviationwiz]

I always say sa-tuh

[cfitz]

Maybe I should start a poll. Off to the beer garden...

cfitz

[airtommy]

I found this at VISA's website. It's a bit ambiguous:

Q: Will Visa's Zero Liability policy cover me if someone uses my password to make a purchase using Verified by Visa?

A: The Zero Liability policy protects you against the unauthorized use of your Visa card. For further details about the Zero Liability policy and Verified by Visa contact the financial institution that issued your Visa card.

I can't get a look at the Terms & Conditions of Verified by Visa without signing up for it. If anyone has the Terms & Conditions, can you please cut & paste them to this forum?

[cfitz]

I found this at VISA's website. It's a bit ambiguous:

Q: Will Visa's Zero Liability policy cover me if someone uses my password to make a purchase using Verified by Visa?

A: The Zero Liability policy protects you against the unauthorized use of your Visa card. For further details about the Zero Liability policy and Verified by Visa contact the financial institution that issued your Visa card.

Yeah, they side-step that pretty neatly. If it is unauthorized use, you are protected. Of course, the fact that your password was used implies that the use was authorized and, thus, leaves you with the burden of proving that it wasn't authorized by you. This is the opposite of the current non-Verified by VISA model where VISA and/or the merchant has the burden of proving that a questionable charge was authorized by you. Essentially, the new policy amounts to changing the presumption from innocence on your part to guilty on your part. From which position would you rather begin arguing?

I can't get a look at the Terms & Conditions of Verified by Visa without signing up for it. If anyone has the Terms & Conditions, can you please cut & paste them to this forum?

That should be setting off flashing red lights and alarm bells right there. To paraphrase: "Sign up for our service, but we won't tell you the terms and conditions of our service until after you sign up." I wonder if they also sell bridges in New York?

cfitz

[cfitz]

BTW I went to my local CompUSA, and they only had the Maxtor Ultra ATA 120 GB hard drive in stock, with the ad listed above.

Is CompUSA confusing Ultra ATA with SATA??

I did make it my local CompUSA today, and although by the time I got there the drives were out of stock, they did have separate shelf space and lableing for the SATA version, so I'm sure they are not confusing the two.

cfitz

[CowboySlim]

BTW I went to my local CompUSA, and they only had the Maxtor Ultra ATA 120 GB hard drive in stock, with the ad listed above.

Is CompUSA confusing Ultra ATA with SATA??

I did make it my local CompUSA today, and although by the time I got there the drives were out of stock, they did have separate shelf space and lableing for the SATA version, so I'm sure they are not confusing the two.

cfitz

I just got back from my local CompUSA with good luck in hand. There were none on the shelf, so I asked the manager and he went to the back and got one. I don't use a VISA card and there was no issue with my Master Card. Except that he wanted to look at my ID, as they always do these days. Well, at least he didn't explain that it was for my protection. It really pisses me off when they say that - it is complete bull. It is for their protection, if anyone's.

I've had my Discover Card number stolen twice over the years, probably about $6,000 total and I've never been out a penny. Just a hassle to get it all straightened out. Credit card theft is the absolute least of my worries. Compared to that, getting my Fuji rebates fulfilled is HUGE!

Good night all, got to move some photos and songs from one HDD to another to replace one of these which goes in my daughter's PC.