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I just went down to Curry's to buy a 160GB iPod. No luck. Apparently they only make a 120GB one now, or so they told me. That's no good to me. I have more than 30,000 songs on my hard drive. So I went next door to PC World. Excellent. They had one on display, although no stock of them. Here's how the conversation went...
Me: I'll have the display one please.
PCW: Sorry, but we can't sell you the display one.
Me: Why not, you can't get any more. It's a discontinued line.
PCW: It's our policy.
Me: Well it's a stupid policy. I want to give you £200 you are unlikely to get from anyone else for it? Don't you want my money?
PCW: Sorry, it's our policy.
Me: Can I speak to the manager please?
I then explain the position to the manager...
Manager: OK, but I can't give you any discount and we haven't got a box for it.
Me: Thanks. I don't need a box and I didn't ask for discount.
The manager then asks a sales assistant to get it out of the cabinet for me. After ten minutes he comes back saying I can't have it because there are no cables with it. I explain that I already have cables. Five minutes later he returns and says he can't work out how to get it out of the display cabinet anyway, but if I'd like a discount of £15 on the 120GB version they'd happily offer me that. I calmly (and politely!) explain that, no, if I had wanted a 120GB iPod I'd have asked for one. He suggests I try Argos, over the road. I do, and needless to say they haven't got any either.
What's a boy got to do to spend money this Christmas?!
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This morning I got a rather lovely Christmas card from Press TV, the Iranian owned broadcaster which I appear on from time to time, which has been dubbed Mullah TV. It did strike me that if an Islamic TV station owned by Iran can send a card wishing me a Happy Christmas, then all is well with the world.
why didn't you just go to the apple store? they have zillions of them in stock.
ReplyDeletejohn lewis too.
ReplyDeleteit's available on Amazon too!
ReplyDeleteI don't think Apple stores have made it to Tunbridge Wells yet...
ReplyDeleteI bought the iPod touch version this week - it's so cool. it is the funnest iPod ever. really.
ReplyDeletethe applications are fab.
I don't want an iphone until the prices come down and they make it even better.
cambridge has an apple store now. surely Tunbridge Wells needs one too?
ReplyDeleteI bought some 2500mAh NiMH AA rechargeable batteries in Maplin's today at £9.99 for a pack of eight but immediately above these were packs of four identical batteries at £10.99.
ReplyDeleteI pointed this out when I paid and was told that the pack of eight were on "special offer" but they could not afford to discount everything.
There's an Apple store at the nearby Bluewater Centre - if this helps...
ReplyDeletei-pods?
ReplyDelete... is this what humanity is reduced to?
These people are normally quite good if you can be bothered with ordering online
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lambda-tek.com/componentshop/index.pl?origin=gbase22.4&prodID=1432527
It's a wonderful thing not to spend anything at Christmas and not to expect anything either. It's liberating.
ReplyDeleteI kept to a tight budget on Christmas presents for the first time this year. Apart from a couple of exceptions, no more than £10 per present. Requires more imagination and intuition
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-iPod-classic-160GB-silver/dp/B000VBEDQ0/ref=sr_1_48?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1229982670&sr=1-48
ReplyDeletewill give you what you want!
Plenty on eBay.
ReplyDeleteWe had exactly the same point in John Lewis with a radio - we did eventually convince them to sell it. but boy was it a painful experience
ReplyDeleteI had the same experience with PCW. They had an Asus Eee. I wanted it, but it was the display model and they wouldn't sell it, so I bought a better model from Amazon 60 quid cheaper. Some of these retailers these days are so sophisticated that they have forgotten the basic truth that they are there to sell stiff, and if they ain't got it, they can't sell it. No wonder they are all in such trouble.
ReplyDeletewhat are you doing with your old ipod? is it for sale?
ReplyDeleteWe are a multi iPod family... one for each car, and one for the train! Decadent, I know...
ReplyDeleteah, entirely understand Iain. I had my 80GB Classic iPod stolen from my gym locker a few weeks ago which was why I asked. It is a painful experience!
ReplyDeleteYeah, you're shit out of luck for anything bigger than a 120 in the Apple range right now. You could always make a switch to another brand, but the last time you did that it was to try an Apple MacBook and I hear that it hasn't gone down very well.
ReplyDelete