So here it is, typing off of my new laptop computer.
Actually, I think it's a notebook.
Unbelievable last night and very thankful for the Plan, without it, this would not have worked.
That's because I opted to go to Fry's Electronics and to send Caleb to Walmart.
Well, the line at Fry's was at least 1,000 people long and stretched all the way around the huge building that it occupies. Caleb, on the other hand, got in line for the
TV I wanted at Walmart and told me he would go to the computers afterward.
Well he was number 6 in line for the TV's which virtually guaranteed he was getting one of those, then he saw the $19 HP printers sitting almost right next to the TV's, so he hopped in that line, grabbed one of those and then headed for the computer line.
He called and said the computer line was too long and he might not be able to get one. I asked him the price, he was in the line for the $200 plus computer, a computer I most definitely did NOT want. I saw that thing on th ads and it is a piece of junk. I told him he was in the wrong line and see if he could find the computers that were in the $300 range.
He calls back several minutes later and said he found the $388 computer and there was no line at all. I figured as much, people were there for the cheap junk as usual,not wanting to spend a bit more for a killer machine.
Well, I was in another line at Fry's by that point and was undecided. I could wait in the 300 plus people line for the laptops there and hope for the best or go with the one Caleb had. I asked Caleb to read off the things his computer had on it.
What he read off indicated to me that he had the wrong computer again. The computer he had was the one that was listed at almost $500 on the ad. Caleb insisted that he had asked several times to be sure that it was the right price. I couldn't believe it but wasn't there, yet I didn't need to be there. The one I had wanted was a 15'6" machine, the 17" version was more than I wanted to shell out.
I asked him to read off the specs again. No way. I told him to put the thing into his cart and I got out of the laptop line at Fry's. I don't know if Walmart screwed up or what, but I would gladly take a better machine at a lower price! I was elated but still - a bit suspicious actually. Well, I bought a "monster" cable from Fry's, hooks the computer up to a TV or other things, those things sold out in 10 minutes at the price they were selling them at and got out of there, headed over to Walmart since Caleb was in a long line to check out. I got there and my elation did not go away. It was the almost $500 machine, so I wondered what was going to happen at checkout?
We got up there and the lady rang it up at ............$388! Oh my gosh! Sold!! I got everything I wanted, well almost, there is another sale this morning and I think I am going to run up there, they had a gun case that I need for my 12 gauge on sale this morning and I doubt those are going to disappear too quickly. I might walk around the store and see if there are any remnants of anything else good. I got out of there much cheaper than I had expected and that was a huge plus as well. I knew that Black Friday was my biggest opportunity to try and score a good laptop, otherwise I was going to have to elect for something much lessor in terms of quality. Now if I could only get used to this keyboard...........I am running the thing off of battery power. It claims 4-1/2 hours of use on one charge.
I'm also going to have to get a carrying case for it, like today, I am not waiting to protect this baby from getting all scratched up and junk, I want to treat it like the machine that it is. If I get enough energy banged up, I will also go and see if Verizon is going to give me the mobile broadband - without a contract? I don't want cell service from them, just mobile broadband. In other words, I am not getting a free phone from them so why should I have to sign a 2 year contract? I'll find out, I guess.
I got my $98 flat screen TV for the trailer as well. Haven't even gotten it out of the box yet. I went to bed at 3am and getting this computer out of the box and getting it up and running was enough for me last night. This thing came equipped with a DVD burner!
Well, I am getting up and out of bed and off to the races again, though I expect fewer people there this morning - the great deals were last night - I really don't know. I am going target shooting with my mom and Caleb on Sunday morning so I need some more .40 cal ammo and that carrying case for the 40 cal Sigma.
I will be writing another entry later on, I am pretty sure of that. I wanted to tak my new computer with me and check out wifi spots - but I don't have my carrying case yet so I will put that on hold.
Happy - Black Friday!
ben
4 comments:
My dealings with Verizon wireless more or less match yours with Direct TV.
I have, in the past, involved the State of NY Attorney General in my case, which ultimately unsprung a whole new battery of direct phone numbers to their HQ.
You will likely have your work cut out for you.
fin
Well, I don't doubt a large corporation making oodles of money and probably using cheap labor is going to have it's issues - ie: Direct TV. I have no dealings with Verizon but they are the only carrier that has any coverage up on the property. I have been fiddling with it today, it works okay here, not great, but a lot of cell phone providers have issues in this particular area, apparently because of 2 towers being located to close to each other and causing some kind of interference for each other. I didn't get the thing to use at home, so no biggies - I will be taking it out for "test runs" in the next days and see how it does elsewhere. My mother has reception up there on her property with Verizon and the map shows 3G coverage. I hope not to have problems with the company, but I certainly am not going to run and hide if there are. I just don't want to pay for Hughes satellite broadband, it's too expensive and I have not heard any good reviews about their reception; the download speed or dealings with the company. Besides, I wanted to be able to take the computer with me in the truck and have something to do when waiting at certain job sites for next to eternity waiting for a contractor to show up. I have delved into it now, too late to turn back.
ben
As I said, I did not think you would shrink from the confrontation. I simply wanted you to approach it with your eyes wide open, realistically.
I think the BEST download speed I ever got with my verizon wireless usb card was about 750kbps, in an era where most speeds are now measured in megabytes per second, not kilobytes. And despite their claim of 'unlimited' monthly usage, it turned out to be a major LIE, and hence my involvement of the NY State AG's office.
If you go over 5 GIG for the month, expect your stream to be reduced to a trickle, and screaming at supervirors and managers may not be at all effective. For me to downgrade to a less costly plan, they wanted a contract.
So I shall watch with interest, and wish you luck.
Hmmm. Well, if I go over 5 G's in a month and I have to pay the extra money it costs - and as you are saying - the stream is reduced, yes, there will be phone calls, you may read about them on this blog. I will not pay extra for less, plain and simple. I don't scream at managers, but if they start disrespecting me, they will get the same treatment back, which doesn't have to resort to screaming. I learned how to push buttons in a bad marriage. I expands out to the entire depth of mankind, if you want it to go there, regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation. In other words, if they start s*** with me, I can certainly give them a dose of their own medicine. I do NOT want to go there and hope dearly I won't have to. I have enough other things on my plate right now to not have to deal with a company I JUST started out with.
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