Long lines and high prices are a staple at the University of South Alabama bookstore. Now, I can add rude cashiers and backwards policies to the list.
During the break I wanted to get a head start on the spring semester so I decided to pick up some of my textbooks.
I attempted to get the books from the website because of bad experiences in the past but they kept delaying the day when books would be available. I finally relented and went inside.
I tracked down the books I needed and went to pay for then. When I got to the register, instead of a ‘hello’, I get “This is non-returnable.”
Forget the fact I keep the vast majority of my books for a moment. The blunt demeanor of the woman ringing me up took me aback. I asked why and she replied in the same robotic voice “This is non-returnable.”
I informed her it was a textbook and she told me that was why I could not bring it back. I asked when they had begun this policy and she told me it has always been this way.
Three years of undergrad and two as a graduate student, I have never heard this before.
I asked her if this was to discourage people from buying early and she replied with a matter-of-fact “Yes.”
Apperantly, buying early is some sort of mortal sin at our campus bookstore.
It is not a big deal, as like I said, I keep most of my books. But, it would have been nice if she had politely explained why instead of just marking in big red letters on my receipt “No Return.”
Instead of a half-hearted apology or lame explanation, all I got was a bad attitude which pretty much told me to get out of her store.
This is the exact reason why I always try to buy online. Not only are the prices better, you do not have to deal with a stressed-out cashier who hates you simply because you are in the store. I can overlook having to navigate my away across piles of books and empty boxes. I can forgive the 80% markup on used books. But there is no reason to not allow a return on a textbook and then get grouchy when the customer enquires why.
The irony in this entire situation is that the bookstore is well aware of how they treat their customers. I will quote Brian W. Catlin in the Oct. 23, 2006 issue of the Vanguard, in a response to a similar article from another member of our staff:
“I would like to apologize to you for such a disappointing experience in the Bookstore and assure you that we value our customers and appreciate their business.”
He ends his letter with “We will use this experience as a reminder of the importance of knowing our customer’s expectations and our mission to exceed them.”
You did meet my expectations, Mr. Catlin, as I always expect to have a negative experience in the USA Bookstore.
Looks like I will have to go back to my habit of shopping online.
And if that does not work, well, hey, Anders is right across the street.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
PS3 an official failure
After literally years of hype, Sony’s Playstation 3 has officially failed to live up to some lofty standards.
Since launching in mid-November, the newest edition of the gaming juggernaut has been a disappointment to both buyers and sellers.
On the gaming side, a poor selection of exclusive titles has made the PS3 look like the second coming of the 3DO. Many titles expected for launch have been delayed until 2007.
Leading the list is Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Pete Hines, Vice President of Public Relations for publisher Bethesda Software, said in an official press release “Oblivion PS3 is now a Q1 2007 title.”
While no reason was given, speculation suggested the delayed was due to difficulties in the PS3 hardware. Similar problems delayed the game’s release on the Xbox 360 a year earlier until Spring 2006.
Other big titles have either been delayed or canceled outright. Rainbow Six: Vegas is only delayed a few weeks but PC and Xbox 360 owners will have had a few months head start by time the game hits shelves.
NBA Live 2007, another much-hyped launch title, was cancelled. EA Sports put out a statement saying their plans were “too ambitious and did not want to rush” the title.
As the calendar changed over to 2007, the only PS3 exclusives were Genji: Days of the Blade and Resistance: Fall of Man. Only Resistance has had positive reviews.
The lack of games is not offset by the backwards compatibility Sony boasts for the PS3. Gamespot.com reported on Nov. 14 that close to 200 Playstation and Playstation 2 games would not work on the PS3. Sony has promised future upgrades to fix the problem, however.
Gamespot.com quoted a Sony spokesperson in the aforementioned article, "We are aware that a select number of titles have compatibility issues but these problems will be fixed with a software upgrade that will be available in the near future."
Unfortunately, Sony’s track record lately has not been that great when it comes to honesty in the game console wars.
First, the infamous spec sheet Sony released to the media. In this, they attempted to justify the PS3’s price tag by comparing it to the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. Sony erroneously stated that in order to play games on the Xbox 360, consumers would be forced to buy the 20-gig hard drive add-on, HD DVD add-on, a wireless controller and a 12-month subscription to Xbox Live.
The wireless controller is simply a luxury, not a requirement and Xbox Live is only needed to play games over the Internet. The gaming media was also quick to point out that the hard drive was only needed for a limited number of games and mostly served as an alternative to the memory card. Additionally, the HD DVD add-on will only play HD DVD movies, having zero impact on game play.
Sony also lost credibility in Nov. when executive vice president Jack Tretton stated the Nintendo Wii had “zero backwards compatibility.”
This statement was quickly proven false.
Gamers putting all their gaming eggs in the PS3 basket were also disappointed to see some games originally meant to be PS3 exclusives announced for other systems. Ubisoft lead the way in September, announcing the much-hyped “Assassin’s Creed” would grace the PC and Xbox 360. That announcement was soon followed by that of “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “Fatal Inertia” would be ported for Microsoft’s machine as well.
Sellers have not been impressed, either.
Retailers have not had as much success with the PS3 as the Wii.
According to Reuters, in the first week after each respective launch, the Wii doubled the sales figures for the PS3, 476,000 to 197,000 with The Times Online, the Wii was outselling the PS3 by a rate of two to one at the end of 2006.
Gameindustry.biz reported the Xbox 360 as the ‘official’ holiday winner, selling 2 million units, compared to 1.8 million units of the Wii and 750,000 PS3 units sold.
"Nintendo seems to have stolen the high ground in terms of playability and entertainment value. Nintendo seems to be surfing this wave of public interest and this idea of accessibility that they started with Nintendogs and these brain games," said analyst Paul Jackson.
A reporter here at the Vanguard works part-time at a local video game store and saw first hand how much more popular the Wii was to the PS3.
Wii systems usually sell out in less than an hour while PS3 systems stay for days. Parents are much more interested in the $249 price tag for the Wii than they are for the PS3.
Demand has dropped so much that scalpers have been returning systems for refunds.
The Hamilton Spectator reported scalpers were unable to receive the $1000 or more asking price, even during the Christmas rush.
As a result, scalpers are either keeping them for themselves, selling for close to the retail price or simply returning them for a refund.
An eBay search on Jan. 3 showed the system going for far less than launch-week prices. The highest bid was only $800, a far cry from earlier auctions which reached over $1,500.
PS3 owners still have something to smile about, however.
Namco recently offered an arcade-perfect
Sony’s system still has arguably the sharpest graphics in the next-gen race and “Resistance: Fall of Man” is still a hell of an exclusive title.
Square-Enix has announced the 13th installment of the mega-popular “Final Fantasy” series but a commitment to all three systems leaves the exclusivity of the game in doubt.
When one tires of games, PS3 owners can watch Blu Ray discs out of the box. Compared to an average price of $900 for a stand-alone, the PS3 is the cheapest Blu Ray player on the market.
Still, if the Playstation and Playstation 2 are any indication, the Blu Ray player in the system will be defective in a couple of years.
None of this is a death sentence for Sony and the PS3 but Sony does have a lot of ground to make up. After losing consumer faith after a year of broken promises, unfulfilled hyped and music Cd's which installed a virus on users PCs (yes, that was Sony, too) Sony must rebound in 2007 if they want to avoid the same fate as Atari , SEGA or worse, Commodore International.
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