GOOD BUSINESS or CONSUMER JUSTICE? EITHER WAY IT WORKS FOR ME

I had to update my fax machine. It was an old kind that had the thermal roler paper that fades over time. Also the fax's I recieved lately have been very faint to read. I need to send or recieve faxes concerning my job. Whether it be for copies of a new perscription for a client or just letting my employers know if my other client is off to his parents for more then 24 hours etc. Hense it was time to retire our fax machine. I got it from my dad 7 years ago when he had to change to hard copies for his business. It served us all well. I will be holding a small service in respect for years of hard work, recognising the appropriate prayer for unplugging the fax. AMEN.

We went to (Bureau en Gros) aka Staples. Not needing a fax with all the bells and whistles, we opted for the least expensive but very nice 119.99$ model. Fortunatetly for us is was also displayed under a big sign showing 99.99$. We got some basic info about this model from a young man and decided to purchase it.

At the cash I notice that the girl doesn't give me the 20$ rebate. I pay regular price. I mention this and she goes on to say that it is a postal rebate. We have to take our receipt to another counter to get the postal rebate paper. Let me also add that this young woman wouldn't crack a smile to save her own life. You know the type, they wear a long ass face that makes you want to reach over, grab them by the collar real tight and say...Hey! it isnt my fault you obviously hate your job, got no sleep and your genetic disposition rivals that of a sloth! So either turn that frown upside down and make me feel like my appearance in you day is a happy event or QUIT!!!...........ok, thats a bit much but you can all relate I am sure.

Anyway...we go to the forementioned counter to get our postal rebate slip. It is a rebate of 50$ HUH? I am thinking this is great but something isnt right. I can certainly appreciate 50$ off the price but it has nothing to do with the $20 store rebate and doesn't add up or make sense of what the cash girl with the face from hell said.

We go back and mention this to her. She is bound and determined that she is correct by going to the regular price display. We point her to the HUGE pile of the same fax machines in the isle under the 99.99$ price sign that still seems to resist her logic so she calls someone. It happened to be the young man that had served us earlier. He understood emmediately and told her that the store sale price had nothing to do with the postal rebate. She scoffed and called the manager over. He looked at the display, looked at the situation and looked back at the girl and said he really didn't see what was so complicated. Told the face from hell to give us our 20$ rebate PLUS another 10$ off because it is store policy when it is their error. She complied. With tax it worked out to $34.51 back. During this whole exchange we were always smiling and thankful being simply happy that we were getting a decent fax machine for an even more decent price. Other then the face from hell, the service was impeccable.

It gets even better. ......Later that evening I start filling out the postal rebate to mail off the next day. I realize that it is invalid. It clearly states that purchast must be before dec 31/2004 . We got it on the 4th or Jan. Hmmmm. I call the store yesterday and tell them of my dillema. The gentleman that took my call asked me to hold while he verified. He comes back to say that I am right, it was the store's mistake in giving it to me so they will give me 50$ instead. So I send Chris off with the receipt and the name of the guy to ask for on a peice of paper.

Chris calls me from the car , laughing as he tells me that he infact got a refund . They deducted 50$ from the reciept but that affects the taxes paid so infact they gave us $57.51 back. SO in all we got $92.02 back on a fax machine that cost $137.98 tax included (14.5%).........At the end of the day it cost us a whopping........45.96$$$$$ Not bad eh...lol