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----------------------------------------------------------Permission is granted for the below article to forward,reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website,offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as longas no changes a Gone are those times when the companies and the organisations didn't need a hi-tech system to handle them. Owing to the considerable increase in the business sector and thus, an enormous increase in the complexity of the organisational struc

On a perfect summer day in 1997, life as I knew it waschanged forever. I lost all trust in the human race, andfelt my life was over -- but I vowed to seek vendetta inthe most violent way. Yes, the taste of blood was in mymouth… Okay, so maybe it wasn’t quite as melodramatic as all that- but I sure was seething mad. I had been ripped off to the tune of $2800 by a scam artistwho "sold" me a Gateway laptop over the Internet. I’d tell you the details, but they’re just too painful torelive. And frankly, I feel more than a little embarrassedfor being conned. After that distasteful experience, I embarked on a personalcrusade not only to expose the deceptive sales practices inthe computer industry, but also to scour the globe for thebest computer deals in the world. I voraciously read computer manuals, specs, ads -- andscrutinized anything that even remotely resembled a PC. Mybrain became the Geiger counter for computer-buyinginformation. As a result, I’ve become the Head Purchasing Manager for aworldwide non-profit organization consisting of 7000+members – in charge of purchasing computer equipment foroverseas branches in South Korea, Russia, the Philippines,China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Europe. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Flashback to 1997. Back then, I learned quite a few things aboutcomputer-buying that very few people on this planet knowabout. I’m going to reveal some sneaky -- and in someinstances, illegal -- things that computer vendors do tobilk you out of your hard earned cash. 1) Bait and Switch - Computer vendors generally resort toany means to get you to their website or store first. Themost common way is to lure you there with the promise ofthe lowest prices. When you fall for the bait, and visittheir website or store, you’ll find that their prices arehigher than they advertised. They feed you the story thatthe advertised price was last week’s price, or that pricedoesn’t include this component or that peripheral. Vendorsdo this because, in the highly competitive business ofcomputer sales, this is sometimes the only way they get ashot at showing you their wares. Then, they do the usualsong-and-dance routine: “But while you’re here, have I gota deal for you…” hoping you won’t go looking elsewhere. 2) Bankruptcy Routine - This trick consists of opening a‘new’ computer outlet, selling product for a few months,shipping only a portion of the orders, and then declaringbankruptcy and taking most of the customer’s money. Thepeople who do this are real crooks, and typically engage inthis practice many times. 3) Opportunistic Pricing - This is something very fewpeople know about. Mail order companies change their pricesand specifications regularly. They have a complex pricingpolicy where they employ experts whose only job is todetermine exactly how much the market will be willing topay for a specific model. 4) Delayed Shipments - Some firms charge your credit card,and ship your order within a week -- but since it is alegal requirement that the goods are shipped to you within30 days, it could take all of 30 days before your goodsleave their warehouse. And you may not be able to cancelyour order. They are, of course, earning interest on yourmoney. 5) Shared Memory - As a cost cutting measure, some systemsare designed for the video card to share memory with thesystem itself and not to have its own dedicated memory.Therefore a system with 64 MB RAM advertised with a 4 MBcard has only 60 MB of free RAM after the video card’srequirements. On budget systems, this is common but youshould be told about it. You could end up buying a computerthat has 64 MB of RAM and then find that you only reallyhave 58 MB -- and you can't run a program that needs 64MB. 6) What You See Isn’t What You Get - As the components thatgo into a machine are numerous and constantly changing, youmay find that the machine you receive is rarely the exactmachine you ordered. These differences are caused by thefrequent non-availability of various components.Additionally, some big name mail order firms’ sales repsget into the habit of "forgetting" what price they gave youfor the equipment you asked for – and, as a result, you getsent a system that’s missing parts that you wanted. Now, before you go running to the first “reputable”computer store thinking it’s your safest bet, you have toknow that those big players also have a slew of deceptivepractices up their sleeves. Furthermore, they go to greatlengths to hire professional salespeople. Quite frankly,unless you’re one of the small percentage of people whopossess computer-buying savvy, you are putty in the handsof trained computer salespeople. They know exactly how tomanipulate you, entice you, allay your fears and, mostimportantly, close the deal. How about you – are you atrained computer buyer? Do you know for instance…. …what day of the week it’s best to buy a computer to getthe best prices? …the closely-guarded tactic to saving at least $500 on yournext computer purchase? …what advertised feature you should never pay a single dimefor when buying a computer? …when it’s OK to buy "clones" or generic brands? …why you should beware of advertisements that scream “FreePrinter”, “Free Scanner” and “Free Software”? My friend, Mark Joyner, and I reveal those secrets for freein another article located here: http://www.roibot.com k_cbsr.cgi?cbsrfreecontent I don’t want you thinking there are no happy endings in theworld of computer buying. It's absolutely mind-blowing whatastronomical margins some firms make on PCs, and howincredibly simple it is for buyers to get huge discounts onthose prices - if they know how. Epilogue: I have a recent success story of my own to tell.I just bought myself a new laptop -- a beautiful IBMThinkpad T20 with all the bells and whistles at about $1400below listed price! All I can say is, beating the computer bullies at their owngame is the best revenge.