But I paid $300 for this phone!!

[draggar]

SC comes in with a 3 year old phone that yes, did cost $300 when it came out.

It's shot, so I approve it for an exchange, I give my suggestion but the floor rep said not to give them that phone, but to go with another, and the manager agrees with the reps auggestion. OK, fine, it's missing a few things that the older phone has, but generally has all the same features.

The floor rep gets this customer when they come in to pick up her phone and sure enough, the rep calls me out to explain why were swapping out the phone. Well, it's shot and we can't fix it.

Customer then sees what model she's getting, and sees that it's a $150 phone. She puts out a huge stink since we're "ripping her off" by not giving her another $300 phone.

I explain to her that we swap bout based on the features, not the price, and she then asks "well, what are the features"? (You don't know what your own phone has?).

She puts up this argument for a while. I even told the lady that a $300 phone one year will be replaced by one with the same features for $200 the next year, and $100 the next year.

I guess she has no concept of depreciation of value?

[Strikesfirmly]

Ah, ain't cell phones grand? hehe, They bring the SCs out in droves.

"Aw, geez, why can't I just keep using my old analog bag phone? It works, always has worked, and always will work. Why do you people need to keep changing things all of the time?"

"I don't want to pay that. I can get a phone cheaper off eBay or elsewhere."
"Can you activate this phone for me? What do you mean there is a charge for outside equipment?!"

"I don't want insurance. Paying $5 or $7 a month with that deductible is silly." Yet I know I will be seeing you in a few months whining about how your phone suddenly quit working, through absolutely no fault of yours..., and now you need to pay full retail because you are under contract.

Heh,
Ban all handheld radio transmitting devices! Proven by the Surgeon General to cause cancerous tumors! Or at least severe migraines...to reps.

If only we could get some of those nutty political activist groups on this issue.

[DesignFox]

I got something similar the other day...

A mother brought in her daughter to see about getting her a new phone. Turns out her daughter had destroyed 5 phones over the course of 6 months o_O

I give her the prices of the cheaper phones (which of course are all like $110-$160) and she whines about being able to get it cheaper at Walmart. Fine by me...See ya lady!

I think if it were my kid, she wouldn't be getting another phone after destroying so many.

I don't know what it is with people and cell phones...

[iradney]

That's similar to whinging "But I paid $15 000 for this car!"
The second you drive it off the lot, you will never get what you paid for it. Unless you pimp it out, but then you'll still end up losing on the deal.
Plus, there's no way in hell that you can get full retail price for a second hand cell phone after pressing it to your ear and getting your manky mouth germs all over it! *shudder*

[air914]

That's similar to whinging "But I paid $15 000 for this car!"
The second you drive it off the lot, you will never get what you paid for it. Unless you pimp it out, but then you'll still end up losing on the deal.
Plus, there's no way in hell that you can get full retail price for a second hand cell phone after pressing it to your ear and getting your manky mouth germs all over it! *shudder*

Actually if you "pimp" it out, you still won't get much for it - less actually then if you had left it alone. My husband works at Carmax and has said people have come in w/ these "pimped" out cars and get all ticked off when they hear the Trade In or Buy price.... Carmax actually tells them to try to sell it in the newspaper or something b/c they may get more money for it that way.... the reason? B/c the "pimped out" market is pretty small.... the majority of the population looking to buy a car doesn't want your painted, pumped up, 15 stereo car....... so a place like Carmax isn't going to offer you a lot of money for something that's going to be hard to sell to the majority of their customers.....

[iradney]

air914 - heheheh, can you tell I know next to nothing about cars? I know how to drive them (rather well if I say so myself! *proud beam), but other than that, I'm clueless. I can change a tire and I once changed the front brake pads with the help of a friend, but that's it.

Back OT, do people honestly not get the idea of depreciation? I mean, it applies to EVERYTHING (except precious stones and metals of course. And art). Would you pay newapplicance prices for second hand applicances? Of course not! *sigh*
*goes to bang head in the corner*

[Spiffy McMoron]

I mean, it applies to EVERYTHING (except precious stones and metals of course. And art).

But to be fair, art only appreciates in value after the artist dies.

*Spiffy goes back to staring at iradney's avatar. Go, lickey kitty, go!!*

[powerboy]

All I need is a a simple cell phone, not all the bells and whistles.

[SongsOfDragons]

And wine. Wine certainly appriciates in value...but only GOOD wine.

And whisk(e)y. And rum. And most other alcohols.

Gems don't app or dep simply because they don't change. You have a lump of pure carbon made of d4-shaped bonds and it's gonna stay that way. My mum's looked at this site that takes ashes and turns them into diamond and said to me that's what she wants.

[ta2ooed1]

How about instead of jewels we put in comic books? As long as those are in good condition and rare they always go up or antiques certain collectable toys and on and on but a cell phone? NOT!!

[protege]

B/c the "pimped out" market is pretty small.... the majority of the population looking to buy a car doesn't want your painted, pumped up, 15 stereo car....... so a place like Carmax isn't going to offer you a lot of money for something that's going to be hard to sell to the majority of their customers.....

But, it is humorous to see someone spend $30,000 to improve a $15,000 car Sorry, but I don't get why someone would create something that can be outdragged by a Radio-Flyer wagon Sure, you might have sunk $30,000 into it, but if you have to sell it, you're probably going to get not much more than bluebook value. Modified cars are usually *very* hard to sell.

Not everything "collectible" appreciates though--anyone remember Lionel's "Little Girl's Train" from the 1950s...or even it's 1990s reissue? Sure, it's rare, but simply because nobody wanted it when new. I mean, a pink locomotive and pastel freight cars? As such, if you find them now, they don't sell for very much.

Beanie Babies are another fad--quite a few people got "pwned" when the market for them suddenly tanked...and found themselves stuck with them.

[jb17kx]

But depreciation can also be good: I can get a 1983 Rolls-Royce Corniche (convertible, top of the line) with insanley low kms (22,000!!!!) for only AU$85,000 today, when in 1983 it would have set me back $300,000.

So, in 24 years it's lost nearly 70% of its value.
Oh well. It'd be fun!

[rvdammit]

That's similar to whinging "But I paid $15 000 for this car!"
The second you drive it off the lot, you will never get what you paid for it.

Unless the car is a Morgan. the waiting list on those is 12 months longs. They appreciate when you drive them off the lot.

[Gurndigarn]

How about instead of jewels we put in comic books? As long as those are in good condition and rare they always go up or antiques certain collectable toys and on and on but a cell phone? NOT!!

There are two problems. First, making sure they're rare, and second, just being rare doesn't mean squat unless people also want to buy them. If there's zero demand then the price stays below face value.

(Anyone want a run of X-men from about #168 to #250? Condition mostly ranges around good, with variations on both sides.)

[Jack7957]

"Aw, geez, why can't I just keep using my old analog bag phone? It works, always has worked, and always will work. Why do you people need to keep changing things all of the time?"

I wish I still had my old bag phone. That worked so much better than the newer digital phones.

This is the closest example I could find