So you want to know what to do and what to avoid when you visit the famous "Lamington Road" for your computer related purchases. Below is my advice based on my experience. As a disclaimer, some people might have had a different experience due to their knowledge of which shops to visit and/or their personal equation with a certain shop-owner. Please keep this in mind.
Here it goes:
- Do your research.
Sounds basic and easy. It is not. There are tons of combinations of processor and motherboards alone - not considering the graphics card, cabinet, hard disk etc.
The BEST ADVICE I can give is this. Make a final list of EXACT models in each category.
Reason - People in Lamington road will fool you if they get a hint that you are undecided. NEVER show them that you are confused. If you do, they will confuse you further and you will end up the loser.
- Never change your mind after you have done your research.
This is VERY important since the shop-owners will try to get you to move to a lower model at the same price saying things like - no one buys that model because there are issues, this model is much better you can ask the shop in front also(the shop in front will be related to this guys shop . and they will have an agreement) etc.
Here the BEST advice I can give is this - as soon as the shop-owner tries to divert your attention to some other product, say a firm NO. If he mentions it again a little later, JUST WALK AWAY. Believe me, there are several other shops you can go to.
Get quotes from atleast 4-5 shops. Tell each shop owner that you are scouting for the best quotes FOR THE EXACT MODELS ONLY. Also, don’t feel bad about playing one shop-owner against the other. They will further reduce the price. They will also try to say bad things about the other shop owner. Cut that short - you don’t want to waste your time listening to his rant. Tell him - "Don’t worry about the other shop. Just give me your best quote."
About the BILL: what about it? Nothing much - just tell them that you need a final receipt to go with your purchase - a receipt having a declaration at the bottom saying "We declare that this invoice shows the actual price of the goods described and that all particulars are true and correct" or something similar. Also, the Bill should say TAX INVOICE at the top and should have the shop’s VAT number.
Never settle for anything less than the model your ordered. These people will always give you the quote and then after making you wait for a lot of time while "runner boy" gets the item from somewhere else, will ultimately tell you that the item is out of stock but you can buy a different model. NEVER SETTLE. JUST WALK AWAY. These people will always try these tricks and it is best to let them know that you are serious about your model and your research and will not settle for anything less.
EVEN RAM can be billed. They will try to tell you that RAM can’t be billed and they will give you the warranty. Here you can take the shop owners word if you like(since RAM doesn’t usually give a lot of trouble) but I would advice that you insist on getting it billed.
Do not cower if more than 2 people try to force you to change your mind. They will work on you - that is a given. Show some attitude and spine and say NO.
While billing, insist that the bill mentions the "Serial number" of each item.
Now that you are done with the billing, Make sure that you got what you needed, take a deep breath and feel happy that you got the best price for your combination of purchases.
Thats it folks. These points are the key to a happy and satisfied purchase at Lamington road. Btw, many people have asked me about my preferred shop. I don’t have any preferred shop - but if you want to know about where I wouldn’t go, here it is:
Mahavir Electronics - I AVOID them like a plague after I was duped badly once. They did to me all the bad things to avoid that I mentioned above.
Hope you liked the review - would be nice if you can please leave a comment or rate the "useful"ness of this review. Thanks and cheers.