h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I bought a digital camera on Thursday, as the two latest updates on the frontpage show. It's a Fuji 2700 - 2.3M pixels. Very neat and very good quality.

We had fun buying it, too. Dixons had them for £600, but we don't like buying from Dixons on principle, so Sean and I made our way up to TCR. No-one seemed to have any. One shop was more promising - they quoted us a price of £469, but then said they didn't have any in stock. I needed it that afternoon, so we couldn't hang on.

A few doors down we found a shop with plenty in stock. The price stickers said £599, so we asked what price they could do them for. They asked what prices we'd been quoted and we told them about the £469 quote, but they didn't have them in stock. They laughed at this, and wondered what the price would have been if they were in stock. However, after gritting his teeth and checking his calculator, the nice man said he would sell it to us for the same price! He also suggested we go back to the other shop when they had some in stock and ask them what price they could do, just to see what they would say.

I expect Sean's already told you this, but:

1. If they ask you what price you've been offered, never tell them where you got the price from.

2. If you tell them a price, DO NOT tell them that the shop that offered it was out of stock. ("Hello, McFly!" *knock* *knock*)

3. Randomly reduce the price the last person gave you when asked what price you've been offered, especially on software. I've halved the price of a few bits of software this way.

4. Check mail order prices - for some strange reason, TCR is cheaper than mail order for some items, but much more expensive for others - and there appears to be no rhyme or reason to this.

Anyone got any others?

Tim

Hey Tim, tell them your D*x*ns microwave story.

No names, of course.

I assume that this counts as a review rather than advertising.

Yup. Since I have no affiliation with the manufacturer or dealers, there's no problem with this kind of entry. If I worked for Fuji it might be a different matter.

The rule about advertising isn't like the old Blue Peter rule where you couldn't mention any brand names at all. Part of the aim of the Guide is for people to name names, say which places, products and services they use and what they think about them.

After all, wouldn't it be much more interesting if, after reading an advert for a product, you were able to read the honest opinions of the people who have actually used the product? That's the power of the Guide.

But I thought your sister *did* work for Fuji?

Oops...

Only kidding... ...or am I?

Or am I?

Chase me!

Tim

The power of the Guide could also mean getting away without paying for something in return for a writeup (providing your life would otherwise be in danger). Blue Peter people were probably just trying to make small impressionable young children believe that advertising was evil and to be avoided at all times. Could all we poor people have more reviews of the latest electronic playthings? We'll feel better about not being able to afford any of them if we know they're not all they're made out to be.