Maybe you've seen the ads before.. everyone is preapproved for a new computer, bad credit no problem?
Seems BlueHippo pocketed $15 million dollars in one year while making these claims, yet shipped only one computer!
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has had it with the company, which offers computers on layaway to those too poor to buy one outright. Buyers put up $99 to $124 in down payments, then make regular payments of $36 to $88. After 13 of these payments, the company says it will send out a computer, while the payments continue until the balance is paid off.
Unfortunately for the friendly folks at BlueHippo, the FTC smelled a scam. People were simply not getting machines, and BlueHippo's "cancelation policy" required people to send in prepaid money orders first even if their account had enough money to cover the necessary fees--not allowed under FTC consumer protection rules. In 2008, BlueHippo settled with the agency. Under the terms of the deal, BlueHippo would pay up to $5 million into a "consumer restitution pool" to reimburse those who had been burned.
BBB's Richard Kitterman is interview by KWTX-TV in Waco, TX regarding victims of the BlueHippo computer scam and the current FTC action taken against the company. (11/24/09)
Seriously.. Don't buy a computer on installment! You can buy a new laptop for around $250 or a desktop for under $200 at Tiger Direct online. Right now they have a 32" HDTV for $299. I've purchased one desktop and a 32" HDTV from them in the past 3 years, and so far no complaints. I like Amazon, too.
Always some good deals on www.deals2buy.com as well. I've made some awesome electronics purchases off ebay too!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vala
Seriously.. Don't buy a computer on installment! You can buy a new laptop for around $250 or a desktop for under $200 at Tiger Direct online. Right now they have a 32" HDTV for $299. I've purchased one desktop and a 32" HDTV from them in the past 3 years, and so far no complaints. I like Amazon, too.
Seriously.. Don't buy a computer on installment! You can buy a new laptop for around $250 or a desktop for under $200 at Tiger Direct online. Right now they have a 32" HDTV for $299. I've purchased one desktop and a 32" HDTV from them in the past 3 years, and so far no complaints. I like Amazon, too.
I agree completely. I built my desktop at home for a cost of $400 in parts. I'm running a quad core phenom with 4gb of ram and even put it in a nice glass sided case and a gamer-style power supply. If you aren't looking for a laptop there are much cheaper alternatives than going through a major retail company or a scam like BlueHippo
My first home-built desktop computer was a 386 DX 33Mhz with 4 mb RAM, SVGA, and a 175 mb HD for $3500 running Windows 3.1.. at the time it was absolutely state of the art and I never thought I'd ever fill up a HD of that size! These days, you wouldn't even bother to boot up a computer like that.. but they make nice boat anchors
I also had a Canon Navigator HD-40 I paid $3500 for..
The machine, a Canon Navigator HD40, is an all-in-one system with:
- Built-in thermal printer (IBM/Epson compatible), mainly used for fax printing
- Fax modem (9600bps, I believe)
- Phone handset
- Matching black keyboard and mouse (my HD40 is black, there was also a gray'ish model)
- 2x CPUs; A NEC V30 (for main PC fcuntions/DOS) running at close to 14mhz, and a NEC V50, used to handle the Navigator background tasks (sending/receiving faxes, answer, etc.)
- 640KB RAM for the main system, and 128K used along with the V50 and the Navigator tasks (this loads its own BIOS via a DOS level driver during boot up)
- 9 ~ 10" grayscale EGA (640x350, 16 shades of gray) touchscreen display
- Built-in high-density 1.44MB floppy drive
- 40MB HDD (there was a model sold with dual-floppies, no HDD).
But then, ever think about the computers they used to send men to the moon and what they cost? Today we probably have calculators with more computing power..
Quote:
Originally Posted by dollars
I agree completely. I built my desktop at home for a cost of $400 in parts. I'm running a quad core phenom with 4gb of ram and even put it in a nice glass sided case and a gamer-style power supply. If you aren't looking for a laptop there are much cheaper alternatives than going through a major retail company or a scam like BlueHippo
But then, ever think about the computers they used to send men to the moon and what they cost? Today we probably have calculators with more computing power..
Back in '69 there were engineers who knew how to use a slide rule. Plus, they did all their design work with paper and T-Squares. Impressive.
...Them's got ears, let them hear
Them's got eyes, let them see
Turn your eyes to the lord of the skies
Take this airline plane
It'll take you home again
I read the other day that the computers used in the Apollo program had less computing power than a modern cell phone..
LG introduced a dual core processor cell phone last December... it's only a matter of time before these cell phones are just as capable as our modern day laptops and desktops.
LG introduced a dual core processor cell phone last December... it's only a matter of time before these cell phones are just as capable as our modern day laptops and desktops.
A local payday loan place here in town has a "Buyer's Club" where you can buy on installment plan.. my buddy got a $400 laptop for his daughter that he will end up paying $1200 for..
A local payday loan place here in town has a "Buyer's Club" where you can buy on installment plan.. my buddy got a $400 laptop for his daughter that he will end up paying $1200 for..
I am guessing that the ridiculous rates on payday loans, when people get desperate, isn't paying off enough or too many have come to their senses & stopped feeding into it, that now they rip people off by selling stuff in payments with a gazillion % interest rate?
Your friend and others like him think this is a deal, steal or whatever & in reality the pc is probably junk to begin with & the loan will outlive the pc.
It is beyond foolish to go this route. I didn't pay that much for my very first pc back in 2000 & wouldn't pay that now, especially for a laptop.
What these places do is prey upon people who have no credit, cash saved or cash reserves they can tap for bigger purchases so they resort to these inflated payment schemes.. I admit, when you want something like a 70" HDTV, it can be tempting, but in my case anyway, sanity prevails.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Latina
I am guessing that the ridiculous rates on payday loans, when people get desperate, isn't paying off enough or too many have come to their senses & stopped feeding into it, that now they rip people off by selling stuff in payments with a gazillion % interest rate?
Your friend and others like him think this is a deal, steal or whatever & in reality the pc is probably junk to begin with & the loan will outlive the pc.
It is beyond foolish to go this route. I didn't pay that much for my very first pc back in 2000 & wouldn't pay that now, especially for a laptop.
What these places do is prey upon people who have no credit, cash saved or cash reserves they can tap for bigger purchases so they resort to these inflated payment schemes.. I admit, when you want something like a 70" HDTV, it can be tempting, but in my case anyway, sanity prevails.
That's how the rent-a-centers of the world get over on people as well.
My neighbor bought a 60" LCD Hitachi tv this past summer & bragged that he got a great deal paying only $99 a month for just 18 months and didn't have to put anything down except the first month payment!
O M G! That's craziness!
I showed him my 60" LCD Panasonic tv that I bought back in April & he said "mine is just as nice" (whatever Panasonic blows Hitachi out of the water even on a bad day!). I paid $800 for mine & he is paying almost $1800 for his... I'd say mine looks much nicer than his just by price comparison alone lol
His defense was that he didnt have to pay it all at once. However, I had mine on layaway for 3 months, so I didn't have to pay all at once either
These Bluehippos & rent-a-centers of the world are scams & way too many people fall for it.
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Re: BlueHippo: How NOT To Buy A Computer
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