Pretty much every blogger who has written anything worthwhile has had his or her content stolen. A direct cut and paste right from the website. While I am not overly excited about this practice, I have a tendency to overlook it, especially if there is at least a link back to Daily Cup of Tech.
But, one of the things that I have seen people do is a straight cut and paste of the HTML code for the post. While this is really easy for the “thief”, it poses a bit of a problem for me because if the HTML references any images, each time someone goes to their webpage, they are stealing the images from my bandwidth!
So, if you are going to steal my content, please take the images as well and leave my bandwidth alone.
All you need to do is perform a Google search for terms like “twitter tool” or “twitter apps” to find a multitude of different ways people are molding and shaping Twitter into whatever they want it to be. This is, in part, due to it’s very open API standards.
Here is the problem that I am seeing. In order for developers to perform the “really cool” stuff with the API, they need to authenticate against the Twitter servers. In order to do that, they ask you for your username and password on so that they can pass it on to the Twitter servers!
Let me be very clear here. This is providing these people, whomever they may be, with complete and unfettered access to your Twitter account! This means not only can they do all those cool whizbang things that they promise you they can do, they can also:
impersonate you
submit tweets to your account
start sending twitter spam from your account
lock you out of your account
vandalize your account
Not only is this type of information being made available to the developers of these tools, many of these sites are not very secure. It is not uncommon for them to have no SSL security on them so that your username and password are transmitted over the Internet in clear text where anyone with a sniffer can get access to them!
I know that some of this may sound paranoid but with the first twitter lawsuit being filed last month, it is important that you be very careful with this information. Not to mention, twitter accounts are becoming a valuable commodity that needs to be protected just like you protect the PIN number to your bank account or the password to your e-mail account. You wouldn’t give them out so why would you give out your twitter password?
Here are some tips to help you keep your twitter account safe:
Make sure the all online twitter apps that you use are SSL encrypted
If you do decide that you are willing to submit your password online, read the terms of service to ensure that the password is never stored anywhere on their servers and that the communication between their servers and the twitter servers are encrypted
Change your twitter password frequently
Try to use twitter tools that are desktop, not web, based as much as possible
Monitor your tweets and make sure that they are your tweets
Create a unique icon so that it is easy to find among all the other tweeters
I went to install the new version of Java today and when I ran the installer, it wanted to install the Yahoo toolbar! That is not the kind of behavior that I would expect out of someone like Sun.
But, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since we have seen that type of behavior from companies like Dell, HP, IBM, etc. when they install all of their crapware on the computers that they OEM to you.
Are there any companies out there who we can still trust? Or should I just get over it and expect that there is an agenda behind every company, regardless of how altruistic they may seem?
When you purchase a lot of technical components like me, it is critical to get the best bang for your buck. One of the tactics that I use is the price matching guarantee.
If you are unfamiliar with the price matching guarantee, it goes something like this:
Retailer A will sell an item, lets call it a WiggleDo. The WiggleDo goes for $100. And they gave a price matching guarantee that states they will beat all other retail prices by 10%.
Now, Retailer B is selling the WiggleDo for $90. You can go to Retailer A and get the WiggleDo for less that $90.
But, it is never that easy. Just yesterday, I went to get a price match at a common retailer and instead of gladly giving me my price match as indicated in their policy, I was told that I was not eligible for the price match. I needed to really push the manager who was on yesterday until I got my price match. This prompted me to write this post to arm you with as much information as possible so that you are successful in your price match.
Just so everyone knows, I price matched on a PowerLine HD Network Starter Kit (DHP-301). I found it online at DirectCanada for $114.59 plus $9.99 next day shipping (total of $124.58). Staples was selling the same product for $149.99. Once they applied my discount (competitor’s price minus 10% of the difference), I got the unit for $122.04. I ended up saving $27.95 plus taxes.
Tip 1: Do Your Homework
One of the biggest mistakes that people make is going in thinking that they will just hand over the product. You are going to be challenged every step of the way so you had better be prepared to make your case.
Tip 2: Know Their Policy Better Than They Do
This is where they tried to get me yesterday. I went in and told them that I needed a price adjustment. I was promptly told that they no longer price match with online retailers. I asked to speak with a manager and he indicated the same thing, that they only price match for authorized retailers and that the online retailer that I was price matching against was not authorized. I asked him to provide me with either a list of authorized retailers that they would price match against or the documentation that showed the criteria for determining an authorized retailer.
After some time, he came back and gave me the price match. I later discovered that while he was away, he was busy reading the policy. It appears that he did not even know the policy and that he was just accustomed to bullying his way out of the situation.
So, the moral of the story is this: know the policy of the company that you are going to be requesting the discount from like the back of your hand and ensure that you are truly within the policy and deserve the discount.
Here are the price match policies of some common retail stores for your convenience (If you know of any others, add them to the comments and I’ll add them in):
Whenever I find myself in a price match situation, I come it with all of the documentation ready. This includes:
A printout of the product if found online, a copy of the sales flier if found in an advertisement, or a photo of the product and the price if found in a store (a camera phone is very handy for this)
A print out of the store price matching policy in case when you are challenged
Tip 4: Make It Easy For Them
A store will be less likely to give you a price reduction if they have to do all of the work. You can make things easier for them by:
Highlighting important information on your documentation such as make & model number, price, shipping price, website address, store location, store name, phone number, date of advertisement, etc.
Get the product off the shelf and indicate to the sales person that you are looking for a price adjustment as soon as possible so that they can page their manager right away
Tip 5: Be Polite But Firm
Most of you have heard the old saying, “You will attract more flies with honey than vinegar!” You will get nowhere if you come across arrogant, angry, or demanding. Remember, this is a win-win situation. You are getting a deal on a product, they are getting free research on that product.
But, do not back down just because the manager is gruff or rude. This is their policy that they voluntarily implemented. They do not have the right to take it out on you.
Tip 6: Do Your Math
When you are studying the price match policy, make sure that you know exactly how to calculate your reduced price. By doing the math ahead of time, you will remove the chance that there will be a math mistake that is not in your favor.
To help do the math, I have created an Excel spreadsheet that does most of the work for you. This sheet assumes a typical 110% guarantee calculation that is typical of places like Staples and Best Buy and also takes into consideration next day shipping which is often required by many retailers when calculating price matching.
Sometimes, you do make a mistake. You could have your math wrong or you may misunderstand their policy. If this is the case, have another price ready to take advantage of. The more options you have, the greater the chance that you will get a discount.
Tip 8: Maximize Your Discount
It may seem a bit backward at first, but you want to go to the store that has the highest price. This will generate the greatest discount and give you the lowest price in the end. Use the Price Matching Worksheet to help you determine this location.
Tip 9: Keep Shopping After You Have Bought a Product
A lot of retailers will give you money back, even after you have purchased a product. Keep “shopping” for your product until the price match policy is no longer in effect.
Price Canada has a great tool that will monitor a product for you and then send you an e-mail if it finds a lower price.
Miscellaneous Other Helpful Hints
Go when it is busy. Sales people and managers are less likely to argue with you if there are a long line-up of people waiting to spend money or (better yet) walking out.
Don’t rush. I know that this is an uncomfortable situation for most people but if you rush, you will make mistakes.
Don’t let the manager walk away. This is a common tactic. If they do walk away, get another manager.
Price Comparison Websites
Here is a list of price comparison websites that I have run into. If you know of others, please leave them in the comments so that I can update the list.
Limit quantities sold to an individual. If you want to get three of a product, you will probably have to go back three times and talk to three different managers because they will limit you to only a single quantity of the item.
“Limited quantities”, “while supplies last”, “clearance”, “close-outs”, “bankruptcies” or special events should send up alarm bells. Be prepared for them to not match on these items (but don’t let it stop you from trying)
Typos. This just makes sense. If a competitor incorrectly types 10¢ inctead of $10, don’t expect the competition to match it.
Calculate in next day shipping for online items. This can often add as much as $20 to an item. Once you take this into consideration, it may not be worth it.
Make sure it is in stock. If the product is not in stock at the competitor’s store, they will not price match.
Make sure it is in local currency. This is less of an issue now with the Canadian and American dollar so close but there have been a number of times I got pretty excited only to realize it was in US, not Canadian dollars.
Is it worth your time? I have to admit that I’m often in it just for the fun of it. You need to make sure that the savings are worth the time you put into it.
Your Turn
Let everyone in the comments know about the wonderful deal you made through a price match and don’t hesitate to name names as others may want to get in on the action. Also, help me to expand my list of price matching companies and their policies. And more price comparison websites are also welcome.
I have come to the opinion that people are either really impressed with some really odd/common things or someone is gaming the system. I believe that it is probably the latter because the type of things that have been coming up lately on StumbleUpon are either really common or have a very limited audience.
Just so I can vent (and I then decide to not hit someone), here is my list of things that I am tired of seeing on StumbleUpon:
Wallpapers
CSS websites
Nanotechnology
MySpace/
Facebook
Proxy Sites
Photoshop Tutorials
Freeware/Open Source Lists
Icon Sites
How To Make Money Online
If you really want to send a message (and add a dash of irony) stumble this page so everyone can see it.
And, if you are sick of seeing something on StumbleUpon, feel free to add it to the comments!
Pretty much every blogger who has written anything worthwhile has had his or her content stolen. A direct cut and paste right from the website. While I am not overly excited about this practice, I have a tendency to overlook it, especially if there is at least a link back to Daily Cup of Tech.
All you need to do is perform a Google search for terms like “
I went to install the new version of Java today and when I ran the installer, it wanted to install the Yahoo toolbar! That is not the kind of behavior that I would expect out of someone like Sun.
When you purchase a lot of technical components like me, it is critical to get the best bang for your buck. One of the tactics that I use is the price matching guarantee.
This is definitely a rant so please bear with me.