Hi. Well I called Yelp customer service and after explaining my situation to them, they not only denied that there was a problem and claimed that it's impossible for anyone to unfairly manipulate the system (what about the human moderators, huh?) but that unless I was going to buy advertising from them, they weren't interested in helping me (they'd rather refer me to the FAQ section). Unbelievable, huh? And these lazy idiots who're obviously only getting paid minimum wage and don't give a rat's ass about your problems unless they get a sales commission have the audacity to hope that I'll buy the paid version when the free version is giving me so much trouble? Whatever the hell happened to speaking to a human to looking into this matter personally, or at least escalate it to a supervisor who could?
Oh well, just have to switch tactics but for now keep spreading the word about my store. In the meantime, you can post reviews on Google.
https://business.google.com/reviews/l/12590731958187429248
In other news, I'm starting to clear out the junk in the back of my store and I expect to have it gone by next week. I'm still taking pre-orders for new game releases and I've pickup a few titles, but I cancelled my Death Stranding (PS4) pre-order since there's still no release date announced, unless you count the Tokyo Game Show 2018 on Sep.23 which will showcase the game and might indicate when it's coming out.
Other than that, nothing new.
Later
Hi. Thanks to all the people who wrote reviewed my business on Yelp. Not surprisingly, they're still hidden, so I'm going to have to try and reason with those people at Yelp customer service. Wish me luck.
A number of people were wondering if my phone got disconnected. It hasn't, let me explain. My now disconnected personal mobile number was (514)994-9074 while my business number is and always has been (514)366-8872 and was always forwarded to the latter. When I missed calls, I'd typically call back from my cellphone and people would see my mobile number displayed (I'd explain the whole setup to them to settle any confusion), but then to simplify things and avoid paying two phone bills I decided it's be better to just migrate my landline to my mobile (first Fido and now Virgin Mobile) account, keeping the business number.
Now I just need to get my website back up and running (after changing web hosts) and things will be back to normal.
Later
Hi. I think I found the source of a problem that's been bugging me. I turns out to be an AI. Yes, you read that right, it's an artificial intelligence and it seems to have beef with me.
A lot of online companies use specially designed AI algorithms to automate their data processing. Online dating sites and apps use them to match compatible people, and it sort of works as long as the users are honest about themselves (hardly ever) and the site owners don't decide to instruct their systems to deliberately match together incompatible people (like one dating site that'll remain nameless). Online review sites like Yelp do the same thing, deciding which reviews (good or bad) to display, which is why I can't figure out why a very misleading bad review dating from 2012 gets to stay up and be visible to users while honest good reviews make the cut and are also visible but then get re-evaluated and are hidden, so that my overall review goes from fours stars to only one star. I tried calling Yelp, but while I agree that reviews shouldn't be taken down unless they're downright fake (which has happened a lot lately), the arrogant prick I spoke to on the phone implied that their algorithms are infallible.
Bulls**t! They're as infallible as the people who wrote them and I've heard stories about computer programmers in general that makes me question if they're on the level. Then again, it could be the owners that want it that way.
So, my company's online reputation is at the mercy of an AI and some haters are most likely gaming the system and there seems to be no effective appeals process, so I'm calling on you dear customers.
Here's my Yelp page. Please use it to give an honest evaluation of my business performance. Some have already done so and even though their profiles are currently active and their posts much more recent, their reviews are still hidden, so it might help to be more active on the Yelp platform by writing reviews for other businesses you've been to. Some people are already doing that and it might turn this situation around.
I know it might be a hassle, but it'll be worth your while since Yelp offers all kinds of perks to people who create content on their platform, such as VIP invites to special events. Plus you get to put all the haters in their place; who doesn't mind seeing that?
Whether you have good things to say about me and my store or not, I want to hear about it as long as it's truthful (always a must) respectful (tact doesn't hurt).
Later.
https://www.yelp.ca/biz/a-to-z-electronics-lasalle
Hi. Well, it's done. I'm done. Done with Fido and all its bulls**t (technically dogs**t). I know it was the fault of that agent obviously looking to make a sales commission who was willing to say anything to close the deal even if it screwed me over (telling me I'll be fully credited the early upgrade fee and switching me to a plan that charged me more money for less minutes), but they're the ones that got screwed as I switched my line to Virgin Mobile yesterday.
Went to Best Buy (still unhappy about them cancelling their Rewards Zone/Gamer's Club loyalty program, I mean where's their loyalty?) and was able to get my line switched, get a brand new phone (a 2017 Samsung A5 which I sold for a pretty penny) and a $300.00 Best Buy gift card.
Now I'll settle with Fido on my terms and if they don't like it, they can go screw themselves.
My friend has this flip phone and he's paying $45.00/month no contract with Bell. He's had it for over a year and hardly uses it, except for emergencies and to checking on family while he's on the road. Well, any cellphone whether GSM or CDMA can be used to dial 911, even if it's code locked or blacklisted.
I suggested that he get a contract either with Bell or some other carrier so that he can get a better rate and get a free smartphone and a gift card as a bonus. He's thinking about it.
What about you?
Is your contract finished? Consider renewing it. There's a lot of seasonal promotional offers (Christmas season, Father's Day, Back to School, etc.) during which the carriers offer a good selection of $0 phones with bonus gift cards just for signing up with them. Even if you don't want a new phone (I've had my Samsung Galaxy Ace II X since 2013 and I'm pretty much happy with it), it's worth a lot of money to the right people such as yours truly (I'm only interested in the Samsung Galaxy phones BTW).
So what do you say? Trade-in your brand new phones with me and get store credit. Buy stuff with it.
Win-win-win
Hi. I'm not happy with my current phone service provider.
After being a loyal Fido customer for over 20 years (if you don't count that brief affair with Bell in the early 00's that only lasted a couple months), you'd think that would count for something. They put new restrictions on their loyalty program a few years ago (no longer able to pay your bills or buy accessories with your cashback points), and now they recently cancelled it altogether.
They all seem to screw over their customers in different ways, most recently when I made the mistake of getting a second line for a friend only to have him run up a huge data bill that I was stuck paying even though I never signed up for a data plan (it's turned on by default unless you ask to have it blocked and they don't tell you that) and they never notified me of it (until it was too late), but now after being mislead into taking an early upgrade with the (verbal) promise of a full crediting of the early upgrade fee (which has yet to come to pass, but the kiosk manager is supposedly working on it), I'm tempted to screw the proverbial pooch and go over to another carrier with a better offerlike Virgin Mobile.
I've already got Internet through them, so maybe I'll be better off bundling my phone service with them, too.
I've got a past due bill needing to be paid this week or my phone service gets the chop, so we'll see. I hope they do do something, but I'm probably gonna ditch them anyways.
No need to feel guilty when you're dealing with a big faceless (and heartless and soulless) corporate bureaucracy and all their stupid (to every rational outside observer) rules. Use them and then dump them as they do the same to you; that's how corporations behave (hiding being anodine communications that make you feel like they're reading from a script every time you talk to them) and society is increasingly behaving like that, too.
It all feels very degrading, which is why I prefer to deal with small businesses that haven't lost their soul (at least not yet) and where it's possible to have a personal relationship with the people knowing your name and saying hi if they pass you on the street, and your loyalty actually means something to them.
What do you think?
Hi. Things are looking up this week.
For one thing my recycler should be passing by this week. I've got a lot of junk to get rid of and while a lot of companies are willing to pick up my stuff (some even for free), nobody wants to pay me anything for it. Before teaming up with him, I had to strip down all this junk by myself. I'm lucky to have him do it for me, even if I get less for it, saving me the time and energy so that I'm free to pursue more profitable revenue streams.
For another, I've made more sales. One collector I mentioned before is gradually buying back the videogame collection he sold me last year piece by piece. So far, he's built up his collection to about half of what it used to be (a lot of stuff got lost before I rescued it and some stuff I sold off to other collectors almost immediately). I've also pre-ordered new games for him and even found him a few player's guides, too.
I'm glad I got rid of my Yu-Gi-Oh! cards (still got a couple of tins full of commons I'm giving away to my friend) now that the market is pretty much dead (for me at least). I'll still buy trading card collections if it's really good stuff (hopeful) and if the price is right (doubtful). As for DVD and Blu-ray movies, those are gone too for the most part (just a few animated TV series box sets I'm selling to collectors) but I do buy stuff from time to time. Some new figurines have come in, too; 'm not big on those, but if there's a niche market for them (like the one guy who bought over 90% of my stock), then I'll make a few exceptions. Even if they don't sell fast, they look nice up on display, too.
Videogames have been and will continue to be my bread and butter as far as second hand sales go; after electronics repairs, it's what I'm best known for.
Later.
Hi. Life has a way of pulling the rug out from under you, the important thing is to keep your balance.
Whether it's your customer loyalty program being cut back (PC Plus) or even discontinued (Best Buy Rewards Zone/Gamers Club), or some other dick move on the part of an individual (too many to list) or a company (still too many to list), life in general goes on and so should yours.
A lot of stuff that happens to us is beyond our control. Take my repair jobs for example. If I can fix an item myself, it shouldn't take too long. If I have to outsource the repair to a couple of my technicians whose workshops are in LaSalle (smartphone and tablet repairs) or Verdun (VCR repairs), it still shouldn't take too long. If I have to outsource it to either the guy in the West Island (sound system repairs) or T.M.R (amplifier and record player repair), the turnaround time can be considerably longer and my customer start getting impatient. I'm working on that.
Other than that, business is doing pretty good. I've gotten some new games in stock, mostly RPG titles for Switch (Octopath Traveler) and PS4 (Brothers, The Girl and The Robot). Some game collectors are also planning on doing some major spending at my store in the next few days; I've already put aside a lot of stock (including all those hundreds of dollars worth of games I mentioned in a previous post) and pre-ordered some more (Kingdom Hearts 3, COD: Black Ops 4 and Death Stranding among others).
Stuff's going fast. Anything you're looking to buy, buy it now before it's too late!
Later
Hi. Well, the guy I mentioned in my previous post came by today and traded in a whole bunch of games (mostly PS4 titles but some DS, 3DS and even Game Boy Original/Color/Advanced titles, too) and some cash in exchange for my big binder full of Yu-Gi-Oh! holofoils. Aside from a couple boxes of commons I'm giving away, all of my Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are now gone.
I saw the writing on the wall years ago, when rare booster pack holofoils that were worth a pretty penny started getting reprinted as tin pack holofoils, some even as commons. The prices of most cards dropped to 50 to 80% of the buyer's guide listed price. Assuming the cards in question didn't get banned, that meant that you were lucky to get a buck or two for most of them.
Old news, now. Unless I see s sweet deal on a decent card collection that hasn't been cherry picked, I'm not buying anymore trading cards, period. Pokemon (so many new card series out there now, not sure which ones are still banned), YU-Gi-Oh!, even Magic: The Gathering (gotta watch out for counterfeit rare cards) are off my list for the time being. Ditto for comic books, toys and DVD/Blu-ray movies (although there is a niche market for some of the latter two items).
Now it's just general electronics repairs (jncluding smartphones, tablets and PCs), videogames sales, electronics recycling and some electronics sales, in pretty much that order.
Simplifies things a lot.
Hi. Well, after a slow month and a half things are finally picking up. With moving season over, people who were moving have settled into their new place and everybody should be getting their tax rebates soon, which means they'll have more disposable income available; some of which they'll be spending here.
I've gotten a whole lot of brand-new games recently, some newly released titles like Banner Saga Trilogy on PS4 and Code of Princess EX and Octopath Traveler on Switch. Banner Saga was supposed to come out for the Switch, too at the same time for the PS4, but the release date was pushed back to mid September 2018. Not to worry, I pre-ordered a couple copies, too.
Some game collectors are making their rounds looking for new stuff to buy. You may have noticed that I had recently sold off my Atari 2600 Senior; after getting this set more than a year ago, I was selling off the games and accessories piecemeal until one of my regulars bought the console and most of the remaining games just last week.
Things may sit for a while, but then they go fast. If you see something you like, reserve it right away before it's gone. One my regulars has done just that and has over $500.00 worth of games put aside for him, which he buys a couple hundred bucks worth at a time.
Another guy I haven't seen in a while is supposed to be coming over tomorrow with a whole bunch of games to trade in, including a few Pokemon titles I know my customers are looking for. Don't get left behind. Bring my your wish lists and I'll pickup whatever games you're looking for.
In other news, I'll soon the getting rid of my last remaining Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. I've had three binders full of rare, sper rare and ultra rare holofoils and I sold off my two smaller binders a few months ago, and if all goes as planned I'm selling off the remaining binder in whole or in part in the next couple of weeks. That whole Yu-Gi-Oh! craze was fun while it lasted (having out shined Magic: The Gathering and out lived all the pasing fads like Beyblades and Chaotic) and I milked it for all it was worth, they're no longer profitable for me and it's time to clear them out and make room for something else. All my DVD and Blu-ray movies are gone, too, except for a few items I'm keeping for collectors like the 90's X-Men and Batman animated series.
That's all for now. Watch for another post later this week.
Later.
Hi. National Customer Appreciation Day was April 18, so this is coming a little late, but I want to take the opportunity to thank all my loyal customers; whether you've known me for years or were just introduced, whether you've bought a lot of stuff or very little, whether you still buy stuff like videogames from me or have long since quit playing, you're the reason I've been able to keep my doors open for nearly 20 years.
I travel around a lot and I speak to a lot of people, usually my core group of regulars. I do notice a few trends here and there and they come up in discussion. Does anybody find that videogame store employees come off as stand-offish? Some customers tell me that whenever they go to trade in games at places like EB Games or Microplay, they feel like they're getting ripped off.
Not to throw stones, but there might be some truth to that. I have written about my experiences with Microplay in previous posts where I was banned from the LaSalle and Lachine Microplay stores because the LaSalle owner had some personal beef with me (as did a few of his more sycophantic employees) and the Lachine owner thought I was selling stolen games without even checking the fact that I have a store.
Not the first time I've been falsely accused. There was a store called R and R Electronics Depot in LaSalle a few years ago, next to where Matelas Bonheur used to be. They were liquidating their PC games and I bought over 255 PC games from them, since EB Games was then buying back used PC games. Let me tell you, showing up with bags full of brand new factory-sealed games got me some funny looks. Even with showing them the receipt and some ID, some employees and even managers gave me a hard time, but I was able to sell them all eventually. A few dealers I've spoken to have had similar experiences.
To be fair, they have to protect themselves from criminal liability in case the stuff they buy turns out to have been stolen. I suppose they'd rather treat you like a perp and cover their ass, rather than treat you with respect and risk getting burned, even though this isn't an either-or proposition: you can treat people with respect and still do your due diligence in preventing fraud. Oh well, some people are just lazy and only want to do the bare minimum and some people really can't help being ass hats.
No business is too big to fail. Look at Enronand the dinosaurs. Customer satisfaction should be one of your top priorities; not treating the resellers (who are often the biggest spenders) like hostile competition doesn't hurt, either.
Later
Hi. When dealing with the public, you're bound to cross paths with difficult people who are hard to please at best or a complete waste of your time at worst. Some are even presumptuous enough to try to boss you around in your own store.
What can I say? Some people really like to complicate things; with them a routine procedure becomes a major ordeal and you're torn between either putting up with their BS or telling them to go take a hike.
Luckily when you're your own boss, you're free to do as you please. Leaves me time to focus on the people that really matter and not these jerk offs.
I'm getting a tower ready for a friend of a friend and I'll have it done tonight. Ditto for another customer's laptop. I could have had that bossy lady's Wii ready too if she wasn't such an insufferable b**ch, but such is life.
What about you?
Any difficult people in your life?
Later
Hi. Ever chase after a guy who owes you money (nowadays who hasn't)? Let me tell you, it's a hassle. Forget the outright fraud where people attempt to pay for stuff with funny money, rubber checks or stolen credit cards; those I leave to the police.
I'm talking about people running up tabs and then conveniently forgetting about them. You remind them and they either ignore you or mouth off to you. A lot of people are like that, and in my opinion giving too many people a chance to prove themselves is a waste of time and money unless you have an effective way of publicly blacklisting them (common practice in more enlightened times but now considered unethical by liberals). One needs to discern a person's character so you know who's worth taking a chance with. While deadbeats are all too common, I've seen people who've taken responsibility and done the right thing, and I'm glad for them.
That's why only customers in very good standing are allowed to owe an outstanding balance on any goods they buy. After nearly 20 years in (this) business and even longer as an entrepreneur dealing with people, I know who I can trust (and how much) and who I cannot trust.
Is it discriminatory? Yes. Is it playing favorites? Hell, yes. These people are honest and hard-working and even when money's tight (with them), I know they're good for it and I don't have to worry about if they're going to pay it off.
What about you? How do you deal with deadbeats?
Hi. For the past week it's been business as usualsort of. None of my delivery guys were able to pass by to take my scrap electronics to the recyclers, but I'm hoping it gets taken care of this this week.
And I definitely need to install an air conditioning unit in my store. I have a portable one at home that might need repairs, so I should get on it.
New games launched and I picked up some customer pre-orders. One lucky guy got Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker which was already out on WiiU but he wanted it for the Switch and not the 3DS, while another guy wanted Octopath Traveler for 3DS but it's only out on the Switch (which he doesn't yet have). Oh, well. I've also gotten some new titles on both PS3 (Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness, Jak and Daxter Collection) and PS4 (Devil May Cry Collection and God of War).
More stuff keeps coming in (trade-ins) and more stuff keeps going out (game collectors), so it's worth your while to drop in every once in a while and see what's new. I do it all the time with my suppliers and I'm almost never disappointed.
Later.
Hi. I was having some trouble with my Internet and Phone service providers. After some misleading statements made by customer service agents resulting in broken promises which prompted some arguments over the phone, all I say is that customer service ain't what it used to be.
So much easier when you're the boss running your own show. You can serve your customers while abiding by sound policies instead of those stupid rules a lot of companies embrace. Sure, a lot of it is about covering their asses to protect against fraud, but why would an ISP insist on a credit check before they sign you up? Hmmm? Why does a telecom company find that it's okay to let a guy on a second line on your account run you up a huge data bill when you never authorized a data plan? Perfectly legal, it seems. Don't get me started with Bell, either.
It's all legalized fraud. Best to learn their tricks so as to better protect yourself.
In other news, new titles on PS3, PS4 and PS Vita been coming in lately and I'm still taking pre-orders on upcoming PS4 and Switch titles. Don't miss out! See any games you want? Order them now before they're all sold out! Got any games you don't want anymore? Trade them in while they're still worth something!
Later.
Hi. A lot has been happening, so I haven't posted anything recently.
First off, I just finished scrapping another load of my old electronics and I'm just waiting for my delivery guys to come take my stuff to the recyclers, which was supposed to have been done this past Friday but now will be rescheduled for this coming week. As always, your donations of used electronics for recycling are much appreciated. No matter how cluttered my store gets, I always manage to make room for more stuff to come in.
Secondly, I'm seriously considering getting air conditioning in here. Normally, heating isn't too big an issue but during the recent heat wave it was hot and stuffy in here even at night. Normal ventilation doesn't always cut it, so I'm taking my portable AC to get checked out and get fixed.
Thirdly, I need to get my website back up and running. Host Papa let me down when they upgraded their server software and my old version of Joomla wasn't compatible with it. Host Gator promises to do better. We'll see.
As always, new games are coming in. I've pre-ordered a few upcoming Switch and PS4 titles for my customers and I've gotten some new and used PS3 and 3DS titles in stock as well.
That's all for now.
Later.
Hi. Well, a lot's been happening, so where to start.
New games came in for PS3 (Fairy Fencer F) and 3DS (Mario Party: Star Rush), with more stuff on the way as I pick through my suppliers' stock.
I'm also pre-ordering a lot of upcoming releases for the PS4 and the Nintendo Switch, so if there's any new titles you're looking for come to the store, pay a $5.00 deposit and you can look forward to getting it on launch day.
Some game collectors came in yesterday and bought a whole bunch of games offa me (a few retro titles on NES, SNES and Genesis plus a couple PSP titles) and even I gave them a couple of CRT TVs as a freebie. I regularly donate working CRT TVs to gamers and gamer groups (like Super Smash Bros. Montreal) while I recycle broken ones.
With moving season in full swing, I can expect money to be tight for some of my clientele, but I can't wait for my regulars to start coming by again.
A to top things off, I've been the target of not the locksmith guy this time (he's getting his) but some Pakistani scammers who've been going around with some sob story of being stuck with no credit card and try to pawn off some fake gold jewellery for whatever they can get. I used the neodymium magnet inside the flap of my smartphone case to test it, and it stuck to it. Gold and gold alloys (mixed with copper or silver) used in jewellery aren't magnetic. Don't be fooled if it says 18k or whatever on it. When in doubt, take a magnet to it, and if it sticks it's definitely not gold but tin, nickel or some other cheap metal (even if gold-plated); even if it doesn't stick, be careful as it could just as easily be gold-plated copper. These a**holes have approached me three times, and I think one tried to flag me down today (but suspecting what they were pulling I ignored them) and they don't seem to recognize me. Spread the word.
Well, that's it for now.
Later.
Hi. Well, that idiot Marco is still causing trouble with filing fake reports to city inspectors. It's amazing how some people have such low social and emotional intelligence, you'd think they'd want peace with their neighbors so that at the very least, if they ever need anything people would be willing to help them, but he can't have peace with others because he has no peace in himself.
He thinks nothing of targeting people who in his twisted mind have slighted him and even taking shots at innocent people who had nothing to do with this. He even slandered complete strangers online just for being affiliated with me.
He's always been a delinquent and since his father never had the balls to straighten him out he'll always be a deviant, a misfit and a loser. In more enlightened times such people would be publicly shamed, they would be shunned, maybe even exiled, but now they're being coddled by the welfare state. You get what you pay for, and when you subsidize low-class people you can expect more crap like this.
As much of a nuisance he's been, I'm taking it in stride and dealing with stuff as it comes. That police report I'm working on is coming along nicely, since I've learned of a few more incidents to include. He'll be getting his soon.
In the meantime, I'm taking care of my customers and that means working the daily grind and waiting to get paid. Money seems tight with everybody this month, but it's moving season so it's to be expected. One guy called this morning and left a rather long-winded message about a problem with his TV he bought from Economax; I called him back to inform him that it's probably not worth fixing but even if Economax won't honor their guarantee it's still covered by his credit card's extended warranty. He really appreciated the fact that I took the time to answer his questions and promised to write me a nice review. Glad I was able to help.
That's how you fight negativity, with positivity. People have trashed talked me and my store before, but they were just peeing in the wind. For every dissatisfied customer (they were a few legit ones, the rest were just whiny a** b***ches) I've had at least ten satisfied customers. Can't please everybody, and like my colleague says, some you have to let go, but still I try.
What about you?
How do you deal with negativity in your life?
New store sign and new open sign
Hi. Haven't written in a while because I've been so busy.
Firstly, I've got new games in stock, but they're mostly extra copies of RPG titles such as Tales of Zillia 1 (limited edition) and 2, Record of Agarest War Zero (limited edition) and a few others. I'm supposed to be getting more, so stay tuned.
Secondly, my store cleanup is still on going. Let me tell you, renting space is not a good idea unless your tenants pay cash, since they tend to just leave stuff there and you have to get rid of their junk when they abandon it. Oh well, at least some of it is usable.
Thirdly, my ongoing problem with Marco from La Clef M.M. should be coming to a resolution soon. Despite what he may think, locksmiths and security personnel are held to standards, and when I reported him to the authorities a while ago and they were found to be in violation of those standards and fined accordingly. I don't know the specifics, but consider this: jaywalking can get you a $52.00 ticket, leaving your car door unlocked can get you a $113.00 ticket and a video store selling movies with the Regie du Cinema sticker can get a $700.00 fine per item plus the confiscation of said items, you've gotta imagine that they didn't get a slap on the wrist. I'm figuring a least a few hundred, maybe a couple thousand dollars in fines.
All for Marco ripping me off for a $40.00 game. Cheaters never prosper.
So he figures I'm the culprit and then starts harassing me, intimidating me, etc. He overreacted like I hope he would and now he'll be facing criminal charges.
People like him shouldn't be in business.
Wish me luck.
Later.
Awesome video game store! Great prices, unbelievable deals, unbeatable service