Sub Service
Dog, some months ago,
I bought an inexpensive
Linux-based PC from
Sub300.com, which was
selling older stock to make
room for new inventory. I
purchased model #13338,
which had an AMD Athlon
XP 3100+ and 256MB of
RAM. The configuration
didn’t bother me, as I figured
I could upgrade it with parts
from eBay. The machine was
discounted from $165 to
$129. With shipping it was
$159. When I received the
PC, the configuration wasn’t
even close—the CPU was
an AMD Athlon XP 1400+.
I contacted Sub300.com
and informed them of the
mistake. They admitted that
an error had been made and
that they would work on
their end to fix it. I shipped
the PC back at the cost of
$48.35 and sent the company
the tracking info.
The company said a new
machine was being prepped
for me. Of course, the com-
pany stopped responding
after that. I have emailed
the company twice, asking
for a tracking number, but
they have not responded.
There’s no answer when I
call. I bought the PC with my
debit card, which doesn’t
let me dispute any charges
after a month. Am I out
the $159 that I paid for the
computer? I don’t care about
what I had to pay to ship it
back—mistakes are made.
I’m human, I make them too.
—Glenn CondreyThe Dog looked at Sub300.com’s
website, and it immediately
raised some concerns. After all,
the Dog doesn’t know of too
many PC vendors that also sell
bottled water and boast of oper-
ating three SilverStar car washes
in the Ontario area; on the other
hand, the company is the official
car wash of the Toronto Raptors,
so it must be legit, right?
When contacted by the
Dog, David Silverman, presi-
dent of Sub300.com, apologized
for the problem and said that it
occurred at the company’s ship-
ping facility, where the labels
on two machines were reversed
and then sent out. “Each
customer received the other’s
computer by honest mistake,”
Silverman said. “Each customer
agreed to return the wrong
computer, so we could make
things right and resend them
out properly,” he added. “We
have already given instructions
to Glenn and authorization for
a full refund/credit to his credit
card, and we apologized pro-
fusely to both clients.
“Clearly [the mix-up] was
an error, compiled with a little
bit of bad communication, that
was ultimately resolved to the
full satisfaction of both cus-
tomers,” said Silverman, who
added that although Sub
.com might not seem like a big
company, it does $75 million
in sales annually, albeit with a
staff of 10 people.
The Dog checked with
Glenn, who said he was
indeed promptly issued a
refund after the Dog spoke
with Silverman, but the story
doesn’t quite end there. Glennsaid that after he returned his
machine to Sub300.com as
instructed, apparently no one
picked it up. The post office
eventually returned the pack-
age to Glenn, who has no idea
what to do now.
“I want to do the right
thing here, but the idea of
spending $48.35 again and
not receiving full reimburse-
ment makes me kind of antsy.
On the other hand, I do not
want something I did not pay
for,” he told the Dog.
At press time, the Dog was
in the process of contacting
Sub300.com to see if the com-
pany would be willing to pay
the shipping costs for Glenn
to return his system a second
time. Woof.Is RegCure a
Wonder Cure?
I recently downloaded
RegCure software, but I have
to buy the full version of the
app for a complete systemrepair. Is RegCure.com a
reputable company?
—Ted KeenanThat’s a good question,
Ted, as a few things about
RegCure.com certainly
seem suspicious, including
a slick-looking website with
no phone number in sight
and a product that’s being
pimped all over the Internet
by websites that some would
regard as shady. Despite that,
RegCure and the maker of
the software, ParetoLogic, are
real. The company employs
110 people and is a member
of the Software Information
Industry Association.
RegCure was reviewed
and recommended by
Financial Times tech writer
Paul Taylor, who said he
preferred the software
over Registry Mechanic 5.
because “...it has additional
features, including the abil-
ity to manage the programsOur consumer advocate investigates...
Sub300’s Subpar Service
Sub300’s Subpar Service
Sub300’s Subpar Service
RegCure
Sub300’s Subpar Service
RegCure
Sub300’s Subpar Service
An Empty Food Bowl
WATCHDOG^
MAXIMUM PC TA@ES A 7ITE OUT O; 7AD GEAGRegCure reported problems with a completely new install of
Windows XP.18 |MAMAMAXIMXIMXIMXIMUUUUMMPPPCC| JUL 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com