Remix This
I placed an order for ink
for my Epson R280 from
Inkjetremix.com, feeling
assured that I had nothing to
worry about, given the com-
pany’s 30-day guarantee and
the “Yahoo Business Merchant
Solutions” logo on the site. I
was wrong and am embar-
rassed to be disclosing my
problem. I feel an obligation
as a Maximum PC subscriber
to warn others about this
company. I purchased $66 of
ink and half of it didn’t work.
I quickly emailed Inkjetremix.
com for an RMA as instructed
on its website; no email reply
was received.
A few days later I
sent another email and
received no reply. I called
the posted phone number.
No one answered, so I left a
message. A few days later,
I left another message. I
finally contacted the Better
Business Bureau, and they
are currently investigating
the company. Please notify
other readers to beware.
—Alexander PabonAfter receiving Alexander’s
complaint, the Dog also
pinged Inketjetremix.com.
You can guess the result: No
one bothered to respond. It’s
not exactly new behavior for
the company, either. The Los
Angeles chapter of the Better
Business Bureau gives the
company an F—the lowest
possible rating. Only four
people have complained
about the company, but
Inkjetremix.com neverresponded, so the BBB gave
it a big thumbs-down. Given
the company’s failure to
respond to the Dog too, it’s
fair to say you should avoid
this company at all costs.
Woof.Locked out in the Cold
I’ve paid for and used Outlook
Express Backup Wizard for
several years now. I like the
simplicity of the program, as
it will back up to my network-
attached storage. I formatted
my hard drive, and now the
company tells me that my
old product key/password
is invalid. I’ve tried to get a
response from five separate
emails but have had no luck. I
can’t even get a phone number
from the website. At this point,
I’m not willing to pay $40 for a
new product key since I’m not
sure I’ll ever get it.
—JohnThe Dog contacted QSX
Software, makers of Outlook
Express Backup Wizard,
and was told that John is
indeed a registered customer,
but a spokesperson insists
that John has not contacted
them. At least, they’ve
never received any ques-
tions. “There could be many
reasons his emails haven’t
reached us, most probable is
a typo in the email address.”
The company provided John’sserial number, which the Dog
forwarded to him. John insists
that he did indeed send mul-
tiple emails to the company,
but then again, his letter to
the Dog originally referred
to the software as Outlook
Exprexx, so typos do happen.
The good news is that John
got his code. Woof.Keeping You Safe...
from the OS
I have a problem with
Microsoft’s new packaging for
Windows Vista. The plastic
box is almost impossible to
open without breaking it, and
you cannot throw it away
because the key code is on it.
It’s the absolute worst pack-
aging out there. Who designsthis stuff? Do they do market
testing? Thanks for listening.
—NormIt’s perhaps symbolic that
people can’t even open
the Windows Vista box
without assistance. The
Dog recently had to open a
Vista package under a time
constraint and was this close
to stomping on the sucker
when someone with prior
experience jumped in to lend
help. (There are numerous
small arms that can be field
stripped in fewer steps!)
As a public service, the
Dog will now explain how
to open the Windows Vista
(and Office 2007) plastic
packaging. On the top of theEMAIL THE WATCHDOG If you feel you’ve gotten a raw deal and need assistance
setting a vendor straight, email the Dog at [email protected]. Please
include a detailed explanation of your problem as well as any correspondence you
have sent concerning the issue.Our consumer advocate investigates...
The Missing Ink
Key Conundrum
The Missing Ink
Key Conundrum
The Missing Ink
Packaging from Hell
The Better Business Bureau gives Inkjetremix.com a solid F for not
responding to the org’s questions—the company didn’t respond to
the Dog either.WATCHDOG^
MAXIMUM PC TAKES A BITE OUT OF BAD GEAR20 |MAMAMAXIMXIMXIMXIMUUUUMMPPPCC|DEC 08 |www.maximumpc.com