"Blue Hippo" Computers - What a Rip-Off!!!!

[CO Liberal]

The commercials say you can get a brand-new computer for only $35 a week for 12 months. That works out to $1,800.

You can buy a computer at most stores now for $500 or less.

[democracyindanger]

1. Shh!!!

Dumb people are a key part of their business plan.

[Deja Q]

2. What are the specs of said computer?

Hopefully great than that you could get for $300!

[ET Awful]

3. The specs are REALLY pathetic

128 MB RAM
2.6 Ghz Intel Processor (considering it doesn't specify, probably a Celeron)
40 GB Hard Drive
etc.

Very pathetic.

Here: http://www.bluehippo.com/desktop_computer.asp

[autorank]

5. Senor Toad

I made several incorrect assumptions about you a couple of days ago on your home page thread. To return the favor, can you recommend a good laptop (5-6) lbs. (windows) for a female college student (liberal arts major) who already has MS Office. Off brand vs. IBM X series is the current decision tree but $1400 for the IBM is a bit much for my brat. I know the X series (they're great) but they are a bit pricey and have no built in CD. Any suggestions?

[BlueJazz]

4. You have to pay them for 3 months (13 weeks) before they'll......

...ship the POS to you. Since 13X35 = $455.00 and they probably paid less than 300 for the Computer, even if somebody tells them to go screw themselves, they make money...

[salvorhardin]

6. Rip-off indeed

Along with all those 'rent-to-own' stores and the pay day loans. Basically, yet another way to cheat poor people out of money. I don't think it's that they don't realize they're being ripped-off, on what essentially amounts to hundreds of percent interest. It's far more likely that they're so desperate and could never own (furniture/stereo/computer/major appliance) any other way. The fact that the majority of this stuff ends up going back to the place they got it from when they can't keep up the payments leaving them out of quite a chunk of change just speaks volumes to the class warfare that has been waged on Americans by the investor class.

...and before you say, "Well, they could just save the money up," I don't think anyone can understand the desperation that drives people to use these, umm, services unless they've been in a similar situation. It also helps if one stops and thinks about how much they've bought on credit over the years and how much of it they couldn't have gotten if they had been forced to save, sequentially, for each item.

Could they just go without? Are there alternatives? Yeah, probably. I know in my neck of the woods there are plenty of thrift stores selling everything from furniture to tupperware. In fact, I just bought a coffee maker from one the other day for $2 (got a coffee mug of my choice in the deal too). However, the effect of the consumer ad-driven culture should never be underestimated. While I personally love my $2 coffee maker (which was perfectly clean and works just like brand new and came with a guarantee), Walmart's parking lot was packed when I drove past yesterday and I'm sure they moved a case or two of coffee makers. It would be too easy to chastise the people who spent $15-$20 on a new coffee maker from Walmart whose personal economics probably dictated that they should have been shopping where I got my deal but when you scrimp and save for every little thing it's hard to fault someone for taking a little pleasure in getting the shiny box for a change.