I love MDG! I bought my baby from them and she is perfect. The thing i liked most is, I'm a girl who knew nothing about computer parts and what was good and what wasen't, I told the guy what I'd be using my computer for and he suggested what I should get. He never tried to rip me off, even if it meant i wasen't buying the most expensive system I could and he didn't break my budget!
Unfortunatly know I'm selling it- because I'm moving out of the country for over a year- but when I come back one of my first stops will be MDG!

If you know nothing about computers and computer parts how do you know if MDG ripped you off or not?

As far as problem resolutions go, I have news for you.
The way they "resolve" problems is by accepting no responsibility for false advertising and fraud.

For example if they advertise a specific laptop for $800 and when you go to the store you find out that it really costs $1,000, their solution is to try to upsell you an even more expensive laptop! That's how they solve the problem...

I can guarantee you that such a company is not going to last for long. Word of mouth is stronger than any expensive newspaper ad...

The same thing happens when you try to buy anything. The objective for a sales guy is to SELL, SELL, SELL, SELL! It is natural for sales guys to upsell customers. It is the name of the game is it not? I invite you to visit a car dealership someday. Observe how they try to upsell.

Retail advertising is a different animal. Sears, Future Shop, Best Buy, Zellers, Wal-Mart, Radio Shack, Ze Bay and MDG share similar characteristics in their ads. That is the goal is to get people into their stores.

You're wrong.

False advertising is NOT a natural way to upsell customers.
Check with Consumer Affairs (and not only...) and you'll find that there is a long (VERY long) list of such complaints for MDG.

I purchased an MDG Computer, new, from the Edmonton franchise on 170th st. in Sept., 2005. I also purchased their MDGCare Platinum Service Plan, which is supposed to cover unit replacement in the event of failure (among other things). In December, the computer kept overheating, so I took it in to be repaired and to get a new fan. They said it was just dirty, and cleaned it. Since getting it back, it works for a couple of hours, and shuts off. I took it back in and they said it needs a new power supply, but it wasn't covered by warranty. So what does that warranty really cover, if not a failed power supply? I tried to get the answer from the store manager, Sean, but he just lost his temper, refused to acknowledge the warranty, and would not even give me his last name when I asked what his name was! Never again will I recommend that store, and I plan to file a civil suit for not honoring a warranty.

I totally understand your frustration.
I had to deal with the same guy (Sean) and I also filed a report with Consumer Affairs.

I've never met such a rude store manager in my life!

I don't really know what to tell you. Their advertising is not false. It depends how you read it.

It is a bit confusing but that is the nature of direct marketing.

Here is an example. Open up the Wheels section in the Star on the weekend and read all of the fancy, shmancy things that dealers use to get people in. It is hardly false advertising.

dennis, what happened to me personally was false advertising.

They advertised a specific laptop on their website for an X price and when I went there to purchase it I was presented with a different laptop with completely different (lower) specs and a higher price!

After browsing around the net a little bit I realized that this is a common tactic for MDG. They've got a ton of reports filed against them on false advertising. People are not stupid (at least most of us are not...).

I don't know how that constitutes false advertising. It seems like your sales rep tried to upsell you. But that is his job, is it not?

Perhaps it is time to define the different tactics discussed in this thread, as it seems all are not on the same page.

From Dictionary.com:

bait and switch
Function: noun
: a fraudulent or deceptive sales practice in which a purchaser is attracted by advertisement of a low-priced item but then is encouraged to purchase a higher-priced one called also bait advertising

upsell
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: to try to persuade a customer to buy a more expensive item or to buy a related additional product at a discount

false advertising
Function: noun
: the crime or tort of publishing, broadcasting, or otherwise publicly distributing an advertisement that contains an untrue, misleading, or deceptive representation or statement which was made knowingly or recklessly and with the intent to promote the sale of property, goods, or services to the public

If, as many folks on here seem to allude to, the stores in question advertised a product that they never intended to sell, this would be false advertising or bait and switch. This seems to follow from the thread as many folks have asked for a specific advertised product only to be told that it is not in stock, and they then question whether it was ever in stock.

If the tactic is actually upselling as you say, the customer would be able to purchase the advertised unit at the advertised price, albeit after some amount of pushing the salesman off of his pressure tactics. This doesn't seem to be the case based on the replies I have read. The first of these practices is fraudulent while the second is merely an annoying sales practice that often turns people off to the store and may result in bad word-of-mouth advertising. Either way, I don't think this is a sustaining business model...

IVplay

Exactly!

I find it intersting that the people who defend the misleading advertising of MDG don't directly counter any of the complaints. They simply say "if MDG is so bad, why are so many people buying there"? Remember Packard-Bell computers? They became the BEST selling retail computer before going belly-up when their years of terrible service and shoddy products caught up to them. The only people who should buy at MDG are VERY knowledgeable hardware nerds. Anyone else will be taken for a ride. Check the posts...they all show that. gl

how are the laptops all this stuff is about desktops and there are only afew that are in 2006 i wanna get a cheap laptop from them its on right now for $577 (for a 2005 model) i have a desktop from dell it has worked fine i dont have alot of money mosty just need a laptop for dvd's and the net so what about the laptops are they any good? reading these makes me wanna just keep my desk top and my P4m Toshiba A40 let me know thanks guys

My complaint was for a laptop they were advertising about 3 months ago. It was supposed to be an Intel Core Duo according to their website advertising. Well, to make a (very) long story short, this advertised computer was really a Celeron even though it was advertised as a Core Duo.

In other words: stay away from MDG at all cost! :)

I would suggest that you check with FutureShop or BestBuy for your laptop. You'll get excellent service and you can be 100% sure that you'll get exactly what they advertise on their flyers or their website.

Future Shop or Best Buy? Yikes! : )

what kind from say best buy what are the top 5 laptop makers i have a toshiba A40 P4m 2.4 512 ram 40gb harddrive dvd rom/cd rw i guess i willl just keep this one. 1 main reason for a new one would be bettter screens and the widescreens thanks guy for the help

Depends how much you want to spend.
As of today (Jul 11) with $1000 you can get a core duo.
The new Celerons go for around $700 and a decent AMD goes for around $900.

We are talking about the latest processors, 15.4" screen, 1GB Ram, 80GB HD, DVD burner etc. You can probably find older Celerons or AMD for less than that. If you ask me, it's not worth it to buy older technology just to save a couple of hundred bucks.

Whatever you do though, stay away from MDG! :)

MDG is a total bait and switch rip off joint. I was looking for a good cheap laptop when I saw their ad for laptops for $577 reduced from 1077. Yeah, right. 577 was in big letters and all the features were listed:intel chipset, mobile processor(no mention of celeron, dual layer dvd burner, 512 DDR2 ram, etc Sounds good right?.

First time I visit the guy says that's not the model for 577, that's actually the 06 model that sells for $222 more. The 577 model is totally stripped with no ethernet OR mobile built-in, nomode and only a cd drive. Utter bull. Contridicts everythig the ad says. I say 'buddy this is false advertising, he ays hes not the manger and I should come back and speak to him.

Which I do the next week. The new salesman (who I haven't told I was in previously) says I get everything in the ad BUT the BATTERY is extra at $189 more.

This is when I decide, ya know, even if they gave me the machine they advertised at the price advertised: I don't want to buy it from a bunch of scam artists.

Steve Nash, I thought you had a lot of integrity. You should know about these guys you do ads for.

I went down te street and bought a better featured Toshiba at Future Shop for $599.

Sustaining business model? IV play, that is not an accurate comment. MDG has store all over Canada. At last check, they now have kiosks in Staples.

I went into the MDG store on June 19 to purchase a new PC. A week later there I am, in for service. Spent an extra $200 for platinum service (this means 48hrs turnaround)... didn’t happen. After 3 days called to arrange pick up... only to be told the computer hasn’t been looked at and boohoo we have 300 here and you just have to wait.

On that note I showed up in 30 minutes demanding either the $200 back or my computer in tip top shape...suffice to say, they gave it to me with the drive wiped clean... Took it home, couple days later same problem. So that tells me it has nothing to do with the software but the hardware. Called to speak with the manager at the location, after 7 failed attempts called the head office. Told the head of Customer service my dilemma and demand a new PC and he can do whatever he wanted with the lemon.

After getting the run around, passed it on to my other half (always my last resort, very aggressive in these matters) who, after a 10 minute conversation, had MDG contacting UPS to pick up the PC, and at the same time having a brand spanking new one delivered. Now before I even hook it up at home I am taking it to an independent to ensure that what they say I am getting is exactly what is there, and to make sure that this won’t be a problem.
Oh did I also mention that the flyers in that particular location were a month old?

Moral of the story: NEVER BUY UNLESS THERE IS A SATISFACTION GUARNATEED RETURN POLICY