Shredders are considered technolgy Office Depot Comupter must be really advanced.

LOL this doesn't surprise me at all. Friend's mom bought a shredder
last year, with the extended warranty God knows why. At any rate the
shredder broke and when she tried to have it replaced Office Depot
told her that "Technology had advanced and they no longer made
that shredder." They were willing to give her a gift card for
the price of the shredder, which of course was on sale at the time so
it was much cheaper than anything even closely related to it now.

So in the end, they allowed her to get a new shredder and use the
price of the old one plus the difference in cash. The one she got
wasn't even as good as the old one and cost much more and the funny
part of it all is when she paid for it. Of course at this point she's
furious. They ask if she wants to buy the extended warranty LMAO!

Office Depot sucks, don't shop there.

John G.- Well would ya believe it, Chuck is banging away at my back
door, yelling about shredders being technology!! Shredders are
technology! Get it?

John G.- Chuck just called me back and yelled down the phone,
"Technology's technology!", he said.

Do we get to see the results of the poll?

Normally I'd say... they didn't lie but...

Yeah give him the 20 dollars. Let him spend it on a spelling book. :(

Just because an item is placed under a department sign that says
"Technology" does not make it technology. Stores arrange the
merchandise for customer convenience and impulse buys. If there is a
display of pens in the Technology Department, are those pens no longer
office supplies?

I agree with Richard that it's done on purpose.

If I remember correctly Office Depot considers blank DVD's and CD's
technology as well.

They do this just to avoid having the coupon used on popular items
that people consume.

Office depot is not one of my favorite stores because usually their
sale prices are more expensive than regular prices at other stores.

could be placed in the "Technology" department if Office Depot thinks
they are best placed there, IMO.

I wish the PFB Survey for this letter were more like the other
surveys we have seen, or at least asked a couple more questions. One
Yes/No question doesn't seem sufficient to gauge a course of
improvement. The crux of the matter here seems to be whether OD needs
to better post what is in its departments, so as to avoid customers
being disappointed due to errant assumptions. The survey could have
also asked about whether a shredder was an "Office Supply", for
example. A question also may have addressed the suggestion that some
people brought up that OD denied this customer a discount on a
technicality.

Do I want to participate in crafting surveys? Not particularly ;)

Computers, pencils, long grass blades that chimpanzees use to get ants
out of anthills, ....

It's fairly easy to get confused when you think someone is using a
term in a colloquial way and the definition can legitimately be argued
but they're actually using it as a precise term with a specific and
exact definition for the context. It's also fairly easy to become
frustrated when your attempts to clarify what you think the word means
in a colloquial sense get rejected out of hand by someone who's using
it in a precise sense. Or at least it is for me.

It makes sense that if they're going to specify that the coupon only
works for "technology", they've got a specific list of items that fall
under that category. One wouldn't expect Office Depot to send out a
coupon for blue items and then expect every cashier to negotiate
whether a notebook with white pages but a blue front cover is blue or
not. And another commenter has already noted that "technology" is a
section in the store.

It would have been good if your cashier had had that information at
hand and could have said something like "'Technology' is a category of
merchandise, and the shredder is in that category. Basically, if it's
in aisles x, y, and z it doesn't count for the coupon" and then let
you go back and shop in aisles t, u, and v. (I wouldn't expect it,
though. Before I swore off Office Depot I had a discussion with a
manager in which it turned out that she had never heard of pen
refills. I don't get the impression that Office Depot strives to have
the most knowledgeable employees in the world of office supplies.) I
think you got bad service here. But I don't think that the bad
service is worth $20.

Why do I get the feeling you plugged your shredder into your network
and typed this letter on your shredder?

I have a difficult time understanding how anyone can write something
up like this letter, look it over on the Preview screen, and think to
themselves, "Yup, that'll do," and then hit the Post button.

"What a shredder is technology howI asked the girl behind the counter
could not give an answer."

Right now, if I concentrate really hard, I can almost hear my high
school English teacher crying out in agony.

You say you spent $250 in the store. I'm guessing the shredder wasn't
the ONLY item on your receipt.

So why would they not honor the coupon? Was everything else on the
receipt technology items?

And sorry, you asking the manager what his opinion of the policy that
shredders are classified as technology was just baiting him to say
something you could twist around and cause trouble with. I don't
blame him for telling you no.

If they say its technology, then unfortunately, it's technology and
opinions on the matter are irrelevant.

It doesn't matter what you, the manager or anyone else thinks, Office
Depot considers shredders technology so you can't use the coupon.
Case closed.

They have shredders listed as technology.

That's pretty much the end of the story. It doesn't matter what you
or me or anyone else considers shredders to be. All that matters is
that Office Depot calls it technology and they don't owe you $20.

Sorry, but they can call Sharpies technology if they want.

If you really think of it, shredders ARE a form of technology. A
wringer washer, obsolete by todays terms, is technology. Shredders
have intricate parts, gears, computer controls, sensors, and
electronics that need precision engineering, product development and
testing in order to perform a function properly.

John G.,
I just checked Office Max.
I know your issue is with the coupon but
shredders are listed under Techology there as well..
I guess if you did not have a shredder, somebody stole your identity
and you decided to purchase one it would not matter what catagory they
fell under.
Good luck.
BillR.

The cashier didn't write the coupon. You don't have to get snotty
with her. And good for the manager. What does it matter what his
opinion is?

If you didn't ask for the coupon why did you use it?

Shredders are part of the tech dept.

Get a dictionary.

You should use your new technology to shred up this letter, because
it's horrible!

What happened to all the tough talk about them needing to take back
that ink cartridge that you had no reciept for and no recollect on how
old it was?!?

Now, this complaint I actually agree with you on from a realistic
stand point. Others have offered how O.D. classifies this stuff, so
it sounds as if you are out on technicalities. Lame, but true.

Shredders are required to be plugged in to be used. So.. your telling
me computers aren't technology? What is a coupAn?

The shredder is most likely considered part of the technology
department - which makes total sense because it would often be
considered a computer accessory. (as in the way most stores that sell
computer are sectioned.) It wouldn't fit in with the any other
department.

If I were in this situation I would have simply stocked up on some
things that I will need and use at some point - such as printer/photo
paper or stuff like that to make the coupon valid. But thats just me.

A shredder may not be ADVANCED technology, but there is a circuit
board inside and other mechanical parts. They do not run on pixie
dust. There is still technology involved here. That being said, it
makes your complaint seem silly.

Two words, PROOF READ. My guess is that this company will throw away
your letter, just as I was unable to read the whole thing because it
gave me a headache. Re-write your letter and maybe you'll get a
response.

Whew...had to rest somewhat after reading this one. Severe brain
freeze and did not even eat ice cream.
I don't know what the answer would be to this other than
technologically speaking you could have done much better with the
spelling, punctuation and essence of this letter.
Also, can I ask what you would want the $20 coupon for now since you
will never shop at Office Max again?
Do you want to give it to someone else to share with you in this
terrible experience.

I'm of two minds on this. The thing is, there's a difference between
technology in general and "cutting edge technology." According to
dictionary.com, there are a lot of definitions for technology, and one
of them is, "Electronic or digital products and systems considered as
a group: a store specializing in office technology." By that
definition, a shredder, which is an electronic product (meaning that
it uses electricity as its power source), is technology. I'll
grant you that it's hardly in the same category as say a wireless
router or a PDA, but the coupon said "technology," not, "computer
technology" or "organizational technology." I can see where you were
confused, but I also see how they arrived at that categorization.

The only other thing I can say about this letter is that the opinion
of the manager had little to nothing to do with the issue. Managers
are not paid to have opinions on their employers' policies, just to
enforce them. I imagine if the manager had said, "You know, I
do think this is an unfair policy," and that had gotten back to
his supervisors, they would have been none too happy with him. So
it's really not fair of you to expect him to speak against the policy
regardless of what his opinion was.

I don't think a paper shredder is technology or electronic. Not
everything plugged in is electronic. Electrical, yes.. electronic,
no. That's just my opinion, and I could be wrong, but I have lots of
things plugged in here that are not electronic.

I think they should have honored the coupon instead of losing a
customer over a technicality. If I was sent a coupon as an incentive
to get me in the store, and it was denied for reasons that were
questionable, I would probably never go back.

I am an electical engineer. I noticed that whole
electrical/electronic argument above, and my head was spinning.
Engineers are blamed for taking thinks too literally, but I'm sitting
here saying "people are taking the department name "Technology"
literally without asking OD what they think it means." It is just the
name of a department, for heaven's sake. "Furniture" is pretty
obvious, but what does "Office supplies" mean exactly? I don't know,
beyond paper and pens. Let's get 10 people and take a poll. Better
yet, ask OD personnel. I noted that the manager knew exactly
what department OD considers the shredder to be in; there was no error
made there.

I don't consider a shredder to be "technology" either. But I see
nothing wrong in OD's approach. Department stores segregate things
into departments, and that isn't always 100% rational. They had to put
the shredders in some department, so they chose Technology. Now,
years later, they decide to have a sale on stuff, but not to include
the items in the Technology department. So the shredder isn't
eligible. The customer doesn't get to go questioning why OD put it in
that department just because it would benefit his coupon. What items
will the consumer argue about the following week, when some other
coupon is offered? This is just an unreasonable request to make an
exception, IMO.

I don't see this as OD escaping on a technicality at all. With that
argument, I should be able to go in and stock up on batteries and
whatever other items 75% of John or Jane Does on the street consider
to not be technology, but OD placed in the Technology
department, and apply it towards the coupon.

I don't see why the word "Technology" is being taken so literally.
They had to pick a name, and it is better than "Electrics" or
"Electronics". Not everything in there is electric. Software is
there, for example.

If the shredders were listed under multiple departments, or somebody
moved them just last week from one department to another, then I see a
possible "technicality". The department shredders are in is clearly
shown (and it was reported to the OP), and isn't eligible. It
would be a technicality to claim it should be eligible to be
exempt from the Technology department, IMO.

I doubt they'll worry about sending you the $20 since you've already
made it quite clear that you will no longer shop with them regardless.

http://www.officedepot.com/?cm_mmc=Yahoo-_-Brand_Campaign-_-Brand_Keyw
ords-_-office_depot

Just hower over the "Technology" menu. You can see all they things
they consider Technology. Batteries, cables, cameras, shredders,
software, to name a few.

Not eligible for the coupon. Case closed.

Technology includes anything you plug in.