Online Shopping Return Policies and Dealing with Customer Service

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Now that Christmas has come and gone, and the excitement of all you, or your kid’s gifts have leveled off, is everything exactly what you or they wanted? Well, if you’re picky like me (so close Mom, love it anyway), then what do you? Many times things are bought online, and it’s hard to find out what to do with your unwanted gift. What are your options? What are the secrets to getting what you want? Andrew Schrage is just the man to ask.

Andrew Schrage is a co-owner of the Money Crashers Personal Finance site. He has an economics degree from Brown University, and previously worked at an investment fund based out of Chicago. He has a passion for all things financial and feels there is an educational void when it comes to personal finances.

Week In Review Links

• Cuomo Announces $785 Million NY State Grants, Meager Funds for Tech
• Apple’s Holiday Shutdown Puts Rush on App Developers
• Carrier IQ says “We Are Not Under Investigation”
• Intel’s emergency maneuver in mobile
• AT&T Brings 4G LTE To New York

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Finding the sweet spot

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The sports’ metaphor about the ‘sweet spot’ is being extended to your gadgets this weekend.  Computers, phones and USB grills can all be bought when they first come out, but there is an ‘early adopter’ tax.  And you might get a great deal on a laser disc player but won’t find the newest releases on Amazon or have luck at a Redbox.  Somewhere in the middle is the Goldilocks sweet spot – not too high, not too low.

Find out more about the Sweet Spot on the SHOW PAGE.

Other tech news this week includes Comcast and NBC merging to own both Park Place and Boardwalk (along with most of the Railroads), Google Voice will port your number and other signs of the apocalypse to be covered in the Week In Review.

Here are some stories to keep you busy until we are on this Sunday at 5pm EST | 3pm MST.

Related Articles

• Comcast-NBC deal includes provisions to protect public (usatoday.com)
• Softball answer: What are softball bats are made of (wiki.answers.com)
• Sweet Spot Marketing Launches New Website, Reveals PPC and SEO Reseller Support Services For Traditional Agencies (prweb.com)
• Science answer: Does string tension affect the speed of a tennis ball (wiki.answers.com)

Brand Buzz, Holiday Head’s Up & Outlook Foundation

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Ever feel like your floating in brand purgatory?  Not sure what your customers want or how they really feel about your products and services?

One good way to get a brand buzz? Surveys.  Find out more about using surveys on this week’s show with Chelsea Bucoy from Zoomerang on the SHOW PAGE to generate buzz for your brand.

Head’s up – Next week is our annual show with Keith Shaw from NetworkWorld.  Just in time for the holiday shopping season to start on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we’ll have Keith on to help you satisfy all those technophiles on your list …or make your own list of what you have to have this year.

And finally, we also wanted to let you know about:

Computer Outlook Talk Show Announces Foundation to Repurpose Computers to Under-Resourced Children and Families of Deployed Service Personnel

Non-Profit Outlook Foundation’s mission to repurpose cast away technology into the hands of those who need them most

Computer Outlook Talk Show announced the launch of the Outlook Foundation, a non-profit organization created to refurbish and repurpose computers; providing them to children whose economic background prevents them from having equal educational opportunities, as well as to deployed US service personnel and their stateside families in an effort to help maintain communication with loved ones. Beyond helping children and our service families, Outlook Foundation will also use its resources to reduce the amount of hazardous technology waste in landfills by recycling remaining technology through certified organizations.

Spoiler Alert – We have some great shows to end 2008

Not only will Dick Davies be on this week to enlighten all of you on Web 2.0, we have stuffed November and December’s schedule like mom’s Thanksgiving turkey.

Next week, Michael Clark from Microsoft will talk with Tom
about Software & Services. More on this early next week.

Holiday Gift Guides in December – Tom will bring you two weeks of cameras, cellphones, handhelds, laptops and every other item on the geek’s list who is near and dear to you.

The Gadget Hound, Ben Patterson for Yahoo! Tech will join us in December to let us know his picks for the season. Our TechTalk staff has also put together some reviews …it is a tough job but someone has to test all the new software, hardware and gadgets.

Keith and his pals at NetworkWorld published their gift guide not too long ago. He will be on the show to tell us about it and other gift ideas, but it is ok to peek. For all of you that get tired of words without pictures, here is some TV to hold you over until you get back to hulu. NetworkWorld does their Week In Review on Friday to keep you up to date until Sunday.

There will not be a quiz, but keep an eye out for the CES Preview, RoboLegManbot from Honda & The Mars Lander tweeted its last tweet before freezing to death due to Martian winter temperatures. The twitter account has since been deleted…too bad. Would be nice to leave up. I am sure it lives on somewhere.

11/14 Week In Review from NetworkWorld.tv

For those that made it this far, rumor has it TechTalk is going to team with CNET to start your 2009 “Listen to every TechTalk this year” resolution off right. Tom also privied the producer to some exclusive interviews from some prominent NYC IT professionals. If you are good and listen every week, we might air them before Christmas. We might make them available here only. We like to keep you guessing…and I have to ask Tom.

We’ll be on the air this Sunday, 11/16 at 3pm in Phoenix and 5pm in NYC ….noon in Hawaii, and 7am Monday morning if you are in Tokyo. Sorry, Craig, we are on at 11pm in Budapest. It is okay if you get the show from the archive. Thanksfor the clock, iPhone. Watch out iPhone, it looks like there is a Storm a brewin’ and it will be here next week!