>>Ed, you are making assumptions.
>>
>
>Yes, I assume that making a sale is better than not making a sale.

Well, there are good sales and there are bad sales. The way to turn a bad sale into a good sale might be the service contract. And the high-pressure might work on the next guy. So, not making the bad sale this time might mean making a good sale the next time (because the high pressure sales tatic is always used).

>>You are assuming that the salesperson actually gets a commission for selling the system without some sort or service contract. They might not. There may be no profit in the sale of the system if no service contract is sold.
>>
>>You are also giving your sale too much wieght. Lets say the commission on the system is $10. With the service contract it is $100. If 2 out of 10 of the "I don't want no service contract!" customers can be swayed to buy the contract, that would be $200 commission as opposed to $100.
>>
>
>As I explained to his manager, they lost a $2500 sale that day. BFD. They also lost another $50-70K in sales over the next year in business referrals; if I have a client that needs to get something at a retail outlet, it means they've not got time to order it overnight or two day from a web vendor. I'll send them to Circuit City rather than CompUSA. Or Staples. Or OfficeMax. They're buying a toaster.

That $2500 sale w/o the service contract may have netted out to a loss.

>>The bottom line is simple: You don't know why he did what he did. You are assuming you know everything, but you don't.
>>
>
>I know as a customer, someone who is about to be separated from a stack of Sacs, the vendor should be aware and cognizant of my wishes. In a market where I can go down the street and deal with a competitor who is willing to do business on my terms (he delivers what I ask for with a minimum of fuss in exchange for money, and I provide the exact specs of what I want) the vendor is at best foolish to not respect my wishes. To put it bluntly, fuck'em, there's a dozen other guys who can sell me the stuff within two miles.

Same answer. The next guy might go for the high pressure sale on the service contract and the store might net out to a higher profit on one sale with service contract than many sales w/o service contracts.

>
>>When I go to a store to buy something, the salesman never bothers me. I ask the questions and direct the conversation. If something is proposed that I don't want (eg. a service contract), I will say "No thank you." That is that. I then re-direct the conversation to points that I want covered. When the conversation is over, I buy it or I don't. No hard feelings.
>>
>
>My time is worth money. I'm up front about who I am and what I want. Is it unreasonable, given that they're aware I know I can buy what I need elsewhere off the shelf or mailorder without their wasting my time, for them to do business as I ask?

No. It isn't unreasonable. But when you consider the tiny profit margins that some of these stores are working on, you can understand why the service contract is one way for them to survive. Also, from the salesperson's point of view, they are trying to make a living. If their commission goes 10X if they make the service contract sale, can you blame them for trying to put food on the table? So, it would be reasonable for them to do business as you ask. But it is also reasonable for them to try to make money in other ways.

But Ed, sometimes getting along with people is challenging. Of this fact I am sure you are well aware. I wasn't there, so I really can't comment on whether the salesperson acted appropriately or not. There is a line, and he/she may have crossed that line. I was only trying to offer a possible explanation for this person's behaviour. I thought it might help you deal with some of your anger ;~)