Recently, I bought a name card reader from a large IT shop at Funan in Singapore. (For local readers it should not be a challenge to guess which store I?m talking about.)

I decided to get it from that shop even though there were other shops selling the same product at a cheaper rate. I usually feel more comfortable buying from a shop that has a proper, written exchange policy as it is usually a sign that the shop is confident of the products it carries.

Before buying, I repeatedly asked the sales person about the exchange policy as I was not sure about the quality of the product and might want to change to a higher end name card reader. She assured me that I could bring it in for exchange if I was unhappy with the product in any way. At the cashier, I repeated my questions and the cashier again reassured me of the exchange policy.

My sixth sense must have been working overtime that day for the name card reader really did not fit my requirements -- it was incompatible with Windows XP. I was glad I had made the decision to go with a reputable shop, and decided to go back to exchange it for another one.

Imagine my surprise when the service staff said that they could not exchange the product for me because the problem lay with my computer. This, without even testing the product! They suggested that I should reformat and reinstall my Windows XP to get the name card reader to work.

Knowing very well it could not be a Windows XP fault, I was adamant that I wanted the product to be replaced, especially since I had taken special care to ask -- and was repeatedly told -- that I could exchange the product if I was not satisfied.

The service staff tried to cast doubts by making disparaging remarks on the brand of my computer, and asking if I was using a DIY machine.

Then he tried to change tack and said that it was too late for an exchange as I had exceeded the exchange period. Unfortunately for him, the date on the receipt showed clearly that it was still within the seven-day exchange period stipulated by his company.

Seeing that I was not going to be intimidated, he got his supervisor to talk to me. The supervisor, being more experienced, came over and told me that he could not exchange the product because there was an imperceptible scratch on the casing.

I told him that scratch or no scratch, it was a faulty product that they had sold and that an exchange should be made. We sat there and argued for quite a while before he gave up and told his staff to test out the product. (Finally!) To add insult to injury, he told me that they only support a clean Windows XP installation and not any support packs or updates. The service staff were obviously not there to help, but to dissuade the customers from exchanging.

One of the staff tried to install the software on a Windows XP display set. It didn?t work even though he tested it on two different machines. Disgruntled, he finally wrote out an exchange note for me.

I have been thinking: Had I been less IT savvy or faltered at any stage -- as any non-IT savvy person have -- the company would have succeeded in dissuading me from an exchange that they had promised was possible.

It is truly an underhanded manner to conduct business. Considering that Singapore prides itself as an IT shopping haven, having such companies doing such business this way would slowly, but surely drive our hard won Singapore brand to the ground.

Do you have had a poor service experience or any suggestion how we might solve this problem, write in to us at Computerworld and share your thoughts with us. Louis Chua"s e-mail address is louischua@idg.com.sg.