Hey, gerbils..
I've been looking at Tigerdirect's combo deals and noticed something crazy, to the point of being possibly insulting to some customers. Look at this combo, for example:
'Super What a DEAL!' Combo (LOL) : $565 List Price, $500 after 'instant savings', $490 after rebate
This combo's 'Combo Price' is $500 (after 'Instant Savings'), what you actually pay upon check out, so never mind the 'List Price', which is just sorta like a pat on the back saying you did well to choose Tigerdirect. That's the AMD FX-8350 CPU, Asus M5A99FX Pro 2.0 motherboard, and Thermaltake Chaser A31 chassis. But if I check these components' individual prices, I end up getting a LOWER TOTAL PRICE regardless of whether I consider List Price, after 'instant savings', or even the 'after rebate' price (where applicable... e.g. some have no rebate offered, as you can see). So why would anyone go for this crazy (or should I say, deceptive?) combo?
AMD FX-8350 : $220 List Price, $190 after 'instant savings'
Asus M5A99FX Pro 2.0: $165 List Price, $145 after 'instant savings', $135 after rebate
Thermaltake Chaser A31 : $100 List price, $80 after 'instant savings'
Total of these 3 components after 'Instant Savings' when bought individually : $415.
Total of these 3 components without 'Instant Savings' when bought individually (i.e. 'List Price') : $485
So how is it that one saves if he/she buys this combo? They end up paying MORE! In fact, even if I take the individual LIST PRICES, I STILL end up paying LESS than the combo price!
To be clear, I'm not saying TD is trying to make a run for people's money. Perhaps this is just carelessness. Regardless, I urge people to do their homework before clicking the checkout button. It's customers that lose when they fall for these crazy combos, thinking they're paying less when they, in fact, end up paying MORE!