Timmy Has NO ETHICS

I've been in the market for an affordable MacBook for a while. While I've been developing my iPhone app on my Hackintosh, I can't submit it without installing a developer's key on a real Mac... so I've been surfing the web and classifieds for one that isn't gimped and is fairly priced.

Well, I found an ad yesterday from someone selling a damaged MacBook. It gave a summary of the damage, so I knew what I was getting into, but I wondered if I could repair it.

Yesterday I left an email and a phone call for the person selling the MacBook. Last night, I got a call from him and he gave me the model number, and I looked it up. Turns out it would be decent for what I needed, which is really just to compile the app. Core 2 Duo, 2 GB. He said the screen was damaged and that a couple of keys were missing.

I called him this morning and we finally chatted. Turns out he's a high school kid who is graduatiing tomorrow. So after exchanging pleasantries he and I talk turkey about the MacBook. I let him know about my price point, and he's OK with it... I just wanted to see some pictures to confirm what I was buying before I drove 45 minutes one way to get this thing.

He does, and it turns out its the interior part of the LCD that's busted. Apparently someone either dropped it or stepped on it. But it's replaceable and reparable, and it will still work with an external monitor. So I let him know by phone that I still wanted it. We agree on a price and I ask him to send me directions to his house.

A few minutes later I get a call from him saying that someone just called him and offered him more money for it. Now I start to get a little irritated, but its an amount that I can still handle, and although I'm sour about him calling back, I tell him I'll match his price, but he needs to agree on our price this time and not accept another offer even if its more.

He agrees.

Then he calls me back and says the guy offered him 30% more and he understands if I cannot match it. I tell him very politely to suck it.

I understand the need to wheel and deal. If he had a price in mind then he should have said so. But as soon as he said he was doing business with me, he gave me his word that he wouldn't take another offer, and not 5 minutes later does he change his mind.

Another reason to hate Timmy.