Review: The Wiz
Everybody beats the Wiz! I currently have cable modem service from Cablevision, the parent company of the Wiz. The 3COM modem I purchased appears to be defective, but the only way to get a warrenty replacement is to send it back to 3COM and wait for up to 30 days to get a replacement! Since I can't be without an Internet connection from home for that long, I need to purchase a new modem.
So, I decided I'd stop by the local "The Wiz" store and buy one. I was going to get the Motorola SURFboard (SB4100), which in fact is the standard modem that Cablevision supplies to its subscribers now. At every store I checked, this modem sells for $129.99, whether you buy it at Amazon.com, Circuit City, Best Buy or any other place I've seen. Even the list price is only $179.99, and the only place you would pay that much is from Motorola directly. I figured that if anything, The Wiz would charge less than the typical $129.99, since they are selling millions of them, primarily to get people to become Cablevision customers. Plus, The Wiz markets itself as a discount electronics store. To my surpise, they charge more than the retail and even list price for this modem...way more. The current price at all "The Wiz" stores for this modem is $199! I guess they are counting on people not knowing how much a cable modem typically costs, and trusting that they probably wouldn't charge more than the market rate.
So, in conclusion, since in this case The Wiz sells cable modems for 53% above typical retail price, I don't think I'll be going there for any future purchases.