                   TOP TEN Tips for Buying Direct

      1: BUY FROM COMPAINIES WITH A PROVEN TRACK RECORD
         Talk with your friends and associates about products they
         have pruchased from various companies.

      2: INVESTIGATE UNFIMILIAR COMPANIES
         Call the local Better Business Bureau and the regional
         U.S. postal inspector's office to find out if a company
         has a history of complaints.

      3: EVALUATE PRODUCTS AT YOUR LOCAL COMPUTER STORE
         Try to check out the product and become familiar with it
         before you place an order.

      4: INVESTIGATE SERVICE OPTIONS AND RETURN POLICIES
         Look for that all-important 30-day money-back guarantee.
         Find out what kind of support they offer after the sale.

      5: BE WARY OF INCREDIBLE DEALS
         As the saying goes, "If it's too good to be true, it
         probably is."

      6: KEEP DETAILED RECORDS
         As a minimum, write down the compaines name of whom you
         spoke to, date and time you called, and any promises made
         about price and delivery.

      7: CONFIRM PHONE ORDERS
         Write a letter or send a fax to your salesperson confirming
         any orders placed by phone.

      8: DON'T SEND CHECKS
         Credit cards and COD offer the best protection against goods
         not delivered. You can stop credit card transactions and with
         COD no money changes hands until products arrive.

      9: DON'T ASSUME THE VALIDITY OF ADVERTISEMENTS
         Contrary to popular belief, even the most reputable of
         magazines, newspapers and periodicals do not always verify
         the claims made in advertisements.

     10: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND EXERCISE THEM
         If a company fails to ship your order on time, you can cancel
         the order with a full refund.

