I thought I would post this long story about my trying to buy an I-931 last week.
It all started a long time ago in a far away land - oops sorry -it started when the i-931's were first for sale on the lasonic site. I saw them for sale and they were in stock and I was ready to buy one - but my wife had been saying she wanted to get me a boombox for my birthday - so I waited to she if she would order it instead so it wouldn't be another (insert nag voice) "you always buy your own presents for yourself" thing. So she tries to order it the next day and - pfffh it was gone! This is strike one here.
Next TPR posts up the link from Fry's website that they have them listed online, but they are sold out. I check out the link anyway and on my computer it says in stock ready for shipment - so I buy one as fast as I can. I check the link again later and it says sold out. I am thinking they must have just had a few and I was lucky or it was a mistake. Then an email from Fry's confirms the order and the next day my credit card gets charged. So it looks good to go.
Next, I see that Fry's stores have them in stock - I am now wishing I just went to the store and got one, but I decide to not be stupid and just wait for the one I ordered online.
So now it's Saturday evening and my daughter and I are planning on going to the movies. We come in to work to check email and the movie times and sure enough - I now have "the your item is not in stock and is backordered email" from Fry's. This is strike two.
Now, I am kind of mad because I could have just went to Fry's and had fun with my daughter in Indy all day and picked up the I-931, too. My wife comes in and is on her way to the night shift at the hospital. She suggests to call Fry's and see if they have one and find out when they close and that we should just go down there and get it since my birthday is tomorrow.
I think this cool, so I call and they have one and they close at 9pm. It is now 6:30 pm and it is at least a 2 hour drive to Fry's if everything goes right. The movie is right across the street and starts at 9:10 - so the race is on now!
So I lose a little time going to the bank first and my daughter is not too happy about driving 2 hours. I know I've got to get her food or I'm in big trouble and it has to be fast food that we can eat in the car. She wants White Castle (it's her favorite fast food). So I am making good time until the White Castle takes 18 minutes to get us our food.
At this point according to my calculations, we will only make it with about 5 minutes to spare and there is all kinds of new construction and stoplights along the way. This is like and Indy car race, every stoplight, pit stop for food, bathroom stop, wrong turns(my weakness), can make the difference between winning and losing.
So everything goes well from then on and we get right close to where I think Fry's is from the map and then I can see the Fry's store from the highway. It is gigantic. I still have 15 minutes to spare - so it is in the bag right now.
UNTIL - I turn into the Fry's parking lot and there is a police car there blocking the entrance. UUGGH! This can't be good - so I ask the police officer what is going on and he tells me there is a bomb threat and the store is closed. He said he had been there since 7:30 and he didn't think they would reopen.

I told him I had driven all the way from South Bend and had just one item on hold. He was really cool, but he said it didn't look like I would get in there. He did say if they caught the guy I could kick his ass back behind the store.
Defeated at this point, I decided to wait/sulk until the last possible minute anyway.
At 8:55 I see the dogs and officers come out of the store. Then the police officer guns his car up to where I was parked and says - go ahead and try - it has been cleared..
Wow! new life - so we book it into the parking lot and head in to the store about 3 minutes before they close. Sure enough, the manager is right there and says you can't come in, they are closing.
By now about 10 other people are coming in behind me. I am staying cool since I have already mentally figured this is a lost cause. But I say "I have been driving all the way from South Bend for over 2 hours to get one little item which is on hold for me". The lady still says "we are closing and you can come back tomorrow". I say, "I just wasted 5 hours of driving time and gas money". Then she says "come back tomorrow and they will give me a credit for gas". Then a soccer mom lady behind me gets pissed and says - "You need to put him up in a hotel". Then another guy says "My pile of stuff is right there and I've been waiting since they kicked me out at 7:30". Then another guy yells "I came all the way from Lafayette". So she is feeling the heat now. She says she will call the district manager and see if she can stay open later.
So she gets permission to reopen and I am all happy that I can get the I-931 after all. They say it is most likely back at the portable audio section. I go there and I don't see any anywhere around. Some staff try to help me, but they have never heard of it. They look it up in the computer and can't find a record of it. I said they guy who held it for me said his name was Steve. They said there is no Steve. Finally, this little dopey looking guy who was standing by us said "that looks like what he's talking about right there". It was sitting right by us less than 5 feet away under a table with my name on it.
I grab it up, pay for it and make tracks for the movie theater so my daughter doesn't kill me for missing her movie. Thanks to those long previews we don't even miss any of the movie. So I plop down in the theater chair, victorious, and can't help but think - "this sure is one crazy hobby I have got myself into".

Great story of just how nuts we are with this hobby!

I know that feeling......glad it worked out in your favor!

Bonkers. Truly bonkers.

I'm feeling you bro!!!

thursday march 6 i discovered that they had these instock at fry's 15 miles from me but first i had to go to the psot office to mail off a rebate for some computer part that I had bought anyway and then when i came out to go to fry's it was pouring down rain and I wnet the back way via the feeder road as I had forgotten my easytag in the other vehicle and that took just forever getting there about 1 hour but I got mine out of will-call and I too some pic's of what was left on the shelf there in this posting on here > http://stereo2go.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7966054064/m/3771049625

appleknocker....my goodness man! I'm glad you won twice! Your daughter is the other victory!

That's one messed up story, but would make a good episode of "24"! Congratulations!

yeah yeah. what movie did you see.

quote:

It all started a long time ago in a far away land - oops sorry -it started when the i-931's were first for sale on the lasonic site. I saw them for sale and they were in stock and I was ready to buy one - but my wife had been saying she wanted to get me a boombox for my birthday - so I waited to she if she would order it instead so it wouldn't be another (insert nag voice) "you always buy your own presents for yourself" thing. So she tries to order it the next day and - pfffh it was gone! This is strike one here............

HAHAHAHAHA!

wow -what a story!

Finally you`ve got it.
Ol' appleknocker,that's incredible...
That was indeed a movie scenario itself...
It sounds like a real Indiana Jones script .

Now we really look forward to read your review of this
boombox.

That is a story for the ages....good for you.

Wow! Your story left me breathless!! Great adventure... with a happy ending! Congratulations that everything worked out for the good. (Lasonic, movie, White Castle, bomb threat, etc.)

quote:

Originally posted by *TPR*:
Now we really look forward to read your review of this
boombox.

I really do wish all who get the i931 would share their observations of this box as compared to some of the classics in their collections (amount of bass,overall volume capability,highs,etc).Such observations are some of the most useful types of information we can share here in the forum.

Great story! Probably not fun while it was happening, but it was fun to read, and your having gone through all that gives that box its own history from day one!

Good thing there wasn't really a bomb in that store. The I-931 might really have become a BOOMbox!

HAHA YEEEESSSSS!!! GREAT story and a BIG Congrats old buddy!

Hey Appleknocker,
I was born and raised in Indianapolis, In and I was there just this past weekend visiting my father in Noblesville. For those that don't know, eating at WHITE CASTLE'S is a bomb threat all unto itself. If you know what I mean. what's that smell...

LOL, great read! Enjoy the new boomer!

Great story there appleknocker. Just like the television series "24" stated earlier. I'm glad it ended successfully. I lived in Kentucky-ana a few years ago. I miss WhiteCastles, Cracker barrel and wafflehouse.

quote:

Originally posted by appleknocker:
..."this sure is one crazy hobby I have got myself into".

Crazy? Yep, just a touch
Nice one - bet you're happy with your purchase...

WOW great story, nice to know you got it in the end!

quote:

Originally posted by DKD:
Hey Appleknocker,
I was born and raised in Indianapolis, In and I was there just this past weekend visiting my father in Noblesville. For those that don't know, eating at WHITE CASTLE'S is a bomb threat all unto itself. If you know what I mean. what's that smell...

Hehe, anyone remember the movie "White Castle", which featured (sort of) that restaurant? That was as close as I've come to actually being inside the place, but I'd go just out of curiosity, if given the chance. The movie is about as old as most of the boomboxes we chase, if I remember right (I rented it on Laserdisk, if that helps date it). Probably the most memorable thing about it was a nakes (at least topless) Susan Sarandon waking a young guy up by giving him a blow job (can I write that here?...).

Congrat's apple. Hope it's worth it for you I was one of the lucky one's who got it online the first time and it was a b-day gift for me as well.

Happy birthday, you'll remember this I931 forever now