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| Thread ID: 121826 | 2011-11-16 06:37:00 | Buying Laptop Support/Warranty: Worthwhile? | Winston001 (3612) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1243818 | 2011-11-16 06:37:00 | I've already posted a thread asking advice to buy a laptop for my lovely daughter going to university. pressf1.pcworld.co.nz Its more complex than I thought. Being a sorta geek (been here for many years :D) the machine I'd buy isn't what my daughter wants or needs. So I'm having to adjust my perspective. Went to Hardly Normal and Noel Leeming today. For about $400 they offer extra warranties and service backup, Norton (uugh), and a laptop bag. She's going to be 250km away and if her laptop has a problem, she'll need to get help in Dunedin. Press F1 is a wonderful community but we are geeks - interested enough to chase a problem and ask the right questions. The average consumer doesn't. Like a car or a microwave, they just expect a computer to work and fair enough. When it doesn't - trusted help is essential. So whaddya reckon about these extended warranties? |
Winston001 (3612) | ||
| 1243819 | 2011-11-16 06:43:00 | Not worth it. | pcuser42 (130) | ||
| 1243820 | 2011-11-16 07:29:00 | Hell no! Warranties aren't worth the money - especially on a $1000 - $1200 lappie. Consumer Guarantees Act will cover the machine, in the unlikely event the the Tosh or Asus dies... When you buy it, install Crossloop and you'll be able to help over the interweb, if she has software problems (or someone here, if needed). |
johcar (6283) | ||
| 1243821 | 2011-11-16 07:34:00 | No for that sort of warranty. If you were to get something like the HP Probooks sold by lapshop or Tosh business range, they will diagnose over the phone and then come to an onsite repair if need be (you can extend this from 1 to 3 years for about $200) That feature is only really available on the more business focused laptops, you won't get support like that for any consumer laptop. CGA will cover you for sure, but be prepared for it to take a while, not that it should but that is the reality of it. |
Alex B (15479) | ||
| 1243822 | 2011-11-16 07:36:00 | Yeah, I'll also go on the side of the warranties being bull. Given that the most likely events to happen to the laptop are: being dropped - no cover being stolen - no cover suffering spilt fluid - no cover overheating while vents obstructed by clothing/bedding - probably no cover virus/malware - no cover (and Nortons being the last tool to turn to) A better use of your money would be to buy an external HDD and use it to hold an image of the laptops HDD as your 'insurance'. |
Paul.Cov (425) | ||
| 1243823 | 2011-11-16 07:41:00 | +1 Step 1 of a warranty "repair" is usually a factory restore, nuking your data anyway. |
fred_fish (15241) | ||
| 1243824 | 2011-11-16 07:50:00 | extra warranties and service backup, Norton (uugh),and a laptop bag. Expensive Bag :D its about all that would be of any use. As its plainly obvious, extended warranties are a waste of money. We had something similar a few months back, we brought something at hardly Normals (some kitchen appliance - it was SWMBO that brought it, I only had to carry it) :wub Anyway -- The sales guy was being really pushy, trying to sell an extended warranty -- in the end I got pissed off and quite bluntly said, I run my own computer business -- and its a fact the CGA will cover the appliance for the same if not longer than the rubbish rip off warranty --- he agreed and left us alone :D While adding in a remote desktop program is fine, team viewer QS , it also depends on the problem -- If something screws up and theres no internet connection, then it would have to be taken to someone to repair. |
wainuitech (129) | ||
| 1243825 | 2011-11-16 08:54:00 | Given that the most likely events to happen to the laptop are: being dropped - no cover being stolen - no cover suffering spilt fluid - no cover overheating while vents obstructed by clothing/bedding - probably no cover virus/malware - no cover (and Nortons being the last tool to turn to) A better use of your money would be to buy an external HDD and use it to hold an image of the laptops HDD as your 'insurance'. Wise words and thankyou for reminding me of the real world risks. I agree with everyone and the only reservation I have is that some people (such as SWMBO) feel much happier when they have someone to take a problem to. As for the CGA I'm very comfortable with arguing claims having done so on occasion. |
Winston001 (3612) | ||
| 1243826 | 2011-11-16 20:49:00 | $400 is not worth it. Heck, you could just get a $650 15.6" laptop (like a Tosh) for her and I am sure it meets the purpose of Facebook and MS Office. And if it does fail after a year and if you don't want to contest the CGA you can just buy another for $650 or lesser (in future) instead of paying the $400. You may want to check if she can take it into a local Noel Leeming store in Dunedin etc .. if they would accept it. I am not sure if they have Harvey Norman now but won't be surprised if they do now ...... Laptops devalue so much that after a year I would just fix it myself or get another or CGA .... |
Nomad (952) | ||
| 1243827 | 2011-11-16 22:07:00 | Two things I am finding with laptops these days that can/will/often crap out. Crappy hard drives - normally Hitachi !! and the other is the battery. The last 3 Toshiba laptops I purchased for clients in the last 18 months all now have dead batteries. Not alot can be done about a battery dieing, but as Paul suggested, get a backup drive and install some easy-to-use backup software. Noel Lemmings like haggling if they think they can close a sale, tell them to throw an external HDD into the deal. Save your $400 :thumbs: Cheers. |
Iantech (16386) | ||
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