I don't think I'll ever be a big fan of Comcrap. They shoehorn their components into the cases and seriously hinder the whole PC repair process.

As for HP's, I've seen some professional machines I've liked, but that's about it. I've replaced mobo's, hard drives, and optical drives on one model and never had to turn a screw except to remove the processor's heatsink.

I don't usually bother with looking for sales at stores or newspapers. I just go to the store and if I see something I like and the price seems reasonable to me, I buy it. If I can get it cheaper then by all means but at least I don't have to worry about the disappointment of a sale that wasn't. I try my best to educate myself on prices and quality before buying something so as to not over pay for it but at times I figure it's worth it. I know how stores work, their purpose is to get you thru the doors so that you end up spending more than you intended.

I have an HP laptop I bought a couple of months ago and I love it. I knew what I wanted and I went and got it. I'm not one to wander around the stores for several hours before making a decision. I paid a pretty penny for the laptop but I bought it for specific reasons which I felt were worth every penny.

My laptop did not bring much stuff installed, the anti-virus is always the first thing to go and considering it had Vista on it, I made sure not to mess with stuff I wasn't so sure would work on it. So my laptop has been kept lite on the software side, keeping only what I use. And so far, I have had very few problems, nothing that would make me change my mind.

Don't try those early bird sales, from 7 am to 11 am ,  at Christmas time either. A couple of years back our local Wally World advertised a laptop computer for around 350 dollars or so. Several of my coworkers went in to try and get one. What they didn't say in the advertisement was that there would be a limited supply. There were 20 of them to be sold. Of those, 10 were bought by Wally World employees before the store even opened. So the other 10 were gone in 15 minutes afer opening. So the people that came in around 10:30 am had no chance of getting one. I am sure they tried to sell the other items that they had plenty of in stock all year round. I now see in small print, not so fine you can't read it print, in their ads now, the limited supply notice.  I don't think employees should be able to take part in a sale with a limited supply item either. Doesn't Wally World give employee discounts?

As a former employee of said Depot I can attest to this review. Many people were shocked to find out I actually knew something about computers. Now the extended service plans? Yes I sold them, by the truck load, and I am going to hell for it.

Fact: those plans are near pure profit. The company only got me to sell the crap because they paid me extra for it. They do work in most cases but there is always a catch. One of the biggest catches on nearly any plan anywhere is that you have to send it back (even with Dell). A computer is often one of the most important tools in the house hold. Being with out one for weeks on end is a horrible feat to manage. I didn’t often feel guilty with digital cameras, PDAs, printers, and whatever tech because even if you smash it up you could always get a new one mailed and you might survive the time with out it fine. Still....

You can always get the Geek Squad protection from Best Buy and have the work done right there and then. You will also pay out the nose for it, in many cases, right there and then regardless of what you spent previously. If you know nothing about computers you will always pay people like me too much money to fix them for you. I understand that I am the guy at the body shop making the noises my engine makes because I have no idea how to explain what is happening. I understand that until I pony up to a class or read a better book on cars that I will always get taken to the bank on my repair bills.

The two biggest rip offs out in retail are mail in rebates, and protection plans. More than 70% of the people that purchase them do not use them. Free money in the bank for who ever. Moral of the story is don't trust anyone that has something to sell to you, and all computers suck. If you have both of those going in you stand a much better chance of getting out alive.

 

And use proprietary parts and Bios! When HP bought them, they were supposed to keep the Compaq desktop and HP server line. I hope they just used the compaq plants for HP and ditched all things compaq. We will see.

I worked for a retailer for 12 years, so I am very familiar with loss leaders. However, most stores either advertise "limited supplies" (usually 2-5 per store), or will allow rain checks for not in stock stuff. But then a few try this monkey shines crap too.

Their loss. I could have walked out of there with nothing, but with a good feeling. instead I walked out with nothing, and another store on my black list of avoidance.

I dont. Having worked in retail for many years, I try to avoid stores like the plague! The only reason we were looking at this one to begin with was I wanted to get the comptuer while I was there, and before my mother changed her mind. I would have much preferred to get her a Dell, but so far the HP is looking good.



Probably. But then they dont pay great (no retailer does) either, so a penny saved.....

I know. I worked for a defunct chain (best Products, no relation to best Buy), and they were as you say pure profit!



Very True.



I have dealt with some of the Geek Squad (and Firedog with Circuit City), and I was not impressed. While they are more tech savvy than the average user, I often found myself explaining things to them! No thanks! That is one expense I can do without - especially with laptops! The Dell I bought my wife had a problem with the keyboard (I have had several problems with Dell Laptop Keyboards - but that is really all). While no one came on site, they did send a replacement with easy to follow instructions on replacing it (I would not try a MB at home on a laptop!), so we were not without it for days.

Just make sure they dont hide their camera phones in the bathroom while you bathe. LOL

Sounds like a story there - or is the news one?