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There are 1,000 ways to take advantage of you in
this business through buying a computer. We want you to know what you are buying to
save you money in the long run. The lowest priced new computer is probably going to
cost you more in the long run due to trips to the store to return to get it
fixed. This is because of incompatibility of the parts & poor quality,
and after warrantee service charges. It will cost you a fortune in the long
run. What you want to do is look at the "Total Cost of
Ownership." Buying a computer is not like buying a
TV. Take time and educate yourself. The following points are important to know.
Click
on the point for more detail.
- Define your
needs:
- Is it for
business, games, kids homework, the Internet, etc.? All have different needs in designing
the computer. Make sure it is the right computer.
- Look for listening
staff:
- Once you
define your needs, find some staff that will listen to you to meet your
needs instead of letting them sell you what the company wants you to buy..
- Check their service:
- Buying
the computer is only the first step. The service department is
everything if they can answer your problems over the phone & save you
having to take the computer in for every problem. Remember 80% of
computer problems are user or software related problems. Choose a
company that can tell the difference & teach you where you are going
wrong or why the software is messed up so that you can avoid it the next
time. How long will
it take for you to get your computer back once you have sent it in for repairs? Do
they ship it away? Do they do in-house service for the busy businesses? Do
they actually have loaners for the companies that cannot do with out a computer? Do
they do emergency service?
- Shop for more than price:
- Shop for
lowest cost of ownership. The cost of buying does not end at the initial
price. If it keeps breaking down, freezing, etc., as well as having problems with
the software, then that costs you. Businesses should buy from someone you can trust to offer you
quality, and reliable computers, as well as strong service and support that's on hand
for emergencies.
- Think ahead:
- Buy for the needs of at
least three years ahead. If you're a new owner, give yourself some growing room,
as the more you learn, the greater your needs will change. Maybe this
is just a replacement computer. Now access your needs to see if you
need to upgrade significantly; just buy the newest basic machine; or maybe a
used or refurbished machine will be enough. We can start you now with
a P3 700 system with Windows, & monitor for around $350.00.
- Do you own a computer now?
- Very few
pre-Pentium IV computers now are worth upgrading unless it is for a minor
upgrade as they are 32 bit systems & the new ones & new software are
64 bit software. The cost
of computers are more than half of what they were 4 years ago in that you can now buy an up to date system
for not much more than some major upgrades. If it costs 50% or more of the cost of a
new system to upgrade, than it is better to buy the new one and get the new warrantee.
- What is the
warrantee?:
- Compare
warrantees for the same items. You would be surprised at what companies are doing
with this area. Monitors that we sell with 3 years warrantee are sold for
one year at the same price, & you pay more
money for the next two years.
- Are
refurb, off lease, or used systems worth buying?
- The
stores in this area that sell them, only give you 30 day warranty & no
software for around $399.95, including a used monitor. We can sell the
same unit with a 1 year warranty & a new monitor. But we have new
systems with 3 year warranties starting at $599.95. The other problem
with used systems, is they're usually name brand computers & if half of
the parts are proprietory, (very expensive or not attainable.)
- Beware of stolen merchandise.
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Make sure you get all licenses and software that was purchased
with your computer to make sure you do not have pirated software, which is illegal.
If
caught, you could lose all of your computer equipment as well as be fined.
Beware of buying from private sources (like the guy in the alley) because it
could be stolen. If the price sounds like it's too good to be true, it
probably is.
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