Choosing your purchasing parachute

Buying a laptop? Make sure you protect it with warranties, tech support, and service policies.

Warranties and technical support should get equal time as critical considerations for your new notebook.

It's almost over.

You've figured out the speeds and feeds. You've picked out the software and hardware. You even solved the riddle of pointing stick vs. trackball vs. touchpad. Actually buying a portable computer should now be as simple as matching your criteria with the best price, right? Well, almost.

Let's not forget that these are portable computers we're talking about, laptops that are shuffled from meeting to meeting, squished into overhead compartments and perched precariously on any reasonably flat surface within reach. What's more, the components of a laptop are a bit like a lot of people trapped in a very small closet. It's hot, there's no room - things are bound to be broken.

These machines live a far more exciting life than the boring, stationary desktop. As a result, a smart shopper will add another element to the long list of things to consider before making a purchase: the warranty, tech support, and overall service included with a new notebook computer.

Simply put, a warranty protects the owner from any defects in the product over an agreed upon length of time. Tech support steps in as a guidance counselor, available to help users through hardware/software problems over the phone or online. Overall service encompasses the quality of both warranty and tech support, as well as a host of other ways in which the manufacturer or retailer helps consumers identify and solve problems with their systems.

All three factors have characteristics that may be of varying importance based on a consumer's needs and comfort with technology.

Warranties

A good warranty is an insurance policy for what will probably be a significant investment. Says Theresa Nozick, an industry analyst with Mobile Insights, Inc., "After the $2,000 you spend for the notebook you should expect to spend another $2,000 over the life of the notebook. Sitting and reading what the warranty is all about is probably worth it."

Most brand name manufacturers offer a standard one or three-year parts and labor warranty during which it will repair or replace any products that prove to be defective. Defective effectively means it's something they screwed up, not you. This means a motherboard that fails will be replaced, while a keyboard full of hot coffee will be fixed on your dollar.

In terms of coverage, Nozick feels major manufacturers use basically the same agreement for their warranties. "The top tier companies are pretty much comparable to each other in terms of what they offer," she says, "though there are some exceptions among the second tier companies."

Though the general details of most warranties are very similar, there are extras that can separate a good warranty from an adequate one. Three-year warranties are ideal as technology usually demands corporations upgrade after that time.

For machines with one-year agreements, ask about extension options. Extensions can usually be purchased through the manufacturer or other retail outlets such as CompUSA or Best Buy. Prices can range from $100-$300+ depending on extension length and types of service included.

"My first laptop had a motherboard failure about one month out of the manufacturer's warranty," says F. Edward Blake, a teacher in the Virginia school system. "I had purchased an extended warranty from Computer City and it has thus far saved me from paying about $1,800."

Don't extend much longer than three years unless you have no interest in upgrades or cutting-edge software. The inclusion of money back guarantees, cancel clauses, and pro-rated refunds are three other items that might be considered when comparing warranties.

Service

The speed and manner in which a manufacturer deals with problems is another barometer for assessing the quality of a warranty - especially for businesses where success is measured in minutes.

For many companies, waiting a week to have a problem taken care is out of the question. Find out if depot service (sending the machine back to the manufacturer for repair) is included in the price or requires a fee.

Ditto for on-site repairs. Check the list of local authorized repair centers to be sure it's not a long trip to the hospital, and inquire about the turnaround time for both depot and local repair service.

Some manufacturers pay both ways for postage with depot service, others pay one half of the trip or not at all. Many major manufacturers have international service as well - if your portables will be leaving the country the number of repair centers and quality of international service might set a few manufacturers apart.

Tech Support

The state of a manufacturer's technical support may also swing the vote one way or another. Most companies offer online and 24-hour phone support for answering questions - though the quality of that support draws mixed reviews.

"Though wait time has improved I think improvements need to be made across the board," says Nozick. "Test it out and if you feel like you're being kept on hold too long or the expertise is not there you may want to try another company."

Nozick feels support and service are becoming more important to manufacturers as they seek to differentiate themselves from the crowd. In the long run this benefits the end-user tremendously, and creates new services that add to the value of a notebook purchase.

One such service is a replacement option through which a manufacturer will send a user a replacement system while their machine is in for depot service. Another relatively new bundled service is online data backup - essentially all of the files on a notebook's hard drive are automatically saved in an online depository in case of a crash.

While it may seem that choosing a notebook is hard enough without having to consider the language and loopholes of service warranties, the design and lifestyle of the portable computer requires consumers to take special notice of its care. As is usually the case, the details make the difference.

Taking the time to discover those differences may be taxing but perhaps less frustrating than driving an hour to an 'authorized' repair shop, or paying shipping for their mistake, or being put on hold for two hours only to be told there is no answer. "Find out what's behind the box," says Nozick. "You're buying a whole lot more than that piece of plastic in front of you."

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