When Buying That Back To School Laptop, Do You Really Need All The Store Extra's?

[zalternate]

Nice article. Some sales people are honest and others are looking to make the largest commission possible on your back to school computers and supplies.

There is lots of free software, instead of paying big bucks for the same thing. http://www.smashapps.org/2010/02/free-open-source-software-for-windows.html Make sure to search for and read online reviews of the products to see which one best suits your needs.

http://www.idreamoflinux.com/2010/08/back-to-school-computer-buying.html

aug 22 2010

There are only a few more weeks before school begins again and technology companies are gearing up for one of the most busy seasons of the year.

Even though having a laptop is not mandatory for college or university studies, students often justify the purchase by saying that they need it desperately for school. I have worked in several large computer stores that have back to school specials for students and let me tell you that its all about revenue and scamming the customer. These large businesses want to extract as much money as possible from customers and are willing to go the distance in confusing students and their parents in order to make that extra profit. For example, I was told shamelessly straight to my face when buying a netbook that the company does not make a lot of money from the sale of a laptop and that I should purchase something else on top.

This is why all associates are forced to upsell and skew the truth. These people tell you that you need a CD created in order for your computer to have a backup. This extra service is only $60. For extra $100 they will setup your computer to be "ready to use". This is a major scam because anyone can do this setup by themselves with only a few clicks of the mouse when they boot up their system for the first time. My wife was once told that she can get a recovery disc created by them for only $100, as the laptop she was purchasing did not come with one. When she asked if she could do it herself, she was told that it definitely wasn't possible, but that she can bring the laptop back later on and it can still be done. When she got home and booted the computer for the first time, it gave her an option to burn a recovery CD at the end.

However, even if you do not buy into the "setup your computer" argument the associate will tell you that there are tons of viruses out there that will destroy your precious data and you will have to buy antivirus. But don't worry because its on special for just $80. Another tactic they like to use is to sell you extended warranty that is about $120 to $250. This enables you to bring the computer back to the place you bought it instead of shipping it to the manufacturer. Just a side note: Manufacturers have a great service and will replace your computer for free if its still in warranty and shipping is paid by them. I shipped several laptops back to various manufacturers and the service is very fast, professional and efficient.

After pressuring you to hand over hundreds of dollars for a laptop or a netbook, they try to sell you optical drives, mice, cases and many other peripherals. Many times I have overheard associates lying to customers about what they need just to sell the extra package so that they can get a bonus/commission or just to get their manager of their backs. Even though associates in these large stores try to be polite and smile to your face, they are scamming you for hundreds of dollars out of your hard earned money just because you are unaware about what you really need. And if that fails, many stores increase the price of the product and try to sell you the whole "better value" package, without having the option to buy the computer without those unnecessary "upgrades".

Therefore, this back to school season do some serious research about what you need and don't need and do not be pressured into buying additional things that you might regret later or realize that it was a waste of your money. Majority of these businesses are making huge profits on the ignorance of many individuals about technology and computers.

A few good examples that you should think about might include: Do students really need the latest MacBook Pro for $2000 to type essays that can be done on a Netbook or a regular laptop? Do you need to pay additional $130 for Microsoft Office if Openoffice http://www.openoffice.org/ is free to use and download? Do you need firewall and Antivirus if you are smart about what files to open and follow some simple security rules? Or you can download AVG Free Anti-virus http://free.avg.com/ca-en/homepage or Avast for free http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download and many universities provide you with anti-virus for free while you are their student. Do you need additional warranty for $200 if shipping to a manufacturer is free and easily set up online? How long do you expect your laptop to last you? Do you really need to pay hundreds of dollars for an extended warranty if your netbook cost $350 and it is cheaper to buy a new one than keep fixing an old one in 3 years? Try to see through manipulative associates in big computer stores that try to scam you for hundreds of dollars and make you think that you need every one of the things they offer or your computer will blow up. Play it smart and use the money you save for your books or tuition instead because those things are not getting any cheaper....

I prefer a software firewall on the computer too.

ZoneAlarm. Free Firewall

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