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Always buy the warranty.
Don't listen to all those "experts" who talk on TV about not buying the 3 year warranties for computers. I've just been approvoed by BestBuy to get a replacement laptop to my replacement laptop. It was an HP DV2100, I think, and replaced some other COMPAQ.
Long Story Short:
Note: Buy it within reason of price, of course
Long Story Short:
- Bought a laptop
- Something went wrong
- Sent away for repair
- Lost
- Offered new, better laptop
- Found, offer honored anyways
- Replacement laptop is accidentally damaged
- Approved for another replacement, to be picked up at our convenience
Note: Buy it within reason of price, of course
Comments
13 years ago
I was recently offered a deal to extend the warranty of the computer (by one more year) that I had gotten 2 years ago and it would cost nearly 1/3 the price of the computer originally. In this case, I said no thank you.
Reply 13 years ago
same with my new apple macbook. 3 years for 250!
Reply 13 years ago
yea there is no way that I would go without the extended warranty on a laptop it just isn't worth the risk of losing $ 300+ when you drop it or yank out the ethernet port.
P.S when you take your computer in for repairs (especially Hard drive repair)
backup your data and WIPE THE DRIVE almost all used/repaired hard drives are only zeroed out and sensitive data can be recovered. WIPE THE DRIVE
Reply 13 years ago
Well definitly backup your data, but I don't know if you need to wipe it, unless you have really sensitive things on there.
Reply 13 years ago
If you do any online banking/bill paying /taxes yes you will want to wipe the drive because once they replace your hdd the old one gets repaired and sold. the data can still be recovered.
Reply 13 years ago
Do you have any references to back up that they sell the harddrives from computers?
Reply 13 years ago
what do you think a refurbished hdd is ?
Reply 13 years ago
I've never seen refurbed HDDs at BestBuy, nor have I seen any proof of their lack of thorough cleansing of them.
Reply 13 years ago
they do one pass write overs that is all they have time for, and do you think that the drives they take out of your laptop/desktop get destroyed immediately after being taken out of you computer? no they sit there in the back until they have enough of them to send to the recycling plant... giving any employee enough time to take it/them home and suck out the data.
Reply 12 years ago
I just got a call from Geek squad, "Hi, we have the hard drive here from the computer that you had replaced. I just wanted to confirm that you don't want us to remove anything from it before we have it destroyed."
Reply 12 years ago
what is your problem? your data still has a chance of being stolen even if they say they will destroy it.
Reply 12 years ago
It was an update.
Reply 13 years ago
Do you have any verification of that claim? Or that regular employees have access to them? If these really are assumptions, as they seem to be, what you're saying could be interpreted as slander.
Reply 13 years ago
I am not saying they do I am saying they can, wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry. why do you have to be so disputatious?
Reply 13 years ago
You're stating your assumptions and guesses as fact, and in the process of doing so, you're risking the reputation of a perfectly good store. I know you wouldn't like it if I started making false accusations about you. "Leave your wallet at home when you go to iman's house...he steals" see?
Reply 13 years ago
no it would be like "you shouldn't leave your wallet at imans house because it ""could"" be stolen. I am not saying any one store does this i am saying any store could do this
Reply 13 years ago
"they do one pass write overs that is all they have time for,"
You presented your guesses about their practices as fact.
Reply 13 years ago
that was a typo I meant to say "most of the time they do ......" and what does it matter your data has a chance of being stolen doesn't it ? so why not protect it ?
Reply 13 years ago
Not necessarily...you can't say that until you know what security measures the companies go through to keep your data safe. For all we know, Brinks could drive the laptops to a heavily secured and supervised repair center, where, if approved for a replacement, the old device will be incinerated on the spot.
Reply 13 years ago
But do they guarantee that service ? no there is still a chance of your data being compromised.
Reply 13 years ago
Yes, when you buy a warranty, that is a guarantee that certain things will be done.
Reply 13 years ago
go get your warranty and scan it I don't believe you.
Reply 13 years ago
That's what a warranty is. It's a guarantee for a product. If their product breaks within a certain amount of time, they will do what is described on the warranty card. When you buy a warranty, you form a contract with their insurance company: In exchange for however much money, the company will do *blank* if *blank* happens.
Reply 13 years ago
yes but does your warranty guarantee the safety of your data?
Reply 13 years ago
There's a certain agreement you sign to before they send it away detailing what they do and don't do. I don't have a copy handy, so I can't give you any more details than that.
Reply 13 years ago
well until you give me proof that your data is guaranteed safety I don't believe you.
Reply 13 years ago
Fine by me. All I know is that I'd rather defend someone without proof than accuse them without proof.
Reply 13 years ago
I am not accusing any one person or company I am just saying I would rather have people mad at me because I don't trust them than have my identity stolen and lose thousands of dollars.
Reply 13 years ago
you should listen to http://www.grc.com/securitynow.htm
Reply 13 years ago
You should just do your own repairs like I do.
Reply 13 years ago
I do and will but most people dont
Reply 13 years ago
A waste of money. Go with a new one, they are only expected to live 5 years.
13 years ago
Bottom line, read the warranty, all of it, first before deciding. The offer of "another" extension on my machine at home would have been very expensive as they covered "only things they determined had worn out excessively quickly" and so it was a lot of money for "almost no coverage".
13 years ago
There are something things, including laptops, that are fragile enough that some sort of extended warranty might make sense, especially if it covers "user error" as well as defects in manufacturing. Other things (IMO, including desktop computers), if they last past the original warranty ("infant mortality") they'll probably last past an extended warranty as well, and be cheaper for you to fix yourself than the extended warranty was anyway...