HOME

PRODUCT LABS

TECH SUPPORT

FOR SALE

BUYING GUIDES - Buying a new PC

Introduction Buying Guides - Home

Checklist Decide what you want to do with the PC Decide on a budget including VAT Commence your research Establish your own specification and select five vendors Examine accurately specifications being offered by the vendors Thoroughly check out each vendor Examine the warranty supplied with the Hardware and all options if any Short-list three suppliers and it's decision time Parting with your money

Buying a New PC? 7. Examine the warranty supplied with the Hardware and all options if any The most important aspect of buying a PC is to ensure that if something goes wrong during its warranty period, it is sorted out quickly, without undue fuss and at no cost to you. This is where a great majority of the vendors fail miserably. What we need to ensure is that you come out of this with the best possible Hardware warranty available. Let us examine the two most standard warranty options currently available: Return To Base (RTB): This is the most basic of warranties and means that it is the customer's responsibility to bear the cost and hassle of returning and collecting faulty goods. This usually means that the kit will go back to the point of manufacture, or an approved service centre. In all cases check the duration of this service (1 to 3 years is typical) and turnaround times. If they can't promise a typical turnaround of a few days, forget it. On-Site: This type of warranty is normally outsourced by the manufacturer to a third party support company. This means that whether you know it or not, you are paying or this service as the manufacture will purchase these warranties on your behalf. Check the duration, response times and to see if the warranty is "Parts & Labour" or "Labour only". Another thing to check is your geographical location. A typical salesman will probably forget that there are certain exclusions to most on-site warranties such as "UK Mainland only". Check this, particularly if you live in a remote area. Some parts of the UK (particularly Scotland) typically have a longer response time or no service at all. Also check to see what would happen if your on-site warranty company goes bust. Make sure your warranties are underwritten in case of this. Remember that most good monitors have a separate warranty from the monitor manufacturer, which is usually a 3 year swap-out (they'll come over with a new one and take away the old) which is brilliant. Pitfalls to watch out for (particularly with on-site) is that the warranty may not cover things like the keyboard, mouse, speakers etc. so make sure this is clarified in writing at the time of sale. By law you are entitled to a one year warranty on ALL of the kit, but read the small print as warranties which extend beyond this may not cover certain items. Lastly, check that opening up or upgrading your system yourself does not invalidate any warranty. Systems these days are designed so that users can easily add cards etc, so it your warranty doesn't allow you to do this, steer clear. Prev | Next