Friday, October 12, 2007

Define "Best"

ohnoes

There are some conditions which impact computers for which there is no solution. The issues can sometimes be mitigated temporarily, but certain things are terminal.

Yesterday, such a condition manifested in Mrs. Pr3++yGeekyTh1ng's laptop.

We went to BestBuy to look at our options. Actually, we went to two different BestBuys because the computer person at the first said, "supposebly" and I thought I might physically kill her.

Please. Please. Don't buy a computer from BestBuy. I looked over the selection and compared it with the selection on the website and I'm 100% convinced that the only reason they keep computers in stock at the stores is to sell a bunch of upgrades to everyone on the way out and to charge obscene amounts of labor.

The only place on the planet to get a particular model of Gateway laptop is in BestBuy. You can't order it from bestbuy.com or gateway.com -- You have to go to the store. It comes with about a third of the memory required to run the pre-installed software. They can install more memory, but after the (marked up) cost of the memory you will be asked to pay them to unscrew the bottom panel to snap it in place.

If you can get a decent deal there (and exploit the Reward Zone program) without being upsold on accessories and service plans and extended warranties, I suppose it is alright.

Before leaving the store, pause long enough to make certain the factory tape is still in place on the box and the contents are untouched. This is essential in case there is an issue later.

We left without a replacement. I was still shaking a little from "supposebly" and I started piecing together a temporary solution to the broken laptop as soon as we got home.

It works, kind of, for now. We have no idea how long the repair will last, but hopefully it will give us enough time to find the perfect replacement machine.

Any suggestions?

kthxbye,

G

2 comments:

Andrew Moore said...

We use Frys for all of our computer needs. I like that they sell electronic components: diodes, capacitors, transistors, etc. It feels like a very large Radio Shack circa 1985. Also, I find that the people who work there generally know what they're talking about. And they dress like Louis and Gilbert from "Revenge of the Nerds."

Most importantly, the Frys we frequent (in Burbank) looks like a UFO crashed into the front of the building, and is filled with aliens and army guys fighting giant ... ah ... ants.

Yeah. So maybe you ought to try Circuit City.

Unknown said...

Dude she totally needs a MacBook, not only will she love it but you will instantly be drawn to its power and your journey toward the mac site will begin. A glorious road awaits my friend.