Don’t Clone Around - The "REAL" warranty issue

THIRD PARTY EXTENDED WARRANTIES....  DO YOU TRUST INSURANCE COMPANIES?

The big insurance companies jumped into the service game to offer "National" service contracts that sounded really official and promised on-site service for your troubled computers. This appealed to the large computer retailers and gave them a chance to wash their hands of any nagging service issues. Unfortunately, the way these large "National" service contracts work is never disclosed to the unsuspecting customer. The customer standing in a computer store often thinks they are getting a service contract through the company who is selling them the computer, but they learn VERY QUICKLY that is not the case as soon as they need the service they paid up-front for. Invariably, it is six months to one year later that the customer begins their long and tedious quest to cash-in on the service contract. Then the phone calls begin and the blood pressure rises! The numbers have been changed, the people at the retail store know nothing and they probably don’t even have the correct phone number for the service organization. When the customer finally gets someone on the phone, there is usually a confusing conversation about their problem, and a non-technical person taking all information about what has happened. Be aware that they expect you to have ALL documentation and a copy of your service contract in hand. They also expect you to know your EXACT model and serial number of your computer (which can be tricky of you bought a clone). After the information session, they will probably give you some case number and tell you that they will call you back regarding the service. Then, the part you never knew begins. The "National" organization, that you entrusted your $200.00 of up-front money to, begins to COLD CALL various computer service companies in your area – FROM THE YELLOW PAGES!!! This is their way of providing you with an "authorized" service center representing their organization. If they find one that agrees to do the work, they call you back and either expect you to take your computer there, or tell you that someone will come out to do the work. These companies rarely meet or qualify the companies they call to do your service. Since the service companies have probably never heard of this organization, they will not place a high priority on your problem. It usually takes many weeks to get service done through these "extended warranty" service agreements, so, in a roundabout way, you are back to the real dilemma of finding a good qualified service center that you can trust when you do have a problem.

"Just SHIP it to US"

When computer manufacturers realized that the service issue was a real serious problem, they tried to get control of it again and wanted ALL of their products sent to central service centers for repair. This method is confusing, time consuming and people just don’t want to deal with the hassle or terror of shipping computers and laptops. This method is fraught with shipping claims and tracking numbers, and there are horror stories of computers being lost in the shuffle, and the wrong computers being sent back to customers. The biggest problem has become one of time. Most people, who now do everything via their computer, cannot afford to be without their CPU power for more than a few days. A real need for quick turn-around and good service is growing, even as the computer prices go down.