The Warranty is the most important part of a laptop

If you are planning to buy a laptop then I would bet that you are planning to take the laptop with you when you leave home (at least sometimes!) This means that your laptop is going to be banged, shaken, turned upside down, swung around, exposed to direct sunlight, wired up to foreign power outlets, and a multitude of other harmful stimuli. Honestly, it is a wonder that laptops last as long as they do, but it is inevitable that your new laptop is going to eventually break. Laptops are very sturdy for their design but they are just not capable of taking the wear and tear that a laptop usually receives, even from the most careful people (like myself.)

Since a break down is inevitable, a good solid product warranty is almost a requirement to purchasing a laptop, unless you are looking for a disposable laptop that you won’t need that often. However, as per the title of this series, you won’t want to keep a laptop that causes you a migraine every time it breaks down (which it will break down.)

So then the secret to a laptop that you really want to keep is a warranty that won’t abandon you when your laptop does.

What can you expect from a good warranty

The best warranty (like the Accidental Care Plan that Dell sports) will pretty much ensure that your PC remains in working condition for the remainder of the life of the warranty. I have made significant use of this kind of warranty with the laptops that I own and I whole heartedly recommend that no matter who you buy from you get a warranty that ensure the working order of your laptop. Laptops break very easily because of the heavy abuse they undergo during normal use, so it is good to have someone who sells you a laptop and tells you that if anything breaks they will replace it for free.

You should expect nothing less from a company that sells you a laptop because otherwise you are going to find the bills quickly racking up as parts in your laptop simply expire from normal wear and tear.

Who to Trust?

I own a really cheap Acer laptop. When I purchased it I was made aware that Acer has horrible tech support and so I purchased it with the intention of doing most of the tech support myself. My Dell computers all have had repairs at one point or another, but I trust Dell to make sure that they are well cared for. When I spent the money on this Acer laptop I knew that I was on my own and that I would not be receiving help from the company even though there was a one year warranty on parts and labor. I knew this because other people online had posted their gripes against the company’s technical support.

I highly encourage you to also do research specifically on the tech support of the company you are considering purchasing from. Each company is going to be different. I personally recommend Dell as I trust them, but you may find another company worth working with. Be sure that you can trust your company with your laptop and with yourself and your time (because bad technical support means more time invested to repair your broken machine) before you purchase a machine from them. Purchasing a laptop is the beginning of a relationship with the laptop’s maker that is only going to end when the warranty does, so be sure it can be a good relationship before hand.

Plan Your Exit Strategy Now

A common element to a business plan is to make sure that you as the starting entrepreneur has a strategy set in place that will ensure that you can get out of the business in a decent amount of time. The hope is that you’ll be selling the business so you can move on to other ventures but an exit strategy also has a plan for if your business doesn’t go according to plan and you need to get out before you are forced out.

It is this way with laptops. You should plan your exit strategy for your new laptop the moment you purchase it. I give new laptops a two-three year turn over rate. If you have experienced different then go with what you have learned, but if you don’t have experience then I recommend you take my advice when I say that a new laptop is not going to be worth a whole lot to you in about three years from now.

For this reason plan your budget accordingly. Be sure that what you invest in a laptop now doesn’t distract from purchasing a new laptop three years from now. Also be sure that you have a plan for if your laptop breaks before that time. For instance, my plan was outlined above: just get a warranty that will last you until a new laptop becomes a viable option. A laptop that I have on order right now has a two year warranty, and I expect it to last for three years before I am ready to purchase a new laptop.

So purchase a good solid warranty that will guarantee your laptop’s working condition for at least two years. And be ready to replace that laptop within two to three years (unless you have personally found you can last longer or not quite as long.) Also remember that this is just a plan. You have to have a plan in order to break from it. Having a plan gives you a guide for how to handle certain situations but it doesn’t mean that you have to execute it exactly as you planned. If you plan to replace your laptop in three years and it lasts for five years, then run with it! Saving money is always a great thing.

So make a plan and exercise it before you buy a new laptop.

God Bless,
-Daniel Kolansky