Being a stingy guy, I’ve heard, “you get what you pay for” countless times. Most of those times I haven’t taken it to heart and wished I had. Probably my biggest mistake of late was staying at a discount motel with a shaky heater and a permanent smell of bad body odor.
Unfortunately for most of us who opt for the least expensive option we don’t uncover our mistake until too late. It’s that way for everything from cars to insurance plans. Luckily I only had to endure one night in the motel and found a new room the following day.
Making a decision on a pricey item can lead to long term dissatisfaction or premature product failure. As we endure the poor economy and make cuts in order to survive, I’ve noticed a trend with customers purchasing inexpensive technology. I see it every day.
Laptops are one of the toughest pieces of equipment to purchase. No matter our choice, all laptops will surf the web and handle word processing. Most people with a minimal spending cap are going to opt for a low end purchase.
Low end is fine if it means compromising between that and none. Some components in the machine are all going to be the same. Hard drives, memory, LCD/LED, and DVD drives are pretty much the same as their big brothers. Yup, you heard me right, most of those are the same but not the processor, motherboard or case.
Aside from technical specifications, the big differences are quality and fit and finish. One of the low end models we see frequently is held together with nine screws. Moving up a level from the same manufacturer buys twelve more screws and a lot more substance.
Granted, the more expensive machine weighs slightly more; it also doesn’t break as frequently. Hinge failure is a common issue on the low end machine. It usually requires replacing the bottom of the computer as well as the hinge. This repair is somewhere in the $180.00 range for a machine that was $280.00 new.
Customers are faced with the dilemma of repairing or replacing daily. On one hand it’s a cheap machine and on the other it’s less than replacing. Part of the decision making process is due to having software and data already on the computer. Most end up fixing rather than replacing.
Last week I witnessed two brand new laptops come into my shops with failures right out of the box. In my business we expect to see a 1/250 failure rate. That is, straight out of the box one in 250 will be bad. I suspect the failure rate of low end machines is much higher.
Less expensive laptops and electronics are manufactured using a different process and on a different assembly line. Because manufacturers are being pushed for a less expensive product, they tend to cheap out on the process. Hence the nine screws mentioned earlier. Everything from the factory, to the workers, to packaging is pinched making the end product significantly less quality.
I think what it really boils down to is reliability and knowing the computer will work when it’s really needed. My daughter’s roommate’s laptop failed at three months, right in the middle of midterms. Luckily for her my daughter lent out her spare, otherwise it could have been devastating.
After seeing literally thousands of broken laptops come through my businesses I can attest you definitely get what you pay for. Though some components are the same; quality and longevity lack with the less expensive options. Skimping out to save money now may cost more down the line. As my mother says, “penny wise, pound foolish” or translated for me, “motel wise, hotel foolish.”
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can text him directly at (978) 413-2840 or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)