We’re curious whether anyone has had to call Dell’s tech support line in the new year—and if so, did they try to upsell you on unnecessary add-ons, devices, accessories, service plans, etc.? Because we got an anonymous email the other day from someone who claims he works as a Dell tech support specialist, and he wrote that “starting after the first of the year… we are now going to be required to sell you items that you don’t need.”
laptops
Some Spare Batteries Banned On Flights
By 1.2.08
Because some have been known to spontaneously combust, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is banning some lithium batteries from your checked-in luggage. In the spring, a laptop battery related fire erupted in the overhead compartment of a Jetblue flight, and on an American Airlines flight from Argentina, prompting the DOT to issue a warning about packing spare batteries. Lithium batteries are commonly used in laptops and cellphones. However, the rules mainly apply to professionals and/or people who travel with spare batteries. For the most part, batteries installed in the electronic device are fine. Inside, a handy chart to tell you what’s been banned. [More]
Reach The Dell Customer Advocates
By 12.19.07
If you’ve exhausted the normal routes of solving your problems with Dell, try sending an email to Customer_advocate@dell.com.
Toshiba: "Don't Delete Bloatware If You Know What's Good For You"
By 12.11.07
A reader writes in to report that when he bought a new laptop direct from Toshiba in November, he triggered a blue screen of death as he was uninstalling the always-useful bloatware that came pre-loaded. He called a Service Rep, got the usual “reinstall everything” run-around, and then finally got escalated to a level-two tech, which is when things got ridiculous.
HP Takes Three Months To Repair Laptop, Then Ships It To The Wrong Address
By 12.1.07
Hewlett-Packard took over three months to fix reader Mark’s ailing laptop, which they then shipped to the wrong address. HP charged Mark several hundred dollars for the repairs in July, and gave an expected delivery date of August 5. In early September, Mark was told that the laptop would definitely ship by September 24. On October 10, Mark learned – after sending an email to the CEO and leaving ten messages – that his laptop could not be repaired, and that he would instead receive a new Compaq Presario by October 23. The laptop finally shipped on October 25 to Lavergne, Tennessee. Mark lives in Iowa.
Best Buy Hoards Black Friday Doorbuster Laptops For Employees And Their Girlfriends?
By 11.26.07
One of Best Buy’s Black Friday deals was a $229 laptop. Each store was supposed to have 15. A complaint letter posted over at Notebooks.com alleges that a New Orleans Best Buy hoarded the most laptops for the employees and passed out only a few vouchers. At one point, an employee’s girlfriend in line threw a hissy-fit because she didn’t get a voucher and her boyfriend snuck over and palmed her a voucher, skipping over the other customers in line. Shame shame shame, Best Buy. Yet another reason we hate Black Friday, the stores can’t even abide by the rules of the in-store promotions that are designed to lure more people inside than will ever get the deal and then offload otherwise unsellable crap.
By 11.23.07
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The “Give One, Get One” laptop sale from One Laptop Per Child has been extended through the end of December. OLPC says it’s pulling in about $2 million per day in “donations.” [Gizmodo]
Who Should And Shouldn't Buy A Mac
By 11.19.07
Walter Mossberg wrote a guide for buying a Mac and we like the parts that say who should and who shouldn’t get one. Mac vs PC debates are highly personal, often end in bloodshed, and usually make no sense, so it’s nice to see a rational discussion of each system’s attributes. In the end, it really matters what kind of user you are, and what your price point is…
If Your Apple Is A Lemon, Try Emailing Steve Jobs
By 11.15.07
Yep, it’s another one of those “email Steve Jobs” posts.
Some Free Laptop Sites Are Apparently Not Total Scams
By 11.7.07
Most of those “fill out these forms and get a free laptop” sites are scams. For one thing, there’s never any “free.” Assuming you wade through all the pages of buttons and entry fields, you’ll invariably find that you have to sign up for some credit cards and charge a certain balance and have the card active for a few months before you get your free stuff. They may also make you sign up other people do the same thing. This guy got a new MacBook pro and it cost him $400. Josh Clark routinely sets up “conga lines” of people working together to get their swag.
UPDATE: DHL Laptop Thieves Busted After Reader Complaint
By 11.1.07
Sue, whose Dell laptops were stolen by dirty, dirty DHL thieves writes in to update us.
How To Extend Your Battery Life
By 10.30.07
Reader Don felt compelled to share this tips about proper love and care of your electronic items’ batteries so they last longer and you don’t have to buy more unnecessarily…
Best Buy Says Laptop Batteries Cost $500 To Replace
By 10.26.07
Sean writes:
I am “The Computer Guy” in my family and my mother needed a laptop for work. My wife and I went to Best Buy in Bel Air, MD with her to pick out one that would fit her budget and allowed her to work from home. I found a Compaq for a little more than $700 on sale without rebates. I signaled for an employee and told her the laptop we wanted. The employee got the laptop and went on about needing the service plan. I let her drone on because I wanted to see if it covered accidental breakage (it doesn’t). During the speech she talked about the battery, how it’s like a cell phone battery, and that they would replace it once a year for the length of the contract. She then mentioned that the battery would cost my Mother $500 if she had to buy it separately…
By 10.18.07
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How to replace a broken laptop LCD yourself. [Instructables]
UPDATE: Girl Accused Of Dropping Apple Laptop Gets New One
By 10.12.07
“This is Stephanie, I emailed you a couple of weeks ago about my MacBook’s cracked screen, and how the manager at Apple in Chestnut Hill was basically the worst person ever.”
PowerBook Explodes, Man's Apple Crush Grows
By 10.10.07
Jimm Lasser went to sleep with his PowerBook sitting underneath his bed, and woke to find it bursting into flames. From the pictures, it looks like there was a battery malfunction.
