syswerda@bbn.com (Gilbert Syswerda) (11/16/89)
I have never mail ordered a computer, and have some reservations about doing so. In particular, what happens when the computer breaks? I talked to Gateway, and asked a sales rep what happens when the computer breaks after the one year warranty. He said that I could buy a replacement part from them. I then asked how much it would cost if I needed a new motherboard (386/25), and was told it would cost upwards of $2500. This seems quite expensive! I once had to have a motherboard replaced in an IBM AT, and it was swapped for just a few hundred dollars. What have people's experiences been with older mail-ordered computers? Assuming Gateway (or whatever mail order company) stays in business over the life of your computer, is it really cost effective in the long run?
madd@world.std.com (jim frost) (11/17/89)
syswerda@bbn.com (Gilbert Syswerda) writes: >I talked to Gateway, and asked a sales rep what happens when the computer >breaks after the one year warranty. In my experience if a part doesn't break very early in the use of a machine, it's not going to for a long time (external events, such as earthquakes and children, excluded). The only kinds of things you're likely to have to replace are drives because they have moving parts, and they generally last quite awhile. Most of the times when I had a motherboard-level problem it showed up within an hour or so of unpacking the machine. I generally leave new machines on for a day or two and use them sporadically to determine if there might be other problems (marginal chips often fail with this kind of usage), after which I stop worrying about it and get some work done. If it doesn't fail, it's not likely to. jim frost software tool & die madd@std.com
kens@hplsla.HP.COM (Ken Snyder) (11/17/89)
I just received a 386/25Mhz Motherboard w/ 64k cache memory and 4Mbytes of ram. This was to try and fix a problem I had with my system. The invoice that came with it (they always send you an envoice to show what you will be billed if you don't return it) was $1400. If you really concerned about replacing parts after 1 year you should get the extended service contract. Ken
akcs.larry@nstar.UUCP (Larry Snyder) (11/18/89)
> I just received a 386/25Mhz Motherboard w/ 64k cache memory and 4Mbytes >of ram. This was to try and fix a problem I had with my system. The >invoice that came with it (they always send you an envoice to show what >you will be billed if you don't return it) was $1400. $1400 doesn't sound too bad for a motherboard in the above configuration. In the start of this thread someone mentioned $2500 for a replacement
mcdonald@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu (11/19/89)
>I have never mail ordered a computer, and have some reservations about >doing so. In particular, what happens when the computer breaks? If you order from Dell and your conputer breaks, you call them on the phone. A few hours later a repair man shows up at your office. (Unless, of course it is 4 PM on Wednesday before Thanksgiving!) This is during the warranty of course. Doug McDonald