Buyer Beware When Buying a New Laptop

[perknh]

Hello my friends at Peppermint,

I've been in the market to buy myself a new laptop this holiday season.  What I'm discovering is that there are some laptops that now do not have an easy way to replace the battery.  I chatted online today and confirmed that this is indeed the case.

Here's an example from Toshiba.  I verified the customer's review, and was told by the Toshiba representative that the computer is to be sent back to Toshiba for a battery replacement when a replacement becomes necessary.  This is something I had never seen before, and something new to be aware of when purchasing a new computer.

http://www.toshiba.com/us/computers/laptops/satellite/S50/S50-BBT2N22?src=ECEB&cm_mmc=Email-_-broadcast-_-ecbscsp111814-_-ECEB&RMID=RSYS_111814_DoD_S70i78GB1TBAMD_849_SP_499&RRID=309190790

[AndyInMokum]

Wow, that is outrageous  !!

[PCNetSpec]

+1 What Andy said 

Thanks for the heads up, I'll have to keep an eye out for this con (which is what it is).

Did the Toshiba rep say how much it would cost to send it back for a battery replacement .. and how your data would be guaranteed against loss/theft during transit ? .. and will they cover any losses if your data is stolen and used fraudulently ?

Or are you expected to wipe it clean to get a new battery ?

Or do they suggest you disassemble it and remove the hard drive before returning it to them ? .. in which case, why can't they just sell you a ****ing  battery whilst you already have it in bits

What's next, a car you have to send back to the manufacturer for a fill up .. but you also have to leave the keys to your house,your bank details and photos of your kids in the glove box.

http://www.electronicstakeback.com/wp-content/uploads/Ultrabook-report-Aug-2012.pdf

--

[rjm65]

for how thin that laptop is they should just run it on some AAA NIMH batteries...   LOL     I'd be afraid to hold that laptop in my hands its so thin I might get paper cuts...  LOL   

[perknh]

It is a con.  That's exactly what it is.  They have found a way to turn a $500 laptop into a disposable computer after one battery cycle.  Few people are going to go through all of this effort of wiping their drive clean, or, in our case, re-installing Windows, in order to get another battery. 

This is a dirty trick done to unsuspecting customers. 

[rjm65]

You know I have owned a few Panasonic phone systems in my lifetime, and I must say they got away from the battery packs you had to replace after 3 years of use, because they would just not hold a charge longer then 10 minutes... The new panasonic system I bought now uses regular rechargeable AAA batteries you can buy at any store in town or online...  I would like to see laptops do something like this, especially the ones that have hundred dollar batteries on ebay and such, would be nice to be able to replace with regular batteries....   

[perknh]

The new panasonic system I bought now uses regular rechargeable AAA batteries you can buy at any store in town or online...  I would like to see laptops do something like this, especially the ones that have hundred dollar batteries on ebay and such, would be nice to be able to replace with regular batteries....   

That would be very helpful.  That would be a much saner direction to go than what we're seeing with some of these newer laptop models on the market today.  Now, unfortunately, we have something new to worry about when we go out to buy a laptop computer -- battery replacement, an issue that would have never even crossed our minds before.

Good idea, rjm65. 

[iamesperambient]

thanks for the heads up im planning on getting a desktop anyhow and keeping my laptop as a mobile set up and for school work.

[perknh]

You're welcome, iamesperambient.

This is new concern to be aware of, but, thankfully, this is not occurring on all laptops yet.

I am having a devil of a time this year finding a decent laptop on which to run Linux.  Windows 7 computers tend to be both rare and costly, and I'm finding a lot more of these newer computers have a touch-enabled screens for Window 8.1 -- something I have no need or interest in.

Also, I'm finding many laptop computers with 4 GBs of memory, and, from what I have read online, 6 GBs help make things considerably better for the internal hard drive of a computer.  (I don't know exactly why this is so, but I have read that it is.  Something about the added memory taking strain off of the hard drive, I believe.)   

iamesperambient, good luck finding a desktop computer that will suit your academic needs.  If we both make good purchases, I would think we ought to be in good shape with our converted to Linux OS computers for quite a while. 

[iamesperambient]

def i think the best choice really is buying an older refurbished laptop or desktop :/
ya i also have NO INTEREST in a touch screen laptop or desktop leave that stuff for smart phones.

[perknh]

...i also have NO INTEREST in a touch screen laptop or desktop leave that stuff for smart phones.

Exactly!  That's precisely how I feel about a touch screen laptop.  The last thing I want to do is extend my arm to touch the screen of a computer.  So what if I can touch the screen of my computer.  Who cares?

[iamesperambient]

i see it as a step back not a step forward especially for desktop use who wants to be shove directly in front of a monitor pushing on the screen
i don't get it. for a laptop i still don't get, i dont understand why an over sized smart phone is a choice someone would want to have
but to each their own. I was watching a video about windows 10 it actually (sorry to say here) looks pretty decent. The interface (i think)
is really simple and clean/pretty and will have the classic windows 7 look but flat and clean and many of the new features seem pretty cool
and i like how they are keeping DESKTOP users in mind. Windows 8 is awful i really don't understand what they were thiking
when designing that interface.

[iamesperambient]

you just made me think....hmmm how easy would it be to find a brand new battery for my  6 year old laptop?
it only lasts about 45 mins, i  rarely ever use it becaus i keep my laptop plugged in at all times hooked up to a monitor and keyboard
but it would be a nice thing to have for bringing it to coffee shops (with out dealing with plugging in) or chilling out side my house on my porch
i just ook my battery out  but if i can find a new one that holds the fulll 5 hour charge its supposed to have that would be great and im sure
there is one somewhere again IT SHOULD ALWAYS been an option to be able to replace something like the battery yourself
with out having to send it back that is a con! apple is the same way they make it so hard to replace batteries yourself its all a con.

[emegra]

Apple have got away with selling hardware and software to their victims customers for years while retaining ownership, they're the envy of the corporate world so it's hardly surprising that other companies like Toshiba would want to follow their example.

If you can't open it you don't own it




Graeme

[iamesperambient]

Apple have got away with selling hardware and software to their victims customers for years while retaining ownership, they're the envy of the corporate world so it's hardly surprising that other companies like Toshiba would want to follow their example.

If you can't open it you don't own it




Graeme

just like how you don't actually own your purchases from itunes either its all one big con.
nice looking interface, greedy company.