Laptop warranties from the manufactures are very deceptive to say the least. It always amazes me when I purchase a new laptop what type of warranty hog-wash the computer manufactures are willing to print and distribute to the consumer.

Lets go over a warranty from a laptop I purchased last week. In the warranty the manufacture claims that the laptop is free from defects in workmanship for a period of 12 months. But goes on to say in the same paragraph that the warranty does not include failure caused by improper operation or normal wear and tear; does this mean that my teenager, who is a known abuser of the T.V., car, and stereo, who is very hard on the computer keypad will absolve the warranty?

There are times when you will buy a laptop, you get the laptop home, and you may not like how the mouse works or you feel the color just doesnt suit you. So you take it back to the distributor, and they in turn send the computer back to the manufacturer. The manufacturer tests the laptop, and brings the computer back to its original design specifications to be resold to the consumer.

Now, some businesses buy or lease large qualities of laptops at discounts, and after a two or three years they resell the laptops back to the manufacture, so they can recover some of their original investment principal. The laptops that make it through the quality control department are re-tested and brought back to the original design specifications to be resold to the consumer.

Its estimated that people who return their laptop (within 30 days) after purchase only account for 4 percent of the over-all refurbished market. The other 96 percent of refurbished laptops re-sold are between two and three years old, which the standard and extended manufactures warranties have expired.

The people who have purchased refurbished laptops are very happy with the over-all condition of the refurbished laptop, and are very happy the significant cost savings over a brand new laptop.

You send the damaged laptop back to the distributor at your expense, and then distributor sends back a check for $246.50. But the total price to buy the laptop was $400 dollars. What happened to my money?

Have I heard of manufactures not honoring a laptop warranty for either refurbished or new laptop? The answer is yes. Its sad, but most manufacturers will do whatever they can to either slow the entire process of fixing your computer under warranty, or void the warranty based on some wishy-washy conditions set forth in their warranty agreement.

What about refurbished laptops? Approximately 96% of all refurbished laptops have no warranties at all, since the warranty had expired for some time. But I see on the internet that distributors of refurbished laptops claim there is a 3 or 6 month warranty”but in reality there is none. I call this deceptive marketing, and Im being kind to them.

What about warranties for citizens of foreign countries? Basically, you get no warranty of any kind if you buy the laptop in the U.S and have the computer shipped to a foreign country.

If you want piece-of-mind when you buy a laptop, youre going to need a warranty service outside of the manufactures warranty. Its the only way youre going to protect yourself when buying a laptop. If you want a free 30 day, 100% money back guarantee, with a 90 day store credit to purchase a new laptop (if youre computer breaks); then our going to need a laptop distributor who is willing to stand behind their products.

The first thing you need to consider; you dont want your lemon sent back you, once your laptop has been worked on. You want a new laptop (based on 100% of the original purchase price), and start fresh. Two, you dont want to pay for any return shipping charges to have the laptop fixed, which should have been in working order in the first place. So buy a laptop with an exceptional warranty, so you can enjoy your laptop”worry free.

Sincerely, John Roth

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