Warranty and Repair: the overlooked side of Tech

So, you just got that fancy new device, the one that can do practically everything and fits in your pocket, or that laptop that can play Crysis without missing a beat yet is light enough to lug to work or class. What you probably failed to realize while the astounded specs blinded you to all else is that increased mobility comes with a terrible price: wear and damage.

Whether bobbing around in a backpack or brushed off the table by a waiter, these devices present themselves to far more opportunity for damage than your desktop PC or pager you wore clipped to your belt. And the best time to think about this is at the time you make the decision to purchase your new toy. Reviews always talk about the megapixels, megahertz, and megabytes, but never mention the mega failure or success rate of certain companies' service plans and offering.

What this usually comes to is a premium in price over the competition. You may look at two laptops and they appear to be the same, except $100 price difference. Or it may be the difference in buying that phone on eBay versus buying a new, warranty-covered one. That price premium may be due solely to the post-sale service the company provides and is probably very worth it.


About 10 days ago, the screen on my Nokia N82 stopped working. It was a Sunday, the support pages said phone lines were open Mon-Sat. I had purchased it new a few months before from Buy.com, so I registered the phone online and called support the next day. The tech listened to my woes and then showed me the page I could have simply filled out the day before, which included a repair/problem slip and an address to which I should mail it. I sent it priority mail, insured on Sep 20. Nokia's warranty says it covers defects and that the techs will either repair, give a repair quote, or simply return it as un-repairable. When FedEx came to the door on Sep 30 and I realized what it was, I worried that it was unfixable. Much to my surprise, Nokia sent me a brand new N82, with an extra 2GB memory card in it! I was worried that they would say the damage/defect was due to undue wear on my part, but they replaced it without question, and -to my mind- a 10-day turnaround from the time I sent it, including the weekend, is pretty quick.

The other company with which I have had great repair success is IBM (and now Lenovo). I have an older T42 that I took to law school with me. It rode in my backpack with heavy books practically everyday. Add to that I am a power user, and this poor laptop has been through hell. As a result, I have had a number of support incidents with Lenovo support. First, the dog ran across my keyboard while it was on my lap and jarred a couple keys loose. Second, the computer suddenly would not power on, and it was something wrong with the motherboard. Third, my hard drive failed while I was in Missouri at Christmas. Also, the battery is only covered by a one-year, and I replaced that at the eleventh month, as batteries just die and there is nothing you can do about it.

For the keyboard, hard drive, and battery, Lenovo support sent me a new, replacement part that arrived either the next day or the day after. For the motherboard issue, they needed the entire computer. I received an empty box the next day, inserted my laptop, and dropped it in the DHL box the very next day. I had a working laptop within 6 day turnaround from the support call! All of these without paying a dime for shipping. That is service that will make my buy Lenovo again the next time. No one in law school, with all their various laptops and problems, told me a successful repair story like this.

One company with which I have no experience is Apple. I know they have the "Mac Geniuses" at their stores who are supposed to be able to help you, though you need to make an appointment. If you have any experiences with Apple support or have any support success or nightmares, please write about it below. ...Read more