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The
revealing questions
Play it smart. Ask the right questions.
Here are some suggestions.
Visit
some great value PCs
Are you registered to any quality
standards like BSI, CE, ISO 9000 and have you won any awards?
Independent quality certification bodies provide some measure of
reassurance. A company that has any or all of the above is more likely to be a company
that takes quality seriously, and has a policy in place for it. However, it says nothing
about the service and quality of after-sales that you may get.
When a company has
won several independent awards for their PCs they are more likely to know
what they are doing when they are building yours.
How long have you been in business?
Have you ever gone bust or traded in a similar sounding name before?
If the company you intend buying from has been around a few years
there may be a better chance that they'll still be around when you need them in the
future. Most new businesses fail within the first few months.
Do
you provide the full Windows CD, or just a "recover" CD?
Recover CDs allow
you to restore your PC to "factory condition" should you have a
problem down the road. Most national PC manufacturers provide a recover CD
and not the full Windows CD. You may find that the recover CD doesn't work
if you change certain parts in your PC. You cannot use it on another PC. You
will probably lose all your data if you use it. You cannot re-install
Windows to your own liking with the latest drivers, should you choose to do
so... EVER. If, even 3 years down the road, you want to re-install Windows
you'll need to shell out for a new copy of Windows. It's ridiculous, but
that's how it works. More
info
Do you
specialise in "cheap" PCs?
Companies who do
specialise in the budget end of the market tend to cut corners to stay
competitive. They could use any manner of "tricks"
from second hand parts to parts with some slight known faults, to pirated
copies of Windows. Examine the specs very carefully, ask for makes and model
numbers of components. Do a lot more checks on the company and ask a lot
more questions before you proceed with the purchase.
Are you VAT (Value Added Tax)
registered?
The ceiling for VAT registration is
£52,000 approx.
Any company selling more than £52,000 worth of computer equipment a year is required by
law to register for VAT. Just two computers a week would take most companies above the VAT
threshold. Someone selling the odd machine, maybe one a week is unlikely to be VAT
registered.
Do you accept credit and debit
cards?
Card companies don't allow just anyone to accept credit and debit
cards in payment. They do a few checks on a company before accepting them as
"merchants". Remember, though, that these are just credit references to ensure
the company hasn't been prosecuted for fraud in the past (for example) and say nothing
about the company's products or quality.
Transax is another option
that most companies now offer. It is a facility where a company can accept a cheque and
get it "cleared" over the phone while you wait. Smaller firms may not be able to
Transax your cheques.
How long is your warranty for?
The more the confidence a company has in its products the longer the
warranty they are willing to give (without any extra "extended warranty" costs).
It is common in the computer market to get a 12 months warranty (12 months does sound like
a lot longer than 1 year, doesn't it?). Some firms go further. Always make sure you
understand whether the warranty is on-site, at your premises, or RTB, which is Return to
Base. Do remember that your warranty becomes virtually worthless if the company that
provides it goes bust.
Do you have provision for on-site
warranties all over the country?
An individual selling computers from his living room is less likely
to be able to offer on-site warranties covering the entire UK. If that living room is in
some corner of the Hebrides, will you have to take your computer back there should it ever
require repairs? Most professional computer firms either have offices all over the country
or have arrangements with "third parties" who have the facilities to cover their
warranties for them.
Do you supply to any companies I
know, any schools, councils, corporate establishments?
Companies that have been accepted for supply of computers to
government departments, local councils, hospitals, educational authorities etc may have
passed several quality tests to ensure that their computers meet with the respective
department's own internal quality standards.
What type of telephone support
do you offer?
For what hours are their technical support telephone
lines open? Are these premium rate numbers? Do they do their own technical support or do
they use a third party (i.e. do they contract it out) ? What other support do they offer?
Support on the net, via faxback ...?
Do you have your own domain name and
web site?
While many individuals who have access to the net now have their own
web sites/pages it's surprising how many computer companies that sell the hardware
required to set up a web site don't have one themselves. The cost of registering a domain
name is now under the £100 mark and the software needed to create a web page is virtually
free. Taking the facts into consideration it's has got to be only the very new computer
companies or the technologically backward ones who haven't yet set up their domain name
and web site. Would you want to buy a computer from a company that doesn't know how to use
it?
If they do have a
website, visit it, browse around. Type their name in a few search engines
and visit some of the result pages. They may reveal more about the company.
At the company's website see if they publish their address, contact details
etc. Have a look at the small print of their terms and conditions.
And some more good questions:
Do you offer a money back period? No, not an exchange
policy but a money back guarantee if I am not 100% satisfied?
Other thoughts:
Call their technical support line to see how long it
takes to get through. Do it at several different times of the
day/different days of the week. This is the best test to determine how long
it will take you to get through if you ever need support.
Do their adverts look professional?
Do they sound knowledgeable on the phone?
Is the ‘free’ technical support on a premium rate number?
Good luck with your
purchase.
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