Im planing to buy a laptop but i am scared

Philippines
April 8, 2010 8:34am CST
i am planning to buy a laptop coz next year i will be traveling so i want to access the internet whenever I go. The problem is that Im scared coz I dont like to be scam by the computer shop. Maybe they will install crap in the laptop w/o me knowing . What i mean is that they saying its brand new but the truth is that its used and not working well. Well im not the good in pc hardware not to mention i am a girl so I am prone to scammers. Can anyone Help me? Give me some advice so that I will be aware. Thanks
3 people like this
21 responses
@sublime03 (2339)
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
Don't be afraid aisa62379! It is very rampant nowadays that some computer shops may do that but of course all you need to do is take precautions such as check on the shop you have in mind and see if any of your friends have gotten anything from there. Then maybe you can find other legit stores and compare. Also, the best thing to do is compare things and learn more on how to distinguish the legitimate laptops but I have to say. You will know right away if its brand new or not so it is just best to make sure to do a background check on the store you are planning to buy it from.
1 person likes this
@zed_k4 (17589)
• Singapore
9 Apr 10
Very good advice for sure.. The best is always to go for reputable shops.. or the original outlets of the brand that you want to purchase from.
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
aww thanks for the advice i feel calm :)
@pierrella (1087)
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
From what I heard, Dell maybe is one of the best laptop brands now :) In terms of other brands, SOny is also good. Just be careful with Compaq/HP. It's my laptop brand. One day, it just won't open. I brought it to the technician and they said that there's a problem with the motherboard -- one of the main problems of compaq/HP laptops (just a heads up). Buy from big and known stores. Ask your friends where the legit stores are located in your country :)
@pierrella (1087)
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
I just checked your profile. You're from the Philippines pala hehe! I bought mine in TCA (The Computer Authority). There are a lot of legit stores here in Manila. I'm just not sure in Iligan. If there is a store names "PC Gilmore" or something, avoid that. I've heard some negative feedbacks about it :)
• Philippines
9 Apr 10
hehehe yes i am filipina :) Well the problem in this city is that they only have 1 mall. So choices here is limited .. but i am planing to buy my laptop in my hometown :) .. Hmm pc-gilmore.. I havent gone to that store but thanks for letting me know :) That's what i am talking about.. stores that scam innocent people :P
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
You can vary the prices of the brand new from the second-hand laptops. Brand new are more expensive than the used ones. I think it ranges from 30-40 thousand pesos. If you want to be sure, don't get the displayed laptops. Instead, you ask from their "bodega". I learned this from my mom. I know that you're Filipina so I think you understand that term.
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
hehehe Yup I've understood ..thanks for the advice ah :)
@myzire72 (1154)
• Singapore
8 Apr 10
It's better that you buy a laptop from established computer shops, supermarts, or even authorized distributors for certain well-known computer brands. Also, you can always order a laptop online, for example, you can order online from Dell. Choosing either one of these channels to buy a laptop will guarantee that you won't be scammed.
• Philippines
9 Apr 10
thanks for the advice :)
• India
8 Apr 10
You can inquire your friends having laptops or PCs and what is the best place to buy in your town and also check the vendor seal when you buy it.
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
yes i did inquire to a friend of mine but i got a negative feedback..she said "i bought a crappy laptop ..it was too laggy so i sent it back for a refund but i didnt get a full refund coz they have to deduct the service fee".. thats why i got scared. But anyway Im doing an online research at the moment to educate myself about pc/laptop specs :) Thank you for the advice its helpful :)
• United States
8 Apr 10
buy from well known stores. like walmart, target, best buy, those kind of stores. you can still get a computer online from those stores. i have a toshiba and i love it. windows 7 is what i have. and any new computer you buy will have that. but don't get a computer with a bunch of extra things you wont need. ebay and craigslist are sketchy places to buy computers. my ex bought me one from ebay once and it was a piece of crap. good luck
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
Best buy is expensive XD Amazon cheaper with better specs :) based on personal experience.
@tonyllenium (6252)
• Italy
18 Apr 10
considering you want a computer for portability because you planned travelling together so i think even a netbooks cna be ok considering they are really cheap and really small for high portability and travels!!Surely before buy one of these you must things why you need this computer so normally netbooks are really small but they are not powerful so if you need a better processor,ood multi-tasking functions,good graphics and memory too so it is better you will buy a laptop!!As regards diferent laptops normally major brands as hp,dell,sony,ibm,have great systems for all prices...may be you can consider laptop defined light and thin so about 12''-14'' as regards the display size in thsi way you cna have a portable pc but even the configuration should be decent..
@Elixiress (3878)
9 Apr 10
Go to a reputable dealer. If you go to a big high street shop then you will know that you are getting exactly what you want, because if they scammed people it would be all over the news. Places I recommend are: Dell PC World Comet Large companies like that. Most of them will come with at least a 1 year guarantee in case something does go wrong. I have never heard of anyone being scammed in the way that you mention, especially since in society today even if you go into small independent computer shops where they sell used laptops. They will inform you it is used. They won't scam you because they are finding it hard enough to compete with the big firms as it is and most people are open to using something second hand in order to save money.
@indahfth (11161)
• Indonesia
9 Apr 10
if you want to buy a laptop, you better ask someone who knows about laptops. so you can buy a laptop in really good condition. or maybe you are looking for a store that you know, maybe a friend or relative know one laptop shop. indeed we should be very careful in buying something, but if we can find a way, there would be in accordance with what we want
@sblossom (2168)
14 Apr 10
I would like to suggest you buy Dell on line. so you definitely can get one new. I have one from Dell. it's not bad. t's Dell 1545. Wish it can be helpful. First , I would like to say , it can meet all requirements I expected from a good laptop. I used it to write articles especially for my blog, to send and receive emails, to talk on MSN and Skype with my family and friends abroad. It never let me down. I also used it to watch TV including the programs on BBC Iplayer. Compared to my desk computer I can feel the speed on my laptop was faster and the stability of the network was better. Second, it has nice overall design. Slim, Simple and sleek. You have three colors to choose . I chose the black one that matches from outside to inside. The keyboard has all the necessary controls that I used often. Last ,but not least, I think it is a great laptop for the price. I used to have a dell, and decided to go with another because you can't beat the performance for the price. The main items provided by Inspiron 1545 are Intel Celeron Dual core, Windows Vista(home premium including media),15.6in widescreen and 2048MB memory. I especially like the wireless functions. It gave me more freedom when I moved from one room to another room. However I'm not very satisfied with the three things until now. One is the speaker system with bad CD performance. The second one is that Dell's logo always stays on the top left corner of the screen when I'm on internet.The last one is the key board is too sensitive. Sometimes without any notice my typing gets wrong. I feel difficult to write long article on my laptop.
@jobmoone (442)
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
Also research some reviews about some shops/online shop, brands.
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
exactly what i am doing now :) im doing some research atm :) ..thanks!
@werty009 (404)
• Philippines
9 Apr 10
well try to check for feedback of a certain laptop user or go to forums for which laptop is suits you for brand i may say buy the named one like acer,hp some brand name's that is legit or you heard usually.
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
well buy from legit sellers.you can check their feedbacks. also how long are they selling laptop. i think brandnew item has 1yr warranty, so also better check on that.
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
thanks for reminding me about the warranty :)
• Indonesia
17 Apr 10
Buy from recommended seller, ask the warranty and after sales services.
@smacksman (6053)
8 Apr 10
If all you want to do is email, letters, take notes and internet then the new netbooks might do you well. They are smaller and cheaper than laptops. Don't be conned into Norton Antivirus, maintenance deals and all the other add-ons the shop will get commission from. Just buy the basic computer. For anti-virus download AVG free. For Office type suite download Open Office free. For photo manipulation there are several free programs. In fact there are good free programs for just about everything. Have courage! I'm sure you can do your research and get a good deal.
@anne25penn (3305)
• Philippines
9 Apr 10
I suggest you buy from reputable computer shops at malls. These shops offer warranties and their prices are not too expensive too, but that depends on the brand and model of the laptop that you will be buying. I can also suggest that you buy online, or try to browse online first so that you have an idea how much a particular laptop costs. Another suggestion that I can give is that if you have relatives living abroad (I am assuming that we live in the same country judging from your name and your concern about getting scammed by computer shops), you can ask them to buy a laptop for you. This is how I got my laptops. I don't buy them locally, but they are rather gifts from my brothers who work abroad.
@34momma (13882)
• United States
9 Apr 10
just go to dell or to apple and buy your laptop. just because you are a girl doesn't mean people are going to take advantage of you. they will if you don't let them. you have to inform yourself and then make an informed choice.
• Philippines
8 Apr 10
It's a big deal to a person like who is planning to buy laptop and doesn't know anything about technology and you are afraid to be scam. Why not call a friend and get him from them. A good friend would advice to visit the most trusted computer shop in your town or you could research more to the internet. Make a second thought before going to buy a laptop.
@monkeylong (3139)
• Guangzhou, China
8 Apr 10
As far as I am concerned, I think you are going to buy a laptop of your own. So I think I may give you such a suggestion, just becasue of my own laptop. I think you may by a famous brand ,which can be ahve a better quality and can make sure if there is something wrong with your computer, you can have change or something else. What is more, I think the famous brand can have a better service.For me, I suggest that you may buy Dell.
• United States
8 Apr 10
If all you need is the internet why don't you see if you can get an phone plan with internet. I don't know what country/countries you'll be in, but many phone plans are covered worldwide. Many phones support instant messengers, e-mail, and other things you'd need. Or a netbook is less expensive and is mainly for internet. It is just a notebook with a lot less room. Just wanted to let you know of some other options for keeping internet.