When you pay more, you get more.

I was presented an interesting situation today.  As most of our regular clients already know, we’re authorized Asus and Fujitsu dealers.  We had a new client come to us today looking for an Asus laptop.  He’d noticed how the new kid in town was selling Asus laptops for seemingly crazy low prices.  They really were low, lower than our cost.  Well that’s not right I thought, so I looked closer.

It turns out they bought up a bunch of End of Life product (in other words, discontinued) at a discount from our supplier and then dumped them on the market at a sizable discount over new.  Of course a great discussion ensued, started by an excellent question:  What’s the advantage of buying from you?

When you pay more, you get more.  Let me explain that here:

1) You get current products.  The product they are selling is discontinued.  It’s old stock.  The new models are already out and have 500GB drives in them as opposed to 320 GB in the old model.  When you purchase from us, you get more computer, less leftovers.

2) You get more knowledgeable staff.  When you work on razor thin margins, you can’t necessarily afford to hire the top guns in the computer field.  A prime case in point:  One of my clients bought a monitor from the vendor in question here.  The vendor assured her, swore up and down, that this touch screen monitor would work on her computer.  I took one look at it and knew it wouldn’t.  In fact a quick check on the manufacturer’s website said that it wouldn’t.  She had me contact the vendor on her behalf.  They demanded a 15% restocking fee, despite the fact that it was their error.

We repair your computers.  We know them inside and out.  We know what works and what doesn’t.  We help you make sense of your technology and we’ll make sure you get the right part, the first time.  If it’s our fault, we’ll take it back without restocking charge and make it right.

3) You get better service.  We have an outstanding staff of seasoned, qualified computer repair technicians ready to answer all your questions.  We have in shop, onsite and remote service available, plus telephone support.  We offer free delivery in Barrie on any product(s) that total over $100.  We also offer far better after sale support. 

Consider this.  This particular vendor has a 14 day return policy with a restocking fee if you’ve opened it.  Chances are better than average you’re going to open it before you figure out they sold you the wrong part.

Their warranty is stated as “manufacturer’s warranty only”.  If something happens to it, you’re on your own.  When you buy from us, the first year of any system or laptop purchase is dealt with in shop.  When you sell laptops near or below cost, you can’t afford to offer this kind of service.  Yes, you can buy their “Replacement Plan”, but with the added expense isn’t it better to just do it right and get more computer to begin with?

4) You get better products.  We only carry the best (that means no Acer or Emachines).  It doesn’t do any good to you sitting on our bench, so we’re not going to sell products most likely to get there quicker.

Lori here in Barrie summed it up in her email to us:

“unlike so many other businesses in Barrie, you are of the few who still offer that personal touch and go the extra mile to know and help your customers.”

When you pay more, you get more.  We have better service, more knowledgeable staff and only the best products.

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Experience makes the difference!

I ran across an ad the other day for a job placement at Staples for a “Computer repair technician”. What caught my interest was the qualifications required. “A+ Certification” and “7 months to less than 1 year experience”.

Why did that catch my interest?  What that ad said to me is “We have low standards.  It doesn’t matter if you have much real world computer repair experience as long as you can pass an almost meaningless written test that teaches you little, if any, real world troubleshooting skills”. Indeed, many places hire in that fashion. They can tout “A+ Certification” which sounds impressive, while their technicians may have little or no computer repair experience to back it up. 

That’s one of the big things that makes us stand out from our competitors. We place no meaning on pieces of paper. Sure, our techs are Microsoft, Comp TIA and / or Apple certified, but that’s not what makes us good at what we do. Why “IT (computer repair in this context) is what we do…best” is the fact that each one of our technicians has 10 to 20+ years of real world experience and a genuine passion for computer repair to back it up.

At Northern Protocol we are constantly striving to achieve higher standards.  Call today or come in and see us. Meet Neville, John and Matt. They’re all great people. Work with them one on one and let them provide you the final solution.

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The importance of reliability

Tonight I was sent the link to an aging, yet excellent, video that demonstrates the progression of technology.  You can view it to the right of this post.  On the surface it presents fascinating facts and figures of how technology has progressed and how much technology (and in specific the computer) has become an every day household tool.  Between the lines a different message can be extracted from it as well.  It speaks, in essence, of how much we use and depend on the computer and thus, in abstract, how important it is for the computer to be reliable.

Much focus has been placed on cheap, disposable computers.  If it breaks, simply dispose of it and buy another one.  The development of unreliable computers has created a market for ”extended warranties”.  So successful has that campaign become that in Canada we currently dispose of over 118,000 computers a day.  Over 90% of those currently end up in landfills.  However, there are more problems associated with branding the computer as a cheap, disposable commodity, issues that hit closer to home.  These issues include:

1. data loss from hardware failures
2. down time
3. lost productivity
4. increased expense
5. plain grief and headache

At Northern Protocol, we don’t believe computers should be a burden.  They should be a useful, dependable tool to allow us to be more productive.  Our focus is on reliability and long term solutions.  Our goal is to keep you up and running, to prevent failures, data loss, loss of productivity, etc.  We endeavor, through repairs, sales of reliable product, resale of off lease product and recycling to;

• Help you use the computer as a tool to free you of particular chores and problems;
• Keep you productive and connected, preserve your data and save you headaches and money;
• Keep as much electronic waste out of the landfills as we can.

At Northern Protocol, we’re here to help you.  When you have a computer problem, come and see us.  Work with our friendly, qualified technicians one on one and let us give you the final solution.

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Why buy from an authorized dealer?

As many are now aware, we’re authorized dealers for several manufacturers, including Microsoft, Engenius, OCZ/PC Power & Cooling, Asus, Fujitsu, Seagate, Panda, etc. While some big box stores and online stores sell some of these products, they’re not factory authorized to do so. Although it may seem as no big deal, the difference is in the end user experience.

Perhaps the biggest example I ever saw was Tiger Direct selling Dell computers. They portrayed in their descriptions that the product was new (when in fact it was old, outdated stock purchased from third parties) with Dell support and warranty for the end user. This, of course, wasn’t the case. Dell sued them to get them to stop.

A great example, closer to home, is Fujitsu. They often offer an extra two year warranty incentive for customers that purchase their laptops. However, that deal is only available to the end user IF the vendor is an authorized Fujitsu dealer. There are only a couple of them in Central Ontario of which we’re one.

Asus is another interesting example. For some time big box stores attempted to sell Asus. The catch, what they didn’t tell you, is that they’re not authorized to touch them if anything goes wrong with them (doing so will void your warranty). They also don’t tell you that they squeeze Asus on price so Asus only gives one year warranty for any laptop they sell. When you buy a laptop from Northern Protocol, you get a free 2 year Asus warranty with 1st year accidental damage warranty.

There are other perks. If they need some minor repairs, we can fix them in house. Asus will send us the parts. Any issues where we need to send an Asus laptop away (even if it’s one we didn’t sell), we send them to Markham. The turnaround time is exceptionally quick. Asus takes good care of our customers.

Engenius is another example. There are several vendors out there that sell the Engenius brand, including some big, well known online Canadian vendors. However, they’re not factory authorized to sell them. They bring them in grey market from the United States (some buy from Canada, but the wholesaler that sells them to them brings them in gray market from the US). On the surface that doesn’t appear to be a problem….until you need warranty. Engenius Canada will NOT honor the warranty, you have to send them back to the US. We buy our units directly from Engenius Canada. If you have a warranty or technical support issue, you call Engenius in Markham and they’ll take care of you.

These are some of many reasons why you should buy from an authorized dealer. Of course there’s also familiarity with the product and our now infamous after sale service. We’re here to help you and as authorized dealers of many leading brands, we’ll help you find the product that’s just right for you and make sure you get the service after the sale as you need it.

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An interesting lesson in service

I’m a business owner (and as surely as the day is long, I’m not perfect at it), but I’m also a consumer. Everywhere I go I find that I’m strangely vigilant about the business. I look for those subtle things. I analyze what I like and don’t like about the location, the service, even those little small nuances that make the business what it is.

I like eating at Cora’s. Excellent food, always fresh, pleasant staff and a bright and cheery atmosphere. I look at the placemats. Rather than a few stock pictures and a price list, I’m met with a smiling face and a bunch of interesting tidbits that I rather enjoy reading while I’m waiting for my food to arrive. I even brought a couple home with me so I could read them again.

I guess what I’m saying is that I always make mental notes about what I like and don’t like, then strive to incorporate the stuff I do like into my own business. That mentality of “treating others the way you want to be treated” strikes time and time again…hopefully to the benefit of our clients.

I bought a bed from a local company. I suppose I could have bought it from Sleep Country, but I didn’t simply because the “sale to beat all sales” every week grows weary after a while and it made me doubt their credibility. Instead I decided to go for another, smaller chain. I like the bed and everything, but I was very dismayed by how it was handled. They gave me a great price, I paid and left, thinking I’d have it in a couple of weeks as it was special ordered. I had no problems waiting as long as I was given the heads up.

Well, the promised date came and went, with no bed. Two more weeks passed and still no bed. A call to the store informed me that there’d been a mistake and I’d have it in a couple of days. I was disappointed, sure, but these things happen. A week came and went. Finally I got a call that my bed had arrived and while setting a date for delivery I was informed I owed money. That’s odd, I thought. I paid for it in full at time of ordering. The lady said she’d look into it and call me back. When she did, I found out that I owed $3.80 for HST on the delivery because they were delivering it on July 2, one day after the HST kicked in.

There’s a point to this story, honestly. The point is this. It was a real kick in the pants to be told I owed $4.00 when the delay was their own doing. It’s not even the $4.00, it’s the concept of the thing that was utterly dismaying. I made a note to myself. I would never make a client pay for my mistakes and I would never nickel and dime them to death either. If I quote a price, I’m going to live up to it, whether it’s $4.00 or $100. I won’t forget how I felt… and I’ll certainly endeavor not to let my clients feel the same way.

It’s not always the big things that make our experience a positive one, something that makes us want to return time and again. Sometimes it’s as simple as a couple of toonies.

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Microsoft to launch “Kinect” device for Xbox360

Microsoft is gearing up to launch their Kinect device in November, just in time for Christmas. It is a device that allows the user to control the Xbox Console through movements and gestures. 15 titles will be available at launch. At this point it’s not certain what the retail price would be, though estimates are between $50 and $200. What I find interesting about this technology is how it might apply to the desktop or laptop computer.

Visions of Iron Man 2 come to mind. Excellent.

You can read about it in this Reuters article.

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Congratulations Canadian athletes!

Congratulations to all our athletes on an absolutely outstanding showing in the Olympics. Your hard work and valiant efforts make us all proud to be Canadian. Congratulations to the men’s hockey for the exciting finish to the Games.

You all did an incredible job and we’re very proud of you!

Also a HUGE thank you to all the volunteers who helped make the games what they were.

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G’Oh Canada!!

Congratulations to Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada on their Gold Medal in Ice Dancing! A stellar, inspiring performance truly deserving of a history making trip to the top of the podium.

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In Barrie, we are THE virus removal experts!

The onslaught of virus infections is increasing daily. The standard recommendations of “Norton, Spybot and Adaware” are less relevant than they’ve ever been. Virus infections cut through the mainstream tools like a hot knife through butter. Many virus infections are coming through flash advertising, which are maintained by third parties. This means that mainstream websites, such as Forbes (in my own personal example) are infecting websites without the website owners even being aware of what’s happening.

Virus attacks are getting more vicious every day. One of the latest infections, masquerading as an “Internet Security” suite, downloads other infections, prevents you from removing it, blocks access to the internet and many other devious tactics. Simply deleting the key file, which some mainstream antivirus solutions do, results in not being able to log on to Windows. When logging on, you are automatically logged back out again.

Even vicious virus attacks like this can be dealt with. We are the virus removal experts in Barrie. With the exception of Virut, we can eliminate any virus infection on your computer without formatting it. Today’s infections make it more important than ever to only trust your computer to a professional. An amateur can render the computer inoperable with their inexperience, forcing you to wipe out your computer. An inexperienced computer repair technician can also leave hidden infection behind, resulting in your computer becoming reinfected in very short order.

Have you ever heard someone tell you that they had their computer in for repair and two days later it was as slow as ever? That’s because an inexperienced computer repair technician didn’t do the job properly.

We understand how important your data is to you, as well as how important it is that down time is reduced to a minimum. We remove the virus infection quickly, give your computer a performance tuneup, remove expired or inadequate antivirus solutions and install new ones (free and paid antivirus software is available) and then pass the computer through our quality control process after the repair is complete. Finally, we fully guarantee the computer repair (as we do all our computer repairs).

We’re also available to help after the repair. If something pops up on the screen that you’re not sure of, we’ll be here to help. It’s always nice to have a computer geek you can call on when you get stuck. A simple phone call can often thwart expensive mistakes. Our reputation has been established not only by how good we are at what we do, but the superior level of service we give to each and every client after their computer repair or sale.

Today’s virus infections mandate tough measures. Don’t leave your invaluable information and functionality in the hands of amateurs. In Barrie, Ontario, Northern Protocol Inc. is the only place you need to take your computer for repair and virus infection removal.

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Buy a computer, write it off on your taxes!

If you purchase a computer or software between now and January 31, 2011, you can write off the full amount on that year’s taxes! No half rule applies. Add it under Class 52 in Schedule II of your tax return.

http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2009/2009-06-10/html/sor-dors155-eng.html

Objectives

The objective of this amendment is to ensure that the correct application date applies to new Class 52 in Schedule II to the Income Tax Regulations. In the case of computer equipment described in new Class 52, the measure is temporary and is intended to encourage businesses to invest in new computers and systems software.

Description

This amendment ensures that the temporary 100% CCA rate for certain computers and systems software (new Class 52) applies to such assets acquired after January 27, 2009 and before February 2011.

There has never been a better time to buy a computer and there has never been a better place to buy a reliable computer than Northern Protocol Inc. For the best built, best backed, most reliable computers, trust Northern Protocol Inc. Computer Sales and Service.

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