August 29th, 2009
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There has been a huge increase in the amount of so-called “OEM” laptop batteries and adapters in the market place. Many vendors sell these “OEM” batteries and adapters on eBay and elsewhere on the internet. They look like the real deal, but lack the manufacturers branding. They’re really Chinese “knockoffs” or imitations, made with sub-par components. Since “OEM” actually means “Original Equipment Manufacturer” and not “cheap knockoff” these products are actually mislabeled. I guess I can see why in a sense. “OEM” would tend to sell more product than “cheap knockoff”.
We tried a so-called “OEM” battery that we bought from one of these online vendors out of Mississauga. Sure enough, it was faulty (the rattle inside was also rather disconcerting). After a bunch of hassle, we got an RMA number. They refused to accept it any other way than regular mail, then denied that they received it and we never got a refund or replacement. Lesson learned.
Remember, if they say “replacement…”, ”generic”, “OEM” or they don’t have the “HP”, “Dell”, “Toshiba”, “Delta”, etc logos on the battery or adapter, they are cheap imitations that can fail prematurely and/or ruin your laptop.
For example: Genuine Dell batteries are made with high performance batteries, wrapped in special tape with a heat sensor to protect against a fire hazard. “OEM” batteries use cheap, generic cells wrapped in packing tape with no heat sensor. The following images are a side by side comparison.
Here is a photo of the Genuine Dell battery on the left and the so-called “OEM” replacement on the right:
An “OEM” battery is really easy to pop apart. The Dell battery is very hard to get apart and the cells are wrapped in industrial tape. As you can see in the following picture, the “OEM” battery on the right uses cheap packing tape and no name cells that are often rejects or cheap, generic junk. They usually offer dramatically shorter lifespans than genuine laptop batteries.
On the left, the Dell battery, you see a little black tab sticking up. On the “OEM” battery, that tab is missing. The black tab is a thermal sensor. It disables the battery if it gets too hot.
What can happen in the absence of that protection? This:
The Dell battery uses plastic spacers to keep the cells snug in the casing and prevent them from jiggling around. The “OEM” battery uses paper, hence the rattle that we observed in ours.
After seeing these pictures, it’s quite easy to see why you should avoid using the generic product masquerading as “OEM” batteries and adapters. It’s worth the few extra dollars to buy a genuine laptop battery or adapter.
Remember, after you jump it’s too late to wish you bought a better parachute!
We bypass the vendor (such as HP or Acer) and go straight to the source. This allows us to purchase at a significant savings which we pass on to our clients. We also have an assortment of used laptop batteries, adapters and other parts. Contact us today for pricing and availability for your laptop battery, adapter, screen or any other parts.
August 26th, 2009
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This has been an extremely busy couple of weeks for computer repair in Barrie. August marks a particularly busy time as everyone comes back from holidays and gets ready for back to school (ducks to dodge the flying tomatoes). It also marks a landmark for us as we served our 1000th client of 2009.
I would like to thank everyone for their business. It is all thanks to you that we are where we are. We value and appreciate your patronage.
With all the computer repair we’ve tackled, I’ve noted a couple of interesting things that are worth pointing out.
1) With competition mounting for fewer consumer dollars, many companies are offering bargain basement pricing on computer repair. Two examples we’ve seen highlight why cheaper isn’t always better. One case was broken hinges on a laptop. Rather than replace the hinges, a nearby computer repair shop tightened a couple of screws and charged the client $60. Needless to say, it only took a couple of days for the “repair” to come apart, resulting in the client bringing the laptop to us and having the hinges replaced.
Another we’ve seen are “computer tuneups”. A few cases this month highlighted the downfall of discount tune ups. These bargain computer repairs typically consist of deleting temporary files and cleaning out a few registry entries (the registry contains all your Windows settings). The problem with them is because they’re cheap, they’re not done properly or thoroughly. More often than not there’s an underlying reason apart from temporary files why a computer is running slow. Without addressing those issues the problem returns in very short order. While it makes the computer repair technician a few quick dollars, it seldom results in a lasting solution for the client.
This month we’ve had several people come in and say “I had my computer tuned up, but {xx} days later it was as slow as it was before”. This common theme underscores the importance of spending a couple more dollars and having a professional repair your computer. They can identify the underlying causes and give you a computer repair that will offer a much better return on your investment.
2) Vendors are pulling out all the stops to compete for your dollar. One trick to watch for is the proverbial “comparing an apple to an orange” trick. They take a product that looks like another, is very similar to another, and proudly advertise the cheaper price. Inevitably it’s either a discontinued model or a model with lesser specifications, but to the casual observer, they look identical.
We saw an example this week, where the client was told by the box store they could buy a cheaper product from them. The client did their research and found out the product they were offered was actually inferior (less features and a cheaper brand) and more expensive than buying from an independent retailer.
It is a tough market out there. While every effort is made by vendors to make it seem like the consumer is the big winner, often it’s the other way around. We would like to encourage everyone to be especially diligent. Do your research. Make certain to compare apples to apples. Compare features. Take a hard look at build quality unless you’re specifically looking for a disposable, short term solution. Regrettably a few dollars saved in the short term can result in big dollars spent in the long term.
In all cases, it is better to spend more on the product than it is to spend it on in-house “extended warranties”. Many complaints abound about these warranties not being honored and a lot of issues can be curtailed by investing more in the actual product.
An informed consumer is a good customer. We are always here to help you if you have any questions.
August 17th, 2009
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I get sales fliers from Tiger Direct and many of our suppliers in my email on a regular basis. Today as I was scanning through some unopened vendor emails something in particular caught my eye from the Tiger Direct flier on August 6, 2009:
“Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 was: 222.60! now: 109.97. Buy now! Limited Time Only!”
That’s strange, I thought. I’ve never seen Office Home and Student sell for $220 or more. I visit their web page. The pricing, everything is gone. There’s a message that says “This item is currently unavailable.” Interesting. That doesn’t seem right. I look at the time. 4:20 PM. I take a screenshot. (Please note: The screenshot sizes are huge, so may take some time to download. They are not edited in any way, shape or form)
At 4:49 PM I check back. Suddenly they have availability. This time, I get greeted with a message:
“Original Price: 222.60. Instant Savings – 116.63. Price: $105.97.”
That’s wierd. I take another screenshot.
Tonight I check my inbox again:
“Compare at $222.60. $105.97″. Compare with who, exactly? Their own artificially inflated price that they seemingly made up on the spur of the moment? According to Lycos, the most expensive vendor pricing is $157.38. Another screenshot seems to be a good idea.
Thank goodness for screenshots. I check Tiger Direct’s website on the Wayback Machine. February 13, 2008 should just about do it I figure.
“Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007. $149.97. In Stock”. I take another screen shot.
I go back to January, 2008. “Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007. $181.78. Instant Rebate – $16.79. Price $164.99″.
December 28, 2007, $164.99.
December 25, 2007, $181.78. Instant Rebate – $16.79. Price $164.99.
These prices are high (although certainly good for that time). Still a long way from $222.
Regrettably this is by far the only example, just from this company alone:
Dell sues Tiger Direct for false advertising
Tiger Direct tries to dodge Dell’s fist
Consumers speak out against Tiger Direct’s false advertising with “rebates”
These forms of advertising are blatantly dishonest and may even be illegal, yet companies get away with it every day. If a company is deceitful in their advertising, there’s probably not a very good chance that they’ll be honest with you. In today’s market, there’s nothing more important than being honest with your clientelle. The computer industry, especially computer repair, is an industry based on trust.
Do you trust your vendor? Do you trust your computer repair company? Would you trust them or continue to do business with them if they continually deceived you to get your business? Would you ever believe another word they said?
One of the core components of our service is that we will always be honest with you. For every computer repair we work diligently to find you honest, quick, cost-effective solutions. Our business is built on trust. We will do everything we can to ensure we earn and keep it, including being honest about product pricing.
August 13th, 2009
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You can now find us on Twitter. Search for “Aaron Weston” (username is npinc) and add us to your watch. You will get the latest computer repair and sales tidbits.
If you’re in the Barrie area, Northern Protocol Inc.’s computer repair and sales Twitter feed is a must to add to your list.
August 12th, 2009
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There has been a mounting confusion in the marketplace about ASRock products. In this post I hope to clear up some of that confusion.
PCChips is a huge manufacturer of budget boards for computers. They are essentially your typical flea market variety mother board. PCChips created a subsidiary named ECS (Elitegroup Computer Systems), another budget brand of mother board.
ECS started putting a huge dent in some of the big player’s sales as many manufacturers, including OEMs like Acer and Gateway (Acer owns Gateway and Emachines) utilized ECS motherboards in their systems. As the public’s eye turned from quality to how cheap they could buy a computer, OEMs turned to the likes of ECS and MSI (Microstar International) to provide the cheapest possible product.
In 2002, AsusTeK formed a spinoff company from one of their subsidiaries, Hua Ching, to combat this growing momentum. It was a decision that AsusTeK would come to regret.
Many computer stores, computer sales reps, wholesalers, etc. are pitching that ASRock is made by Asus. This is absolutely not true. The only tie that ASRock has with Asus is the fact that Asus started the company.
ASRock themselves are using the Asus name to sell their products. I have a wholesale distributor rep that calls me every day, asking me to buy ASRock claiming that “quality has improved” and that it’s “made by Asus”. I tell him that the ASRock product is not suitable for our business, yet every day I get the same phone call.
Beware of this marketting tactic. ASRock is merely in the same class as ECS and PCChips. They are budget motherboards, severely lacking in the manufacturing and quality control put into the Asus product.
Asus has spent a lot of time trying to distance themselves from the ASRock brand, and has even threatened to sue ASRock customers that try to associate the ASRock brand with Asus in order to sell product.
Beware of the confusion! Don’t fall for the marketting gimmicks. An informed consumer is a good customer. For the ultimate in performance, reliability and service, insist on genuine Asus products.
UPDATE: Through some research, I found out that Asus circuit boards are made by Tean Electronic Co Ltd in Taipei Hsien, Taiwan. Asrock circuit boards are made by Yu Fo Electronics Co. Ltd in Taoyuan, Taiwan.
August 12th, 2009
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Have you ever wondered who makes that laptop you own? Well, wonder no more, because I’m going to tell you.
Many people, and understandably so, believe that Dell, HP, Toshiba, Apple or Acer make their own laptops. This actually is not true. In fact, they don’t even design them in most cases. There are three main Chinese ODM (Original Design Manufacturers) manufacturers and one smaller manufacturer that design and make them for all five.
Compal Electronics Inc, based in Taipei, Taiwan, designs and manufacturers laptops for Dell, Toshiba, HP (Hewlett-Packard) and Acer. They currently manufacture 45% of all Acer’s shipped laptops. 50% of Dell’s outsourced notebooks come from Compal. In June they recorded sales of $43 Billion according to their posted sales reports.
You can view some of their current laptop product lineup here.
Quanta Computer is the world’s largest designer and manufacturer of notebooks. Quanta is headquartered in Taiwan, with factories in several continents. 25% of all Acer notebooks are made by Quanta. If you look on their notebook product page, you may recognize the basic design.
It is also not well known that Quanta Computer is now manufacturing the Apple MacBook Pro laptop computer.
In June of this year, Quanta Computer recorded sales of a whopping $62 Billion.
Compal and Quanta are designing and manufacturing a fascinating new product for Acer that will dual boot Windows XP and Android. You can look for that product to hit store shelves any day now.
Wilstron, also based in China, makes up the remainder of Dell’s outsourced laptops. A fascinating little tidbit is that Wilstron, along with Flextronics International Limited and Celestica, also manufactures the XBox 360 for Microsoft.
You hear many people argue about which of those laptops is better than the other. They’re all made in the same factory, designed by the same people.
Some other major players:
AsusTeK Computer Inc. - manufactured the original MacBook
Foxconn Electronics Inc. (Hon Hai Precision Industry) manufacturer of Apple’s MacBook and iPod nano as well as the Sony Vaio laptop. Foxconn has also just landed some orders from Dell and HP for 2010.
Inventec Corporation
Micro-star International (MSI) - main manufacturer of MDG laptops
MiTAC International Corporation
Tyan Computer Corporation
August 3rd, 2009
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 We understand that the web, while a powerful tool in the right hands, has handed people an unusual power… The power to say or claim to be anything.
This makes your job as a consumer difficult as you can never tell who is legitimate and who isn’t, which may result in your computer looking like the one in the photo. The photo is of a computer (containing the customer database and accounting) we pulled out of a business, provided to them by a “fly by nighter”.
While it’s not perfect or guaranteed, here’s a list of things to be on the lookout for:
- Free email addresses, like Hotmail or Gmail. Usually legitimate companies have their own domains and associated email addresses.
- Cell phone numbers, not business lines. Legitimate companies don’t provide cell phone numbers as their main contact.
- No company name, or a company you’ve never heard of.
- “In business for {xx} years” but you’ve never heard of them. If they’ve been around that long, wouldn’t you have heard of them by now?
- Gratuitous use of “we”, “us” and “our” with no evidence of more than one person. A favorite trick of fly by nighters or amateurs is using the plural to make it sound that they are a big company, or even a company.
- Gratuitous use of clipart. Clipart is a valuable resource, helpful in making a statement. However, if all they use is clipart, they may be hiding something.
- Websites on free webhosts. {name}.myfreehost.com or http://www.myfreehost.com/{name } are often a dead giveaway. Web hosting costs under $100 a year. http://www.myname.com costs $10 a year. Typically genuine companies consider these a worthwhile investment.
- No location or signage. While not carved in stone, legitimate companies will usually give a location or have some sort of signage.
- “We come to you”. This is a tough one. Some legitimate companies do come to you. If there’s no option to drop your computer off, it can be a sign that it’s a fly by nighter or amateur working out of their basement.
There are some excellent independent techs out there. Look for honesty, such as “I..”, “my name is…”, a personal email address such as johndoe@sympatico.ca , etc .
Remember;
- no investment means nothing to lose.
- if they’re not honest in their advertising, will they be honest with you?
Your data is an important, irreplaceable investment. Trust it to the professionals. Ask for references. Ask your family and friends for a referral.
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