Here are a few of my thoughts on why walking into a consumer goods store to purchase a business computer might not be the wisest decision:
1. Poor Warranty Support: Warranties on consumer PCs are generally ‘back-to-base’ which means if they suffer a breakdown, you might have to wait weeks to have them repaired. Once you organise sending them back to the manufacturer, wait for the repair to be completed, then wait to have the machined delivered back to you – all of a sudden you’ve lost two weeks of productivity! We combat this by only supplying machines with a next-day, onsite business warranty (from major vendors such as HP), and also supplying clients with our own itGenius branded machines that we warrant ourselves for 3yrs (meaning you don’t have to deal with a 3rd-party technician for warranty support). 2. Would you like a free trial? Consumer-grade PCs arrive from the store loaded with ‘crapware’, which takes about an hour of ‘fiddle-time’ to fully remove. A free trial of antivirus software here, an annoying pop-up dock there – it’s just not needed in a business environment and is the first thing that needs to be removed to ensure the computer can be used productively. If you are being charged consulting time for a technician to setup a computer on your business network – this is money coming out of your pocket! 3. Compatibility: Unfortunately while many sales representatives in department stores have great knowledge of the products they are selling – they most likely know nothing about how your business network has been configured – and what the requirements you need for the computer to be fully compatible for your office. Do you have the right version of Windows and Microsoft Office? Is the network port Gigabit speed? Nothing is more painful than having to return to a retailer because the wrong machine was purchased – or fighting with their customer support phone helpdesk to get things fixed. 4. Trust your business advisor: Ask yourself the following question; who is more likely to give you better advice regarding the suitability of a computer for your business? A floor-salesperson looking for a ‘quick sale’ or your IT consultant who is responsible for maintaining your computer throughout it’s lifecycle? Your relationship with the salesperson ends when you walk out the door – however your IT consultant has a vested interest that the machine they have recommend is the right one for you, as they are on the other end of the phone should there be any issues. I’m not saying that purchasing goods from Harvey Norman, Dick Smith or any other retailers is a bad idea full stop. If you are looking for a PC or Mac for your home and want to speak to someone who can translate between ‘geek-speak’ and English, can help you choose a suitable model and explain all of the options and add-ons – then it’s a great place to start. Just leave your work computers to your IT department!
1. Poor Warranty Support: Warranties on consumer PCs are generally ‘back-to-base’ which means if they suffer a breakdown, you might have to wait weeks to have them repaired. Once you organise sending them back to the manufacturer, wait for the repair to be completed, then wait to have the machined delivered back to you – all of a sudden you’ve lost two weeks of productivity! We combat this by only supplying machines with a next-day, onsite business warranty (from major vendors such as HP), and also supplying clients with our own itGenius branded machines that we warrant ourselves for 3yrs (meaning you don’t have to deal with a 3rd-party technician for warranty support). 2. Would you like a free trial? Consumer-grade PCs arrive from the store loaded with ‘crapware’, which takes about an hour of ‘fiddle-time’ to fully remove. A free trial of antivirus software here, an annoying pop-up dock there – it’s just not needed in a business environment and is the first thing that needs to be removed to ensure the computer can be used productively. If you are being charged consulting time for a technician to setup a computer on your business network – this is money coming out of your pocket! 3. Compatibility: Unfortunately while many sales representatives in department stores have great knowledge of the products they are selling – they most likely know nothing about how your business network has been configured – and what the requirements you need for the computer to be fully compatible for your office. Do you have the right version of Windows and Microsoft Office? Is the network port Gigabit speed? Nothing is more painful than having to return to a retailer because the wrong machine was purchased – or fighting with their customer support phone helpdesk to get things fixed. 4. Trust your business advisor: Ask yourself the following question; who is more likely to give you better advice regarding the suitability of a computer for your business? A floor-salesperson looking for a ‘quick sale’ or your IT consultant who is responsible for maintaining your computer throughout it’s lifecycle? Your relationship with the salesperson ends when you walk out the door – however your IT consultant has a vested interest that the machine they have recommend is the right one for you, as they are on the other end of the phone should there be any issues. I’m not saying that purchasing goods from Harvey Norman, Dick Smith or any other retailers is a bad idea full stop. If you are looking for a PC or Mac for your home and want to speak to someone who can translate between ‘geek-speak’ and English, can help you choose a suitable model and explain all of the options and add-ons – then it’s a great place to start. Just leave your work computers to your IT department!
