Laptop buying advice : Is it a good idea to buy a Laptop at Costco?
Is it a good idea to buy a Laptop at Costco?
by rockybudgeboa - 8/19/08 3:28 PMThey are offering some nice Laptops and my hubby is in the market for one and I want to know if anyone else has gotten one there and what do they think of the Service?
I live in Ontario, Canada by the way and would not buy it online but would get it from a Warehouse near where I live
Thanks
Leslie
Can't speak for Canada.
by R. Proffitt
- 8/19/08 3:38 PM
In reply to: Is it a good idea to buy a Laptop at Costco? by rockybudgeboa
But in the US the return policy alone is worth it. Be aware you won't find "gamer" laptops there from what I say but machines good for average uses.
Bob
Laptop at Costco?
by rockybudgeboa - 8/19/08 3:56 PM In reply to: Can't speak for Canada. by R. Proffitt
My Husband is using it for his Correspondence course, not for games. My daughter wants to download her SIMS games on it but I dont think its a good idea. They cause my HP Desktop to reboot all the time and it is XP. The new ones obviously come with Vista
Up to you...
by Willy - 8/19/08 6:07 PM In reply to: Is it a good idea to buy a Laptop at Costco? by rockybudgeboaCostco is just another vendor. I've friends that brought and were happy for the most part as least with the purchase. The warranty is another matter, so check how they handle it in Canada. If you come "down" into the USA, your money maybe worth more? 
Anyways, they seem pretty decent on pricing alone but I tend to buy from mainstream vendors.
good luck -----Willy 
laptop at Costco
by rockybudgeboa - 8/19/08 6:49 PM In reply to: Up to you... by WillyThank you
I will keep you all posted on how this will pan out
Dell IS a mainstream brand and yes, Costco is king!
by lumpoco - 4/29/09 8:13 PM In reply to: Up to you... by WillyI don't see what your point is. Dell is a mainstream computer company. It might not be as popular as Compaq but their computers are more reliable. If the point you are trying to make is that someone should buy a brand of laptop simply because it is sold almost everywhere then Dell won't qualify. Stupid them...they make most of their money selling their computers online. What a wasted opportunity! 
In regards to the question of whether the lady should buy a computer from Costco then the answer is yes. As someone had already mentioned Costco has a very customer friendly return policy. I know someone who returned a computer 3 years after purchasing it from Costco. The computer stopped working and they credited my friend $250 toward the purchase of a new computer. That's a pretty sweet deal if you ask me!
I bought a laptop at Costco and...
by sandmana - 8/22/08 7:00 PM In reply to: Is it a good idea to buy a Laptop at Costco? by rockybudgeboathe computer I bought ended up being the wrong computer for what I needed. The great thing about Costco is they have a 90 day return period for their electronics. When it became clear that the laptop was not going to meet my needs, I was able to return it and get my money back with no problem, no restocking fee, no grumbling. It is rare to find a vendor with such a generous electronics return policy. I just bought the right laptop from Costco, and I am a happy camper. I have not had to use their tech support, so I really can't speak to that part of their service. Good luck.
Do some comparisons
by Precede - 8/22/08 7:04 PM In reply to: Is it a good idea to buy a Laptop at Costco? by rockybudgeboaHi there,
Generally it really doesn't matter where you buy your laptop from. The most important thing to consider is the warranty/support that you will get from the manufacturer. Costco seems just as good a place to purchase a laptop as anywhere else. However, some retailers offer support agreements on top of what the manufacturer offers.
Many laptops come with a 1 year manufacturer warranty. This one reason why you can get them at such great prices. Another reason is that you are getting technology that is 1 or 2 generations behind current hardware. For instance, you can probably get a really cheap laptop with an Intel Dual-Core cpu. Maybe $550 to $850 with 15 inch screen. What they don't tell is that you don't have many upgrade paths for CPUs or RAM and after a year, you're on your own for support. So, this great deal isn't such a great deal when you have any kinds of issues with the machine after that standard year.
The best rule of thumb is to invest in an extended warranty and choose a machine that has current chipset technology. You will enjoy your investment much longer.
Good luck.
Laptop at Costco?
by rockybudgeboa - 8/22/08 7:11 PM In reply to: Do some comparisons by PrecedeOkay. It will be a little while now before we get a laptop, but I will post on here on where I will get it. By the way, Costco here as a 2 year warranty on their laptops.
Laptop from Costco.
by Ron Geiken - 8/22/08 7:58 PM In reply to: Is it a good idea to buy a Laptop at Costco? by rockybudgeboaI bought an HP Laptop from Costco in November 2007, and it has worked fine. If I had a problem or was unhappy with it, I could have returned it to Costco within 90 days and no questions asked. I had to return an Analog DVR from Costco a couple of years ago after it failed, and they took it back and gave me a refund with no questions asked. This feature or returning an unsatisfactory product within 90 days is certainly worth purchasing it there. A lot of other retail outlets make you work with the manufacturer to get the product repaired which can be a frustrating experience. Costco is a good place to buy products.
Can't beat the return policy
by jthree - 8/23/08 2:42 PM In reply to: Is it a good idea to buy a Laptop at Costco? by rockybudgeboaWe purchased a laptop in the USA from Costco & brought it back to Canada. The downside to purchasing from another country is warranty work - you still get coverage (at lease for Toshiba) but you have to ship your machine across the country for service.
For what it is worth, you cannot beat the return policy of Costco. This includes purchases made online as well. I know of no dealer that will REFUND (not just exchange or give a credit) a laptop or desktop purchase. Try to get Dell, for instance, to take back a 'lemon'. They will repair, repair & repair until the warranty expires but not exchange or refund purchase.
Costco was willing to give me a full refund (in US $) for my purchase if I had wanted to return the laptop once I returned to Canada.
Desktop now?
by rockybudgeboa - 8/23/08 8:07 PM In reply to: Can't beat the return policy by jthreeWell folks, looks like it will be a desktop now. Acer has a nice one with 21.5 inch monitor and other stuff for $699.95. I know Acer is not the best brand out there but with a two year warranty, it might be a good buy.
Les
But Acer is a nice
by orlbuckeye - 5/1/09 12:58 PM In reply to: Desktop now? by rockybudgeboabrand.
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