Getting Name Brand Local Support for Your Brand Name Computer.

This email question comes from Theresa, a Virginia Tech student, but the answer may apply almost anywhere.

On Dec 9, 2008, at 10:39 AM,Theresa wrote:

"Hey Andy, ... I have a dell computer and I broke the screen. I was wondering if there was a dell service center or some place near or on campus i could take my computer to get that fixed without shipping it away. I have a full 3 year warranty, so the replacement should be covered. Thanks for your assistance."

Many people buy name brand computers over local because they want the security of knowing that the brand will be there if and when their computer has problems. This is especially true for college students. The drawback is that if the computer should need a major repair say, a laptop screen(?). It may have to be sent back to the company. Or so it would seem.

Theresa has a resource that most higher education students have, and this may also provide you an answer as well. This answer is the local college or university bookstore.

{Please note: The general public may also be able to take advantage of some of the services offered as well.}

Most college and university bookstores sell computers to their students. In order to make these computers more desirable, they typically offer full support for the brands that they sell. More of the big brand names are working with these outlets and this means that many times you can take that Dell, HP, IBM, Apple, etc. to them, even if you didn’t buy the computer from them.

Sounds great, eh? Even better is the fact that if the repair is expected to take more than a day or two, they many times have a loaner that you may use, until your computer is returned. This can be a true lifesaver, especially at the end of the semester. To truly be the lifesaver you want and need, make sure you ask for help in transferring the most important files you were working on, to another resource, before you let go of the computer. In this case, you can get these files for yourself by connecting the laptop to an external monitor for long enough to back it up.

Before you send your name brand computer back to the company for repairs, check with your local college or university bookstore. Even if they don’t service your brand name, they in all likelihood, can tell you where to find the closest authorized service center.

The hidden lesson above is that you should always back up your work. Enough said, but I know I have said ... and will say it a million times.