Ok. You have decided to buy a new laptop. Awesome. But, before you buy your dream machine, stop and think once. Are you buying your dream device or a headache? Yes. I’m talking about the laptop warranty. I know, it’s long and full of legal jargon. Most of us don’t like to read it and very few of us actually understand it. But, that’s the loophole.
Remember, your dream laptop isn’t failsafe. So, before you hand over your bucks or credit card to the seller for your favorite laptop, wait a bit. Read the laptop warranty manual thoroughly and make a decision. Don’t let your dream turn into your biggest nightmare. According to the SquareTrade, the globally envied name in device repairing, 31% of laptop owners have reported that their laptop failed during the first 3 years of usage.
I bet this is frustrating info for you. Appallingly, two-thirds of these failures occurred from hardware malfunctions. So, be aware. Believe me, any laptop’s warranty isn’t a worthless paper anymore. The graph below may define things better for you.
Factually, laptop hardware fails. This is inevitable. So, the idea is simple. Before buying a laptop read the manufacturer’s warranty carefully and make sure that you have understood it well. And, if any problem occurs within the warranty period, it will help you to get your device fixed. That’s it.
Moving to the focal point of this article, there are many layers within any laptop manufacturer’s warranty. We are going to snake you through each layer to help you understand each facet of this important subject.
Let’s dig.
Coverage: The Happiness under Laptop Warranty
Yes. it’s happiness. This coverage is the only insurance that will protect your device within the warranty period. So, what is it? Normally, it covers the hardware issues which are not triggered by the laptop owners. Many things fall under this segment like processor failure, monitor problems, partially defective keyboard, and the trackpad. So, the internal hardware elements are protected under this coverage. The manufacturer is responsible to replace the defective parts and the servicing cost during this laptop warranty period. Fair enough. Right?
But, there is the opposite side of the coin too. Your actions can void this warranty. If you open the bottom side of the laptop, the manufacturer seal is going to be broken and all of this coverage will evaporate in the thin air. If you break the seal, you break their trust. And, you break the warranty. So, within the warranty period, you are not to open the backside of your laptop, change or add any internal hardware parts and so.
Items Not Covered: Headache under Laptop Warranty
Here come the software elements, whether they pack with the device or installed by you, are not covered under your laptop warranty. I know, it’s a bit unfair. But, it’s the truth which is not sugar-coated. Moreover, this coverage is not going to care if your dream device gets stolen or gets damaged by you. If you have insurance, which needs your extra bucks, on the device then you are covered. The other information will be there such as who is responsible for the returning of the laptop and if there is any telephonic support from the manufacturer side or not.
The Term: The Merry Time under Laptop Warranty
When it comes to the term of the warranty, it means the time of the warranty. Generally, the term of the warranty from the manufacturer happens to be like one year or so. Added to that, most of the manufacturers offer extended warranty for a few extra bucks. That means you can extend the merry time with the laptop’s manufacturer.
The other part of the term is the retailer. The Story is simple. You purchase the laptop from a retailer. The retailer has a condition for you which looks like less a warranty more a policy. At times these policies appear fruitful for you.
International Laptop Warranty Coverage: Know the Rules When You Move
You have a profession and that’s placeless. Yes. you are mobile. Now, if you happen to be moving along a lot with your laptop then the international laptop warranty coverage is vital for you. Technically, this limited coverage will tell you about the hardware items that are covered within different countries you are traveling to. That means, for different countries, the warranty coverage will be different for the different hardware components.
Here, the most concerned issue is if there any hardware failure, what will be the process for the repair? Thankfully, there are ways. You can always take your faulty laptop to certified laptop repair services that are listed on the laptop’s international warranty document. So, any hiccup in your laptop will not bottleneck your international journeys.
Repair & Service: The Bond Beyond the Laptop Warranty
Repair and service of the laptops under warranty or under extended warranty has always been a matter of concern for laptop users. It’s not that the quality of the service and repair is bad. But, the time is the cardinal point. Generally, every laptop manufacturer defines it clearly on their warranty papers about how and where the repair or service will get done. And, this is true both for new and refurbished laptops.
According to the Quora, where every user states their real story regarding particular issues, the best after-sale service is offered by many of the leading laptop manufacturers like Dell, Lenovo, and HP. But, for servicing a laptop they usually take 3 to 4 weeks as the service centers have to wait for the supporting hardware parts and the required pieces of equipment from the OEM(original equipment manufacturers).
The point? You will have to live without your working laptop for 3 to 4 weeks or probably more. Now, this is the major pain-point of this whole system.
The Extended Warranty: The Future Boom
This is where a group of dedicated and independent laptop repairing services is walking into this scenario. According to an interview of the south-Asian director of the TWG(The warranty group), they have located this pain point within the repairing service of electronics devices and they have rolled their sleeves to solve this problem. These groups offer extended warranties to the laptop users and in the case of any device failure or such, they offer the fastest servicing withing a blade of time.
Admittedly, as a laptop user, this kind of service turns out to be really profitable, in terms of time, to you.
Refurbished Laptops: The Trust
We all know that the budget is important and for that refurbished laptops and the renewed laptops are seeing a meteoric rise in their sales volume. The graph below will tell you about the trust quotient when you are ready to buy a refurbished or a renewed laptop.
As you can see from the graph, Asus and Toshiba are leading the list of facing minimum laptop malfunctions as a manufacturer. So, don’t lose heart. Warranty is still there for you. But, there is a dissenting factor too. Most of the refurbished laptops come with a warranty around less than a year, typically 3 months or more. But, the fun fact is, you can always purchase an extended warranty which goes along a year or two.
Lastly, in simple four words – read laptop warranty documents. It’s your lifesaver. And, if you have any thoughts on it, please do enlighten us, anytime.
