“Send them to Dell.com”

I now live by this rule. Everyone is much happier.

My exasperation comes from the collusion that exists between PC makers and retailers, with both entities acting as partners in crime. HP other retail box makers cut corners on components that dramatically impact the user experience, and do this because they can get away with it under the assumption that consumers are too stupid to know the difference. It’s an attitude of…

“Instead of selecting motherboards with DVI chipsets for our desktops, to compliment our line of LCD displays, thereby offering the very best picture quality possible, we’ll just use the cheapest onboard video we can find and throw a VGA adapter in the box. They won’t know the difference. “

I consider such attitude to be ethically irresponsible.

Unfortunately most consumers don’t know the difference. It’s for their sake that I wrote about this intolerable practice, and to brush it off simply as a reality of the world we live in is no excuse. As I said before, I don’t mind crippling low cost desktop computers with the cheapest components in order to deliver more affordable PCs to low income users, but to do so in systems priced at over $1,300 is reprehensible. To use an analogy it would be similar to buying a high performance sports car with a low performance four-cylinder engine under the hood. When paying top dollar for a new computer, there is an inherent assumption that one is getting the very best technology for that premium price. It is a misguided axiom of capitalism; the more money you pay for something, the better it is. As in this case, it’s not always true. But the fact that this assumption exists, however flawed, I think gives retail PC vendors a tool for pulling the wool over the eyes of unwashed consumers. After all, who but a geek would know the difference between DVI and VGA?

My sister’s poignant remark to me brought the entire episode home..

”This is why I need your help buying a computer, to figure all this stuff out.”

When she said this to me I was outraged, not at her but the PC industry as a whole. Buying a PC should not require the aid of a geek anymore than buying a new car requires the advice of a mechanic. In a perfect world, consumers should be able to choose the product they want, and walk away knowing they are getting the very best experience for their money.

I’ve always questioned Apple’s all-integrated approach to consumer desktop design. But after this past week I have but to wonder if maybe this is the best way to market computers for consumers. No guess work involved, everything is right there inside one beautifully designed package working together seamlessly.

Also, HP does not typically load licensed anti-virus/anti-spyware software onto their computers, nor do most other vendors that sell in retail stores. It’s usually a demo/trial piece of software that expires in 30 to 60 days. It’s usually Norton, or as you’ll hear it called by it’s street name, “****.”

If you or anyone else you know is going into a retail store to buy a computer, these are things you should keep in mind. The employee most likely wasn’t trying to push/pedal. He was offering the products and services his boss instructed him to, and in the process, trying to make sure your sister is getting everything she needs to make sure she doesn’t trash the computer in a week (which is astoundingly common.)

Retail stores make money off of high-profit sales, which, just as a btw, is never a computer.

They’re out to make money. Welcome to world.

This came as a mystery to me since every LCD monitor I have purchased, from Dell, came with both types of cable. Even as far back as 2003. I assumed all vendors followed this practice. Little did I know, but as I said I build my own desktops so I do not have many dealings with retail PCs, other than notebooks.

I agree with you about Sony, however my only concern with Vaio desktops and notebooks is that Sony is notoriously bad when it comes to support. Great hardware, not so great at warranty service.

With HP there is the assurance that help is a phone call away.

As for the iMac, I concur. My suspician is that, at worst, a reinstall of OSX will resolve the problem. It almost has to be a software issue because the machine boots properly, and loads the desktop. So something chokes after the desktop loads.

My advice, share your story with as many people as possible and offer tech support to only to Mac owners which means a 93.267% (not scientifically proven) reduction in time wasted fixing “****” for friends and family.

Cheers,

Mark

PS-I bought a headset for my phone in order to help my mom and sister-in-law who live out of state. It saved my arm and ear! M

That experience, as rough as it sounds, would have been worse at Best Buy, er Worst Buy. Neither store is much appreciated or helpful, but CC is definately the best of the worst.

I’ve had alot of hardware related problems with hp ‘retail’ computing equipment. When I’m forced to purchase retail I try to go with Sony or Toshiba, only because they seem to have a slightly better quality control, although you pay for it with a usually higher price.

Although I WISH VGA connectors were going the way of the Dodo, they are still very commonplace in the world of PCs. In fact, every LCD monitor I have purchased either has both DVI and VGA connectivity, or some type of an adapter. Actually, most of them come with the VGA cable and no DVI cable, very frustrating!

The time crunch put on this whole situation was unfortunate as it really caused one somewhat bad decision after another. I wouldn’t be surprised if a boot up of the iMac on the install DVD, and a OS reinstall would have resolved all the iMac problems!

Give me your brother’s phone number. Is he looking for work? I would be more than happy to “share” my friends and family.