computer shopping

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wcwbf

Member
i'm NOT a techie and have absolutely NO interest in becoming one. back when schools shut down (mid-march), started looking for "something" laptop, tablet, etc. Money is absolutely the main object, iykwim. i have a Lenovo desk-top, but wanted something smallish for when i'm feeling extra sluggy. no plans for any serious work on it... checking email/fb, hunting down recipes, watching YouTube.

BC (before corona), Lenovo ALWAYS had something for $129... at w-mart or best buy. AC... you couldn't find anything for less than $2-250?? so on monday, guy at w-mart said to "buy" what i saw on their site. it's out of stock and no waiting list. it was for pick-up... "onn" brand?? never heard of it, but from what i told guy i would use it for, said it would do fine. as soon as i finished all the paper work... get an email saying... come pick it up?? it wasn't out of stock at another store. so i go back to W's site and "buy" the Lenovo that was "out of stock" and get immediate response that i'll have it delivered tomorrow??

so i have one computer sitting in a store about 7-8 miles away. called to have it cancelled. the kid on other end of line doesn't know how or isn't authorized to do stuff like that. and another being delivered tomorrow.

if sales person starts talking gigas & megas, i politely cut them off. have no understanding of that, have no desire to need to understand that. i just tell sales person what i need it to do. i figure if not knowing something like that is so important... as in it'll kill ya if you don't know it... it better be on a big red warning label.
 
My advice is probably too late, based on what you have described. However, when shopping for an item such as a computer, a car, etc., I would bring along a friend who does know something about that particular market. I live in a condo association of 72 units and I doubt that more than two or three people know or care about computers beyond turning it on and doing exactly what you want to do, so that is perfectly normal. Most of us who drive cars don't know what is going on under the hood either, so there is no reason to expect people to know that about computers.

Here is a quick example as to what I mean. At one time, I decided I wanted an acoustic upright piano. There used to be a big store in our area that sold whatever they got in at substantial discount. They would buy overstock items, closeout stuff, books from bookstores that had had a big fire (the books may even smell like smoke). One time, they had a whole floor of really nice looking acoustic upright pianos at really good prices. Luckily, I enlisted the help of a friend who is a piano teacher. Right away, she told me that she had looked at these for her students and found all kinds of problems that would be expensive to fix, and difficult to detect for somebody like me who knew little about the instrument. She saved me a lot of headaches and money.

You said "so i have one computer sitting in a store about 7-8 miles away. called to have it cancelled. the kid on other end of line doesn't know how or isn't authorized to do stuff like that. and another being delivered tomorrow. "

I am truly sorry to hear that because I don't know how to provide a knowledgeable answer. I can suggest that you go to the store that is 7-8 miles away and talk to the manager and (if bought with a credit card) reject the payment. It sounds from the wording that you would prefer to keep the one being delivered tomorrow, so if that is the case, then just accepting and paying for it should be fine.

I hope you get this worked out to your satisfaction.

Tony
 
wcwbf said:
i just tell sales person what i need it to do.
Click to expand...

I guess you can shop this way, and they could sell you anything from a $100 tablet to a Mac that costs $1,200 or more... but how do you know you got the right item for your needs if you're only going by price? When shopping don't just consider your needs today, but what you may want to do on it a year from now....

Its helpful to learn the very basics. you don't have to become an expert. You want to learn enough so when you do have a problem you can ask a question to get help. Its difficult to ask for help if you don't know and understand the basic terms.

You can operate a car without knowing how a engine or transmission works. Computers and the Internet are not quite as simple as that. To safely use a computer and the internet, you need to learn some things. Some basics about passwords, viruses and how to avoid them. internet scams, etc.

My suggestion but of course you can do what you want. :)
 
macgeek said:
I guess you can shop this way, and they could sell you anything from a $100 tablet to a Mac that costs $1,200 or more... but how do you know you got the right item for your needs if you're only going by price? When shopping don't just consider your needs today, but what you may want to do on it a year from now....

Its helpful to learn the very basics. you don't have to become an expert. You want to learn enough so when you do have a problem you can ask a question to get help. Its difficult to ask for help if you don't know and understand the basic terms.

You can operate a car without knowing how a engine or transmission works. Computers and the Internet are not quite as simple as that. To safely use a computer and the internet, you need to learn some things. Some basics about passwords, viruses and how to avoid them. internet scams, etc.

My suggestion but of course you can do what you want. :)
Click to expand...

Though I didn't discuss past the point of the OP's questions, I think the points Macgeek brought up are absolutely necessary. Our condo association board is in the process of discussing getting an office computer and I wrote an entire (lengthy) post about computer security and the things that need to be considered and more importantly, put into practice. I am glad you introduced this subject into the thread.

Tony
 
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wcwbf said:
i'm NOT a techie and have absolutely NO interest in becoming one.
Click to expand...
So, when you're in need of a replacement automobile, since you're no master mechanic and have absolutely NO interest in becoming one, you call a local dealer and tell them you need a vehicle to get from point A to point B and back from time to time. Then wait for them to notify you it's ready for pickup or delivery? Um, let me wish you the best of luck with your 'shopping.' Don...
 
I have no idea where you are so my comment
applies to the UK market.

We have 14 days to change our minds and get
refunded, if you bought through a site like Ebay,
they will cancel the order for you, if you paid by
credit card you can claim your money back if the
item is not fit for purpose, if you paid with PayPal,
then they too have a cancellation policy.

I suggest that you contact your card company and
cancel the payment, that will stop the delivery.

Good Luck.

Mike.
 
Mike said:
I have no idea where you are so my comment
applies to the UK market.

We have 14 days to change our minds and get
refunded, if you bought through a site like Ebay,
they will cancel the order for you, if you paid by
credit card you can claim your money back if the
item is not fit for purpose, if you paid with PayPal,
then they too have a cancellation policy.

I suggest that you contact your card company and
cancel the payment, that will stop the delivery.

Good Luck.

Mike.
Click to expand...
Mike... Croydon, PA?? i'm not far from there over BBB.
 
Macfan said:
So, when you're in need of a replacement automobile, since you're no master mechanic and have absolutely NO interest in becoming one, you call a local dealer and tell them you need a vehicle to get from point A to point B and back from time to time. Then wait for them to notify you it's ready for pickup or delivery? Um, let me wish you the best of luck with your 'shopping.' Don...
Click to expand...

Oh c'mon. We all know and understand what is meant here.
 
wcwbf said:
i'm NOT a techie and have absolutely NO interest in becoming one. back when schools shut down (mid-march), started looking for "something" laptop, tablet, etc. Money is absolutely the main object, iykwim. i have a Lenovo desk-top, but wanted something smallish for when i'm feeling extra sluggy. no plans for any serious work on it... checking email/fb, hunting down recipes, watching YouTube.

BC (before corona), Lenovo ALWAYS had something for $129... at w-mart or best buy. AC... you couldn't find anything for less than $2-250?? so on monday, guy at w-mart said to "buy" what i saw on their site. it's out of stock and no waiting list. it was for pick-up... "onn" brand?? never heard of it, but from what i told guy i would use it for, said it would do fine. as soon as i finished all the paper work... get an email saying... come pick it up?? it wasn't out of stock at another store. so i go back to W's site and "buy" the Lenovo that was "out of stock" and get immediate response that i'll have it delivered tomorrow??

so i have one computer sitting in a store about 7-8 miles away. called to have it cancelled. the kid on other end of line doesn't know how or isn't authorized to do stuff like that. and another being delivered tomorrow.

if sales person starts talking gigas & megas, i politely cut them off. have no understanding of that, have no desire to need to understand that. i just tell sales person what i need it to do. i figure if not knowing something like that is so important... as in it'll kill ya if you don't know it... it better be on a big red warning label.
Click to expand...


Two suggestions: First, don't call the kid at the store, or at last if you call the store, talk to the customer service manager. Better yet, call the Walmart.com phone number and talk to someone who knows what you should do.

Second, my experience at the store I use here is that if something isn't picked up within however many days (I think it is 10 days), the store returns the item to wherever it came from and credits your account for the cost of the item. This is what happened when I got sick back in February and couldn't get to the store to pick up something I ordered.
 
If you don't need the PRO software don't buy it so try to get that through to the seller. I urge you to avoid Mitutoyo and do consider Dell. Just my experience speaking having owned both. My Dell "takes a licking and keeps on ticking" like John Cameron Swayze used to say about a Timex watch.
 
so my Lenovo Chromebook arrived about noon today. it's very similar to what the kids use... i think school has HP Chromebooks.

if i sounded snotty about the gig/mega thing, i apologize. i knew what i wanted/needed the Chromebook to do and the sales guy (i'm old enough to call him "kid") could let me know if the computer was right for me.

before covid, stores always had them in-stock and i member never more than $120 or so. now models like this are out of stock and generally priced at about $160+. if sales people had said to go "buy" on online. that puts you on the list and costs nothing. when it comes in, you get notified.
 
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If I understand correctly (and I could well be wrong on this...) the Chromebook is currently about as close as a customer gets to having an "appliance" rather than a full blown computer?

If that is the case, it is something I have been saying for years now, that I think for most users/customers, having an appliance that runs applications hosted on a server, along with the data storage, would be ideal (assuming that server and service provider has a very solid security policy and actively maintains the apps). What many people don't (or at least didn't understand for a while) is that when you buy a PC (using the term generically) you need to be your own IT department, maintaining the computer as necessary and doing your own data backups - unless you either hire someone to do that for you such as taking it in to a computer shop such as the Geek Squad, or impose on a knowledgeable friend.

If the Chromebook is what I think it is, then it is probably a step in that direction, offloading all of that responsibility on a provider (google in this case?). I think that is a wise choice for many people as long as the provider is trustworthy with your data.

Since I do all of that stuff for myself, I have not needed a Chromebook type of computer, so I am not well versed in that product other than having read a bit here and there, so please do correct me if I am wrong about this.

I did write firmware for front end equipment specifically designed to manage user loads for servers that host applications such as Google now apparently provides, as one of my engineering jobs a number of years ago when all of this was relatively new, so I knew it was coming sooner or later. At the time we called them "application accelerators" and they were considered a network appliance as a sort of front end to the servers themselves, but I don't know what they are called today. These are not something the user ever sees or cares about, but instead are part of the provider server farm. The idea is that all the user needs is little more than a very simple computer that can manage an internet connection and maybe a browser and email client.

Tony
 
WARNING! this post includes a lot of sarcasm!

first computer i worked with was an Apple IIe when i was in prison. this was probably around 1985. way before WWW. way before even inter-office email. the "Chief" was sure inmates were gonna empty everyone's bank accounts... no modems. had minor experience in Word Star on an Osborne "portable" computer... doing reports for husband. it was about that time when i started HATING buzz-words. husband would brag about "programming" when all he was doing was editing last weeks stuff. that computer had literal floppy disks and i don't think any internal storage.

with 1st computer didn't even know what it mean to boot a disk. i read instruction manual and eventually asked the guy who taught programming basic to the guys. when i found out how technically complicated it was to boot a disk (NOT) i knew how the mind of an IT/techie worked. if i asked... how do you do this? i would get a very defensive WHY do you wanna know that? at that point, i became convinced the techies don't know as much as we think they do. i imagine they think... what if that question is the only thing they don't know? if i tell them, then they'll know "everything".
 
I seem to be one who some people refer to as a "techie", and I can say with confidence that I don't know everything, far from it, in fact. There is far more going on in the world of technology than I am familiar with or, at best, have a passing familiarity with. In my previous post here, I tried to be VERY clear as to what I do know because I worked on the product, and what I am not sure about (Chromebook) since I have not used one.

I don't doubt that there are "techies" who will claim to know everything, but I can say with confidence that not all "techies" feel that way. I can't imagine how anybody could claim to know everything about technology. I will put forward the possibility that the more a techie knows in one area, the more s/he realizes how much more there is to learn, both in his or her area of expertise, and across the entire realm of technology. I would venture to say that this is probably true of the process of getting educated about most anything. It is like not seeing the rest of the mountains ahead until you get to the top of the first one. I worked for about 10 years as a software engineer (starting around 1985 when you could get a job without the degree) before going back to college to get my degree. I would say (with some shame...) that I felt that I knew much more before I went through college, than I did after completing my degree. If anything, I learned in college that I simply don't know what I don't know, and that is far more than I do know. I think that is one of the coolest things about technology and engineering - there is ALWAYS more to learn and discover. It never ends.

However, that said, I have no disagreement with the previous poster because I have run into just the sort of people he describes, and I was probably just like that early on before I knew anything (think teenagers thinking their parents don't know anything...). :) :)

Tony
 
Okay. I don't, as they say, have a dog in this hunt.

That said, I wouldn't want to store all of my files (documents, pictures, etc.) on someone else's server elsewhere. There is such a thing as private information, and privacy issues at stake. And it's not as if servers are never hacked.

And ... what happens should you need your files but your internet connection is interrupted and so you just can't get to them?
 
Devi said:
Okay. I don't, as they say, have a dog in this hunt.

That said, I wouldn't want to store all of my files (documents, pictures, etc.) on someone else's server elsewhere. There is such a thing as private information, and privacy issues at stake. And it's not as if servers are never hacked.

And ... what happens should you need your files but your internet connection is interrupted and so you just can't get to them?
Click to expand...

You bring up good points. I argued these with board members of our condo association when they wanted to go that route for the office computer. However, each person must consider their particular situation, and I do think there are those for whom that model would be a good fit. Many of us already trust banks with our data when doing online banking and automatic bill pay or having purchasing accounts with the likes of amazon or ebay, among many others.

I don't mean this as an argument because you do bring up excellent points. My point in mentioning these is that many of us are moving in that direction already. We do have to take precautions that, at best, minimize risk to some extent. When one of the "big three" credit reporting agencies was hacked, I went to each and froze our credit so nobody could open accounts or get a loan or mortgage in my wife's or my names. We live debt free, though we each have a credit card that is paid off at the end of each month and our mortgage is long paid off and no car loans, so we have no need to be borrowing money anyway. There are other measures we take too, but as long as we are online, there is always a risk.

You said "what happens should you need your files but your internet connection is interrupted and so you just can't get to them?".

That is also an excellent point! Whenever I purchase an online course for guitar or piano, I download EVERYTHING (i.e. videos, pdfs, mp3s, etc.) so I have it all locally for that very reason. We have had very, very few internet outages over the years and what we have had has only lasted a few hours at most. But it would be just my luck to have an outage just when I really want to access that data. Most of the time, these courses provide pdfs and mp3s for download, but not the video content, so I have useful tools that allow me that access anyway. I don't distribute these files and I paid for them, so essentially I have the site on my local hard disk for use whenever I want to access it. Also, I do several backups of that hard drive. I am very careful about backing up my data.

All that said, there are folks who would have no idea as to how to do any of the things I mentioned. For those folks, the Chromebook is probably the best fit model.

Tony
 
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Agree! I’m technically challenged and when I needed a computer I went to Costco. Once I realized I couldn’t use what I picked as is, after 90 days , I returned it for a full refund. It wouldn’t work on a hotspot and that’s all I had.
 
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You put yourself at a disadvantage if you just shop to fill the void of getting a new computer.

For instance, the difference between an Apple product and a Windows product.

I always used Windows products and never went near Apple.

My son who is a software techie gave me an Apple I Pad.

I really like the I pad.

So now I have experience in both systems. What I look for is a computer that enables me to run a specific task. I like to do my own income taxes.

So when I go to a computer store to look at buying a new computer, I simply ask the clerk if I can do income taxes using Turbo Tax or similar products. If it can't then I don't even consider the item.
Everybody was recommending Chromebook. It won't suit my needs.

I was at Walmart and bought a $50 RCA tablet because it was on sale and was available. I figured what the heck have I got to lose.
I immediately had problems because it kept interrupting my surfing the internet with a message that an update was available. No matter what I did it would not load the update and I could not get rid of it. So I did some research on the tablet and found I could reset it to factory default.
This was a big step to take but I went ahead and now it's working great. But the battery doesn't last very long before it needs recharging.

So basically what you are looking at in choices is Windows (Microsoft) or IOS (Apple).

You should learn the difference or you might be missing the boat.
 
I my working life in computing, both hardware and software. Even at college, our maths teacher had a keen interest in programming and taught us 'Algol' - this was in the mid 60's when computing was virtually science fiction. At Uni, where I studied electrical engineering, then learned Fortran. Later I joined IBM as an engineer but moved to into software development.

Now, I just don't want to know technology - or at least no more than I need to. I lave a second hand Lenovo 'Thinkpad' though I'd have preferred a Dell. I know the disk size , the processor speed and how much RAM it has. I also know how to rid it of the curse that is Windows 10 and Google, and install Linux with Chromium and Thunderbird. It's like a lot of things, you don't really know too much about how it works, just how to use it. There is plenty of info out there and plenty of "How to" articles to cover just about anything you might need.
 
Capt Lightning said:
I my working life in computing, both hardware and software. Even at college, our maths teacher had a keen interest in programming and taught us 'Algol' - this was in the mid 60's when computing was virtually science fiction. At Uni, where I studied electrical engineering, then learned Fortran. Later I joined IBM as an engineer but moved to into software development.

Now, I just don't want to know technology - or at least no more than I need to. I lave a second hand Lenovo 'Thinkpad' though I'd have preferred a Dell. I know the disk size , the processor speed and how much RAM it has. I also know how to rid it of the curse that is Windows 10 and Google, and install Linux with Chromium and Thunderbird. It's like a lot of things, you don't really know too much about how it works, just how to use it. There is plenty of info out there and plenty of "How to" articles to cover just about anything you might need.
Click to expand...
You can spend tons of time and you don't need any other hobbies when you are into computers.
Windows 10 a curse?
I'm still running Windows XP. It was too hard to uprgrade to Windows 7.
So I just said I'm not going to upgrade and see what happens.
Well I got rid of the antivirus programs and I couldn't believe how fast the computer got.
And I haven't had one virus. In fact in about 20 years of computing I only had two virus problems and neither one of them were picked up by the antivirus programs I had installed.
Unless you have a live antivirus program running all the time, what use is picking up a virus and detecting it after it's in your computer.? It's a waste of time.
I'm looking into Linux but I'm delaying because I get intrigued and forget to go to bed.
 
I'm thinking of getting a laptop, I have a desktop, now. It's running well, but getting older. Plus I'd like to connect it up to my flat screen TV. And, wcwbf, I don't care how many gigs I have, or if it has a fourth generation something or other. I just want the damn thing to turn on, and work. It's like when you buy a car. I don't really care how many cc.s of air gets sucked down a manifold. Yeah, that is important in the designing and operation of the engine, but do I absolutely need to know it- for me to buy the car? I can understand not wanting to understand every last bit of fact about a computer, in order to buy one.
 
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