Review - My Best Buy Computer Purchase Experience

If you're at a crossroad and not sure whether you should purchase your computer online or walk into a "brick and mortar" and test drive what they have, then let me tell you, don't stress yourself over it because you could win or lose either way. Trust me. There is no shortage "lemons" in the electronics industry. So, go with what ever inspires you.

I've talked to a few of my co-workers who have purchased their computers online and I've talked to a few people (including co-workers) who have purchased their computers from places like Wal-Mart, hhgregg, and Best Buy, and most of the people I've talked to have had good experiences online and offline.

But...

Some people have also had nightmares online and offline.

Believe it or not, most of the issues people have had (and are having) are with "brick and mortars", which is surprising because you'd think you'd get a lot better service by dealing with an actual store and customer service reps face-to-face. But, this is not the case.

My first new computer purchase was an Acer Aspire One Netbook with an 11 inch screen. But, it wasn't my first choice.

What happened was... I needed a computer with more memory since my Dell only held 40 GBs. And 20-something gigs were being used just to make the computer run. So, really, I had less than 20 GBs to store my music, photos, offline pages, and documents on. Well, one day, I saw a few ads in the paper for these netbooks priced around $200 - $240 with 240 to 320 GBs of memory and thought I'd better hurry and get down to Best Buy before they ran out.

I chose Best Buy because I shopped there before for computer accessories and other knick-knacks like flash drives, software, and cables.  Plus, they had the lowest price. And, because they had more to choose from.

Well, when I got there, they didn't have the computer that was advertised. And, the computers that were "in my price range" were no longer in my price range because the damn Geek Squad had done something to the computers and whatever they did bumped the price of these Netbooks up another 80 bucks!

I was like: "what the hell? well, can you take whatever the Geek Squad did OFF of the computer?"

The saleslady was like: "No. They removed all the ads, pop-ups,  and unnecessary software for you. That's why it costs more. They can't put it back on there." She was cold-hearted as hell. "Buy it or move out of the way."

I said to myself, "these Assholes."

Now, who told them to do that shit for $80?

I could've removed that crap myself. And, if I couldn't, the hell with it. As long as I didn't have to look at those ugly icons on my desktop I would've been satisfied. I could've just deleted them. And, I would've eventually taken care of those pesky pop-ups and ads anyway - eventually.

Why in the hell does Best Buy think most people want the Geek Squad to remove that stuff and charge an extra 80 bucks??? If most customers wanted that crap done, all of those "Geek Squad computers" would've been the first ones sold. Instead, all of the "virgin" computers were gone and shelves were full of that Geek Squad crap.

They didn't even have a refurbished netbook or anything in the overheads. Everything was gone.

Anyway, I got so pissed at this "bait and switch tactic" that I stormed out of the store and went across the street to Target. Hell, Target is just as clean and friendly as Best Buy. And, I remembered they had an ad for a netbook so I went to give them a try.

Target did me right. The saleslady there was just as knowledgeable as the saleslady at Best Buy and she enlightened me about the benefits and disadvantages of having the Netbook over a tablet or a full-size laptop. I even found myself becoming more interested in purchasing a tablet but stuck with the netbook due to her recommendations.

Anyway, the netbook was around 229 or 249 dollars and I bought a new bag and some flash drives with it. The total came to over $300 but I can say that she thoroughly alleviated all of my pains.

I felt so good, I wanted to go back into Best Buy and flaunt my new gear, but I said the hell with them... The Internet highway was calling my name.

About Me - My Computer Habits and Interests

I hate these "About Me" pages... But, I think in this case, it might behoove you to know that I'm no expert when it comes to computer use or upgrading so, you won't get a lot of "Professional" technical advice from me. And, this is the first Toshiba I've ever owned, so I don't have a lot of tips and tricks to share with you in order to help you "pimp" or "trick-out" your computer so that it will look better, run faster, or make your life more efficient...

"Well, why in the hell am I on this stinkin' blog then?"

Well, hold on a minute and I'll tell you. Just relax and settle down...

This blog will benefit you because you will be getting the opinions and suggestions of an "average" (or intermediate) user and this will help you choose your next Cyberspace vehicle with care and precision.

I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did when I bought my first laptop computer which was a refurbished Compaq Presario that was only good for checking emails and typing letters. I got the computer cheap, but I could've put another hundred bucks to the money I spent and got a brand new computer with more horsepower (2 GBs of Ram) and a larger trunk space (320 GBs of Memory). But, I didn't know any better and I ended up with THAT piece of crap.

That Compaq probably only had 7 GBs of memory. Later, I bought a secondhand Dell Latitude D800 with a 40 GB hard drive (and I still have it) but the memory kept filling up quick and slowing me down since I save a lot of articles, pics, and have uploaded a lot of my music now - not to mention that the Dell was heavy as hell and crushed my pancreas whenever I was lying in bed surfing the Net.

But, I was dumb as hell and just wanted a laptop so I could "go mobile".

I didn't have an Iphone, Droid, tablet, or any of those fancy gadgets at the time - and, couldn't afford any of that stuff - so, I just wanted a laptop I could take with me to do research and work on my book whenever I had spare time. I didn't plan on my other interests being a factor in my purchases.

Don't ask about the book. It sucked like hell. And, I never finished revising it or editing it and I've moved on with my life.

These days, I enjoy surfing the Internet - researching and looking for useless information. I'm also a YouTube addict. I love surfing YouTube and watching music videos and "how-to" videos on personal development, spiritual development, and everything else. Sometimes, I might spend more than 18 hours on YouTube in a single day.

I used to play a lot of online poker and I may get back into that one day. I just hate to be obligated to spend $20 per month for the service right now. But, in the future, I'll need a computer that won't continuously freeze on me while I'm playing online like my old Compaq used to do. My Dell Latitude used to freeze up also, bu never as much as the Compaq.

I also have two Kodak PlaySport video cameras and I like taking pictures and making short videos of friends, events, and random things (like uptown Charlotte and plants and things) so, I definitely need a computer that can handle photo and video editing.

Every once and a while someone will need me to make a flyer or design something (or I'll get a bright idea to design something) so I need an "office" suite also.

And, of course, I watch DVDs and streaming video.

Most of the time, I'm using my computer while in bed but sometimes I put it on the coffee table or in the kitchen and watch a movie or videos while I'm cooking, eating, cleaning, or just chillin', so I a computer with long battery life is a plus. I don't like carrying power cords everywhere I go.

And, I don't know if I'm ever going to be an online gamer or not but I'll share that experience with you too if I decide to join "Need For Speed World". I'm interested in other computer games but Need For Speed Underground is by far my favorite.

So, those are my computer habits and interests. And, I like high-speed computers with a lot of memory.

Anyway...

Read this blog. Don't throw away your hard-earned money like I did. Don't buy these junk computers or waste your money on hardware and crap you don't need or get involved with these stores that don't give a damn about giving you good customer service. Let me be the guinea pig and do the research and sacrifice so you won't suffer the frustrations of dealing with the crap and headaches out there that other folks are going through. You already have enough to deal with everyday and your time is too valuable to waste chasing computers. 

Besides, I work in retail, I'm an Aries, and I don't owe anybody anything, so any "battle" or opposition that comes my way makes no difference to me.

The most important thing you should know is this: My first major laptop purchase is this Toshiba Satellite ,which I'm using right now, and most of my initial posts will be centered around my experiences with it. So, if you're thinking about an "entry level" computer - or, not sure if you should buy a Toshiba Satellite - then this blog with definitely help you in your decision.