Mashed Articles

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

As an IT consultant, you should know most PC vendors would be happy to cover inexpensive items like a mouse under the standard warranty.

However, given that your client could purchase a spare replacement mouse for about $10 to $30, is it really worth one of their employees being without a mouse, or worse yet without a PC, for a day or two while they await the replacement part under standard PC warranty coverage?

Clients Should Have Spare Parts on Hand

If your clients have spare mice on hand, warranty claims can be deferred a few days, or a few weeks, until time permits. In the interim, as their IT consultant, you’ve helped your clients mitigate the downtime for a very nominal advanced planning expense.

As your clients’ IT consultant, keeping a spare keyboard and monitor at their site also makes sense. The cost of these items is very inexpensive versus the potential productivity loss resulting from waiting for replacement parts to arrive. These three external items can all be installed rapidly by internal gurus.

Spare Desktop PCs

As the price of entry-level desktop PCs has plummeted and expectations for zero downtime have risen, we’ve seen many small businesses purchasing an extra PC, to keep fully-configured and plug-in ready.

Today, if the standard, fully-configured entry-level desktop PC only costs around $600, an office with as few as six PCs can fully fund the purchase of a spare desktop PC, simply by self-insuring on the warranty coverage for years two and three.

Advise Your Clients Wisely

As their IT consultant, you should recommend to your client that they invest some of their technology budget on select spare parts, and a full desktop PC.

This way, they can handle warranty claims at their leisure, not when their company is swamped and functioning in panic mode. If your clients are outsourcing this sort of project management work to you as their IT consultant, keeping spares on hand will lessen the need to pay costly emergency rate premiums.

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Joshua Feinberg helps computer consultants get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for Joshua’s free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training.

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

Although there are really no major compatibility issues to consider between PCs and monitors, most PC vendors offer good deals on monitors purchased at the same time as desktop PCs. In this article, we’ll assume you are IT consultants who recommend brand name PC products to your clients.

IT Consultants: What Are You or Your Clients Actually Paying?

For due diligence, IT consultants should always price the PC with and without the monitor, to see what you or your clients are actually paying. Then look to see whether that monitor price is in line with purchasing a comparable monitor separate from the PC. However, besides the purchase price, there are some even greater soft cost considerations.

When purchasing the monitor along with a desktop PC, the monitor warranty generally is incorporated into any on-site warranty coverage with the PC. That means, if a client’s monitor needs replacement during the on-site warranty period, the PC vendor usually will arrange to cross-ship a replacement monitor.

IT Consultants: Know The Benefits of Warranties

This provides a few very compelling benefits.

• No need to store and retain packing materials. Your clients don’t have to worry that they’ve thrown away the box and packing materials for the monitor. There’s no need to purchase return shipping supplies as they’ll be able to return the broken monitor in the same box their replacement comes in.

• Save time with freight logistics. Your clients doesn’t have to locate a shipping outlet. In most cases, the PC vendor in-cludes return shipping labels (call tags) for a specific freight carrier – generally the same freight carrier used for shipping the replacement to them.

• Save money on freight costs — If the PC vendor supplies return shipping labels, your client won’t have to pay for return freight. Depending on the monitor size, origination and destination shipping points, this easily can save your client $25 or more.

While the third bullet point affects your clients’ direct out-of-pocket costs, the first two items can be labor-intensive chores for you or your clients’ internal computer administrators (“internal gurus”).

So, buying a monitor along with a PC, and getting both purchases folded into on-site warranty coverage, easily can save a half-hour to an hour (or more) every time a monitor needs replacement.

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Joshua Feinberg, co-founder of Computer Consulting 101, helps computer consulting businesses get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for your free access to these field-tested, proven business strategies on the Computer Consulting 101 Blog.

Writen by Rob Pirozzi

Personal computers have become relatively inexpensive, at least as compared to what they used to cost. There are now many sources for inexpensive PCs. This article will provide you with information on sources for low-cost personal computers, computer peripherals, and accessories.

The average home computer user does not necessarily need the latest and greatest technology. Most simply need a PC with a relatively new Intel processor, or equivalent; a reasonable amount of memory – 256MB or more; a reasonable amount of disk space – 20GB or more; a CD, DVD or CDRW; and a modem and networking capability. It is only individuals with demanding needs such as intensive gaming, or video or image manipulation that really need more. Individuals who store large libraries of picture or graphics files, music files, or video files will require substantially more disk space.

Before shopping, you need to get a clear idea of what your PC needs are and in what timeframe you are going to need a new PC. If your need for a PC is immediate, then you must try to find the best deal from a local electronics retailer. In addition, if you need or must have the latest, most “cutting-edge” technology, you can expect to pay handsomely. While in either case you may be able to find a relatively good deal, you will have probably paid more than if you can wait five plus business days for shipping and give up a little on the technology curve.

For individuals who do not need a PC immediately, and who are not looking for the “latest and greatest” technology, there are many excellent sources for inexpensive PCs, peripherals, and computer accessories. In many cases, PCs can be found for under $400, and even under $300. Sources for low-cost PCs include:

• On-Line Retailers
• On-Line Refurbished Equipment and Outlet Stores
• On-Line Auctions

On-Line Retailers

There are many excellent on-line retailers such as TigerDirect (www.TigerDirect.com) and TechDepot (www.TechDepot.com) who can provide substantial savings on PCs, peripherals, and accessories. On-line retailers also typically have huge inventories including components, and consumer electronic items such as digital cameras, PDAs, and MP3 players. The lowest cost PCs may be factory close-outs (PCs being replaced by more current technology) or reconditioned/refurbished (good as new, but not new). They will work fine and be more than adequate for most average home-computing needs.

On-Line Refurbished Equipment and Outlet Stores

Many computer vendors and retailers also have factory outlet stores and/or refurbished equipment outlets. Again, although not the latest technology, or even brand new, these PCs will meet most computing needs and will be much less expensive. Refurbished equipment/outlet retailers include:

• Amazon.com – Amazon.com has an “Outlet, Used & Refurbished” store that can be found under the “Computers” category. Here they offer both clearance items and refurbished items at substantial savings.
• Dell Outlet – Dell has an outlet store that offers savings on Dell desktop and laptop computers, as well as other Dell accessories and electronics, including monitors, printers, handhelds, and TVs. Select “Home & Office” on the main page of the Dell Site (www.Dell.com) and then scroll down to find “Dell Outlet”.
• Gateway Remanufactured Products – Gateway offers outlet prices on remanufactured Gateway desktops and laptops. Select “Remanufactured” on the Gateway site (www.gateway.com).
• HP Outlet Store – Hewlett-Packard offers outlet pricing on HP desktops, laptops/notebooks, monitors, printers, cameras, and televisions. Select “Outlet” on the main page of the HPShopping site (www.shopping.hp.com) to find their offering of products.
• IBM – IBM offers IBM Certified Used Equipment that has been refurbished and tested to IBM specifications. Offered items include desktop PCs, notebooks, printers, monitors, and parts and accessories. Enter “refurbished PC” into the search bar of the IBM site (www.IBM.com) to find what they have to offer.
• Iomega – The Iomega factory outlet offers excellent prices on Iomega removable disk drives, portable disk drives, internal and external disk drives, flash drives, DVD, and CDRW drives. Select “Outlet” off of the main page on the Iomega site (www.iomega.com).
• TechDepot – TechDepot offers both clearance items and refurbished items off of their site (www.TechDepot.com). Select either the “Clearance” or the “Refurbished” tabs on their home page to find what they have to offer.

On-Line Auctions

Perhaps requiring the most patience and persistence are the on-line auction sites. For those with the right temperament, good deals on PCs and related products can be found at eBay and at CompUSA Auctions.

Conclusion

With a little research, time, and persistence, you should be able to save a substantial amount of money on PCs and PC related items from any of the above named sources. While what you get may not be the latest technology, or new, it should meet the demands of all but the most advanced PC users.

Rob Pirozzi is a freelance writer who provides timely, quality professional writing of all types. He is also the publisher of the web site Low-Cost-Computing.com which provides information on low-cost computers and low-cost or free software for the average home or small business computer user.