I had a call from a couple, giving several symptoms of their problems with their computer. With one or many things that it could be, but I needed to see it and gave them my rate and some ideas of what it could be. To MY SURPRISE, the woman snatches the phone and starts hollering that SHE knew what I was up to that I was just trying to make money. I had to remind her that she called ME and was free to call anyone, and that computers came at a cost with ownership.
So with that little anecdote out of the way, I will tell you why I told you this story. I want to make you aware of the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of a personal computer.
It is estimated that the TCO is 3 to 4 times GREATER than that of the purchase price. With computer prices SO LOW, so is the quality and therefore the life span.
The best comparison I can give you is that of a 99 cent pack of chicken hotdogs to that of a prime steak. If you ate a cheap hotdogs everyday you would pay more for it in the long run with your health or life. The same goes with these cheap computers now days. They ARE more affordable but they just don't last as long as they used to, which can be good for they go out of date SO FAST anyway. I also like to look at it like cheap shoes, they wear out faster but hey, you get to buy a NEW BETTER PAIR when they do. LOL, yes "I AM WOMAN!"
Another thing to remind you of when owning a computer, user error is inevitable. Computer USERS tend to cause most of there own headaches. Although this is NOT on purpose, it still is. Like RONCO says, "You can't set it and forget it." With all that said, I hope you have a better understanding of TCO when buying or when you own a computer. It is not the technicians fault nor is it a conspiracy.P-)
Hope this has helped
Computer Repair Lakeland, FL
