So, after trying to figure out which port connects to which wire, i decided to buy a laptop. This initiated one of the greatest lessons in street smartness which no MBA course will teach. This is an account of how i purchased one and the interesting facets of the laptop business. To ensure that even you could benefit from this, i will break a cardinal rule and use the names of the brands. Sadly, none of the brands are sponsoring me! Anyways, here goes.
My search began on the internet, which each site claiming their review was the best. Thankfully, in all the sites, Asus and Toshiba led the pack. When it came to India, it was Lenovo. Great. Now, it was time to actually choose the model from the site. I volunteered to answer a series of endless questions on the site, followed by trying to choose the model. End result: Le-Definitely No-vo.
I took the streets, with the first shop promising a discount. Plus, a long list of freebies and 1 year warranty. Next shop, same story, but with a twist. Lenovo is good, but the service people are not. Being the guy with sweaty Jog falls in my hands, i decided service was important. So, Dell it was. 70% of the shops refused to suggest Dell. Apparently, if you call the service people, and when they FINALLY show up, they take your laptop and give it late, in some cases, your grand kids receive it after you're long deleted from earth. Some sweet talk in a shop and the truth was revealed. Dealers get comparatively less commission from Dell. No money under the table, no laptop over the counter. And this nugget of information, laptop prices change by the day, faster than the stock market.
Sony was my next on my list. Sexy Kareena was more hot than the laptop. Incidently, i went to Reliance in Mall of Mysore and boy, the salesman had me convinced that the freebies offered by them are more important, to hell with the laptop. Good old KT street was just a maze of laptops, free opinions, even more freebies and one brand bitching over the other. This was worse than getting a lapdance from my 80+ math teacher.
I had almost given up hope, when, in the distance, I spotted a cheap lingerie shop where the model was pointing right. It was a Toshiba showroom. Finally, a hope from a sexy angel. The marwadi guy over there heard my plight and said something i'll NEVER EVER forget in my life. "Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Asus, hp...all parts MADE IN CHINA".
Bingo! that's it!
My search began on the internet, which each site claiming their review was the best. Thankfully, in all the sites, Asus and Toshiba led the pack. When it came to India, it was Lenovo. Great. Now, it was time to actually choose the model from the site. I volunteered to answer a series of endless questions on the site, followed by trying to choose the model. End result: Le-Definitely No-vo.
I took the streets, with the first shop promising a discount. Plus, a long list of freebies and 1 year warranty. Next shop, same story, but with a twist. Lenovo is good, but the service people are not. Being the guy with sweaty Jog falls in my hands, i decided service was important. So, Dell it was. 70% of the shops refused to suggest Dell. Apparently, if you call the service people, and when they FINALLY show up, they take your laptop and give it late, in some cases, your grand kids receive it after you're long deleted from earth. Some sweet talk in a shop and the truth was revealed. Dealers get comparatively less commission from Dell. No money under the table, no laptop over the counter. And this nugget of information, laptop prices change by the day, faster than the stock market.
Sony was my next on my list. Sexy Kareena was more hot than the laptop. Incidently, i went to Reliance in Mall of Mysore and boy, the salesman had me convinced that the freebies offered by them are more important, to hell with the laptop. Good old KT street was just a maze of laptops, free opinions, even more freebies and one brand bitching over the other. This was worse than getting a lapdance from my 80+ math teacher.
I had almost given up hope, when, in the distance, I spotted a cheap lingerie shop where the model was pointing right. It was a Toshiba showroom. Finally, a hope from a sexy angel. The marwadi guy over there heard my plight and said something i'll NEVER EVER forget in my life. "Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Asus, hp...all parts MADE IN CHINA".
Bingo! that's it!
haha brilliant!!
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