The Construct

Being that my lappie is already two and a half years old, it’s really high time to consider retiring it. But goodness what a workhorse this ASUS A8Jr is. Left on for 16 hours a day for those two and a half years and the only hitch I ever encountered was the hinge issue (a physical issue) which ASUS covered under warranty. And because of that I’ve developed a brand loyalty to ASUS.

I’ve actually been meaning to replace it last year but I had to re-channel some of my budget for other reasons that I gave up on purchasing a laptop after that.

I was meaning to get the ASUS F81-Se (all because of the beefy ATI HD 4570 video) card but even when Risha tried to buy one last year, she ended up with the K40IN thanks to limited stocks. The ASUS sit still lists the F81-Se as part of their product line, but alas, can’t seem to find one locally.

Because of that experience, I’ve been constantly looking at the product offerings to check if ASUS is coming out with a new model.

If I were to buy one now, I’d probably buy the same one but I’m trying to hold out just in case ASUS decides to come out with one that has better specs. The K50AB – a larger 15″ screen and the coveted ATI HD 4570 video card – looks promising but it seems that it isn’t offered locally as well.

Time and again, on this blog, I’ve always stressed the importance of customer service. Having worked sales before, I know how tricky it is to guide a person from being a prospect to a buying client. I don’t know if computer salesmanship is a totally different ballpark but I don’t think it is. Too bad there are a lot of sales people who miss out on the basic salesmanship skills.

Credit cards and lower laptop prices have made it possible for many to purchase on installments but, in my book, any transaction above Php 10,000 is a serious purchase – something that would require financial planning for at least a couple of months. Heck, I even sleep over decisions on Php 1,000 purchases given my kuripot nature. Acquiring something as valuable as a laptop is a year-long project for me at a minimum.

I’d have to say that I’m not the run-of-the-mill customer and I do pose a challenge to sales people. I do know my tech and I’m shrewd when it comes to money. You can’t just come up to me and bullshit me into buying. I do my research before I approach stores so it’s very hard to fool me with bogus claims and the like. But I’m not tough of a cookie to crack either. For one, I have often made my decision about buying even before I go to a store so closing a sale with me often hinges on the deal and customer service.

(more…)

On to more personal concerns here. I’m really, really suffering from a bad case of GAS. Or maybe not. Perhaps “investing” on work-related technology would be a worthwhile move. Then again, I already have the functional tools to do my work so investing on new tech is quite unnecessary.

My ASUS A8Jr’s finally fixed but not after waiting six months for the parts. To top it off, it’s only a couple of weeks before the warranty lapses. I always hate it when any piece of electronics I own ages past its coverage. I hate knowing I legally won’t have anyone on whom to place the blame if it breaks down.

So I went out (with Rish) yesterday to scout out some possible prospects. Narrowed them down to two – the Lenovo Y430 and the ASUS F81Se.

(more…)