Mistakes people make buying used computers

TORONTO - Jan. 20, 2015 - PRLog -- Remember - buyer beware.
Buying used computers can be a great way to save a little money, reduce our carbon foot print and extend the life of usable electronics. Over the years we have heard MANY stories about bad purchases.  Several common themes to keep you on the look out for bad sellers.

1) Rushed sales - seller does not allow you to turn on system
We stopped asking people, "Would you buy a used car without starting it first?  Then why did you buy a computer from that guy?", a long time ago.

People do it all the time.  It drives us crazy, we have no idea why they do it, but they keep doing it.

MAKE THE SELLER PLUG IT IN AND TURN IT ON.

If they can not, or are unwilling to do so, it should be no surprise to you when it fails to start when you take it home.

If he's selling it out of the back of a van - well think about it and go to number 2

2) Selling from back of a van or "We will drop it off for you"
So perhaps you do not care where the computer came from - consider this;

People who sell things with no fixed address are very hard to track down.

If they are selling from a business (or a business that delivers) you can go to their shop if you have a problem.  If they are selling from home you can bang on their door and demand satisfaction (they may however ignore you).

No fixed address? Good luck finding them if you need them.

3) Verify that the system specifications match what the seller claims them to be

If you are shopping for a used PC have the seller explain what its system specifications are AND have them show you. DO NOT TAKE THEIR WORD ON IT.

Some sellers sell lower end systems for the same price as better ones (the one they claim to be selling you) to make higher profit. There are three things people frequently get screwed over on:

CPU (processor) - Buyer buys thinking they have a faster processor than actual in system.RAM or Memory - Buyer buys thinking computer has more RAM than they actually does.Hard Drive size - Seller claims hard drive was much larger than what is actually in the computer.

Recently we have seen several cases of private sellers and local shops selling computers below advertised system specifications. In each case people did not realize they were screwed over until weeks later.

It is very important that you verify what you are buying BEFORE you leave the store.

4) Cash sales and no receipts
Some people take great satisfaction in "sticking it to the man" when it comes to avoiding the GST (there is no PST on used goods under $300.00 in Saskatchewan).

However if you have no receipt you have no proof of sale.

Sellers who claim to warranty their products but do not provide proof of sale are a problem.

No proof of sale = no warranty.

http://www.pctechoutlet.com