When it
comes to making technology decisions and purchases you as the consumer are
entering a minefield of disinformation and misinformation. Some of it is due to
ignorance or hubris on the part of the person providing it but a large portion
of this “fake news” is designed to ensure you are shielded from the truth on
the products you intend to buy.
Buyer Beware
Most people
are not reckless when it comes to spending their hard earned money and will
avoid wasting it particularly when we are talking at a minimum 500 euro. The
technology market and the sellers who operate in it are more than aware of this
and will appeal to those tried and trusted baits – the bargain price and or the
“as good as” argument. To avoid these
traps you need to have the maximum reliable knowledge about what you are buying
at your fingertips or you’ll be sucked in and in many cases regret the purchase
for the life of the product. Sir Francis
Bacon is attributed with coining the phrase “knowledge is power” and in today’s
technology marketplace I would suggest the addition of the phrase “provided it
is true”.
All That Glitters
Recently I
did some consulting on TV purchases and this is one of the areas where you
better have your wits about you. With the correct information you can get an
excellent state of the art TV from a reliable manufacturer and eliminate all
but one of your remote controls. In addition the correct TV will open up your
viewing choices and make the long winter months more bearable. Price
differences I encountered varied by as much as 350 euro between suppliers and
it many cases the shops were hawking their own name brand models which are in
my opinion not a spot on the more reliable and feature rich models.
The Growth
of NRU’s (Non Repairable Units)
As users of
technology we are all familiar with the NRU’s (non repairable units). Virtually
all non technological devices in your house are NRU’s from your washing machine
to your microwave. In computer technology the growth of NRU’s is on the
increase and one many consumers are not familiar with. If you have been a
computer user for more than 7 years you are used to the idea that when your
computer breaks it can be repaired, albeit at a cost. This is no longer the
case with all new computing devices and again sound advice and knowledge is key
before you shell out your cash.
Oliver Reidy is a computer technician and has been in the industry since 1981.You
can contact him via email at help.desk@reidyonline.com or at the telephone numbers listed on this page. This article, and all
previous articles, are available to view online at http://reidyonline.blogspot.ie/
or www.reidyonline.com/blogspot.htm
