Switching Over to SONY

Hello all.

I've spent the last 2 months picking the right notebook for college. Because I'm a daily commuter by the subway to classes I was looking for something compact yet powerful and fully ready for Vista. Decided on the Hp dv2000 however was VERY disappointed by it and returned it.

Being a loyal fan of sony for years (PS,PSP,Walkman, Sony Ericsson w810 phone etc) I fell in love with the SZ premium models (the SZ360). Unfortunatly it is over my budget but I'm willing to budge out for it.

How necessary would you say is the extended warranty? I'm really considering not getting it because it makes the SZ so much more expensive.

Sorry for long post. All input will be heavily appreciated.

 

If your buying it at compusa they offer screen protection that is well wourth the money when it comes to buying a notebook with a thin fragile screen.

 

I guess everyone says this but I'm a really careful person with all electronics and I never get accidental warranty just the regular hardware warranty.

Is the regular hardware warranty necessary?

 

I feel not .If A notebook takes a dive it's within the first 6 months.

 

The only thing is that with a laptop, if a small piece breaks, it's not like you can just replace it as with a desktop...really depends on your situation though.

 

my friend has a sony and it is going back to sony support again...(he is very very hard on his computers ) i know for the most part sony is good quality, but you might get a 'dud'.

just remmeber with extra warrenties, you are garentied it will last and if it doesn't it will not cost a fortune to fix. but you very well could not use it at all, and it is then just a waste of money.

extra = peace of mind
standard = few hundred dollars in the bank for the next one.

i alway get extra warrenties, as i use my computer up to 10 hours a day. and run some fairly demanding pograms on it... it does get warm. and i bike with it in my backpack, carry it from class to class, continually putting it in hibrination etc. i even dropped it of the my kitchen table this morning... ops!

your choice.

 

If something breaks in my laptop the first year (not by my fault) will it be covered by the limited warranty?

Also if i find a defect once i buy it sony will replace it right?

 

why waste the extra money on sony anyways

the only reason u werent satisfied w/ the dv2000 was cuz it offers less stuff + a bad grpahics card. if u reali need a small comp, then go for ASUS's Z62F or Dell's M1210.

 

Manufacturer's warantee does not equate to accidental warrantee.
Just be careful.

 

If you are unsure about the sonys, then you might fill out a FAQ so that we can help you choose one that will suit the things you use it for. But for the most part, Sony is one of the better built companys out there, and they are better than some at customer service, so I personally wouldn't but do so at your own risk.

 

maomanmaman you seem a little mixed up.Your in the Sony forums telling a member to go with a different brand.Please show respect and save your comments for a general notebook forum like cnet. They love to talk smack about each others buying choices .if you going to down Sony your in the wrong place
enjoy and buy sony

 

I have owned 4 Sony notebooks total. Each have been owned for 2 or 3 years with daily use. The LCD hinges have gotten loose with time on each notebook. My IBM T40 is beginning to have hinge problems. With Sony the repair is @ $275. Sony charges a flat rate for repairs. Tier one is $275 tier two is $450 or so depending on what is being fixed. I would say if you know you will not abuse the notebook than it will likely hold up. I see posts about people having returned 2, 3 or even 4 notebooks before getting a "good" one. Having personally never had a problem with any Sony products (out of the box) I can't imagine how someone could have this many problems. I know when you spend several hundred more for a Sony product your expectations are higher and that my explain some of the complaints. The SZ is a ultra light and thin notebook that needs to be handled very kindly. It is not a Panasonic toughbook but it is a very good notebook if you handle it properly.
Good luck in school....

 

Yes, as long as 'not my fault' you don't mean 'my dog ate it.'

The SZ that was shipped to me recently (SZ340) had a not-perfect keyboard. When I called Sony to get a repair done, the guy I talked to said that it would be faster and easier if I just did an exchange through Sony ---- he didn't realize at first that I had mine custom built.

So yes, I think that's correct too.