Second Hand Laptop Query

The_Conductor

Compustore are offering trade-ins on old laptops against new kit.
What I was wondering is what are they doing with the old laptops that they get?
Are they available to buy as second hand machines somewhere?
Or even as parts?
Some of you know of my epic quest for hard to find add-ons for my little beastie.
Anyone know?

Shane

ToxicPaddy

What "little beastie" do you have?

Tox

The_Conductor

Gateway Solo 9300 running sluggishly on 160Mb of RAM (2 X 64Mb + 32Mb onboard).

KdjaCL

Some of the big laptop companies are offering massive discounts to stores to "collect" old laptops and send them back to them.
Reason is simple for every old one traded in a new one is bought
Dell Gateway and someone else doing this.
What the larger companies do with them i dont know but compustore staff are mainly made up of idiots so could try ask them to sell you one of parts from it.

Kdjac

the_syco

Originally posted by KdjaC
but compustore staff are mainly made up of idiots so could try ask them to sell you one of parts from it.

Some are clever. Also, if your gonna ring them ring a store which has a IT Support section, as they'll know wot ur on about, and also if they have parts

The_Conductor

Plus as two employees have gotten back to me- some of them are list members too...... lol- I should have guessed (or even remembered, more to the point.....)

ozmo

Originally posted by smccarrick

What I was wondering is what are they doing with the old laptops that they get?

They smash em up and skip them. Check for a skip round the back - powercity used to skip all their vcrs they took in.
I used to nearly cry when I worked in Digital when they were in dublin and see them break up 100MB hardisks and 4Mb Ram modules and DOS 5 disk sets (hey they were cool one time). Everything had to be taken out of commission - the idea being that new stuff was bought to replace the destroyed stuff.

tribble

They smash em up and skip them. Check for a skip round the back - powercity used to skip all their vcrs they took in

No - we most certainly do not.
All electronic scrap is sent to a recycling firm, at considerable cost I might add. That's the law.
Compustore (Sandyford at any rate) don't even have a skip.
EVERYTHING IS RECYCLED.

As to what we do with the old lappies, I don't know - I'll ask tech later on.

tribble

KdjaCL

LOL no offence tribble meant about the idiots but here a nice story about my exp with certain phone answering person with foregin accent in long mile store
I called looking for a 40gb 2.5 HD ,said had none in stock i repeatdley on phone said 2.5 ie laptop she ordered one ,few days later called me (i again made note to say 2.5 HD) i was in work so sent a mate to collect it.
She personally gave it to him as she had been dealing with me on phone he paid for it, later that night i went to install it for him.
A prize for whoever guesses what HD he had been given for 350 (which is what 2.5 HD 40gb cost at time they were newish).

And again in same store Gf parents asked me to pick out a PC for them, so i did here that story it funnier
Went picked up decent pc for a grand paid in cash so got him a joystick free which was nice.
Brought it to his house to install it ,found all parts there and correct cept for one thing missing, no power cables, no mouse no actual anything cable related.
Went back that day got all cables and voucher for trouble.
Again installed PC set up printer scanner etc:

Set up net but when i clicked on the drop down of last addresses which should have been empty it wasnt it had a lot of websites in it , checked install date of OS and few other things ,PC wasnt new in anyway brought it back got more vouchers wasnt my money so gf parents were happy with free stuff.
But imo they not too bright


kdjac

John R

Same thing happened to me. Bought a new laptop except it wasn't new, they had given me the display model complete with scratched case and screen. Thoroughly disreputable bunch and way overpriced too.

The_Conductor

Ok- have been told the laptops are being stored at head office- that there has been no decision as to what to do with them yet. They said they have a good few (however many that is?). They also said it was highly unlikely they would be openly resold- I don't know maybe the intention is to ship them off to the third world or something as a tax deductable expense? God only knows......

peckerhead

If they've half a brain they'll donate them to local schools around their store locations, and make lots of noise about "giving something back to the community". Those school kids (or their parents) are most of their future client base.

Anyone with any smarts wouldn't buy there.

Just my 2.42c worth...

ph

tribble

But imo they not too bright

In every organisation I have worked in there are a few lemons.
I have found Irish retail in general to be rather more citrus than most.

tribble