Excellent points. He overpaid for the warantee...it was $300. plus. He has asked them to just replace his computer and he they told him that it doesn't work like that. They have one way of solving problems and that is jus the way it is. You can see that their attitude about customer service after one has gone to the expense of getting a warantee really sucks. Back in the late 60s there was a book called "The Peter Principal" by Lawrence J. Peter, it was about why things go wrong....It was on the best sellers list for over 6 months and it applies more than ever today.

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I assume the same caveat apply if he were to bring his monitor to my home and plug it into my system? Yes but it's your call. If the PC you have is your everyday-use PC, are you willing to take the risk to possibly damage it. Speaking of paid tech support, read this article... Who you gonna call? Also from PcMag perspective... Who You Gonna Call to Solve PC Crises? Be sure you see the performance test chart. What a sucker to use such service like this. I am grateful I stayed with CN to learn something new everyday. i_XpUser

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Their are two risky parts of swapping monitors: 1. Dropping the monitor in transit. 2. Bending or breaking a pin in the cable connector (not very likely). Other that that it's pretty safe. Sorry, I do not check for private messages

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I think your friend's experience is fairly typical of warranty service in general, and it's not going to get much better at any major computer retailer. For that matter, the same goes for cars, boats, houses, et al. Personally, I've usually found Staples to be a pretty decent company to work with, although I've never been sucked into buying a warranty. But it's the one company that gets me mail-in-rebates consistently and on time (thanks to their very cool, online ezrebate system where you don't have to mail anything in), and that alone is worth the few extra dollars up front I might pay there. I worked as a programmer for Insight (insight.com & the insight bowl) for some time, and the pressure on the sales reps to attach warranties to just about everything is intense. Retail is a low margin business - when you're competing against companies like newegg, you're lucky to squeeze out your cost. But warranties and service contracts are very high margin, and can really keep you in business. I do believe in getting the extended warranties on two things: 1. Flat-screen monitors and 2. Laptops. I only have anecdotal evidence, but it seems like both of those items have lifetimes that on average are around that of the warranty. As for hooking your monitor up to his system, or hooking his monitor up to your system, just go for it. It may be possible, but I've never heard of the PSU damaging the monitor. You're not going to break anything. Good luck, -SN

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Thanks for the compliments regarding Staples in general. Personally I patronize this chain store regularly becase (1) it's well-stocked office supplies "warehouse" (2) they have copiers (both B&W and color) (3) the online rebate process saved me a lot of paperwork (& stamps), (4) they have a branch within walking distance from where I live. The only thing I never purchased or used is Staples Easy Mobil Tech paid service support. Regarding the paid service support I believe all chain stores recognized it as a money-making business opportunity. The majority of customers who purchase such service are those who have no idea about the workings of a computer. You are right about the necessity of extended warranty only for LCD monitors & laptop. Best regards i_XpUser

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