Free Computer & Internet Access for Children aged 7-14 of Low Income Families

bestpud

cherry1000 wrote: »

I was really impressed with my toshiba laptop that i got during the pilot scheme last year up until today when my left click buttton decided to stop working. I contacted the shop where i got it from and was informed that the insurance i got with the package only covered theft of the laptop and not any wear and tear or accidental damage(wish i had read the small print).I was then told to contact toshiba as i had registered the laptop to cover warranty but after an hour of being passed around from person to person i was told it would cost around £80 to fix should i bother ?

It may be worth asking this in the techie board before you commit yourself either way?

Laptops are expensive to fix but if it is otherwise working well then it seems worth it to me, especially as it didn't cost anything in the first place iyswim?

bestpud

looby75 wrote: »

personally I would go for the land line/cable package if you can. Dongles are great if you don't have a landline but they aren't as fast as normal broadband and until you get the dongle and try it you have no way of knowing how good a connection/signal you will get. The website can give you an idea but it's not always totally accurate.

I agree with this.

My sister has a dongle and it's handy sometimes but it's painfully slow.

kizzykizzywizzy

Well I received my CB letter yesterday & popped the application in the post, it took about 16 days to arrive but then I think most people are in the same boat.
Thank You to those who are giving recomendations as to which laptop/dongle/supplier to go with, as I have no idea

monzurahmed

Its unfortunate that we are stuck with the registered companies, as with a little research, I have two found better deals then XMA (Toshiba Laptop).

Play.com & PC World (just copy and paste onto their website)

Even though XMA, do throw in Bag, Mouse and some software, I think the above are much better deals.

fazeypie

monzurahmed wrote: »

Its unfortunate that we are stuck with the registered companies, as with a little research, I have two found better deals then XMA (Toshiba Laptop).

Play.com & PC World (just copy and paste onto their website)

Even though XMA, do throw in Bag, Mouse and some software, I think the above are much better deals.

play.com and pc world are not registered suppliers on home access scheme, you can only use your grant at certain places

lucinad

monzurahmed wrote: »

Its unfortunate that we are stuck with the registered companies, as with a little research, I have two found better deals then XMA (Toshiba Laptop).

Play.com & PC World (just copy and paste onto their website)

Even though XMA, do throw in Bag, Mouse and some software, I think the above are much better deals.

you also get tech help, return to base warranty, theft insurance, anti virus, plus as you say mouse bag and software. i dont think it is that bad and any free computer to enhance your childs education is a bonus whatever you are given

lucinad

just received my laptop, ordered saturday night at 8pm ish and arrived today from positive it

ianando64

Probably a contentious point but if ordering from comet ,delivery or click and collect , there is quidco of £15.84 .

UN17ED

i was just wandering whether it is worth paying an extra £50 for a 2gb laptop instead of the 1gb laptop?

wazza

UN17ED wrote: »

i was just wandering whether it is worth paying an extra £50 for a 2gb laptop instead of the 1gb laptop?

Do you know the make and model of the laptop? If so then pay a visit to crucial.com website and find out how much a 1Gb memory will cost. Be aware some laptops which have 1Gb memory actually have two 512Mb memory cards taking up 2 slots. So if you order a 1Gb you have to remove one card so in effect you will have a machine that has 1.5Gb.

Bought one for a friend for £40 and fitted it for her. If you are new to laptop etc might as well fork out and pay the extra £10 and have it fitted by the supplier.