frequently asked questions (FAQ's)


Where are you located?
 
I work from home in Gray Road, Sunderland SR2 8BW

This is approximately 12 minutes walk from Sunderland Park Lane bus and metro terminal


When can I come and view?
 
viewing is welcome, without obligation, at a mutually agreeable time.

I am often out on call outs, so I need a precise time from you to head home for your visit


How are you cheaper than the shops?

I do not have the overheads of a shop with rents or staffing costs


Do you discount?

you are already getting the laptop at cost price and there is zero profit added to the cost of each laptop

I merely add a small contribution of £25 before tax, to cover the 2 hours needed to prep each with Windows, drivers etc,

I then install Microsoft Office at an additional cost of £18.98 plus a quid to install and activate it

If you do not need Office, I can save you £20, or I may sell you one cheaper that I haven't started yet, sold on a D.I.Y basis

If students continue to arrive 2 hours late, without prior notice, there will be a £25 surcharge added.

This is to cover me stopping work to come home especially for your visit and waiting in unnecessarily.


Do you deliver?

Sunderland deliveries are free, between 10am and 3pm at a mutually agreeable time

If you live in Newcastle, Hartlepool or Middlesbrough, it is cheaper for you to collect

if it takes me an hour of time there and back, plus 45p per mile each way, it could cost £35 on top 


Do you post laptops? 

I prefer collection, so that you can choose the one you like from a selection

I don't use Evri as laptops are totally excluded from ANY damage and loss claim


Do you take card payments?

Yes, but only for deliveries in person to the registered card holder's address


Are they refurbished?

no, none of these are sent back to the manufacturer for repair or refurbishment.

I have only called this section refurbished laptops to be found in Google search results.


ram and SSD upgrades 

I have 16gb ram upgrade kits at £20 per laptop.

I take out the existing 8gb and fit a matched pair of 2 x 8gb, rather than have 2 different speeds from 2 different manufacturers, then I run a memory test to ensure compatibility.

a new 1tb m.2 NVMe is possible on most laptops and costs me an extra £50 if required.


​Why can't you buy laptops with 512gb SSD already in?

​I buy what companies bought 3 years ago, such as a fast i5 with 8gb, 256gb SSD in assorted screen sizes 

upgrading to 512gb is achievable and costs me £35 for the drive (less £10 allowance for the 256gb SSD already fitted)

most people prefer to spend an £50 and go for a new 1,000gb (1tb SSD)


​​​​Office Pro 2021​

​I install Office Pro 2021 and the activation key costs £18.98 from CJS-cdkeys.com ​

This is valid for one installation, lasts for life, providing you don't factory reset Windows


Why don't you also sell newer laptops

I specialise in the £120 to £195 student market, as that is where 90% of my sales come from plus a handful of MacBook's

If I sold dearer laptops, I would quickly reach the VAT threshold and have to add 20% VAT to everything I do !


Warranty Terms & conditions

all windows laptops listed on this website come with 6 month warranty, Apple 30 days

this is a back to base warranty at the buyers expense.

i.e. two way postage or travel costs are to be met by the buyer

warranty excludes software, misuse, fluid damage, batteries, being dropped, pet damage, sat on, tripped over and food debris trapped in the keyboard etc.

​
Battery life
 
All laptops come with their original used battery and their capabilities will vary depending on individual use and age
​
Batteries should be regarded as a consumable and are cheap to replace if you require longer duration.

laptop batteries are typically 65% to 85% of their original health and should give a decent run time.

Brightness uses the most power, sleep mode uses a little too as the session is held alive, even though the screen is off

using on your lap in such a way to obstruct the cooling slots underneath, causes the fan to run at a higher speed to regulate the laptop temperature inside, which also consumes battery to power the fan motor.

Therefore avoid sofa arm rests, quilts etc as the fan will drag fibres inside which then block the fan exhaust

Demanding tasks automatically trigger turbo boost on 8th generation and newer laptops too.



Regards

Richard​