<p>So I remember that on Cal Day my Unit 3 tour guide told me that Cal offers free technical support for students who need to bring their laptop in and fix it.
How much support do they offer? I'm going to buy an HP today and there is a plan that costs about $100 (1-year HP Accidental Damage Protection with HP Pick Up and Return)
It says:</p>
<p>With this plan, you'll get:</p>
<pre><code>* Protection from damage caused by drops, spills, and electrical surges
* Convenient door-to-door PC pickup and return with roundtrip shipping included
* Expert 24 x 7 toll-free phone, real-time chat, and e-mail support
* Technical assistance with PC setup, troubleshooting, and attacking spyware and viruses
</code></pre>
<p>How much of this can the Cal students do for free? Do I really need this plan?</p>
<p>Also, the laptop comes with a 1 year warranty. My dad isn't sure if he should buy me more years or not. What do you guys recommend?</p>
<p>Get a ThinkPad. Tech support is as good as Dell’s, but the computer has a much much lesser chance of dying on you.</p>
<p>If you get a Dell, pay the premium for XPS. The XPS tech support is a superior sub-group of Dell’s tech support. I say the support is impressive from first-hand experience.</p>
<p>Please be careful buying an HP. If the model has pre-existing complications, they’ll sell it anyway, service it according to their warranty (pretty quickly, too), and then you’re SOL once your warranty runs out. There is only a small chance you’ll get a defective unit, but if you do…</p>
<p>I think extra years of warranty might well be worth it for a purchase like this. Depends, though: how capable are you of shelling out the money for a new one in 2-3 years (4-7 if you’re lucky)?</p>
<p>I also know nothing of Cal’s tech support for laptops, but since Cal is a Dell + Sony + Apple school according to what it sells, I’m not sure how much help you’ll get.</p>