Each day, they take us places that would be difficult – if not impossible – to reach without them. The number of people who have contact with them is ever-growing, as our country’s dependence on them increases. It is estimated that there are 580 computers in the United States for every 1,000 people, according to Time Almanac 2000. Prefiling for the Rhode Island General Assembly’s 2001 session begins Nov. 15. While there are currently no computer lemon laws on the legislative agenda, that could change.
Lemon laws for cars vary from state to state, but generally, they offer consumers a definition of what a lemon car is, and require the manufacturer of the car to take care of the car – including replacement – if a car proves to be irreparable. A warranty period is established, either by months or miles – the defect must occur sometime during this time period; specific guidelines determine if a consumer is entitled to a refund or replacement.
Phil Ostanock is the manager at Computer Network Specialists, a retailer of new and used computers in East Greenwich.
”A lemon law would hurt us, because it would be very complicated,” he said. “It would be difficult to pinpoint what the exact problem is, and each one of those things could have varying factors.”
In an era of computer literate first graders, adults who fear computers and everything in between, there’s a broad spectrum of actual computer skills.
”I feel there are a lot of user error and education issues,” said Ostanock. “Consumers want their machines to do whatever it is they see on television, but scanners and digital cameras are very complicated.”
Many problems are the result of people misinterpreting the abilities of their computers, Ostanock said. Software is labeled with minimum system requirements, and “you’re asking for trouble if you try to run it under minimum requirements,” Ostanock said.
But there are other factors as well.
”Chip manufacturers, boards that were produced before operating systems, drivers coming in from chip makers – that whole mix is very volatile,” he said. ”There are too many manufacturers out there who aren’t writing on the same sheet of music.”
In that respect, Tim LaCroix, owner of J.T. Computers in Warwick agrees with Ostanock.
”It’s a tough area with software because you have to know just what to use, because there are so many compatibility issues,” he said. “A customer could take it and try a game not compatible to their system.”
LaCroix said he always attempts to pinpoint whether a customer’s system will be used for gaming, at home, or in the office.
”If they want a gaming machine, I’m going to build them a system to accommodate that,” he said.
LaCroix said he feels that a computer lemon law would be useful for problems that relate to hardware issues, but that “there’s a difference between hardware and software.”
Instead of replacing, say, the engine of a car, sometimes it’s a program that needs to be replaced in a computer. LaCroix said that often, people will unknowingly delete a file, which is integral to an operating system.
”I tell my customers to read a message through three times before they do anything,” he said. “I tell them ‘If you’re not sure, don’t click ‘yes’.'”
What about assessing a system and making a “lemon” diagnosis?
”You would know right away,” said LaCroix. “The person who is looking at it should be able to tell the difference between hardware issues and software issues. You know if it’s hardware, software or builder error. I run them for a day after I build them. If it’s hardware, you can basically tell right away.”
At J.T. Computers, LaCroix honors a year’s warranty on new equipment, six months on labor. Warranties on used machines vary.
”I take care of my customers,” LaCroix said. “I tell them to call me, and they do. I’d rather have them ask me than crash their system. A computer’s worst enemy is the person who’s using it.”
