TIMS is a certified hardware service provider approved
to repair the recommended systems for Lehigh University's community. The
Computer Technicians can help service systems in a variety of ways such
as obtain parts for systems in and out of warranty, bios updates, driver
downloads, hardware upgrades, etc. However, the cost and method of hardware
repairs they can perform for systems in warranty depends on the maintenance
service plan the "original" purchaser acquired with the system.
Computer vendors offer several extended hardware maintenance service plans,
with an associated price increase, to extend the initial computer's hardware
warranty and technical support (technical software support are not discussed
here, but these support services are available from the Client Services
teams). Typically the warranty period begins when the system is shipped
and covers replacing the normal wear and tear of failed parts and associated
labor for one year. Each vendor describes their extended plans differently
and it could be confusing which option best meets your needs. It is strongly
recommended that you review the service options available by your preferred
vendor and determine which plan is best for your life style. No
plan insures that the data and programs stored on the hard drive are maintained.
Recovery of the hard drive is only done by having the original system/recovery
disks, application program disks and customer file backup disks. An overview
of the common types of service plans and considerations include:
- Extended warranty service. This plan usually extends
the warranty period from one year to three years and is available only
at the time the system is purchased. For laptop computers, it is highly
recommended to purchase a plan which extends the initial hardware warranty
period to three years; strong consideration should be given to extending
the warranty period for desktop computers as well. Laptop computers
are moved around more and therefore subjected to more blows and breakage.
Some elements of a laptop are also a bit more fragile then a desktop
computer and experience more repairs. Warranty or extended warranty
covers normal wear and tear of failed components and labor; it does
not cover costs associated with improper handling, vandalism, acts of
god, spilled liquids, etc.
- Accidental damage protection. This plan adds additional
protection to the warranty plan by covering most costs associated with
repairing a system damaged by events like, spilled liquids, dropping,
power surges (with surge suppressor), water leak damage, etc. These
repairs can be expensive, e.g. a laptop CPU board $600, a laptop LCD
display $1300. TIMS has experienced a high occurrence of spilled liquids
with laptop owners. Read the vendor's plan to see what is covered but
often exclude events like theft, fire, reckless abuse, etc. Consider
this extra service if your lifestyle dictates this extra protection.
(Note: TIMS can attempt to clean components if spillage occurs when
an accidental protection plan has not be purchased; however, this is
time consuming and therefore labor costs are high, and there is no guarantee
that components will work properly after the cleaning, which may require
a second repair to replace affected components. If this is the case,
labor and parts are charged.)
- Depot repair. A system purchased with a "Depot
repair" plan, by definition, has to be sent back to the vendor
for repairs and the client pays for shipping in one direction. Under
this plan, one can not obtain the parts to do the repair locally, but
Lehigh's technicians can provide assistance to ship the system back
and check it out when it is returned. This is typically the cheapest
plan to extend the warranty; however, it provides the longest repair
time, e.g. 2-3 weeks.
- Customer repairs. Some customers prefer to do their
own work and not have a technician intervene. If you are savvy enough
to diagnose and replace a failed component and interface with the requirements
of the vendor's technical support personnel, a replacement component
can be shipped directly to you for installation. You will be responsible
for returning the failed component. You will also be responsible for
proper installation,
- Priority service plans. There are a variety of express
plans that may be considered as well. These plans may be expensive and
include overnight shipping of parts, on-site technician support, same
day service if diagnosed before a certain time, etc. Unless the system
is providing server services to a enterprise or group of individuals,
this level of service is usually not required. It is particularly not
recommended for the student population as their schedules usual preclude
the immediacy required of the support vendor, i.e. they are in class
when dispatchers calls to schedule an on-site technician.
– January 15, 2004
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