One of the things I've heard occasionally is that when people leave here, they often find themselves not knowing how to get computer support. They are so used to having a place where they can walk to, and get their computers fixed, and suddenly they leave here, and can't. If you've worked in any company with an IT department, then you know how sometimes you wish you could ask the IT guys to look at your home computer. Only here, we do both home computers and work computers.
Here is the blog entry. Thanks Joy, it was nice to read!
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Toshiba, Papua New Guinea and Apple.
January 15, 2013 by joycandee
It’s been over a month since my computer started it’s sad broken saga but it is once again back and doing it’s job. Of course Toshiba did somewhat honor their 7 to 10 business day repair policy but with the holidays, weekends, shipping and the time it took for them to first send me the shipping box, it all adds up to a lot longer than 10 days. Part of me thinks I shouldn’t be upset, after all it allowed me to go through the holidays un-tethered to my computer and it also gave me some time and space away from my work. However, I can’t help but think that it is ridiculous that computer service for my old Toshiba in Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea was so much better than my under warranty computer service in California.
This seemingly mundane building is where the magic happens. Computer guys work here but they aren’t just any computer guys, these are your neighbors and friends. These guys work super hard, they make house calls, they do their best because they know how hard it is to be without your computer. And because you are in the humid tropics, computers have issues. It’s just the way it is. Of course my biggest computer issue was caused by my own stupidity but nevertheless CTS fixed it. In 2011, I stepped on my computer and that cracked the screen. CTS didn’t have the right part but they ordered it right away. If they had a compatible screen anywhere, they would have just gone ahead and used it. Of course it took a couple months to get the part but it is Papua New Guinea. And my computer continued to limp along with it’s spidered, ever-blackening screen but I was still able to use the computers in the literacy office and had access to other computers when I needed them. Then my screen came in and I quote myself here when I say they “…replaced the screen in just a couple hours.” For PNG standards that’s quick and painless.
Fast forward a year or so and now I am back in California and my new computer just decides to stop talking to the hard drive. I promise I didn’t step on it this time. Instead of just walking down to my friendly neighborhood CTS, I call a faceless technician and end up shipping my computer to Tennessee. My computer is then held hostage for the full 10 business days. And I was wishing that I was still in PNG, where I could walk 5 minutes to the literacy office or put out a call to everyone on center asking for a computer to borrow while mine was being fixed. But I am thankful that I could drive over to my parents and make use of their desktop, it could have been worse. So my computer is back but there was no “just a couple hours” fix in this story.
And now I am contemplating making myself a little Apple computer fund to start saving. I can think of a whole lot of good reasons still not to buy a Mac but maybe the scales are starting to turn in Apple’s favor. I may not be convinced but Toshiba might have lost my loyalty with this one. So that concludes my complaining story. Now onto happier things like Australia and work and all the things that I have missed blogging about this past month.
