Streamyx

Free Laptop Offer - is it a good deal?

A free laptop offer is just one of the ways that various companies are trying to win your business, especially in the broadband industry where competition is fierce. How can they afford to do this?

Well, as I say, competition is fierce. Once the company has broadband set up, they need customers. It's better to have 10,000 customers at a small profit margin than none at all. All of these deals tend to make you take another service with the company as well, so they in effect get 2 customers for the price of one. So this works in our favour, its good news for you and me.

This is how I see things, bearing in mind that most broadband companies offering a laptop make you take a phone service as well.

1 Most people have broadband and they pay for it.

2 Most people have a home phone and they pay for it.

When you add it up, you probably aren't paying anymore, just transferring your spend to gain a laptop. So what do you need to look out for?

I would always recommend checking that the spec of the laptop is more than good enough to last you for at least a couple of years. You can't expect to get a free laptop and run after one 1 month. No, there is usually going to be a contract term of around 2 years. Anymore and I wouldn't take the deal because things change so fast.

I would also check the company is reputable, i.e. a good brand name, or trading on the stock exchange for example.

Check what happens if the laptop breaks down within the contract period. There is one supplier offering a free laptop that actually gives you a lifetime warranty for the laptop as long as you are a customer on the same service.

Is the broadband equipment free or is there a setup fee? These days you shouldn't really be paying, as the cost is usually spread over the months of the contract.

Are there any hidden extras? For example, the best laptop offer in my opinion makes you take out one energy utility with them (gas or electricity). Luckily enough the services come with a guarantee, and sure enough I save money on that as well. It is worth checking though as I hadn't realised initially.

Check the speed of the broadband and download limits. I wouldn't accept less than 2MB speed and 20GB of download limit. 40GB would be my preferred choice.

How long does it take to get your laptop? No use of they take 28 days for delivery but you need it tomorrow.

For those of you interested in a free laptop offer, I hope this has helped. Good luck.

Read about a great free laptop offer here.