Everyone loves a good tip, right? Here are 5 most obvious things that you should keep after buying any electronics device. It could be a simple gadget like a smartphone, a kitchen appliance like your cooker or a sophisticated item like an air conditioning system.
- The receipt and warranty both dated and stamped. If you don’t have this then you cannot verify ownership in case of a dispute or claim any warranty. The most obvious thing the documents should have is the vendors contacts and physical address. And never buy your electronics from a mobile station like a car or hawker. It is easy for them to disappear when something goes wrong. Making a copy of the receipt and warranty for separate keeping is also a very good idea. Take a picture and store it in your cloud service like google photos. You can also keep a scanned copy In you email account as draft, it might seem like a dumb idea right now but it will come to the rescue one day.
- 2. The manual. The manual comes in handy for troubleshooting simple problems that could otherwise make you spend money for repairs. Its hard to believe but there are some folks out there who take their gadgets for repair when the problem can be solved using say for example a remote control. This usually means a good pay day for your repair guy.
- 3. The packaging. Never burn or throw away the packaging for any reason. The manufacturer is very clever and designed the packaging to withstand some abuse. Most of the damage caused to electronics in the consumers hands is done during transportation, This is where washing machines get scratches, refrigerators doors get broken, plasma display panels break and home theatre speakers are dropped ouch! The carton box, Styrofoam, moisture absorbent bag and plastic covers all serve a purpose in preventing the above mentioned disasters. Always keep the packaging, it is an electronics saver.
- 4. The pride of owning these items. You used your hard earned cash and sacrificed time to buy whatever product you own. Do not let the pride fade away and make sure pride is known to every one who admires your electronics be it that deafening sound music system in your car or that brand new Smartphone.
- 5. Your exceptionally good handling capabilities. Take care of your electronics like a hen is protective of her chicks and if anything happens to your electronics that is not your doing then its time to read the manual (point number two) and if that does not solve the problem then claim the warranty you were promised (point number one). This means you will transport the product to the vendor or service centre for repairs (point number three covered). If the warranty is over then make your pain be heard by shouting and crying because of point number four and five before you spend another amount of money repairing it.
Also some companies and vendors never replace a product under warranty unless you hand over the product the way you bought it together with the receipt and warranty details.
Remember if the amount charged is astronomically high then just buy another product but different brand if the first did not serve you well. Now repeat steps one to five.