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As I returned the Windows preinstalled on the laptop and received $ 60 back



This article is to help those who would like to buy a laptop or desktop computer and at the same time do not pay extra money to Microsoft just because they persuaded the manufacturer to put their operating system in advance.

Depending on the scene, returning to Windows can be more or less troublesome. In my particular case, it happened this spring in the USA, where I now live. But the story is not tied strongly either to the States or to the specific time of the year. It turned out that the main task is rather to find a manufacturer of laptops, which voluntarily accepts OS returns (it turned out to be Acer).
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UPDATE: according to information from the comments specifically in Russia, a refund for Windows at the request of the buyer is mandatory (not everyone knows about it). Take practical experience and training manual here . How are things in other ex-USSR countries? Write, add to the article.

My personal motive in this whole enterprise was purely ideological. Half a year ago, Microsoft, out of the blue, upgraded the HDD on the SSD, took and locked my key to Windows. After that, I promised that I would no longer spend money on their OS. The logic is simple. As Einstein said: "The biggest folly is to do the same and hope for a different result." Accordingly, if you continue to pay for Windows, then people from Microsoft will continue and continue to select it according to their whims, having fun sipping my morning coffee from Seattle's Starbucks on 24th Street for my money.

And the matter here does not concern any one particular firm - on Habré there are enough stories about the helplessness of people in the face of the most different stout-grown companies. Here, for example, is literally the day before yesterday note with a mass of comments about the attitude of the Corporation of Good to its direct breadwinners.

Okay, enough of the lyrics. Keep a practical research recipe, how to buy a laptop, return Windows preinstalled on it, get compensation and use Linux comfortably as an OS.


Intelligence situation


When our old laptop ordered to live long, I had the opportunity to keep my promise and stop paying Microsoft. However, it would be slightly difficult to use a computer without an operating system at all. Given the zero price of Linux and how much more comfortable it has recently become for the average user, the choice of the future OS was obvious.

There were several options for buying a device on which I can use Linux and won’t pay for Windows:

Laptops without an operating system I could only find used on eBay and Craigslist. However, I didn’t really want to get into trouble with falling down keys, a tired battery and scratches on the screen. Therefore, this option is not suitable.

With new laptops on FreeDOS, the situation was better, but they were sold physically far enough - mainly in Asia, with payment in rupees, dinars and other money with exotic names. Flipkart example. I did not want to mess around with international delivery, foreign currency and unknown stores.

Linux laptops were easy to get. It turned out that in the US the market is developed, and there are a number of local companies that collect and sell them quite massively. For example, judging by the reviews, System76 and Emperor Linux are quite good. Laptops of these companies are focused on Linux initially, which is evident from even the smallest detail.



The trouble with laptops with free (!) Linux turned out to be only at a suddenly higher price than similar devices that come with paid (!) Windows. There are several reasons why this is: smaller production volumes of Linux-based laptops; the need to support the correct operation of drivers and software for less common user OS; lack of the usual for Windows paid by the developers crapware . But personally, as a commonplace consumer, I did not want to spend extra money, regardless of the reasons.

Thus, I dismissed the first three options, and began to explore the possibility of buying a regular laptop on Windows in order to further return the pre-installed OS. Please note: my choice of this particular path does not mean at all that it is the only and the most ideal one. It is likely that you can find a more suitable method for you to get a Linux laptop. If you already know a good option - then feel free to tell, everyone will be just happy.

I received general theoretical preparation for the return of Windows thanks to the corresponding article in Wikipedia . Which, by the way, is issued first in Google by the eloquent phrase Windows Tax . Information from there, along with the topics on the forums, showed that today there is no clear understanding of whether the pre-installed Windows is an independent and imposed product, and whether the manufacturer is obliged to provide the service of returning this OS separately from the device itself. Everything varies greatly from country to country due to large differences in the legislative framework. In the specific case of such a progressive United States business was not very bright. Local practical experience is that here everything depends on the policy of a particular manufacturer.

For reference, the text of the Windows license until about (mid?) Version 7 was quite pleasant for the end user. So the document stated that in case of refusal to accept the agreement, the user had the right to return the OS and receive compensation from the device manufacturer. But even with such an agreement, people constantly had problems in order to exercise their rights. Such a return scenario was usually absent in the help-book instructions book of support services, and the user was offered to return money only for the entire laptop. However, having on hand the text of the license, the Americans could already push through the state bodies of consumer protection. Or even through the courts. What delivered joyful troubles to manufacturers.



Somewhere in the region of Windows 7, clever Microsoft lawyers, along with top managers of electronics manufacturers, changed their license from convenient for people to convenient for corporations. Now, if you refuse to accept the agreement, the user can only contact the company that created the laptop to find out its refund policy. That does not at all deny the formal existence of a single OS return service without a device somewhere (conveniently to protect against court cases of monopolistic abuses in the market). But at the same time, it allows companies to completely dictate the conditions that are comfortable for themselves. Naturally, they are often not too comfortable for the user.

I had to contact the main laptop manufacturers in order to find out the rules in advance and not to be mistaken with the purchase. It is necessary to pay tribute to their support departments - I received all the answers very quickly: either instantly in an online chat, or by e-mail within 24 hours.

Top companies that DO NOT provide a return service to Windows in the United States:

Some of them once did something in this area, but those times are long gone, and only dusty legends of the once glorious eras remained to us as an inheritance.

The only top company that provides the return service to Windows in the US (for which she respects):

This policy is clearly stated on the Acer website . When communicating, I was pleased that their support service was also aware of these provisions. Plus, no top secret treaties and non-disclosure subscriptions (O_o - it happens sometimes ) they do not require.


Step-by-step instruction


The process in numbers looked like this:

So, first I bought the laptop itself in the Acer online store . The place of purchase didn’t matter, it’s just the prices that most suited me. It is noteworthy that at two different URLs the same laptop could be bought on their website with a difference of ~ 10%. I am sure that I have not yet found any third URL with a 20% discount ... American e-commerce is so, harsh, and with coupons.

Within 1 week, the purchase was delivered to me at home. Even without including the laptop, I immediately contacted via e-chat with Acer support service - they opened a ticket in their system, reported the amount of future compensation and gave the address of the main corporate service center located in Texas. There should have sent a laptop to remove it from Windows and removed all the relevant stickers. Since I live in California, I personally was a little expensive to go to the place with the laptop. Accordingly, I paid $ 14 for the unhurried ground delivery of FedEx and sent the package to the state of a lonely star.

Here you can say a few words about Acer's corporate inefficiency that has affected me:

But back to life after sending the laptop to the service center. FedEx took 5 days to get it there, then 3 days Windows-certified Windows removal specialists removed the operating system from it, after which another 5 days the laptop went back. Total, 3 weeks after the initial order, I got my hands on a clean laptop with Acer's only leyba and without any data on the hard drive.

Frankly, how exactly the disk was cleared, I did not check and did not try to restore the OS. I completely admit the idea that the guys from the service center can erase Windows with a simple quick format. Accordingly, skillful playful pens can easily bring everything back at home. But it can also be that the disk is doing a full wipe with overwriting each bit. Who else will return Windows - let him tell us about this moment in the comments.

After removing the OS, Acer did not really burn with a proactive desire to contact me and return the money. Therefore, I again went to the support chat, gave them a ticket number and my home address. After 3 weeks came a nice envelope with a check for $ 61.90, which was immediately happily cashed at the bank.



The total amount of my profit, minus the shipping of the laptop to the service center, was about $ 50. It's a pity, of course, $ 14 spent in vain for FedEx services. But both of us and Acer raped our buns - I achieved what I wanted, and they were distinguished by politics among other laptop vendors and for this they received an honestly earned money from me.

In the meantime, the court case, I, without further ado, put a freshly downloaded Ubuntu distribution on my laptop. The process went surprisingly absolutely smoothly - the OS was installed without a hitch, the devices showed up and started working. Even the sensitivity of the touchpad I could adjust neatly and accurately (thanks to the config files), which was never possible to do in Windows.

All major programs also quickly found online. Firefox, Skype, KeePass, XnView, Libre Office and others created a familiar environment in Ubuntu - just as it was before. The transition from the windows of Windows to the windows of Ubuntu was so easy that even his wife did not cause the new OS and minimal rejection. We were satisfied.


Parting words and afterwords


If you also want to return the pre-installed Windows and get compensation for it, I will give you some tips.

Read the theory - OS license, manufacturer information and consumer protection laws.
What you envision, and how legally things really are, can be very different.

Get acquainted with the practice - the experience of people in your specific region.
The ease of returning the OS (and a similar opportunity in general) is affected by local laws, local manufacturers rules and historical traditions. Pre-prospecting will save you money and nerves, and also allow you to avoid a lot of prints from a rake on your forehead.

My experience with this particular company is applicable in any country.
Acer itself does not impose restrictions on where the laptop should be purchased. So at least one path you already know. Of course, the price of a parcel, for example, from Europe to America is unlikely to be repulsed by the amount of the return. But I assume the presence and more close service centers. Yes, even just for the sake of the common good cause it is worth it.

The return of Windows is a matter of personal and social importance.
Personally, you get a nice amount of money. And for society as a whole, you are doing a number of useful things: you destroy the monopolization of the OS market, you stimulate companies with good service, you stop imposing extra goods and services. All this is sure to reflect in a positive way on your future life in the local community. Although, maybe you have already started the tractor and you do not care?


For me personally, the process was positive. Yes, I had to wait a bit for a laptop. Yes, I had to spend time reading the forums and communicating with support services. But in the end everything turned out, and even without too much trouble. Plus $ 50 left for surfing class or new sneakers - not yet decided.

I hope that for you, dear readers, information about this experience will be useful.

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/232581/

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