To be fair, our local retailer could have done the repairs, but we would have had to pay for it out of pocket, and our pockets just aren't that deep. If you have to ship your equipment somewhere for repairs, it will be down for a minimum of four working days, and likely much longer. If you can get work done locally, find out how quickly it takes the local repair shop to respond. We've had technicians flatly tell us that they're too busy and won't be able to help us any time soon. Grill your retailer about their past relationship with the manufacturer of your equipment.
Different manufacturers have different development priorities.
The answers you receive to any of these questions may cause you to rethink your buying strategy, but our experience suggests that any extra work you have to do is definitely worth it in the long run. I'm honored to announce that we've added a new column to our current line-up. If you're into Linux, or if you're interested in a stable, powerful 32-bit operating system that won't cost you a dime, you'll want to make Terry's column a regular part of your month.