Warranty assistance for Nebula Gold computers
Dell is our preferred vendor right now, and purchasing new systems from Dell seems to work well for most folks, for a couple of reasons:
- Due to our volume, our prices are good. Nebula has negotiated pricing that is about 5% below the low prices that the overall University of Washington community enjoys from Dell.
- The Computer Maintenance Group on campus is licensed to do Dell repair work, so all computer related problems can be forwarded to Nebula Support, and we'll bring CMG in as needed. Because of this, response from Dell is very good, and our techs are not on hold waiting for help.
- Dell has opened their database to our engineers, so we're able to extract information such as system configuration and warranty expiration dates, which we can then easily provide to our clients.
- We're able to reinstall the Nebula software suite quickly, because we manage a set of Dell-model-specific "images" or snapshots.
There are times, however, where you may find another vendor more suitable to your needs. For example, notebooks are very personalized items, and so we respect your decision to buy something else. In these instances, the system's owner will necessarily be more involved if there are problems, since we won't have the type of extensive relationship with the vendor that we have developed with Dell. Also, CMG has stated that they're unable to provide warranty assistance for these systems, even on a fee basis, as they are only currently licensed to provide warranty work for Dell equipment.
If the problem seems simple, Nebula Support may be able to fix it. If it involves reinstalling the Nebula software suite, this will usually take a couple of days. We cannot maintain a library of up-to-date images for every possible make and model, so the software will have to be installed from scratch. If it seems hardware related or difficult to diagnose, you will probably have to contact the vendor yourself, since you will have all the information to prove warranty coverage, as well as details about the problem. This additional support burden on your end may be a consideration in future purchases.
You'll need to order the equipment from the vendor yourself, and we suggest that you get a 3 or 4 year warranty, as all Nebula Gold computers are required to be under warranty.
