Which computer stores offer the best advice and service?

As if we weren’t already constantly connected, the pandemic has further tethered us to our screens. From board meetings to birthday parties, our computers are more essential than ever.

If you need to replace or add a device, think hard about what you want, what you really need — and especially what you don’t need.

In order to have something to sell to a wide range of buyers, most manufacturers offer a dizzying array of options, with a wide range of capabilities (and price points) within each type.

Start by getting advice from experts. Several websites, including CNET, PCMag, and Wirecutter, provide excellent buying advice, along with useful product overviews. Consumer Reports also rates various models of computers, tablets, printers, wireless routers, and some types of software. And big sellers such as Amazon and Best Buy provide hundreds of reviews by consumers.

You can also seek out advice from salespeople at local stores. Checkbook’s ratings will help you find retailers that employ helpful sales staff. Until March 10, Checkbook is offering free access to its ratings of local computer stores to Inquirer readers at Checkbook.org/Inquirer/Computer-Stores.

If you’re buying a laptop or desktop computer — because there aren’t big differences in track records for reliability among the major brands — compare performance, features, and prices offered by several manufacturers. Once you decide what you want, shop for price. You’ll find only modest price variation for some Apple products and most software. But for most purchases and brands, if you shop around, you’ll encounter substantial price variation among brands and considerable store-to-store price differences for specific models.

When Checkbook’s undercover shoppers surveyed prices at popular online retailers for 36 devices, they found some outlets on average charge as much as 20% more than their competitors for the same stuff. Checkbook researchers most often found the lowest prices by searching on Google Shopping, Wikibuy, and Yahoo! Shopping; at Costco; and at some manufacturers’ direct-to-consumer websites (Asus, Acer, Lenovo, HP, and Microsoft Store).

If you need advice, buy from a store with staff that can help you choose products that will serve you best, help you get started using new stuff, and assist with problems. You also want low prices. Unfortunately, Checkbook found that the lowest prices are mostly offered by online-only retailers. If you need a store with personnel who can offer solid advice, you might have to pay more to get it.

Checkbook’s ratings show how computer outlets were rated by consumers it surveyed. Some stores received very high marks, but others scored dreadfully low. The range of scores for a survey question on stores’ “overall quality,” for example, ranged from less than 40% to more than 90% .

When discussing options with salespeople at stores or reading product descriptions while shopping online, it’s OK to be skeptical. It’s a salesperson’s job to sell you merchandise that the store carries, and the store makes more when you spend more.

The best way to find out whether a product really meets your needs, of course, is to try it. Many stores offer one-month trial periods for hardware, which enable you to return products if you don’t like them. Stores have much less liberal return policies for software. Because policies vary among companies and products, find out how much time you have, and ask specifically about restocking fees that may apply if you return a device after you’ve opened the box.

Although you can save a lot buying used tech vs. new, a lot of the secondhand stuff still comes with big price tags. The stakes can be higher than, say, nabbing a $10 tennis racket. And for computers, smartphones, TVs, and the like, it can be really difficult to determine whether your deal involves a defective product.

Although Checkbook’s view is that buying refurbished devices sold by manufacturers is probably fine, buying secondhand items from other (even well-known) retailers can be risky. You just can’t know where they got their products, or what (if anything) was done to refurbish them.

Whatever you decide to buy, pay with a credit card. The Fair Credit Billing Act and policies of credit card companies enable you to refuse payment made with a credit card for merchandise that is unsatisfactory or undelivered.

Most retailers push extended warranties. Skip buying these plans. While you should buy insurance to protect against risks that could be financially catastrophic — house fires, auto accidents, medical care — you shouldn’t bother paying to cover the risk of paying for repairs or to replace electronics. These policies are fantastic sources of easy revenue for the retailers that hawk them and for the insurance companies that administer them and honor infrequent claims. But they are usually bad deals for consumers.

Delaware Valley Consumers’ Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help consumers get the best service and lowest prices. It is supported by consumers and takes no money from the service providers evaluated.