The cheapest laptop in South Africa comes with a few nasty surprises
MyBroadband bought the most affordable laptop in South Africa, which cost R1,499, and soon discovered why it was so cheap.
MyBroadband searched for the lowest-priced laptop in South Africa to put it through its paces and assess whether it is worth the money.
We came across the Proline Celeron V116, which Game offered on special for R1,499 as part of a Black Friday deal.
As can be expected for the highly affordable price, the laptop’s hardware specifications were extremely low, with 4GB RAM, a 500 GB hard drive, an 11.6″ HD 1366 x 768 screen, and an N4020 Processor.
The Game website stated that the Proline Celeron V116 came with a one-year warranty, which was crucial, as evidenced by the reviews.
Many people who bought this laptop from Game complained about technical problems with the hardware.
One user said he liked the exterior and its small size. However, it had many glitches, including switching itself off and updating itself about 9 times a day.
Another user said, “I received the laptop today and am very disappointed. I am going to try to exchange it as soon as possible.”
“The laptop only worked for five days, and now it’s just blank. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone,” said one Game customer.
The review section for the Proline Celeron V116 was littered with similar complaints about hardware problems.
“Half the alphabet on the keyboard was not working, and none of the numbers were working,” one reviewer said.
“I went in for an exchange, and the new one, while in the store, couldn’t turn on five minutes after the power was switched on. I opted for a refund,” he said.
Another user complained that he was asked for a password the first time he started the laptop, which caught him by surprise.
“How can a new laptop require a password, but it has never been used before. I’m returning it to the Game in Knysna,” he said.
Bad news about the Proline Celeron V116
MyBroadband decided to put this laptop through its paces to see if it was worth the low price of R1,499. After all, it does not come cheaper than that.
The Game salesperson was friendly and very helpful. She pointed us to the laptop and explained the purchasing process.
However, she paused and said we should take note that the Proline Celeron V116’s warranty comes with a few caveats.
She informed us that the warranty does not cover the laptops’ hardware at all, whether it was the keyboard, screen, or hard drive.
She made it clear that if any of the hardware components on the device fail, it will not be fixed or replaced.
She explained that the Proline Celeron V116’s warranty only covers the software which is installed on the device.
This seemed strange, but considering the complaints about hardware failures associated with this laptop, it was not surprising.
Many returns, which would require hardware fixes or replacements, would cost far more than the profit on the device.
However, this may be in contradiction with South Africa’s Consumer Protection Act (CPA), which dictates an implied warranty of quality.
The CPA states that the distributor and the retailer must warrant that the goods comply with the requirements and standards applicable by law.
It added that the consumer may return the goods to the supplier without penalty within six months after they were purchased and delivered.
The supplier must, at the consumer’s direction, repair or replace the failed, unsafe, or defective goods or refund the consumer.
MyBroadband will review the Proline Celeron V116 laptop and share its findings in a separate article.
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