No Laptop November

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"Life is hard, but that's what makes it interesting" - Dad


It's time to break the silence once more! Things did not go as I planned, but it makes for a good story. 

So you're probably wondering... "Toni, what happened? I thought you were coming back?" and to that I would say, I thought the same. I thought that I would get back in my groove and post blog 109 weeks ago!

My simple hardware failure quickly escalated into a complex and costly international shipping disaster.

It all started on November 7th at about 5 AM while I was clacking away on my keyboard, the display for my newly purchased Zenbook S16 decided that it was time to say goodbye.

I made every attempt to reilluminate it by doing the famous "turn-it-off-and turn-it-back-on" trick and confirmed that it was a hardware issue with Asus Helpdesk.

I still held a warranty, which was a relief.

However, I had to send the laptop to the States so the manufacturer could fix it and send it back.

After consulting with a friend, I decided to trust the process, be an adult, and make my way to DHL Headquarters.

Now I will give DHL credit where it is due: they worked their magic and shipped my Zenbook to Arizona in just two days!

The joy from the efficiency faded quickly after my cousin called about the customs fees...

'

The fee was shocking: my laptop was placed on hold for $738.34 in taxes upon its arrival in America.

The root cause? A DHL agent's error. This lapse in data quality led customs to treat my faulty machine as a brand-new import.

I realized there was no path forward after two frustrating weeks of disputes and decided to have my laptop return to Trinidad unrepaired.


Lessons Learnt

1. 🔍 Thou Shalt Verify the Label

Don't trust the process! Ensure your invoice is properly labelled "WARRANTY REPAIR / NO VALUE." If you're shipping to the U.S., confirm they used CBP Form 3311 customs code to be exempted from taxes.

2. 🏥 Thou Shalt Buy Local (For Repair)

Before you buy that laptop, check if your island has an Authorized Local Repair Center (like Lenovo in T&T). If you can't fix it down the street under warranty, it's not worth the international headache.

3. 🛡️ Thou Shalt Over-Prepare

Your laptop will eventually betray you. Invest in backup accessories—a spare screen, a keyboard, external drives. Prepare for failure so smoothly that you don't have to stress about the inevitable.



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