People ask me all the time for recommendations on where to get a new computer.  I must admit that it had been getting harder and harder to recommend the big manufacturers.  I service hundreds of clients, hundreds of machines.  In the last few years the quality of manufacture of consumer computers has deteriorated markedly.  The major players put all sorts of problematic software on people's machines, even going so far as to install spyware for you.

But even worse has been the quality of tech support.  I like to see people enjoy their computers.  The goal of my own computer business is to see my clients happy with their computers and enjoying their computing experience.  The big computer manufacturer's have made my job very, very difficult in that regard. 

Tech support has been routinely sent overseas, not a bad thing in and of itself.  However, often clients find it difficult to hear or understand what a technician overseas is saying.  Tech support has become very scripted, and the customer's problem is increasingly either not understood, or these companies are busily pointing the finger of blame to other companies so they don't have to service you. 

You can almost bet that if it is possible to shift the blame to Microsoft, or the manufacturer of the CD's you are trying to burn, etc., tech support from the major companies will attempt to do so.  Even where it is determined that there is a hardware issue on your relatively new computer, you will have to ship the computer back to the manufacturer for repair, or take it in to the store where you bought it, and they will usually wipe your hard drive - perhaps without even warning you of that fact.  Your machine will come back fixed and working, but you will have lost all data and programs you had installed on it.

This has been a very frustrating state of affairs for me and for my clients.  I have recommended machines that are good, only to find a year down the road that they are not so good anymore.  As a result I stopped recommending any of the major players in the computer industry.  It is my opinion currently that none of them turn out a decent computer at the consumer level, and they should not be supported in any way until they handle their quality issues.

This being the case, I went in search of answers to this dilemma.  I simply had to have some kind of answer to give to my clients when they asked me what computer they should buy.  I did find an answer.  It may not be the only answer out there; there may be local shops that do a good job of building computers and servicing them - the problem is I don't know about them.  I got a recommendation for an online shop from a member of our forum.  I took a look at their website.  I was astounded to find that they used almost the exact same parts I had chosen to build my own machine!  I was very interested!  I emailed the owner of the site, explained my problem to him.  I told him I wanted to build a relationship with some company who I could send my clients to for computers where they would get quality machines and be well serviced.  That person was Russell Sullivan of Tasty Computers.

Since then I have had many clients purchase computers from Tasty Computers and I have set them up.  They are great machines, I even bought one for my daughter.  I don't generally buy machines, I have always built them myself, because then I could get the parts and the quality I wanted.  Well I trust Tasty Computers to do that for me.  In addition to the machines themselves, I have had a chance to watch first-hand the personal care given to each customer by Russell.  Frankly, it has been many years since I have seen service of this caliber from any company in any field. I know with Tasty Computers that my clients will be well taken care of and will enjoy the relationship they have with the folks who built their machine.

Russell has also offered a special discount to members of Computer Haven, you'll find that coupon to the right.  I didn't want to make this just an advertisement.  I wanted you all to know how I arrived at this recommendation.  I don't do advertising on this site, and I do not foresee that I ever will.  This is not an advertisement, this is a heartfelt recommendation.  I am posting this in response to a real need that my clients have, and that many of you have.  I really do want to see folks enjoying computing.  And with Windows Vista now available, it is going to become even more fun! 

I get no kickbacks, commissions, incentives or anything from Russell.  Had he offered any, I would have declined.  No one owns my opinions, I support vendors who are good as long as they are good.  My loyalty is to my clients and to computer users all over who just want to use and enjoy their computers. - Patty MacDuffie