Home access laptop grant
 

My sister has received a home access grant. Basically this allows her to buy her son a laptop or a laptop with a internet dongle (12 months internet) using a prepaid credit card upto £528.

Great, you might say. Unfortunately you can only buy from an approved stockist - and look at what you can buy.

http://www.homeaccess.org.uk/Computer-and-internet-packages/Find-a-supplier-near-you/Online-and-over-the-phone1/

Most machines are not worth more than 250 quid if you bought them using your own money. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining - a free laptop is better than nothing - but I am shocked at the value the approved suppliers are putting on their packages. Someone, somewhere is making a lot of money. Surely the govt must have assessed what the suppliers are giving away for @ £500.

Has anyone received one of these grants before.

Any recommendations on which laptop she should get?

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

Same old story really. A worthy cause being 'abused' with the equipment provided being second rate and greatly overpriced with the result that the poor old taxpayer will lose out yet again!

Sorry can't help with any recommendations but I'm sure loads will follow.

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

Having dealt with suppliers on Government contracts before (although that was nothing to do with computing), this is, unfortunately, par for the course.

Contractors frequently take the proverbial with what they supply for what they charge.

It looks like this is not different.

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

A great service, unfortunately its sad the middle-man just see's this as an opportunity to rip off the government and us tax payers.
I'd hope that in the current financial climate this is precisely what the government bean counters will be looking out for, chancers who think its ok to screw society, seems to me a perfect example to send into Nick Clegg's website concerning saving money.
On a plus note I'm sure Zing will give his expert advice as to which laptop he'd pick Saaf.

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

He would, if he hadn't left CF :(

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

But surely someone in the govt would have enough it knowledge to say, 'you are extracting the urine'. Don't they look at the offer the contractor has made and review it. Why not just give the person a credit laden credit card for them to use on any laptop?

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

Sadly, it doesn't work like that. They have paper pushers for everything except ensuring value for money! Did you see the recent Dispatches documentary about the MOD's procurement processes? Shocking amounts of money (we're talking £billions here) being wasted due to a combination of ineptitude and all too cosy relationships with certain suppliers......

For anyone who can bear to watch it's here:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/d...s-58/episode-2

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

Too true - its the same in the NHS, procurement staff in bed with suppliers means we get a bum deal :td:

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

You'd think. In fact, they do. What happens (or did in my experience) is that someone spots what is happening. They then report it to their management who make same soothing noises about investigating the problem until the fuss dies down, then quietly forget about it without actually having done something.

In the meantime, the contracts drawn up with the companies do apparently tie some things down quite tightly, but the companies involved work hard to exploit every loophole in the contract they can.

What has probably happened here is that the contracts were probably drawn up a couple of years ago, and these contracts specified both the spec and the price. Both of these would have been OK (if not brilliant) a couple of years ago. The companies will expect the government to stick to that rigidly, as the goverment will.

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

its a free laptop. you're not paying for it. the taxpayers are.
i had to buy my PC and laptop, with my own money.

stop complaining

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

My complaints were made as a taxpayer..

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

To answer your original question, the last one on the list (XMA) is offering a Compaq laptop (Sempron, 1GB ram), Printer, 'dongle' and MS Office for the Grant value (and if you are lucky a 2GB USB stick).
Yes, you could probably get a better deal spending your own money, but in terms of what's being offered that looks a reasonable package.

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

We have had loads of people come in asking us if we can remove software called Netintelligence from these Home Access laptops. Most of them can be removed by the user with a password but those who have no password cant remove it and the laptop becomes useless because Ive looked at the software and it blocks basic sites like facebook, bbc and sometimes even google.

The only way we could remove it was Formatting the whole drive or manually removing every single reg


Will say this as a warning. DO NOT if you can grab one of these free laptops choose the Acer Extensa. Had over 4 of them come in with the same problem, Faulty HDD.

But like others have said these laptops are worth pennies to be fair.

I have no complaints knowing any of my tax money will go towards free laptops for those who are unfortunate and cannot splash out on Internet bills and fancy PC's, IMO every family in the country should have access to a PC and Internet. But again like others have said.. Something is sour about this whole deal. The laptops are in no state to be worth £400+ and needs some real investigation.

Edit- Comet are the ones who sell the faulty Extensa's as far as I've heard

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

As far as I can tell there are quite a few extras thrown in with a lot of these machines. There's 12 months internet, service and support, and there's quite a few that come with Office and other software. All of these would bump the price quite a bit compared to just a bare machine.

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

You pay for the dongle and the internet seperately with the card but all in one transaction.

as for Office... Office trials do not make up the other £200

and Netintelligence causes more problems than it does good but god knows how much it costs retail.

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

It's not an Office trial. Looking at the Zoo Storm (£370)here, the 'bare machine' (i.e. no internet) comes with Office standard, 3 years AV and 3 years parental control, as well as service and support. They may be overpriced, but there is a cost associated with them. And the flip side of it is that if you're going to give these machines to 'the needy', you need to make sure that there is support and some half decent software/ security.

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

My apologies I was talking about the laptops :p:

Actually that machine is close to a decent pricing.

1GB ram may not seem like much but like you have stated the extras add up

Not to mention the 19'' flat screen with built in speakers. Proccessor is a let down but still a decent machine compared to the awful laptops they are handing out.

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

Ah. Perhaps the laptops are worse. I just took a random offer to make the point about the extras. However, looking at the Toshiba L450D (here) at £370, this also comes with office, AV and support. That machine (or similar, I haven't checked the detailed specs) retails at £330 from Dabs.

Re: Home access laptop grant
 

Well with the option of a desktop which you have shown us and this laptop I think its fair to say its the desktop all day. It will last longer, More storage, same speed and you could say better processor not to mention the Monitor as stated above.

The ones ive come accross are months old now so judging by the evidence you have provided there has been a vast improvement from the crap they were shifting months back.

It also seems (Could be wrong) Netintelligence does not come installed with these newer systems.. Maybe they learned from the past.

Still all in all nice to see these laptops/desktops actually coming close to the price tag now.

But thanks for giving me details on the new systems, will come in handy now I know what to expect :)