Computers & Networking

[worldrom88]

i wanted to buy a toshiba laptop from bestbuy union landing and i asked the bestbuy guy in-charge a question if the toshiba laptops would work outside of the u.s. (220-240v).  he said it wouldn't work.  why is that?  i've owned 4 toshiba laptops already and i've used all of them outside of the u.s.

i asked him if he was sure, he said he's an expert there and he knows his business.  i asked if i can see the documentation or even the power block so i can see the ratings at the back, he didn't want to because he said he's so sure that laptops bought in bestbuy are 110 volts only.   and if i need to use the laptop outside of the u.s., i would need to bring a power converter.  how jurassic is that?! 

can you clarify if toshiba laptops would work outside of the u.s.?  i bet he also doesn't know that the u.s. is probably the only country using the 110 volts.

on a side note, after i've given up, he led me to the compaq area, he said i should just buy the compaq. hmmmm i think there's something fishy going on there.  might be commission? 

help please. thanks.

[Jacob-BBY Community Web Planner]

Hey worldrom88,

Most laptop AC adapters take the voltage they get and drop it down to what your laptop needs.  Just like your experience.  If you provide me with the model I can check to confirm this is true for this laptop.

Welcome to the forums!

[worldrom88]

Thanks for the quick reply, Jacob.  Please check the following models if they have auto-volt (100-240V):

Toshiba - Satellite Laptop with AMD Turion™ X2 RM-70 Dual-Core Mobile Processor - Onyx Blue
Model: L305D-S5934 | SKU: 9163772

Toshiba - Satellite Laptop with AMD Turion™ X2 RM-72 Dual-Core Mobile Processor - Onyx Blue
Model: L355D-S7901 | SKU: 9163861

Thanks so much!

[Jacob-BBY Community Web Planner]

Yes, both of these laptops allow a range of voltage between 100-240V.

Toshiba - Satellite Laptop with AMD Turion™ X2 RM-70 Dual-Core Mobile Processor - Onyx Blue
Model: L305D-S5934 | SKU: 9163772

Toshiba L305D-S5934 Specifications

Toshiba - Satellite Laptop with AMD Turion™ X2 RM-72 Dual-Core Mobile Processor - Onyx Blue
Model: L355D-S7901 | SKU: 9163861

Toshiba L355D-S7901 Specifications

Both links are to Toshiba's official website.  If you look under "AC Adapter" it will show you the voltage range.

Hope this helps.  Thanks for posting!

[worldrom88]

Thanks Jacob!!!  I'll buy the laptop later today. 

Have a nice day! 

[Jacob-BBY Community Web Planner]

You're welcome.  Let us know if you ever need anything else!

[Entropy]

Maybe provide the name and store # of that rep here so someone can do something about them?

Not knowing the answers is one thing, this I can expect from people paid as little as a BB employee (if they were more knowledgeable they'd be working a much higher-paying IT job).  Claiming you're an expert and providing wrong information while claiming that there's no possible way you'd be wrong is another.  That employee should be reprimanded for misleading the customer.

Also they should be reprimanded for reccommending Compaq over Toshiba.  Brands come and go frequently quality-wise, but Compaq is pretty consistently at the bottom of the barrel.  When I was in school, I worked in PC sales at the campus store.  The store did carry Compaq (not the decision of ANY of the sales reps), but we would always reccommend other brands and if someone came in asking about a Compaq our first response would be "are you sure".  We also had a repair department and the overwhelming majority of our incoming repairs were on Compaqs.  The one time during my stint where a customer managed to convince us they REALLY wanted a Compaq, it came back a month later for service and the customer was irate.  We avoided selling Compaq for just that reason - it gave us peace of mind that it was far less likely a customer would come back very unhappy.  Since it was a small shop and 3/4 of the employees were also students, it was highly likely we would have future contact with the customer.