November 13th, 2007
Buying the XO laptop: The shipping may sting
For folks used to getting free shipping the XO Laptop from the One Laptop Per Child program will deliver a bit of a surprise.
I purchased two laptops from the OLPC program for $399 and got hit with $24.95 in shipping. That sum means that if you partake in the give one, get one program by the OLPC you’re really spending $423.95 for two laptops.
Why am I buying? First, I’m curious to see if the OLPC project can pull this off. Second, I want to see how my 4-year-old daughter works with the XO. Finally, it’s a good deed. But there are reservations. Support, as Richard Koman, notes, is minimal at best. And the logistics are likely to have kinks. Shipping falls under the logistics banner. It wasn’t clear what the shipping tally covers–and since I’m used to free shipping I have no clue what a correct rate looks like. Is the shipping cost for the laptop that’s donated to a needy child and the one I get? Or is $24.95 just for the laptop sent to my house?
The terms posted by the OLPC don’t really outline the shipping costs and the breakdown. The OLPC does note that you may not get your XO in time for Christmas.
I’m not griping, but that shipping charge is hefty–especially if you’ve been spoiled by free shipping. Then again, the OLPC probably doesn’t get volume rates since it is just beginning to manufacture the XO.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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