DfE Covid device - buy back scheme

[Rosscobaby]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section.

 

Does anyone know of a "buyback scheme" for the DfE devices?

 

thanks,

 

Ross

[Brax]

Hi Ross,

 

Do you mean buyback scheme as in the DFE take the devices off your hands? If so then no they were purchased just to give to schools and because they're poor spec wise you'll find no one will want them sadly apart from maybe another school that desperately needs them.

[LeMarchand]

Given the spec on them, you'd probably have to pay people to take them off your hands!

 

More seriously, some places do give credit for laptops. I think HP still offer money off new kit. I did get an email recently offering money off if returning DfE devices, but I'm pretty sure no-one got the Surfaces that the email mentioned.

[DrBeaker]

The spec is atrocious. Wouldn't give you £30 for the devices.

 

Generally non-repairable as well.

[Aprice]

The worst of it is that a lot of our customers have now added these devices to their domain and bought trollies for them.

 

The user experience is terrible, they consume so much time to support and it's created a cost centre when they eventually get around to replacing them. Staff are now used to having the resource and we can't now get rid of them. Not sure where they fit on the replacement schedule either, there the newest devices but the worst on the network!

Multiple times a day we have students arriving with full disks!

The really irritating factor is that most of them never even went home to students, Complete waste of money!

 

Argggh!!!

Edited September 28, 2022 by Aprice

[Protec]

Into the bin...

[DrCheese]

The worst of it is that a lot of our customers have now added these devices to their domain and bought trollies for them.

 

The user experience is terrible, they consume so much time to support and it's created a cost centre when they eventually get around to replacing them. Staff are now used to having the resource and we can't now get rid of them. Not sure where they fit on the replacement schedule either, there the newest devices but the worst on the network!

Multiple times a day we have students arriving with full disks!

The really irritating factor is that most of them never even went home to students, Complete waste of money!

 

Argggh!!!

 

I feel your pain. I've had to buy some trollies for them. Whilst we've triaged the good ones, warned departments that we're not replacing them when they die & kept a fair amount of spares (For repairs) I know they're going to cause me massive headaches down the line when they really can't cope anymore. They struggle as it is.

[Guest Guest]

The majority of ours never went out to the kids.

 

We’re currently using some of the HP/Dells for kids with dyslexia/dyspraxia and they seem to work ok

 

The Geobooks are dumped in storage waiting to get the ok to recycle

[Rosscobaby]

Thanks, everyone. I ran into similar problems at my old place, we used them to plug a hole and they are now a ticking timebomb for the next IT Manager.

Fortunately, at my new place, they barely used any even though they had mostly ok HPs. So I've now got a cupboard of BNIB laptops that we could do with getting rid of.

[TIOAOA]

Whoever signed off on these devices should be held accountable. Oh wait its a government thing so the only accounts that matter are the ministers friends who won the contract

[HarkNowHear]

Sounds like a lot of people had back luck with their batches of devices! We've bought trolleys and put ours to use back in the academies, with a limited number still used to help those without devices at home. Some of the higher spec devices have also been issued to LSAs etc.

[DrBeaker]

Whoever signed off on these devices should be held accountable. Oh wait its a government thing so the only accounts that matter are the ministers friends who won the contract

 

Thanks, everyone. I ran into similar problems at my old place, we used them to plug a hole and they are now a ticking timebomb for the next IT Manager.

Fortunately, at my new place, they barely used any even though they had mostly ok HPs. So I've now got a cupboard of BNIB laptops that we could do with getting rid of.

 

Clearly no-one in schools apart from IT support understand device/endpoint lifecycles -

 

 

DfE laptop firm profits soar by nearly 50% to £207m

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-laptop-firm-profits-soar-by-nearly-50-to-207m/#:~:text=Pre%2Dtax%20profit%20leapt%20by,performance%20has%20exceeded%20all%20expectations%20%E2%80%A6

[Chclark]

Hp £100 to £150 per device you send back depending on product purchased.

[CyBeRkId2002]

I am slightly relieved that other schools have the same experience as us. Geobooks in particular have been nothing but trouble and after having so many issues with them even booting we have had to write them off as unworkable/sustainable! HP's are faring a little better and are at least useable as a resource in our library.

 

Fortunately most primaries in our trust opted for iPads!

[Chclark]

We never got the option of iPads just a windows Toshiba tablet which where shocking worse then the Geo's. The Geo's where the first things that went. The Dells are the best survivers and the HP's. The Toshiba next but batteries seem to be packing in on them. The new lenovos that came last seem to be fairing ok but have had a few that have just died no charge light and won't switch on.

[3s-gtech]

We never got the option of iPads just a windows Toshiba tablet which where shocking worse then the Geo's. The Geo's where the first things that went. The Dells are the best survivers and the HP's. The Toshiba next but batteries seem to be packing in on them. The new lenovos that came last seem to be fairing ok but have had a few that have just died no charge light and won't switch on.

 

My experience of recent Lenovos - try popping the base off and pulling the battery off, then reseating it. Has fixed charging issues for me.

[Chclark]

Unfortunately I've tried this after seeing it said online. So have a few of the non touch model sat on the side luckily the touch version hasn't developed that fault.

[LeMarchand]

Currys are offering "Cash for Trash": https://www.currys.co.uk/services/delivery-installation/recycling.html

[Fazza]

Currys are offering "Cash for Trash": https://www.currys.co.uk/services/delivery-installation/recycling.html

 

So a £5 off voucher for Currys for each laptop then.

[HarryMonkey]

So a £5 off voucher for Currys for each laptop then.

 

No. One voucher per customer. You also have to spend at least £25 when redeeming your £5

 

This offer is limited to one voucher per customer and not the quantity of products recycled.

Edited October 3, 2022 by HarryMonkey

[Fazza]

No. One voucher per customer. You also have t spend at least £25 when redeeming your £5

 

So a £5 off voucher for a joblot of laptops - sounds like a great deal!

[LeMarchand]

Just get a different member of staff to take each one in!

 

I think I should have put a after my first post on the subject...

[ITGuyNW]

We had a mix of HP and Dynabook and they have faired well except pupils took them and never brought them back! Still 45 outstanding from last year...

[Disease]

We ended up with the Acer Travelmate Bs and I have to say they have been brilliant, we put a light image on them with just essentials such as Office Etc, battery lasts all day reasonably fast.

 

Most of our allocation though we took as iPad around 250 of them.

Edited October 3, 2022 by Disease

[robjduk]

Do you guys remember Covid right and how no one could get anything? The laptops were to support students at home yet seems like most of you laughed at the spec and claimed them for classrooms. Get your houses in order before you complain about things.