Acer is a brand that is known for making quality electronics. Laptops, monitors, projectors, and more. But with all the different brands on the market, is Acer a good choice?
In this article, we’ll take an unbiased look at Acer’s pros and cons to help you decide if it’s the right brand for you.
Acer is a great brand for those looking for a cheap to midrange laptop, tablet or whatever it is you’re after. They are also one of the most environmentally friendly brands and are working on becoming more sustainable every year.
However, their customer support is very poor and there have been many complaints about this. This is the case with all of these laptop brands though.
Let’s dive deeper into the brand and find out more.
Is Acer a quality brand?
Yes, Acer is a quality brand.
Some of the factors that make Acer a quality brand include its focus on innovative technology, strong R&D capabilities, and commitment to customer satisfaction.
Acer has also been awarded numerous accolades over the years, including being named one of the world’s most innovative companies by Forbes and one of the best laptop brands by Laptop Mag.
They offer a wide array of products that suit all price ranges, so there’s something for everyone.
Acer has you covered whether you’re looking for an ultrabook for on-the-go productivity or a powerful gaming laptop.
One of the primary reasons people prefer Acer laptops is that they offer a diverse selection of products at various price points. In addition, their laptops are known for being reliable and durable, making them perfect for students or busy professionals.
I have an ASUS Vivobook 15 and can’t say enough good things about it. It has an excellent battery life, performs well, and is very light.
The ASUS Vivobook 15 is a sleek and powerful laptop. It offers a great balance of performance and portability. With its 15.6-inch display, it’s perfect for everyday use and the Intel i5 processor and 8GB of RAM make multitasking and running demanding applications a breeze.
The keyboard is comfortable to type on and the battery life is impressive. It’s a great value for the price and is a perfect choice for anyone in need of a reliable laptop.
Is Acer a reliable brand?
I currently own an Acer Predator 24-inch monitor which I never had any issues with. Well, other than a small scratch on the corner of the monitor I accidentally did myself!
As I said above, I haven’t used their customer support, but maybe that goes to show the quality of their products. You can look at it either way. I like to be a more glass-half-full guy either way.
But in my opinion, I would say Acer is a reliable brand.
Acer Vs Asus – Which is better?
There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a laptop, such as price, features, and brand. When it comes to brands, Acer and Asus are both well-known and respected companies. However, there are some differences between their products.
Acer laptops are typically less expensive than Asus laptops, but they may not have as many features. Additionally, Acer laptops sometimes have lower-quality screens than Asus laptops. However, Acer laptops tend to be more reliable than Asus laptops.
Lenovo is another brand worth keeping an eye on as they also build some great laptops and tablets.
Where are Acer’s products manufactured?
Acer employs around 7,467 people globally and operates in 40 countries/territories.
Their products are primarily produced in China, with a few smaller factories in India and Taiwan. This follows a similar trend to other brands in this industry, such as Lenovo or Asus.
Most of them operate in the likes of China and India because it’s cheaper for them to produce their products there than anywhere else due to labor costs/taxation etc. It’s also much easier to scale up production when needed too.
Despite the widespread mistrust of Asian manufacturing as a source of inferior goods, Asia is home to both high and low-quality goods.
Does Acer have good customer service?
Unfortunately, Acer’s customer service for most people is terrible.
They do have a few positive reviews, but most people are unhappy with their customer service. In my experience reviewing brands in this industry, there is a repeating pattern of them not honouring warranties, returns, etc.
Many Acer customers have expressed their dissatisfaction, with one writing that they have documentation proving their product has a two-year warranty. Still, Acer will not repair their 13-month-old laptop with a faulty battery.
Other people have said that Acer’s customer service is unhelpful, unyielding, and not knowledgeable about its products.
Acer does offer a warranty on most of its products, but it can be not easy to get the product serviced if it needs repair.
I own and have previously owned Asus products, but I haven’t had to deal with their allegedly poor customer service, so I can’t offer my personal opinion. However, I reached out to my friend, who I know previously had a bad experience.
My friend had a terrible experience with Acer customer service.
They claimed that her tablet only had a one-year warranty, even though she had proof that it was a two-year warranty.
When she called customer service, she was met with rudeness and a lack of knowledge regarding the product.
My friend was eventually able to get her laptop serviced elsewhere, but it was a huge hassle.
She ended up spending a lot of time on the phone with Acer customer service, and they were unhelpful the entire time.
I hope this doesn’t turn you off, Acer, as I have friends who had a good experience with RMA’s, so it’s not all doom and gloom.
Their items are built to last, so you’re unlikely to need to contact customer support.
What is the returns policy like?
Acer’s return policy is pretty similar to its competitors in this industry and offers a respectable amount of time to return your products.
The following bullet points are for Acer’s official store. If you order from a retailer such as BestBuy or similar, the returns policy may vary for that store so make sure you check it out first!
Here is Acer’s return policy in summary:
- Acer will accept returns for most hardware products within 15 days of delivery for a full refund. However, this does not include the shipping fee you paid in the price.
- After receiving a valid RMA, items must be returned within seven business days.
- All items must be returned in their original packaging, including accessories and manuals. All parts and accessories should be accounted for (e.g., cables, manuals, driver disc), as well as any missing components or extras. Also, the goods must be free of scrapes or damage.
- Once Acer has verified that everything is working ok and there is nothing missing, you should receive your refund within 7-10 business days.
One thing that I don’t like about Acer’s returns policy is that there is a hefty restocking fee on certain products in the higher price range items.
In cases where the purchase price is between $2,999.99 and $4,999.99, the buyer will be charged a 15% restocking fee.
If it was over $4,999.99, it’s a whopping 25% restocking fee.
I find this to be absolutely ridiculous and completely unfair to the customers. I understand why there is a restocking fee, but for it to be that much is completely unreasonable and disrespectful.
It would not be worth returning it if you were going to lose a huge chunk of what you paid for it. If you buy from a different store they will probably have a more respectable returns policy without a restocking fee which is what I would do.
How often does Acer have sales?
Acer has a sales section on their website that you can find here.
They typically update this every week or so with new products that are on sale. They also have sales around the holidays such as black Friday, Christmas, etc, along with random sales throughout the year.
Your best bet for getting the best deals is by signing up to their email list and following them on social media as they post regularly there.
You’ll also find stores such as BestBuy, Walmart, etc will have random sales over the course of the year on Acer products so keep an eye out for those as well.
So a sale that’s on the Asus official website might not be the same on Amazon, so shop around to get the best deal!
What type of budget does Acer suit?
Acer’s products are available in a wide range of price points. For example, you can pick up a standard laptop for around $300 that will work for basic browsing, but not much else. They then offer a huge range of laptops in the mid-range at around $500 to $700.
After that, you’re into the high-end laptops that have fast processors, huge SSD storage, better battery life, etc. Although, if you’re after a gaming laptop you’ll find it hard to beat MSI’s. They are usually much more expensive though.
This applies to all products, not just laptops. So, whether you’re looking for a low-cost or high-end tablet, Acer has a solution for you.
Is Acer a sustainable brand?
Acer is making huge strides in becoming a sustainable brand by improving systems in environmental, social, supply chain management, and corporate governance.
They have won numerous sustainability awards such as The Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index, receiving a Silver Award in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2021, platinum in Taiwan Corporate Sustainability Awards and many more.
They are one of the most sustainable brands out of the likes of Lenovo, Asus, Dell and more.
They have a 147-page document about their sustainability plan from 2020 that you can find here.
Here are some of the goals they have completed thus far in their plan:
- Acer Taiwan generated 3.24 million kWh of solar power in 2020
- Post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics are used in more than 8.8 million devices, accounting for 24% of hardware sales.
- In IT products company operations, 60% of the energy consumption is generated from renewable sources.
- 100% of smelters adhered to/participated in third-party mechanisms for OECD Due Diligence Assistance According
Ultimately, Acer is on track to becoming one of the most sustainable brands compared to their competitors and kudos to them for it. Not many want to sacrifice temporary profits to protect the planet, but Acer is doing that here and has my respect for it.
Is Acer online only?
I tried to find out if Acer has physical stores around the world, but it seems they only have them in Taiwan and other parts of Asia.
They are primarily an online brand and sell on a variety of platforms. You can also order directly from Acer online if they ship to your country, which they should do if you are in the US or Europe at least. Im sure they have other online stores elsewhere too.
You can put in your address here, and it well tell you where the closest physical store is. Otherwise, you can just buy from one of the retailers they are partnered with.
Conclusion
All in all, Acer is a fairly good brand when it comes to laptops, tablets and other products. I’ve owned lots of their products over the years and haven’t run into many issues at all.
Unfortunately, their customer service is quite abysmal should you need it, but this is the case with all these brands such as Asus and Lenovo. I have not needed to use their products which I think shows how good their products are made.
Acer is also one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly brands compared to their competitors.
They are continuously making strides towards improving systems to encourage the use of renewable energy and to reduce, reuse and recycle materials in the production of their products.
Overall, I can recommend Acer and other than their poor customer service, I don’t have too much wrong I can say about them.