A BIOS password is a useful thing. Not only should you keep track of it in the event you decide to upgrade your machine, but you may also need it in order to avoid getting screwed by fraudulent companies like eztradein.com. I mailed them my laptop in exchange for a Newegg gift card. Sounds too good to be true, huh? Well, it is. I received an email about a week later appraising the machine at $0 because it was “Not Working.” By “Not Working” they meant I didn’t give them my BIOS password and therefore they weren’t going to give me any money. To make a long story short, I did some of their work for them and found a workaround (turns out there are many workarounds), including the official Sony Vaio PhoenixBIOS workaround (Knowledge Article C94679). What more could they ask for? I’ve been waiting for several business days now to hear back from them. I’ll let you know what happens. In the meantime, avoid these guys!

Anyone else having a similar experience?

Update Monday, July 3rd 2006, 5:30 PM: After enough persuasion, the company decided to ship the computer back to me free of charge. I’ll be selling this laptop on my own, thanks. I’m upset with Newegg for dealing with these crooks. I’m sure they’re not all bad or else they wouldn’t be in business. P.S. My new digital camera finally came in the mail.