On the other hand, you have to be careful where you buy locally. I bought some expensive peripherals at Computer City, and within a month, they moved out of the area. Fortunately, I never needed to return them.
If possible, try to hook up with a computer-savvy person (maybe at work?) who can help you diagnose problems. If that's not possible, do as much reading as you can, and try to understand the basic elements in a computer, so you can recognize problems yourself.
Unfortunately, today's tech support is usually a warm body on the other end of the phone who is using a manual (not his/her brain) to diagnose problems.