Dealing with electronic problems in Seminyak Bali

My new laptop replaced an older, heavier model which got fried during 3 years in Bali. The mother board is toast and I think my Stavol (voltage regulator ) could be the reason.

Seminyak gets a much more unstable electricity supply than Kuta and the surge can cook electronic equipment. My first item on today’s list was a new Stavol. Riding down to Matahari department store on Kuta Square I went to the gorund floor, the lpac I picked up the last one. A young lady directed me to the 4th floor, where I found no Stavol, but many plug adaptors.

Ace Hardware in Kuta Galleria was the next stop, surely they would have one. Nope, only huge ones, that were way out of my league. Asking around I was tipped that Discovery mall on Jl. Kartika Plaza might have one. On the 3rd floor is a big electrical store and they had 2 Stavols. I chose the more expensive one that and paid 211,000rp. Excited to get to work I got home and plugged the thing in. A loud whine like a doorbell constantly sounded. Inspecting the device I saw there were scratches on the face and the underside looked used.

Back in Tuban and ready for a brawl, I slapped the Stavol on the counter and told the staff it was no good. They told me I could swap it for the other one, which I tested inside the store, but could not get a price refund (211,000 vs 121,000rp). I picked up some other tools for the rest instead. I think that is pretty standard in Indonesia, they will not give you your money back but will allow you to take other goods. I was okay with that as they admitted the Stavol was junk.

Back at the house I had some internet connection problems and finaly figured out that the antenna on the roof was losing connection because the bulky plug connecting into the Stavol kept leaning out. Solution: a stack of old books.