FAQs
- What types of customers have you worked with?
1) Dell laptop power issues. A lot of Dell laptops have a chip communication between the motherboard and the adapter. If this fails, it can cause part or all of the power part of your system to fail, whether it be the motherboard, power control chip, power jack or the adapter cord. 2) HP Pavilion DV series laptops. The video chip on the motherboard on most of these computers is not well-connected due to a manufacturing issue. There are some things we can do to delay big problems in that department, but if you have one, check in to the class action lawsuits against HP. 3) Virus damage. We do a lot of virus removal processes and we can often ferret out the problem with out specialized programs, but a virus that remains in your system too long can cause the programs in your computer or the operating system itself to become corrupted beyond use. Overnight you could lose your access to the Internet, your pictures and other media, or even any part of your system. Some of these viruses are bad enough that they can actually physically damage your hardware. If you do not protect your computer or get your virus issues taken care of in a timely manner, your repair could easily become a question of $100+ dollars. Stay protected.
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
A few bits of advice: 1) Certifications are good, but they can be misleading. A good tech may not have a certification, but can certainly fix your computer! Similarly, some techs with certifications are not very good at ferreting out the problem. 2) Make sure you are not paying for a name. Certain geeky service providers and PC service companies have built up a name for themselves and charge you an arm and a leg for service because they can afford to turn away people who don't want to pay the price. 3) Understand that repairs will cost you some money and may not be entirely feasible. If a tech tells you he can't or that it will cost more, ask them if you can get a price hold while you check it out. If you find a better price for the service or information on how to do it, ask if you can get it discounted. 4) Make sure to ask where you can put in a review and spread the word about their service and prices. Little businesses thrive on social networking, online presence, and word of mouth. Small budgets mean small advertising. If they did a good job, let the world know. Similarly, check out companies that you are considering online and see how they respond to reviews before you go in. Ask around to see if people know them and how reliable they are. It is a 2-way street. 5) Make sure that you know as much detail about your devices as you can before you come in. Find the make and model printed or stickered on the device. Make sure the product keys for all of your software are available. If you have a laptop, bring the adapter in case a universal won't work. Become knowledgeable about what you have and then talk to techs about it with details so that they can quickly figure out where to get started with your device. 6) Don't be afraid to ask questions, and don't be surprised if certain details are not discussed with you. Techs want to help you. That is why they do what they do, but they also have to maintain some trade secrets. A company is likely to happily inform you that they can get you a 500 gb Scorpio Black 2.5" Internal Laptop Hard Drive Disk for your notebook computer for $80.00 and what other options there are, but they are not liekly to tell you what they pay for them or where they get them from. 7) Don't try to compare online prices for ANYTHING with what you get in a store or through a repair service. They are 2 different worlds and have a massive chasm between them.