FAQs

• Why are your prices so much lower than Best Buy and other places?
  • Simple. We can provide you low prices and great service because we don’t have the overhead other places do.
    • We have a small office instead of a massive store or storefront.
    • We only stock a few of the most commonly used repair parts – meaning we don’t have a ton of inventory sitting around that we need to offset the cost of by charging you more.
    • When we perform a system repair, we only charge you our cost for parts (part price, taxes, shipping, handling and any fees) – inotherwords, there isn’t a 20%-100% markup on parts like at some other locations.

• Do you service computers/laptops still under manufacturer warranty?
  • While we do not perform warranty service, we do perform service that is not covered under the manufacturer’s warranty. Inotherwords, if your computer/laptop is infected with malware (which isn’t generally covered under warranty), we can fix the issue for you. Or if you’ve physically damaged your machine (dropped it, spilled something in it, cracked the laptop screen, etc), we can fix that as well – just make sure you don’t have accidental damage coverage first; we don’t want you to waste money paying for a repair that may be covered under your warranty.

• My computer is infected with malware (virus/spyware/trojans/etc). Will I lose my data when you fix these issues?
  • Unless your data files themselves are infected, or your machine is very very severely infected, usually we will be able to save your data. There is a 90% chance we will be able to resolve your malware issues without losing your data.
  • Of course, because we are taking the extra steps to try to ensure your data is properly disinfected and safe, this repair will take longer.

• How long do repairs take?
  • That entirely depends on a number of factors. Some repairs may only take a day or two. Some may take 7-10 days. A few very rare ones will take longer.
    • If your computer is badly infected with malware (and you don’t want us to simply reformat it and reinstall Windows), repair time can be anywhere from one day to ten days.
    • If you bring in a laptop (or certain desktops) with damaged or non-working components, repair time will usually be 3-10 days (from when you OK the part to be ordered), depending on where our supplier is shipping the part(s) from. Our repair parts usually come from warehouses in New Jersey, Ohio, Texas or California. We don’t (and can’t) pick which warehouse a part is shipped from – the parts simply get shipped from whichever warehouse they are stocked in.

• How long will will I be there to pick up or drop off my computer/laptop?
  • Actual time to pick up or drop off a laptop, if you simply walk in, fill out the paperwork and leave, is generally under 10-15 minutes.
  • However, we strongly suggest you allow for 20-30 minutes in office for both dropoff and pickup – here’s why:
    • When you drop off your computer, we want to ensure you have enough time to explain every issue you are having with the computer, and ensure we have enough time to explain everything we will be doing during the repair process.
    • When you pick up your computer, we want to ensure that you leave with no questions or concerns, and that you fully understand the work we have performed, as well as fully understand any tips or advice we may have for you to hopefully help ensure you aren’t returning in a few months for the same repair.
    • We are NOT just here to fix your computer/laptop. We are also here to ensure your use of it becomes easier by ensuring you understand what happened to cause your problem and the best ways of avoiding it in the future.
    • By following these steps, we hope you leave a very satisfied customer – and it helps ensure we’ve fixed every issue that your computer had when you brought it in.
    • Most of our business is word of mouth. By treating you right, hopefully that trend will continue.

• Do you warranty your work?
  • Yes. Our work is usually warrantied for at least 90 days. BUT:
    • Be aware software related issues are NOT warrantied. EVER. For instance, you may bring your machine in for a malware issue, that we will resolve; but we have no control what you install and what websites you will surf when you get your computer home, thus we cannot warranty such issues.
    • Accidental damage or abuse or misuse is not covered. Here’s one of many simple examples: we replace a cracked LCD screen, provide you a 90 warranty on the service and part, and 2 weeks later you crack the new one. That is not covered under warranty. Now, if the screen goes dead in 90 days (and there’s no accidental/intentional damage or abuse), we’ll replace it at no charge.
    • Some very few repairs that we recommend you do NOT do may not be covered under warranty. Those are few and far between though. We’ll advise you up front if that situation applies.

• My laptop jack is broke/loose and the other places I took it to said it can’t be fixed. Why do you claim you can fix them?
  • Most technicians are not experienced in board level repairs, much less trained by IBM on board level repairs. In these cases, it simply means they do not have the knowledge of how to fix your issue (while we, on the other hand, do).
  • Sometimes, a system board is damaged beyond repair when a laptop jack breaks – that requires a motherboard replacement (but this usually only happens in 3% of such cases). If the motherboard is at a reasonable price, we can replace the whole board for you. Some other repair shops don’t want to do this (especially if they have flat rate labor plans like us) because it can take a longer amount of time than regular repairs. We don’t mind the extra work.
  • Some shops, even if they have experienced laptop techs, do not want to spend the time doing board level jack repairs. We don’t mind spending the extra time.

• My computer/laptop has a bunch of things wrong with it. How much will the repair labor be?
  • For everything except a laptop jack repair, repair labor will be $99.99. Really. That’s it. We only have one price. There won’t be any hidden charges because there were more issues to fix than on most repairs. It’s $99.99 for labor (parts, if needed, are of course extra).
  • For laptop jack repairs, the price is $129.99 – that of course doesn’t cover the 3% of people who actually damaged their motherboard (but that’s very very rare).
  • Additional services (non-repair services) are all very decently priced. Additional services generally are not covered under repair labor. Inotherwords, if you bring in your computer for an LCD replacement, and decide you want to get the machine backed up, you will pay for repair labor, and for a data backup. Inotherwords, if it’s part of the repair, you don’t pay extra. You ONLY pay extra for NON-REPAIR-RELATED services that YOU choose to add to your service request.

• My computer/laptop is really old…
  • Can you fix it?
    • Chances are, yes. We can usually get parts even for very old computers or laptops. But, if we don’t think the cost of repair is worth it, we’ll let you know when you call us or walk in the door.
  • But, what if I really need/want it fixed?
    • Then we’ll fix it. We have had customers come in with a laptop or desktop that’s got special software on it that they can no longer obtain (so they HAVE to get their computer fixed), or customers who’ve come in with a really old machine that was once top of the line, and a simple repair and an upgrade will keep it running for them for quite some time longer.
    • We won’t refuse to fix it, but if we don’t think it’s worth the repair cost, we will suggest you don’t. Then you make the decision.
  • If I do come in and you suggest I don’t get it fixed, how much will that cost me?
    • If we’ve done nothing more than evaluate the laptop/computer and tell you it’s not worth the cost of repair, then it will cost you nothing.
  • What if you tell me it’s not worth repairing, but there’s stuff on my computer that I need?
    • Then (assuming your problem isn’t a totally dead hard drive) we can back up your data files (pictures, videos, word processing files, etc) so you can transfer them to another computer.
    • We can’t back up/transfer over your software though (Word, Photoshop, etc). You’ll need your original disks to reinstall those on your new machine.

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