The most honest store seems to be Torrance Computer Repair. Good for them!!
found by Aric Mackey
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This type of crap is in any repair industry. I work at a car shop and a transmission shop said that since we had replaced a radiator with transmission lines going to it, we had let the lines leak, and it wasn’t his fault that the man’s transmission failed (he had replaced the transmission earlier). Well before the transmission became dead, the owner had checked the fluid level 1 day before and it was full, which was weeks after we had replaced the radiator.
In ten to fifteen years everyone will have cheap throwaway laptops from China. It’s really sad to see honest mom and pop shops close down because of a government backed box store being built near them. I try to support the honest locals as much as I can.
Fucking crooks. At my shop, we call that a quick fix charge. Cost $15.
I have seen much abuse like this, techs who think the answer to all hardware issues is replace the motherboard, or if its a minor software problem, wipe out and reinstall OS. Instead of addressing the software issue. A lot of inexperienced kids in this field.
True on all counts…
But arnt the Techs TAUGHT this?? buy the Big corps and companies??
Buyer BEWARE isnt my moto…
YOU are supposed to know MORE THEM ME.. Just be HONEST.
It’s really sad when you hear of people getting ripped off by computer repair guys. its not really that the workers don’t know what they are doing (which is the case sometimes) but it is just the fact that most people wouldn’t know the difference. If you don’t know anything about the thing you are repairing you only have two choices, learn it yourself or have someone else do it. Now whether or not they are ripping you off is another question
One of the first things you do when a computer is seriously malfunctioning is check all of the cable connections.
And #5, don’t be a jerk. There are many computer illiterate people out there. That’s no reason to take advantage of them. I’ve seen cases where the HDD ribbon cable is loose because someone didn’t plug it in right. Us guys who are computer literate should give the computer illiterates a break. And you can’t use software to analyze a problem when the HDD is not connected. DUH!!!!!
#7
I would never recommend a jerk like Bruce M Lloyd (#5). I truly feel sorry for his customers.
#5: An IDE cable being unplugged is not parallel to a car running out of gas.
Here’s a an example. On certain models of Ford Taurus, the switch that actuates the brake light is attached to the shaft of the brake pedal. If it comes unplugged (through being accidentally kicked or whatever – happens quite a bit), the car will not come out of park (must use the brake to shift from park). So… just as in the computer case, the car starts, but cannot be used. Should this person be taken for “all he’s worth”, or should he be treated fairly by a competent technician who does his job?
Your computer turns on but gives an error message so it must be… the power supply, that’s it! Sort of like if your car starts but won’t shift into gear it just has to be your starter. Or you flip the light switch and your compact florescent starts flickering, it’s obviously the switch, not the light
Yup, really makes sense to me…
If I have a problem, I call up Google! I am semi-literate with computers, and am always learning more. How in the hell could someone think it was a power supply if it actually said in the start up there was a disk drive failure? Tsk tsk, more bad PR for Geek Squad.
Reference the ‘Geek Squad’, maybe this is more accurate
(from Websters)
Main Entry: geek
Pronunciation: ‘gEk
Function: noun
Etymology: probably from English dialect geek, geck fool, from Low German geck, from Middle Low German
1 : a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
J/P=?
#5 that’s the most inane bullshit I’ve heard today. Why are techies such dicks?
I’m 18 and repair computers quite a bit. I put up fliers around the neighborhood with my contact info and what I do. People call me and I check and diagnose the problem for free. If that’s all I do, in most cases they end up paying me just because they feel they should. If I do have to repair it, I charge from a merely $25 to normally $100-150. I do the driving to get to their place.
But I never B.S. something and make up problems and add onto what ‘could’ be wrong. Although, in many cases you can’t pinpoint the problem to a single device. It could be anything. Pretty sad the bigger guys screw over the little guys, but it works out better for me, because people trust me and know I’m not lying.
Computer repair is just the new generation of crooked auto repair.
Whats new in a world of price gouging. Before recent centuries you were hanged or shot for attempting business like this.
Look at China today, corruption = death. Maybe all countries should start this.
Yes, #5, U were absolutely correct in stating that U are ‘ sorry ‘.
It’s not every day that I see a person flame themselves in their own posting as U did.
Even of U had not stated it, Ur posting is that of of a person whose actions prove them to be a ‘ sorry ‘ person indeed.
Please let us know the location of Ur shop so that we and our family and friends won’t ‘ waste ‘ Ur time ( nor ours ) by bringing in any items to be repaired by such a self admitted ‘sorry ‘ person as U.
Allen McDonald, El Galloviejo®.
I don’t blame the big box stores for having minimum charges…no one is forcing you to go there for your repair, and it keeps them going with bigger repairs that are more expensive.
As far as the video, it seems as if the ‘journalist’ was looking for a fight with the guy that he knows can’t fight back…I didn’t see him going after the big box store that misdiagnosed it, did he? Seems like he was looking for a confrontation and he got one.
Yet more proof that these ‘journalists’ are more about the fight than actually righting some wrong.
Just think of all the money I’d be out if I had to hire #5 to maintain my network (6) including notebooks (3), my Father’s network (3) and my daughter’s computers (2). Admittedly it does take a lot of my time but hey, they’re family and I just do it for free. Occasionally, I get a great dinner out or a home cooked meal and most rewarding of all, satisfied customers. Honesty is (darnit) tough to come by these days at many repair shops from cars to computers.
[Shameless plug] If you ever have HDD problems, check out Steve Gibson’s Spinrite at http://www.grc.com. It’s saved my machines’ invaluable data several times.
#3, Mark, way to go!!
#11, Gwendle, keep that learning goin’, it sure pays off and you won’t have to deal with folks like #5!
Excellent video!
We have the same problem a bit all over the world. The thing is, IMVHO, people who work with computers want to make a decent living, like all of us. But with outsourcing and all, one of the few things that can’t realistically be outsourced is repair. So we may see a tendency for prices to go up in this sort of work. Fraud is inexcusable, of course, but most of these shops workers have little to no training, and are out to make as most as they can. I wouldn’t charge for a loose ribbon cable (but would ask if anyone had been joking with the customer). But I wouldn’t reinstall Windows, Office etc, for free. And many people still think this work should be done for free.
The best choice, as usual, is to find someone you know who is knowledgeable about computers to fix it, and then give him/her a few bucks for their trouble.
I see one probelm with Corps and companies, and LESS with the smaller places.
That the BOSS’s are getting paid ALOT more then those ont he bottom that do the work. MOSt of these folks at the front desk MIGHt be getting $10 a hour, Just out of school, and probably a geek with alittle knowledge. And if they screw up and FRY the mobo, the Head come out and says, “your system was failing, and we couldnt stop it”.
RULE 1.
THE BASICS FIRST.
check the BIOS, and KNOW what you are reading. It dont lie, and it will tell you IF there is a hardware error/failure.
OPEN IF’, BIG IF’, Needed.
Max its a 20 min job to find the problem.
After that, its MOSTLY software, and utilities to find whats wrong.
Virus scan, Anti BOT, clean the reg, THEN see what is happening.
turn off ALL the startup programs and wasted programs, and a general cleanup of CRAP.
IF the system survives, THEN do the updates from MS, IF’ needed/wanted. Then check for hardware drivers, and updates.
Run all the checks AGAIN…
I see more software incompatibility, then anything ELSE. trying to install DX9 on Win95/98 is FUN and messes alot up.
I WARN, people about Playing on the internet, and try to scare them. I wanr about Everything I can. Toolbars, trackers, Adverts…MSN, Yahoo, and the rest…And what they CAN/WILL do to a system. NOT to load up programs at startup.
Its a challenge, and mostly fun job.
And I do MOST of my work FREE. DONT call me unless you want to pay my travel expencies.
I repair for friends, coworkers, and family for cost of parts plus a few beers (or java depending on the time of day) and all I ask is that they watch and learn. The next time they have a similar problem they either fix it themselves or have me come watch them fix it.
#14, #20, #21, good job. You can save yourselves a lot of drive time if your client’s machines have broadband internet and support M$ Remote Desktop Connection (XP Pro, XP Media Edition, or Vista Pro). Using an outstanding (and free) product, Hamachi, you can VPN directly to a client’s machine from home and diagnose all kinds of simple software problems. Because it uses AES-256 encryption, I use it on my home network and never worry about wireless security (be sure to use WPA encryption and strong password on all wi-fi routers).
Maybe this will save you some time and money:
https://secure.logmein.com/products/hamachi/
I could see tech assuming that the IDE cable had come loose during transport to the store, and since he found no other problems, taking a stab at the power supply. Power supplys do fail quite a bit.
On the other hand, what kind of computer shop doesn’t stock replacement power supplies.
#5 – brucemlloyd
“…if you did it, and were stupid enough to take it to a shop to fix, don’t complain if the guy behind the counter is going to take you for all your worth.”
“Sorry if you came in to my store and I saw this, I’d charge you 500$ for wasting my time.”
Lemme guess… on your voter’s registration card, there’s an ‘R’, isn’t there?
23,
depending on WHO made the system, there are 3-4 FORMS/shapes and connector plugins..
2 of them can cover 80% of the market.
#7, 8, 9, 13, 16, 18, & 24,
#5 strikes me as the kind of person who thinks just because he knows a little more about a specific subject, that makes him better. Anyone knowing less then him is obviously an idiot worthy of scorn. It is quite possible that he has gone through life being bullied for whatever reason.
My wife, the RN, has noted how many short physicians treat nurses and indeed patients and family, with scorn and contempt compared to taller physicians. Nurses refer to it as “Short Doctor Syndrome”. I wonder how much #5 fits the same mold.
What, $59 to put a cable back on is a ripoff too?
How many people run a business or know what a minimum charge is. The guy that did it for nothing is a nice guy but will get all kinds of pains in the asses coming in with their f***ups hoping for a freebie.
#27, dwright, I’ve run a successful business for more than 25 years, and giving away an occasional “freebie” results in repeat biz and a sense of goodwill between myself and my customers, When a research colleague calls me for help or an old telescope customer needs some assistance, I frequently don’t charge the $150/hr rate. Forgive me, but your remark sounds like many greedy doctors and lawyers I’ve had the displeasure to meet who seem to think their time is more valuable than God’s. Running a successful business is not all about money, but that’s just me. Good luck, I encourage you to meet with #5.
28. Exactly my philosophy, and guess what, it works. But there does have to be a line drawn. I do get a lot of phone calls from people who just have a “quick question”.
#29, mark, you are correct. But with experience, it’s usually (not always) easy to tell those who want to take advantage of you and those who could become good customers.
I love to places that just BURN and re-install…no matter the problem.
1. They INSTALL over the OS and think it will solve the problem. And if you look, 1/2 your software LOST the REG entries…
2. The WIPE it all off, and destroy all the familyt pic, music data, that too years to collect.
3. How many of you know how long it takes, to run ALL the updates from MS, Then make sure it has Anti virus and Anti bot protection…6+ hours?? Unless you have a RECENT burn of windows.. Try it with win 98, 2000…
Then Add MS OFFICE…
NOW try to explain any of this to someone…Thank GOD I have a Highspeed connection.
Minor little things, I will do, and maybe even discuss with the computer owner. I will even do diag for them…
BUT, I want them to watch…Learn, and KNOW that it takes alittle time.
Then teach them HOW, to make Sure this dont happen.
WHO hasnt had ALL the problems, in all the years of playing with computers. Knowing WHEN to ditch and start over. More then 20-200 RE-installs on ALL the old computers we have had.
Who remembers the Old fact….If you MOVe the computer, you WILL have to redo Everything… those Old HD heads were a misery.