Computer Repair – Need for a trusted repair company!

computer repair you really need a trusted repair company

Have you or an acquaintance of yours ever been ripped off by a computer repair shop? How often does it happen? You may not see reliable stats on the number of computer repair rip offs, but as an industry insider, I can tell that it does happen, and way too often.

My shameless plug here. At PARKERTECHGROUP we do not rip off our customers. We have seen too many customers come in with broken computers that they had ‘fixed’ elsewhere. It is not fun to give them the bad news and we have seen some pretty mad folks once they learn what happened to them.

Here are a few simple lessons to learn to avoid getting ripped off on your computer repair.

Lesson 1: Talk to multiple shops if possible, beforehand.

One time an older lady brought in her computer because she could not reliably connect to the internet. She lived alone and the grandkids were out of state. It was a machine she used to surf and get pictures of the little ones. She took the computer in to her local computer shop. After a $395 bill she got a souped-up computer back – they had replaced her hard drive, jacked up her memory, and put in a high-speed fan, all in the name of getting a better connection to the internet. They did not touch the problem at all. She talked to them and they stonewalled her, so she asked a friend who recommended us. We fixed the problem for $92. The other shop simply took advantage of her lack of computer knowledge.

If the lady had talked to us and the other shop before authorizing the repair, she could have made a better choice.

Lesson 2: Cost versus Performance – lower cost is not always better.

We often get phone shoppers and we can tell when one is simply looking for the lowest price. It is the same with computer repair as it is with picking a roofer or a mechanic. A low price does not mean they are the best choice. There are a lot of back seat repair guys working out of their house or personal car. Beware of these guys. Here today, gone tomorrow.

We had a customer come in for a machine with the proverbial Microsoft error screen, aka ‘blue screen of death’ on his computer. He had a friend who knew a guy…. Long story short, the guy got the machine to reboot, and charged the customer. The customer goes home and guess what? Blue screen of death. A couple days later he tries to find the guy. Nothing. Then he comes to us. We tell him what we think and what it will probably cost and the he decides to try to find the other guy again because we were more expensive. A week later he is back and we fixed his problem. And he had a warranty on our labor and parts. Plus, he knows how to find us.

Lesson 3: Customer and Computer Repair Shop Relationship

This is the big one! I tell clients all the time – you find, keep, and continue to patronize a good computer company. Its like this, you are careful to pick your doctor, accountant, dentist, and hair stylist/barber. Why is a computer repair guy so different? He is not! At PARKERTECHGROUP, we revel in maintaining relationships for years with our customers, whether they are business or residential customers. Why? Because if we do a good job for you, you will come back and you will refer us to someone else. We don’t have to spend money advertising to get you back. And we get to know you and your computing needs better each time. We become a friend. At our shop, we have folks who have used us for almost 20 years. We have one grandfather, son, and daughter set of customers. We really like that and you as the customer will get a lot of free computer advice too!

Lesson 4: Save your valuable information

In many cases, your pictures, emails, and documents are worth a lot more than the computer itself. Do not take your machine to a shop that does not offer to do a full backup of your machine (for free) before doing any work. You should assume that you could lose it all and it does happen from time to time. We ask that question every time a client brings in a computer for work. If tech doesn’t care about your data, he doesn’t care about you.

If you follow these simple lessons for your next repair situation you will go a long way in reducing your chances of a rip off. With computer prices dropping, it makes no sense to over pay for a needless repair.

If you approach your repair with knowledge and questions, then you can have a pleasant repair experience.

As we approach the end of another year, and what a wild ride it was, many business owners are beginning to review the year to see how things went for
them. How were sales? How did the new product launch go? How did the new location perform?
But how many business owners ask the question “Was my IT company, that I rely on so much, actually productive for me this year?”.
Before we go further, we need to clarify that an IT company that is busy for you is not the same as one that is productive for you. Keep that in mind
as your read this article.
Much of what a good IT company, generally known as an MSP (managed services provider), does is behind the scenes. Good data integrity services like
data backups, replication, security, recovery, and automation are one such hidden task. Other tasks such as remote monitoring and management of your
network 24/7 is another. These services, running all the time, are usually only noticeable when there is a problem or when you see the monthly itemized invoice. BTW: if your IT company does not itemize its invoice, you should really find out why. What exactly are you paying for?
So, if your IT company is doing all this for you, are they productive for you?
Not really. What they are doing is preventative in nature. They are protecting you. And that is very good. But all good MSPs protect their clients.
That is MSP 101. What you need to know is how do they make your business and your IT resources productive?

Here are three things to consider:

  1. Is your MSP a Guard or a Scout?
    A guard is someone who stands vigil, he is preventative. A scout is someone who actively moves around to warn you and to help you take advantage of
    opportunities. Does your MSP scout for opportunities for you? Does he seek out savings on IT or ways to make you more productive. In effect, is he a
    consultant for you. Most MSPs will gladly tell you ways to improve your operations, but you might have to corral them because they are busy.
  2. Is your MSP a Resource or a Pain?
    At PARKERTECHGROUP we have inherited many clients that were burned by their former IT company. Besides these new client being skittish of geeks, we
    have noticed a common experience among them – they felt that the former company did not willingly advise them of issues or opportunities. The phrase
    “like pulling eye teeth” epitomizes their stories. We believe consulting is one of the most appreciated services we provide for our clients. We have
    even answered Christmas present tech questions from time to time.
  3. Is your MSP looking for business for you?
    We can all acknowledge that a business referral is the best means of advertising. It is free and it is trusted by the hearer. MSPs often ask their
    business clients to refer them to others. However, not many refer their clients to other clients or businesses on an active basis. We think that’s a
    shame. And we think that is something you need to think about when looking at your MSP relationship.

There are more than these three indicators that your MSP is productive for you, but these hit the target- opportunistic internally for your business,
communicative when you need their advice, and opportunistic externally with referrals. If your current MSP is not doing well on these three factors,
it may be time for a change.

Related Articles

computer repair you really need a trusted repair company

Have you or an acquaintance of yours ever been ripped off by a computer repair shop? How often does it happen? You may not see reliable stats on the number of computer repair rip offs, but as an industry insider, I can tell that it does happen, and way too often.

My shameless plug here. At PARKERTECHGROUP we do not rip off our customers. We have seen too many customers come in with broken computers that they had ‘fixed’ elsewhere. It is not fun to give them the bad news and we have seen some pretty mad folks once they learn what happened to them.

Here are a few simple lessons to learn to avoid getting ripped off on your computer repair.

Lesson 1: Talk to multiple shops if possible, beforehand.

One time an older lady brought in her computer because she could not reliably connect to the internet. She lived alone and the grandkids were out of state. It was a machine she used to surf and get pictures of the little ones. She took the computer in to her local computer shop. After a $395 bill she got a souped-up computer back – they had replaced her hard drive, jacked up her memory, and put in a high-speed fan, all in the name of getting a better connection to the internet. They did not touch the problem at all. She talked to them and they stonewalled her, so she asked a friend who recommended us. We fixed the problem for $92. The other shop simply took advantage of her lack of computer knowledge.

If the lady had talked to us and the other shop before authorizing the repair, she could have made a better choice.

Lesson 2: Cost versus Performance – lower cost is not always better.

We often get phone shoppers and we can tell when one is simply looking for the lowest price. It is the same with computer repair as it is with picking a roofer or a mechanic. A low price does not mean they are the best choice. There are a lot of back seat repair guys working out of their house or personal car. Beware of these guys. Here today, gone tomorrow.

We had a customer come in for a machine with the proverbial Microsoft error screen, aka ‘blue screen of death’ on his computer. He had a friend who knew a guy…. Long story short, the guy got the machine to reboot, and charged the customer. The customer goes home and guess what? Blue screen of death. A couple days later he tries to find the guy. Nothing. Then he comes to us. We tell him what we think and what it will probably cost and the he decides to try to find the other guy again because we were more expensive. A week later he is back and we fixed his problem. And he had a warranty on our labor and parts. Plus, he knows how to find us.

Lesson 3: Customer and Computer Repair Shop Relationship

This is the big one! I tell clients all the time – you find, keep, and continue to patronize a good computer company. Its like this, you are careful to pick your doctor, accountant, dentist, and hair stylist/barber. Why is a computer repair guy so different? He is not! At PARKERTECHGROUP, we revel in maintaining relationships for years with our customers, whether they are business or residential customers. Why? Because if we do a good job for you, you will come back and you will refer us to someone else. We don’t have to spend money advertising to get you back. And we get to know you and your computing needs better each time. We become a friend. At our shop, we have folks who have used us for almost 20 years. We have one grandfather, son, and daughter set of customers. We really like that and you as the customer will get a lot of free computer advice too!

Lesson 4: Save your valuable information

In many cases, your pictures, emails, and documents are worth a lot more than the computer itself. Do not take your machine to a shop that does not offer to do a full backup of your machine (for free) before doing any work. You should assume that you could lose it all and it does happen from time to time. We ask that question every time a client brings in a computer for work. If tech doesn’t care about your data, he doesn’t care about you.

If you follow these simple lessons for your next repair situation you will go a long way in reducing your chances of a rip off. With computer prices dropping, it makes no sense to over pay for a needless repair.

If you approach your repair with knowledge and questions, then you can have a pleasant repair experience.

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