Alameda Business Machines

Good service.

I have been using Alameda Business Machines (ABM) for about five years now and have never been disappointed. I run a small business that has one location in Alameda and we happen to have eight desktops each with multiple scanners, printers etc. connected to them. Over the years things just fail. ABM has always been quick on their diagnosis, quick with the repairs and fairly priced. I have other business locations in other cities as well so we use other similar companies for our repairs close to our other locations so I have a quite a few experiences and I will say that ABM is far better than any other computer repair business than I have ever encountered. Give them a try, I’m guessing you won’t be disappointed either! Hope this is helpful to my fellow Unilocalers.

I’ve worked with ABM, specifically Michael the owner and his right hand man Jesse, for years and I couldn’t be more impressed. Their responses to my questions and disasters are immediate and they have bailed me out of more issues than I care to admit. I was even in Venezuela once giving a lecture and wasn’t able to get my lecture opened. They saved me and sent me a copy and I was able to give the lecture as scheduled. Their service is beyond excellent! Please ignore the bad review as I think that had to have been an aberration. I wouldn’t think of going anywhere else for any computer needs. They also totally set up my new phone. Additionally, Michael donated a computer to a kid who is the first in his family to go to college. As you can see, I’m a loyal fan of ABM for many reasons.

I’ve built /​assembled a few PCs over the years, so generally thought I knew what I was doing, but my latest effort was a big FAIL. I brought it in to ABM yesterday expecting a big $$$ repair bill — but was very pleasantly surprised — the work was done quickly, the cost reasonable, and looking at the quality of the work — much better than I could have done myself! These guys are awesome!

My 2 year old laptop’s keyboard failed. I took it to Alameda Business Machines for diagnosis and repair. I got a call 2 days later telling me it needed a new keyboard. After one week with no call, I stopped by. I asked the owner why a 2 year old keyboard would fail. He asked me if I had spilled anything on it (I had not). 5 days later I again stopped by to check on my laptop. The part was still on order. Since my laptop was intact I took it home. The clerk did check on a delivery date: ‘in a few days’. I got a call yesterday morning, the part was in. I dropped off the laptop, it was done at 4 PM. When I picked it up I saw the old keyboard and commented ‘there’s not much to it’. The owner/​tech said ‘there is if you have to replace it’, then walked away from me. At home I looked closer at the old keyboard. The flat wiring harness from the keyboard had a sharp fold in it. Logic says this could have caused the failure. The tech should also have seen this and discussed with me. The laptop is fixed, but my experience at Alameda Business Machines was less than pleasant.

Professional service and nice people.

I love these guys (and gals)! I have been taking my computers to them for several years now and they have always done a fine job of fixing them at a reasonable price. My son had a high end laptop (I hate trying to repair laptops) which he had managed to damage in several ways and Michael took the job on and the repairs ended up being way more extensive than either of us had anticipated. One of the main problems was a faulty HP part. Michael researched the issue and determined it appeared to be a known factory defect, contacted HP on my behalf and got my son a brand new equivalent laptop and transferred all his files and documents over to it. He had spent two or three times as many hours on this job as he had anticipated but refused to raise the cost of the repair from his original estimate even though I offered to pay more. I love that kind of stubborn honesty in the people I do business with

I reviewed ABM a few years ago, but had to update based on my recent experience. Friday morning, my computer simply would not start — completely dead. I called ABM and they told me to bring it right in. Calmy and efficiently, Michael had it up and running again within 2 hours — amazing. He even carried it to my car for me! These guys continue to be the greatest.

Bringing my laptop to Alameda Business Machines was probably the BEST decision I’ve made in a long time. The two gals at the from were very helpful and greeted me right when I walked in. I thought my laptop was done for and was uneasy about the cost of the repair. Michael called me personally to go over the problems and solutions with me in terms I was able to understand. You don’t get that kind of customer service and patience these days. I recommend these wonderful people to anyone!!!

Let me start the review by saying up front that Alameda Business Machines has reasonable, if not good rates and costs, and staff are courteous. However, if you are concerned with speed and timeliness, you might want to look elsewhere.
ABM provides two primary services: computer repairs and computer sales. A friend purchased a computer from them some time ago at reasonable cost, but not a spectacular value. In that respect, ABM gets three stars.
However, servicing and repairs falls short. I had a cracked laptop screen that I brought in for repairs. The cost was reasonable– $ 250 or so for parts and labor on a 17 inch laptop screen (720p, not IPS). Labor accounted for $ 95. The timing was an issue. I was told that the repair would take a day, and with a few days left to submit a project paper, I thought that would be fine. When I brought it in, the estimate became for no apparent reason (not even ‘a sudden rush of customers’ excuse) 3 – 4 days. I had to delay dropping off the laptop for that.
When I came back to pick it up, I was informed that the frame was accidentally damaged– no problem, accidents happen– and the part would be replaced free of charge. The part had to be ordered and would take a couple of weeks to arrive. No problem, it was only a cosmetic issue. I was told that it would only take 5 minutes to apply. When I brought in my laptop for the repair, I was told that I would need to leave my laptop overnight. For was I was told was a 5 minute replacement. I told them I would come back, but after about an hour, I decided to ask if it could be done since it was just a 5 minute replacement. I came in, asked Mike, that since it was just 5 minutes, could he squeeze it in today? The saleswoman told me that Mike had to go to a service call. I was a little irritated that she jumped in when I was addressing Mike, but maybe she was trying to be helpful, I won’t hold that against her. Mike turned and asked me if I could give him half an hour, instead of 5 minutes. I told him I would be in the area for some time, so that was fine. I dropped off the laptop and the salesgirl told me they would give me a call when it was ready. The call never came. I came back about an hour and a half later and found, thankfully, the assembly was done. No problems with it since then.
I can’t complain bout the courtesy or cost of services here, but I also can’t ignore the delays, lag, and vastly varying time frames given for repairs. I need times to be reliable and constant, and based on my experiences here I cannot rightfully give Alameda Business Machines an unconditional recommendation. If you have the time and patience, then by all means, use ABM, but otherwise, you might want to find a place that can offer a more consistent time frame if you are time sensitive.

I had a great experience. I had a cracked laptop screen and couldn’t see anything on a monitor I connected, so I figured the machine was doomed if not even the graphics chip worked. Not only did ABM successfully replace the screen, they were nice enough to clean the keyboard and tidy up config. sys to make Windows start faster. All of that for about $ 150, a huge bargain in my book. I’ll definitely go back for help with computer problems I can’t handle on my own. 5 stars!

I had a 7 year old laptop that Alameda Business Machines over a year ago had fixed to give it that extra year of life. In December both the mother board and the hard drive were failing and it was time to buy another one. As a business person, I am very dependent on my computer so the prospect of having to move to a new laptop quickly was daunting. ABM had a refurbished laptop for sale, an Acer, and by that afternoon I walked out with what I consider a new laptop, certainly compared to my old one, and all my files and information successfully transferred to my new machine. Mike did the work and he was great to work with.
Today I took my laptop in because I had a blinking icon that had mysteriously appeared and was concerned with what it was – Julie opened up my laptop and within minutes was able to assess that it was Java trying to get me to update and she took care of it. Now I have gotten pop ups for Java updates before but this one gave an exe address and did not say Java so I decided to be safe rather than sorry, After that she cleaned up a few other things she saw needed attention and downloaded a new, free program called Cleanup that would delete my temporary Internet files She advised me on several weekly maintenance items and gave me a handout to use as a reminder of what I should do to keep my computer healthy. Because I had bought my computer from them she did not charge me for her time or advice.
It was so great to walk in with my laptop to this conveniently located business with a potential problem and walkout feeling well taken care of with my machine in even better shape than when I walked in.
i highly recommend this business.

Run, don’t WALK to Alameda Business Machines… especially this weekend for their Park St. Spring Festival discounts!!! I just bought a new laptop from Mike Woods and with Julie’s help I was able to get a «preview» discount!!! Love their service (my husband Dave at Alameda Wheel and Brake Service uses them too!!), love Jessie, Julie and Kim!

I am very happy with Alameda Business Machines. They are an outstanding company. They help you with computer support at their office or they will come to your home to assist you with wiring/​wireless/​networking/​programming/​backup – you name it, they do it! Very qualified staff with excellent customer support. Thank you!

took my laptop here because it wouldnt start up and just stayed on a black screen asking me to insert a disk — 4 days later i get a call back from these people to pick up my laptop and they’re asking $ 190 for a dc jack repair…
ehm i dont think so. the laptop did charge and had juice — it just wouldnt start up! BESIDES, the lady that took in my laptop promised to call to let me know exactly what was wrong with it before they did replace any parts or did anything that would cost more than the initial charge.
moreover, the old technician was SUPER RUDE and said if i wanted to he «could very well just put it back the way it was» and he suspects it was my adapter that fried it— now i’m probably going to end up with a laptop that still will not start up and to prove a point they’re going to f*ing ruin my dc jack!

Thank You Alameda Business Machines!
My PC suddenly stopped working one night, and with a big deadline just a few days out, I needed it fixed fast. Fortunately it turned out to be a basic problem, and they fixed it quickly and cleanly while keeping me informed throughout the process. I brought it in on a Wednesday afternoon, and had it back by Thursday afternoon.
As mentioned in other reviews, Mr. Mister did seem a bit surely, but I didn’t take it as personal. Especially considering I probably would be too if I had to deal with everyone elses problems all day long. Regardless, that’s not enough to keep me from going back if I have more pc trouble. In fact, when Im ready for a new pc, Im going there first. They had some great looking machines in the window.
Thanks!

I had a PC die on me in middle of preparing my taxes and some financial reports. In a bit of a panic I called ABM and dropped the computer off late in the afternoon. The next morning they called me to let me know the RAM had died but the computer was otherwise OK.
I thought the turn around was great, this was a great resource for me. I could have spent a day trying to fix it myself but they got the job done for about $ 200 out the door.

Okay, I’ve really had nothing but good experiences with this place. Yes, a little pricey, but you get what you pay for. You could have a hack fix your computer on the cheap only to have it blow up in your face, or you can take it to someone who knows what they’re doing. These guys know what they’re doing.
By the way, to those upset that ABM told them it’s best just to buy a new machine… they’re not saying that to try and sell you something, they’re saying that to help you out. They could fix your item for more money than a new item costs, but instead they’re being honest with you… and for that you down rate them. *sigh*
Anyway, last time I was in there, I was picking up an AC Adapter for my lappy. There were 2 kinds and they could have sold me the more expensive easily, instead they told me the cheaper one was better and that they were going to discontinue the expensive one. What? They could have made a higher sale and gotten rid of their old stock in one fell swoop… instead they were honest. This is the kind of integrity that American business was founded on and it should be supported. You may pay a small bit more, but you are supporting your community and honest business.

I really wanted to give this place a good rating… They built a machine for me and in general it worked pretty well. My issue with the place was simple. On subsequent interactions, communication sucked. You can email till your blue in the face… no response. Im busy and like to do business as much as possible this way, and I figured it would be easy with a computer store, especially a mom and pop shop. Even if youre on a first name basis… the one time I did get a return email… it was 3 months after, and way too late. I had a couple other complaints about the place, but I want to keep this short, because I hate writing bad reviews.
If you must go here… talk to Jessie, but Id go to Central computer instead.

My baby got sick. Very very sick. Something far worse than an everyday virus. He couldn’t even scroll or play DVDs, and then eventually couldn’t even start.
Evil hackers had attacked my laptop through facebook. Just because I wanted to watch a, «video clip» sent by my, «cousin» and requiring me to download, «flash»…yeah I’m naïve.
So I took my computer to Alameda Business Machines. I had it back within 4 days, along with new anti-​virus and anti-​malware software.
Minus $ 175 = All better!