PC Help Services

As a preface, I’m used to working with BestBuy’s geek squad with less than stellar experiences so I was expecting to pay too much and deal with a fair bit of hassle. Quite the contrary, my transaction was simple… I walked in and said, «My computer’s not working. Fix it.» They took my information and explained the diagnostic charge… the next day they called me to explain the problem (power supply, in my case), and quoted the price for the repair to get my approval. The following day, they called me to say the repair was done & ready for pickup.
Simple. Courteous. Professional. I will definitely be using them again.

We’ve used their services twice in the past year.
Our first experience was with an old laptop that ended up having a bum power jack. I dropped it off on a Monday afternoon and paid $ 50 for the diagnostic which I was told would be applied to any work performed beyond the diagnosis. 24 hours later I received a call confirming that all they had to do was replace the jack. I looked online and figured that I could purchase the parts for $ 25, but was leery of the amount of time it would take me to complete the fix, and concerned if I could do a quality job. Long story short, I paid $ 100 for the fix, but it was worth it because I knew that the work was being done by a professional, and that it would be guaranteed.
3 months later we dropped off another laptop that was having startup problems. This time we had a free diagnostic coupon (check out the local coupon circulars you receive in the mail.) There was also a 25% coupon that they allowed us to use. Just like the first visit, we received a call within 24 hours with the diagnosis, but this time we received a good/​better/​best option for the repair. Their technician explained and helped us weigh the cost/​benefit of each. I’m sure he could have just thrown out the most expensive option, and I would have probably taken his advice because of my perception of him as «an expert» and because I’ve already had a positive experience with this store. I really appreciate the fact that he didn’t take advantage of me, and as a result, I can say that they’ve earned a customer for life.

So, here’s the deal. About a month ago, my 8 month old POS of a computer crashed and when I say CRASHED, I mean, everything got f-​ed faster than you can blink an eye. The whole thing was very traumatizing for someone who spends upwards of 15+ hours a day working, networking and socializing online. No joke… bad news.
My hubby took my computer to PC Help… and paid $ 100 to get it looked at the same day. This seemed a bit steep, but I was having a nervous breakdown. They could not fix it and called to let me know that for $ 100 they could not do anything immediately. Fine, so what happens next?
They call in the a.m. to confirm that my files cannot be recovered. I explained I couldn’t give two sh*ts about the computer… I né eded the files (after all, I run a home based business — yes, I back things up, but there were still things I needed off the hard drive). No chance they could do it.
OK… they suggest sending if off to Gilware, a hard drive recovery place. Apparently they have a 99% recovery rate on things like this. I am apparently in the VERY UNLUCKY 1% of the population with a computer that cannot be fixed. How is this possible!!! They recover fire damaged, hurricane ridden computers, but can’t fix mine… OMG.
Finally, I had to come to terms with it all and PC Help stepped in and replaced the hard drive for me… wiping out all chances of getting my files back. They rebuilt my computer and charged me another $ 300. Yes, I could have sent the POS back to Toshiba since I was under warranty but I thought it would be best for PC Help to do it.
I don’t mind the charge… the reason they get 3 stars is b/​c it took them almost 5 extra days to rebuild the computer. I was told it would be done on a certain day and it wasn’t. Considering this is a work issue, I would have appreciated a faster turnaround as that is why I decided not to send it back to Toshiba.
In addition, the owner told me on the phone they would assist in helping me and showing me how to back up my computer even BETTER than I did before. I was simply charged and released, even when I asked about re-​loading my programs, etc.
Overall, they did rebuild the machine and it’s working fine, so they are A-​OK, but for anything «above and beyond,» the service was mediocre, which is disappointing.