Dude111

You might not after seeing this! (25 Mins)

Im not surprised by anything i saw on that vid!!

More Vids: http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace

wiskerbizkit

I would have got the memory right off the bat, thats the first thing you check. halfway through it. ill post more in a bit lol

Omg theyre going online for part pricing... no kidding its gonna be cheaper.

I don't know where they're getting their pricing from. my place charges 80 bucks for repair/reinstall of windows. You have to charge them something for liability. $50 minimum labor/diagnostic. $80 for virus scan. $80 for backup/recovery. We have a best buy down the road we get alot of business from. they've charged 250 for a virus and an additional 150 because it was vista. I have seen it bad. I still dont like how these guys go about some of it.

wow "unheard of" for the dust free room. If your HD is bad and you need that data. thats all you can do is send it to seagate and thats exactly what they do. I don't know I'm going to work lol

OmegaRED

I caught that episode of Marketplace last year, was one of my favs. I don't trust computer repair people at all and even getting PC assembly done usually results in extra unexpected fees. I'm not sure I can remember a time my father took his PC in for repairs without being told he needed a new PSU or case fans when they were working properly.

__________________

Tyrsonswood

Nope!

No more than I trust an auto mechanic

__________________

Judas

25 bucks...

for memory....

Looks like DDR2 right?

doesn't matter that much, using online prices is indeed stupid...

However Just for me to make a trip to someones how will cost 75 cents per KM. That's not nagotionable. So if i drive 10KM, that's going to be $7.50 right at the door.

That's why i always suggest they bring it to my shop, it'll be cheaper, free IF i'm not able to resolve it.

Ram issue should have been almost emediate, would have been an issue onsite support considering i don't just carry around countless parts in my car. I would have taken the machine back to the shop to do more work, which would have not taken very long at all replacing the ram.

Would be a minimum 5 minute job, whatever size the memory module is, probably between $30-80, typically if the ram is faulty, i always recommend the user make the additional jump to something larger if they are running say less then 1gb or something. A 4gb DDR2 kit is a good bang for the buck or 2gb kit for DDR1.

The laptop, corrupt system file? Is a Full windows re-install REALLY necessary?

Recovery Console might be able to resolve the problem relatively quick.

Unfortunately for a full system re-install, my cost of doing such is a job is quite expensive. But i don't just flip a disk into the computer and run. I completely dis-assemble the machine and clean each individual part for most machines. If that isn't really all that needed, then the price will vary, all depends on the machine.

Laptops reinstalls are relatively cheap in comparison.

However i usually recommend they do it themselves, i don't charge anyone for figureing out the issue. But sometimes people want me to do the work, and if i can i like to COMPLETELY avoid using the recovery system/disks that came with the laptop or system. usually they are outdated, and more time is spent removing garbage then installing updated software.


Although

__________________

comp_ali

I didn't trust them for a second after I was bitten several times. A group of repairers are performing a robbery in indirect way.

__________________

Judas

Compusmart raped my family for about 4 years before i ended up sticking it to them and getting a free Enermax 350watt PSU out of them as well as other goodies.

It all started when a salesmen tried to pull some bogus bullshit thinking i was just another dumb customer, and i let him continue to the point of making a complete ass out of himself in my eyes. At which point i countered everything he had said, loud enough for the entire store to hear. He ran back int othe staff only area and next thing i know, i've got the manager queitly asking me what i want and so forth.

Glad they went out of business....

__________________

3FUN

I dont trust them since I was bitten 2 times by them.

Matth

Oh boy!

A friend of a friend got some "expert" to "sort out" their virus problem!
Sold them a new Antivirus that still didn't fix it, left the machine in not much better condition than before.

I fixed it with freeware, and secured the browser settings to prevent re-attack.

There is no qualification requirement to set up as a PC quack.


There was a program looking at dodgy tradesmen another time, and the PC guy made a complete hash of what should have been a simple fix, stole decent parts and fitted inferior ones.

__________________
Mary had a little lamb,
Her father shot it dead
Now Mary takes her lamb to school,
Between two crusts of bread

Judas

i agree on the stealing of good parts and fitting inferior parts. deal..

i one of the first compuer i sold while still in highschool was a AMD Athlon 600mhz Slot A with a ATI radeon 7000 64mb, 512mb of SD ram 133mhz Cas 2 and a Yamaha CD-RW drive capable of DiscT@oo (which is basically lg's lightscibe now, however it was burning to the data side of the disc and would prevent you from being able to use the full storage capacity). Best Burner you could buy. All on an MSI motherboard, with a Creative sound Blaster LIVE Value and the best damn U.S. Robotics HARDWARE ISA modem money could buy. Maxtor 40gb HD, windows XP fully up to date... the works.

The machine was working great for them, never had a problem, then i left, and they said about a year after i left, the ran into some hiccups, took it to the closest place, and had it fixed, they said ever since then, while it worked, it was never the same. And it had to make frequent trips back. Oventually they just replaced it.

I got that same machine back, and when i took the side panel off, the ram, cd-rw, sound card, hardrive, modem, ATI video card, even the bloody PSU (was an enermax 300watt) was all swapped out for a nvidia tnt, 20gb samsung hd, no-name cd-rw only capable of 4x vs the 24x i put in there. Sound card was unknown brand, but i think had the aureal 3d, modem was a pci winmodem from simpletech i think, never worked right, psu was some weird name rated only 220watts, only 256mb of SD ram 66mhz cas 3. Basically filled with JUNK!

Pissed me right off!

__________________

Zelig

Yeah, I haven't really dealt with computer repair people, since I do all my own stuff, but car mechanics are brutal.

__________________
--

kris23

lol never have, after seeing this never ever will...

__________________

comp_ali

IN another side but may be typical
One of my fiends was working in some mobile phone stores , he told me some of the dirty tricks they did with the customers , One time they bought a used mobile which had a problem and wasn't working by cheap price , after that they repaired and polished it and sold it to another customer as new.

Some when some clients want to get their phone repaired , even the problem was an easy one like cleaning the electronic parts inside it to get it working they fooled the customer and alleged that the repair was expensive and he had to change some expensive parts.

__________________

Neshi

I'm glad I know some decent stuff about computer hardware and I make sure computer problems in my close family runs by me first..
Same goes for cars, if there is anything I call my brother first (he's a car mech )

Can't really trust these people. Luckily I've found a store that quickly and accurately fixes pc problems, so I'm sticking with that one.

__________________
If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live?

Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

robert3030

WHAT A WAKE-UP CALL!! Pretty soon, people won't even want to own a computer, much less try to use or repair one! This is my first visit and this site has already PROVEN its value to my computer repair business. Thank you.

BlueMak

I never trusted computer repair people and I never will.

While I am sure there are some honest guys among them, most of them are either because they want to or because they have to, going to steal you in one way or the other.

Famiily members included.

Begone you spawns of Satan!

__________________

The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis
This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm Sic semper tyrannis.

Judas

this is why i'm likely going to be unable to actually hire anyone for this kind of job

i can't trust anyone to do as thorough or honest of work as i try to do

__________________

Tyrsonswood

I think this runs in most repair circles, and many other areas, no matter the item. If they have you over a barrel then they can rip you off if they see fit...... the problem is people are willing to do this just to make an extra buck no matter what they do...... repairs, sales, manufacturing, heath care.... whatever

It's like it's become socially acceptable to "steal" from others just as long as it doesn't happen to you .......

__________________

Mousey

no. No. NO. NOOOOO.
They try to scam you by charging by the hour and seriously stalling the job just eyeing up the case as if they can't see a problem then EVENTUALLY finding it, or they charge by part (usually both actually) and say a bunch of other parts need replacing when they actually don't.

IE. They'll say you need a new mobo just because a stick of RAM went bad, then say you need new CPU ect. to fit the newest type despite yours is still being sold.

Besides, why pay someone else when you can do it yourself?

__________________

Tyrsonswood

most people can't do it yourself....... that's why these guys can rip them off.

__________________

kris23

lol find another canadian DHer

__________________

lepel

Exactly. I ordered my first PC in a PC store. They collected all the hardware and hey built it. Now that I have built my second PC by myself, I see how bad I got ripped off. Never again, I said to myself.

Dude111

Welcome to the site

SeraphicSorcerer

I trust those I know, (like myself) but the corporate establishment is completely stupid. Trust a geek's advice before the geek squad.

__________________

MitchRapp

I used to only trust a close friend of mine to fix my stuff up
but by watching him work, and asking a ton of questions I've learned a lot that needs to be known about troubleshooting hardware/software

now I'm in IT woot woot

no but seriously, if you want to get your computer fixed up --> google.com is your answer


you can search specific error messages for software
you can search stuff like "why does my Outlook freeze when I try to do this and that"

and then...
why does vista freeze after installation --> oh noes 4GB RAM
why does my computer freeze after BIOS --> check RAM
why does my computer boot up and tell me I'm missing a windows file --> windows fix, or corrupt drive
why does this and that

GOOGLE ... honestly. and then learn

same thing can be applied to other things... learn to fix things on your own. You don't need to know 100% of everything, but the basics really helps... and then there's online searching
Google really is the most useful tool to fix stuff.

Tyrsonswood

While google is great for those of us with a technical bent, that's not going to work for a mom of two that works all day and comes home to a busted computer. Techs are needed, but these rip off guys give all techs a bad name

__________________

BlueMak

Just stand behind their back with a shotgun pointed at them.

__________________

The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis
This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm Sic semper tyrannis.

Bevoo

I really hate the people I brought my computer to fix it. I explained to them for some reason I cant get my vista OS to install and they charged me 100 bucks for it. then when i got it back they told me i had to take out a stick of ram to install it without SP1. I was so pissed they did not just tell me that at the beginning so i could just fix it myself.

__________________
Computer Guides, Game Reviews, Linux Articles, and more!

http://beastlytech.com/

sexyeskim0

As a guy who used to work in a computer repair shop, here is some simple advice for an average user.

If you have a computer that is more than 4 years old and you think on getting it repaired, don't. Just buy a new machine, get some good free scanners (avast + malwarebytes + superantispyware), then pay for the data migration. Scan as soon as possible then you are set with a new computer, with a nice warranty, and the peace of mind that you won't be popping $400 just to keep an old computer running. New computers (without the monitor) are very cheap if they are used for basic stuff and can start for as little as $400-$500. For anything else, there is no justification for paying more than $250 for computer repair.

A gamer, a person with a high-end machine, or someone into computers should just rely on google. Computer technicians rely on google very heavily. A good search can answer most solvable problems or you can stumble on good technician sites like http://www.technibble.com and get all kinds of information.

I can tell that no one on this site should ever be ripped off by a computer repair guy. There should be no need for one. It is either you doing the google search or some guy you are paying $50 an hour doing the google search. And if you need a new part, you won't be charged $100 for something as simple as a RAM installation.

Yes this is my first post but I have smelled the stanky armpit of the computer repair industry and the goal (except for a few) is to extract as much as possible without really thinking of the costumer's best interest.

Dude111

Yup they try ANYTHING to get one over on you.....

Glad it didnt work with you bud