Manassas Computer Repair

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

Ive been stopping by this shop for nearly a decade now as well as their booth at local computer shows. The staff is always friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. In 2003, the motherboard on my primary PC at the time suddenly died (due to blown capacitors, which was a serious problem with certain mainboards manufactured in the early 2000s), and Ken and his people had me back up and going again within two or three days with a board so compatible to the dead one that I didnt even have to re-install Windows. Ive bought several cases and components there over the years and have only ever had to return one (a video card I bought in 2007, which turned out to be a bad choice for my system, and which I exchanged for a better one without any trouble at all). Most recently Ive purchased a RAM upgrade for my new laptop, and Kens Hardware had the exact type of RAM in stock that I needed at an excellent price. Im currently looking at options for buying a new desktop to replace my nearly 7-year-old XP Pro machine (which, by the way, is housed in a case that I bought at ACS) and I will certainly be consulting with ACS on the best mix of components. As for those 1-star negative reviews; I dont know where theyve been going, but its not ACS, because Ken, Stacie & co. have always been up-front about their prices and policies. Another example; A little after my motherboard was replaced, I went to them to get the CPU upgraded to an Athlon XP 2000+ (this was in 03, remember). The first one they put in turned out to be bad, so they took it out, reinstalled the old XP 1400+ CPU and promised me theyd find another 2000+ for me. It did take a while, and I had almost forgotten about it, but a couple of months later they emailed me to alert me that they had found the CPU I wanted. I took my machine in, and they installed the new CPU and turned it around back to me within 24 hours at quite a reasonable rate. That CPU ran strong and steady until I went to a different machine a couple of years later. As I say, Ive never had trouble with any piece of equipment that I bought from ACS and if I did Im confident based on a decade of experience that theyd set me right fast. UPDATE: I want to update this review to commend Ken and the ACS staff on their speedy and extremely helpful service today in building a new custom-built desktop for me. I stopped in early this morning and discussed my wants/needs briefly with Stacie, who advised me that Ken would be arriving later in the morning. I came back at 11:30, found Ken and we had a good colloquy about the configuration I wanted. He advised me of updates and price drops and to go with the AMD FX-4100 processor, so we soon settled on a configuration which met my objectives. He promised to have it ready by 5 pm, and when I returned at 4:45 pm to pick it up, it was waiting for me. The price was excellent for the CPU/monitor combo, over $70 (before tax) off Wal-Marts price for its best HP CPU/monitor combo, which is a lot more underpowered than what Ken built for me (e.g., Ken put in 8 GB RAM and a 1.5 TB HD, as opposed to the Wal-Mart systems 6 GB RAM and 1 TB HD). At this point, I chose to go with the onboard video (which Ken is confident is powerful enough to run my current software suite including Guild Wars), but we also discussed future upgrades including video cards and he made several good recommendations. The only things missing are keyboard and mouse, but thats because I want PS/2 (to save 2 USB slots for other peripherals such as printers, scanners and external HDs) and ACS didnt have any PS/2s in stock today. No problem, though, as I will be able to secure them cheaply elsewhere. Overall, Im thoroughly pleased with the service and pricing Ive received today!

LE

Lesley Pierrot

So I brought my computer in and explained that I had already taken it to different repair shop and had it checked and was told that the motherboard was fried and that it was going to cost $450 to fix which was a little out of my budget. The guy took my laptop out of the bag and plugged it in with my cord and a different cord and pushed buttons and agreed that it was most likely the motherboard. I asked him how much and he said $300-$350 and also every repair comes with the diagnostic included as long as you decide to fix it with them. I said great and that I was going to come back when my next paycheck in. I took my laptop with me because I was under the impression that you had to pay upfront (purely because I didnt think to ask) and I come back less than a week later and just drop off my laptop no questions asked. What was to ask? I had already been quoted and agreed with the quote. I filled out the form and left with the reminder that they would call in a couple of days. Which they did. The man on the phone told me that it was going to cost $450 to fix and I explained that that wasnt the price I was quoted to which he said, "yeah, that was just incorrect." But I was at school and had to go-to class and didnt have time to argue. So I said fine Ill just pick up my laptop this weekend. Come by Friday and ask for my laptop and am asked to pay the diagnostic fee of $55. Um, why would I pay a fee that I had no intention of paying in the first place because I was going to get my laptop fixed here because you quoted me a much cheaper price. Especially when I already knew what was wrong with my laptop, they didnt give me any new information. So I explained this and the man told me that if I wanted my laptop I would have to pay the $55. I asked to speak to a manager and was told that he wasnt in and wouldnt be for another hour and that he would tell the manager to call. I said okay and left. I got no call from them and by the time I remembered they were closed. So I called this morning and explained the situation once again. He told me that it was an estimate that I was given and it was incorrect and that I would still have to pay the diagnostic fee if I wanted to get my laptop today and when I asked for a manager he said hell be back on Monday. Now there are things that I could have done to avoid some of this headache. Gotten peoples names, asked for "estimates" in writing, etc. But on the other hand there were things that they could do to help. I felt as if they had no compassion for my situation nor any acknowledgement of their mistakes. I am a college student. I am a graphic design major. I need my computer and classes have started. I thought my laptop would be the least of my worries but now it has become my most stressful. Let my headache be your warning. Take down names, get things in writing, record conversations. Or just choose another company.

A

A Private User

Called the store and explained the lock-up problem with my computer to Ken. He was pleasant to talk with and assured me that they would be able to take care of the problem. After over a week I called and could not get a hold of Ken. A co-worker said there was a note on the computer that Ken left a message with me. I checked my answering machine and my phone log......no call from Ken ever occurred. When I finally got a hold of Ken, he told me he was just about to call me. He said he needed more time to troubleshoot the computer. I said no problem, take as much time as you need, just get it fixed. Over a month went by, heard nothing, so I finally called Ken. He said he was just about to call me (heard that before), and that he should be finished with the computer later that day. He said to call him in the late afternoon. When I called him, he said the computer was ready, but wanted it to run it a little while longer to be sure it wouldnt lock up. So I called later in the evening. Ken was gone for the day, but a co-worker said the computer was ready for pickup. I picked up the computer, brought it home, plugged it in, turned it on, and an error message came up telling me the computer had been improperly shutdown earlier, which means Ken had to shut off the power without exiting.....something done as the only alternative to powering down if the computer locks up. Well, I tried out the computer, and within 4 minutes it locked up. It continued to lock up 3 more times in the next 30 minutes. He obviously didnt fix it. When I called Ken first thing Saturday morning to explain, his friendly demeanor turned unprofessional/confrontational. He claimed they fixed the problem, and if it didnt work at home, there was "some issue" on my end. When I told him about the error message when I booted up, he said he personally shut down the computer properly (which could not have been the case). He went on to say the computer worked fine in his shop. I then offered him a deal....if I brought my computer in to his shop, turned it on, and the computer didnt lock up, no problem....but if it did, he would give me a complete refund. He said he couldnt do that because he was about the leave that morning because he had about "7 things to do", and had to coach some team. As for a refund, he ended up reducing the charge for services rendered to $55 (cost of a diagnostic fee). Bottom line: The computer was not fixed. I wasted my time and money with Advantage Computer, and dealt with an individual whose integrity is suspect. I support small businesses, especially since my dad used to own one, so I really hate to write a negative review. I always give the benefit of the doubt, but in this case, I just could not. I hope this will help them rectify their customer service deficiencies to better serve folks in the future.