computer repair be aware....

jeffk · 01-02-2009, 12:06 PM

I think that it is sad that people turn to practices that will eventually destroy their business. I know people are struggling but these types of practices always catch up to you eventually. They may get away with it for a while but people will start looking for an alternative vendor and as soon as they can will dump the overcharger. I think of hard times as a character test. If your only business solution is to take advantage of someone else, well....

This reminds me of companies that provide less product for the same price, like no one is going to notice. The really sneaky ones ones keep the box size the same, just put less in. If they are really bold they add "NEW and IMPROVED" to the label. Either that or price the jumbo version of their product more expensively per unit than the smaller packages.

no-engine · 01-02-2009, 01:41 PM

Personal opinion: Be cautious when a service says he'd replace one memory card. I have always been told they should be installed in pairs.

As with anything, do one's homework - my opinion.

upthesaukee · 01-02-2009, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by no-engine

Personal opinion: Be cautious when a service says he'd replace one memory card. I have always been told they should be installed in pairs.

As with anything, do one's homework - my opinion.

Older RAM (SIMM's) needed to be installed in pairs. Modern day RAM does not. If you have 512 ram and want to increase, and have a spot available, you can put one stick in.

That was my own case last summer. My max RAM is 2GB, I had 512MB, so rather than pull out the 512, I just put in one 1GB, giving me a gigabyte and a half of RAM...plenty for my Windows XP operation.

but I do agree...bottom line, check your documentation (do your homework).

Good source for all sorts of questions for the novice is:

http://askbobrankin.com/

I subscribe to a newsletter that he and Pat Crispen put out, and find it to be a great source of info that I can understand.

angela4design · 01-02-2009, 01:52 PM

Did Same Day Charge you for the analysis/diagnostic? Just wondering.

I've heard poor reviews about them in their old location. (A family member said they felt 'ripped off' as well).

I guess it's like finding a good mechanic, only pictures, music and files may mean more to us than oil filters and such!

brk-lnt · 01-02-2009, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by no-engine

Personal opinion: Be cautious when a service says he'd replace one memory card. I have always been told they should be installed in pairs.

As with anything, do one's homework - my opinion.

That's not universally true, but more importantly if one of a pair was being replaced with an identical unit, then it wouldn't matter anyway.

Meredith lady · 01-03-2009, 07:11 PM

I just got my computer repaired at PC Masters here in Meredith-I had a virus and I couldn't get it to go away. Peter of PC Masters had my computer for less than one day and it works like new. Very reasonably priced, as well...I highly reccomend them!

EricP · 01-03-2009, 08:59 PM

There are too many variables when working on computers for anything to be plain and simple. Even the example of installing RAM in pairs is not always true or false. Depends on the other components of the system and it is always better to check the manual and/or specs of that particular system when adding RAM so money isn't wasted.

As to the original post, when a system blue screens it can be straight forward or confusing as to the cause. I personally have diagnosed thousands of blue screen crashes and some have been easy, others have taken monumental efforts to solve. I will say that usually when a RAM chip goes bad you can get all sorts of false positives tracking the cause until you finally get it. I've also been able to solve bad RAM crashes on initial inspection, it's really a crap shoot.

It is so hard for people who do not do this stuff to sometimes know even where to begin and are in many ways at the mercy of the so called experts. My advice is treat the situation as any other transaction and first determine if you think you can trust the person doing the work. I would imagine a fair amount of us have had vehicles serviced only to have to go back for the exact same problem and feel like we were ripped off, computers are no different.

VitaBene · 01-04-2009, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EricP

There are too many variables when working on computers for anything to be plain and simple. Even the example of installing RAM in pairs is not always true or false. Depends on the other components of the system and it is always better to check the manual and/or specs of that particular system when adding RAM so money isn't wasted.

As to the original post, when a system blue screens it can be straight forward or confusing as to the cause. I personally have diagnosed thousands of blue screen crashes and some have been easy, others have taken monumental efforts to solve. I will say that usually when a RAM chip goes bad you can get all sorts of false positives tracking the cause until you finally get it. I've also been able to solve bad RAM crashes on initial inspection, it's really a crap shoot.

It is so hard for people who do not do this stuff to sometimes know even where to begin and are in many ways at the mercy of the so called experts. My advice is treat the situation as any other transaction and first determine if you think you can trust the person doing the work. I would imagine a fair amount of us have had vehicles serviced only to have to go back for the exact same problem and feel like we were ripped off, computers are no different.

Thank you, your post backed up what I have wanted to write! Especially the bit about the mechanic. Any time a technician of any type diagnoses a problem, there is a chance they may be wrong. There is no magic gonkulator that will diagnose all problems, the technician will need to troubleshoot and that is where differing styles come into play- a good technician will get there faster than a poor one and cost you less money ultimately.

I can't imagine spending the time in small claims over this.

Grady223 · 01-05-2009, 01:44 PM

Is there a Gotcha service offered by one of the local TV stations? If so report it to them, that may have an effect - you may eventually get your $50 back.

tis · 01-05-2009, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VitaBene

I can't imagine spending the time in small claims over this.

And especially since it costs $60 to take someone to small claims. It is hardly worth it unless it is considerably more money. In this case, it sounds like you would lose money.

Fishy Cover · 01-06-2009, 02:50 PM

You can file a report on www.ripoffreport.com so anyone who takes the time to check can learn of your experience and unhappiness.

01-02-2009, 12:06 PM	#1
jeffk Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Center Harbor Posts: 1,249 Thanks: 216 Thanked 486 Times in 279 Posts	Desperate times I think that it is sad that people turn to practices that will eventually destroy their business. I know people are struggling but these types of practices always catch up to you eventually. They may get away with it for a while but people will start looking for an alternative vendor and as soon as they can will dump the overcharger. I think of hard times as a character test. If your only business solution is to take advantage of someone else, well.... This reminds me of companies that provide less product for the same price, like no one is going to notice. The really sneaky ones ones keep the box size the same, just put less in. If they are really bold they add "NEW and IMPROVED" to the label. Either that or price the jumbo version of their product more expensively per unit than the smaller packages.

01-02-2009, 01:52 PM	#4
angela4design Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Meredith Posts: 353 Thanks: 45 Thanked 54 Times in 38 Posts	question... Did Same Day Charge you for the analysis/diagnostic? Just wondering. I've heard poor reviews about them in their old location. (A family member said they felt 'ripped off' as well). I guess it's like finding a good mechanic, only pictures, music and files may mean more to us than oil filters and such!

01-06-2009, 02:50 PM	#11
Fishy Cover Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 135 Thanks: 10 Thanked 13 Times in 12 Posts	Let others know You can file a report on www.ripoffreport.com so anyone who takes the time to check can learn of your experience and unhappiness.

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01-02-2009, 01:41 PM	#2
no-engine Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: West side Winnipesaukee, Lakes Region Posts: 516 Thanks: 20 Thanked 52 Times in 40 Posts	Personal opinion: Be cautious when a service says he'd replace one memory card. I have always been told they should be installed in pairs. As with anything, do one's homework - my opinion.

01-03-2009, 07:11 PM	#6
Meredith lady Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 217 Thanks: 290 Thanked 138 Times in 26 Posts	I just got my computer repaired at PC Masters here in Meredith-I had a virus and I couldn't get it to go away. Peter of PC Masters had my computer for less than one day and it works like new. Very reasonably priced, as well...I highly reccomend them!

01-03-2009, 08:59 PM	#7
EricP Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 329 Thanks: 28 Thanked 11 Times in 7 Posts	There are too many variables when working on computers for anything to be plain and simple. Even the example of installing RAM in pairs is not always true or false. Depends on the other components of the system and it is always better to check the manual and/or specs of that particular system when adding RAM so money isn't wasted. As to the original post, when a system blue screens it can be straight forward or confusing as to the cause. I personally have diagnosed thousands of blue screen crashes and some have been easy, others have taken monumental efforts to solve. I will say that usually when a RAM chip goes bad you can get all sorts of false positives tracking the cause until you finally get it. I've also been able to solve bad RAM crashes on initial inspection, it's really a crap shoot. It is so hard for people who do not do this stuff to sometimes know even where to begin and are in many ways at the mercy of the so called experts. My advice is treat the situation as any other transaction and first determine if you think you can trust the person doing the work. I would imagine a fair amount of us have had vehicles serviced only to have to go back for the exact same problem and feel like we were ripped off, computers are no different.

01-05-2009, 01:44 PM	#9
Grady223 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: New Hope, PA & Barndoor Island Posts: 465 Thanks: 93 Thanked 24 Times in 18 Posts	Is there a Gotcha service offered by one of the local TV stations? If so report it to them, that may have an effect - you may eventually get your $50 back.