Making the Fix: Local PC Repair Shops

I recall, years ago, reading a magazine article about car repairs where a journalist disconnected a car's battery cables, towed the car to various garages, and reported on what the mechanics had to say. There were honest shops that immediately fixed the problem for free, and a few that somehow found all kinds of "problems" with an otherwise working automobile (the car was inspected by a mechanic beforehand), which needed to be fixed before the car could ever run again. To this day, I recall the dishonest automotive repair shops mentioned in the article (most were with big chains), and have never taken my cars to these crooks (despite the fact that a local owner may be honest).

In the same spirit, I took a working 400 MHz Pentium II computer running Windows 98, introduced some hardware and operating system problems, and took it to some local repair shops. For the most part, I wanted to create problems that real users would typically experience, and didn't go for the exotic, brain-busting puzzles. My desire was to test a technician's ability to locate common problems, and record the experience of having the system fixed at a few of our Southern California repair shops.

Analyze This
I spiked my test computer with four problems. First, I bent a pin on the data connection of the CD-ROM drive, which meant that the EIDE cable from the motherboard wouldn't connect properly, and the drive wouldn't work or show up in Windows. We (my wife Janet and I, I'll explain this later) simply told each technician that the CD-ROM drive didn't work. The solution is to check that the cable is properly engaged to the CD-ROM's data connector, fix the pin, and then connect the cable.

Second, I removed the software driver for the LinkSys network adaptor card. Without the software drivers that tells Windows and the computer how to use a piece of hardware, the network card no longer showed up in Windows' Device Manager-a software utility that shows a system's installed hardware and can indicate problems. We told each technician that the network card didn't work. This problem is a piece of cake to fix because the computer, as it booted, displayed a message that said it detected a Plug ‘n Play network card and needed its drivers. The solution is to obtain the drivers for the network card and install them.

Third, I removed the software drivers for the sound system (the computer didn't have an audio card, but a sound system that was built into the Intel SE440BX motherboard), began re-installing the drivers, and stopped the process in the middle. This caused the sound system to show up in Windows' Device Manager, but with a yellow exclamation point icon next to it, which indicates a problem. We told each technician that the sound wouldn't play. To solve this, a technician has to check Windows' Device Manager, then delete the current drivers, obtain the latest drivers for the sound system, and then install them.

Finally, I installed a second hard drive, which, like the first drive, was set as the "master" drive. With two hard drives set at "master," the computer wouldn't boot. Because I wanted the system to at least work when the technicians received the computer (we were telling them that there were other problems), I disconnected the data and power connections of the second hard drive and told the technicians that the computer wouldn't work when the second hard drive was connected.

There are two solutions for the hard drive problem. The technician can set the second hard drive as a "slave," which lets it work on the same EIDE cable as the first drive. Or, the technician can use another cable to connect the second hard drive to the second EIDE port on the motherboard.

Because the local repair shop knows me, I had my wife Janet deliver the systems to each repair shop and use her maiden name when filling out the paperwork. I was just the lug who carried the computer in and sort of hung out on the side listening in. With that, here are our repair experiences.

CompUSA
First stop was at my local CompUSA in Montclair. We arrived at 10:00 in the morning on a weekday, and were directed by the security guard to the repair desk at the immediate right. There was only one person in front of us who was already talking with a clerk at the desk.

At CompUSA, the service desk handles repairs as well as returns and refunds. We were greeted by a clerk who filled out the initial paperwork. But overall, the clerk was slow, and didn't bother picking-up the pace as a line formed behind us. By the time we left, there were three people waiting in line.

After filling out the preliminary paper work, a technician was called out, and he wrote-up and printed the work order, and requested payment up-front. The charge was a steep $89.97 for an hour of diagnostic work, which we put on our credit card. While the clerk told us that the diagnosis would take three days, the technician told us four (they both said that there were a lot of systems ahead of us). The entire check-in took a long 20 minutes, and both the clerk and technician were polite and courteous.

Two days later, we received a call from CompUSA that told us that our system was ready. In his message, the technician said that he had fixed the problem with the hard drive and CD-ROM drive, and that there were driver problems with the network card and sound system. We drove out to CompUSA and got there at 12:00 noon on a weekday.

When we arrived, there was already a line of three people, and we waited a little over fifteen minutes to get to the counter to claim our system. We simply mentioned our name, and the clerk brought out the system and gave it to us. We were surprised that she didn't ask for a receipt (we realized then that we had left it back at the office), and she simply handed the computer over. We had to ask for a receipt, which the clerk gave us. While our time being served was only a few minutes, there were some six people in line behind us as we left the counter. We noted that the clerk didn't say "thank you."

Back in the office, I booted the computer and found that CompUSA had fixed both the hard drive and CD-ROM drive. Both appeared in Windows Explorer and were working. The hard drive was piggy-backed onto the EIDE connection going to the CD-ROM drive and connected to system power. The technician had also installed the cable's connector back onto the CD-ROM drive–working the pin back in.

Both the sound system and network card were still not working. The network card, as before, was detected by the computer as it booted. On the phone, the technician indicated that there was a driver problem, and assumed that we would know how to install the driver (if we had it). For the sound system, the technician had simply removed the in-complete driver from Device Manager. This way, when the computer booted, it told us that Windows needed the drivers for the sound system. I rate this repair as about half-fixed.

Computer Village
Stop two was Computer Village, a local computer store in San Dimas. Computer Village sells systems to order, and offers repair and networking services. The day Janet arrived, which was mid-afternoon on a weekday, she found that the store was not crowded. She walked up to the counter, was greeted by a salesperson, and it only took about five minutes to explain the problems, input the information, and print an invoice. She was told that the diagnosis would cost $75, and she would pay this as she picked up the computer. She was told that the computer would be done in two days. Throughout, the salesperson was courteous and polite.

While Computer Village didn't call within the next two days, we called on the third and were told that the system was ready. Janet arrived at the store late in the morning on a weekday, found that there was no line, and was greeted at the front desk. She showed the invoice, the computer was brought up to the desk, and the salesperson explained the repairs. After that, Janet used a credit card to pay for the repairs, and as she left, the salespeople offered to carry the computer to her car.

Computer Village did a very thorough repair-a definite step above that done by CompUSA. Both the hard drive and CD-ROM drive were installed and working. The technician had discovered the connection problem with the CD-ROM drive, and reconnected the hard drive by piggy-backing it onto the CD. More important, the technician took the time to search online for the drivers for the network card and sound system, and installed them. While I know that the network drivers are easy to find on LinkSys' Web site, the Intel (actually, they are Crystal sound drivers) are tricky to locate on the Web. For a price that was $15 cheaper than that of CompUSA, Computer Village did a far more thorough job, and offered a better experience.

Fry's Electronics - Bad Things for Those Who Wait
I've heard complaints about Fry's, but never experienced problems myself. But during this undercover jaunt, this was all about to change. I took my test system to Fry's in Anaheim, paid $49.95, and got nothing in return.

We arrived on a weekday at noon. Fry's repair counter was serving four people, and there was one person in line in front of us. While the 15 minute wait wasn't bad (the person in front of us left after ten minutes), there were loads of people behind the counter who weren't serving customers, but examining and working on systems. It just looked as if the other technicians could have pitched-in to help with customers during a busy part of the day.

When we got to the counter, a courteous technician filled out the paper work, recorded the problems (we gave each shop the same piece of paper that outlined the problems), and accepted the computer. The technician said that the diagnosis would take two days. In all, it took a little over 25 minutes to stand in line and fill-out the paper-work.

Despite our calls to Fry's, it was seven days before the test computer was ready–the longest repair period of the shops here. When we called on the seventh day, the technician said that the motherboard was about to be replaced, and based on our response, realized his error and said that the system was ready. We arrived in the early afternoon, found no line, and were immediately helped.

We were told that read errors on the hard drive were the cause of our problems, and we had to reinstall the operating system. We were also given a four page print-out of the diagnosis that to anyone who is not a technician, is pure gibberish. Fry's used ONTRACK diagnostic software and simply provided the print-out.

When I brought the system home and fired it up, I found that the second hard drive and CD-ROM drive didn't work, and the sound system and network card were exactly as I had left them. The only difference was that the system didn't detect the network card as it booted.

With nothing fixed (Fry's only promised a diagnosis, not a repair), I opened the system and found that the connections were the same--the CD-ROM connector was ajar and the second hard drive wasn't connected. I can only conclude that the shop didn't bother opening the computer and didn't examine the sound system and network drivers, which isn't incompetence, it's neglect. I quickly reconnected the hard drive and CD-ROM drive, and reinstalled the sound and network drivers, and everything was working again.

I couldn't leave this one alone. If I had been a Fry's customer, I would have been furious. I called and spoke with a technician who stood by the shop's conclusion that the hard drive read errors were the problem. I asked to talk to a supervisor, and told him that I was extremely disappointed with the service. I asked why the computer wasn't opened, and he told me that the technicians open the systems when the initial diagnostics indicate that they should. However, the problems that I introduced on the test system and described to the technician can't be identified with diagnostic software, and they were common problems that any technician should have been able to find (the other two shops did).

The supervisor asked what he could do, and I requested a refund. In response to this, he said that he could have the system looked at again (another seven-day process?), or give me a store credit. While this helped to take the edge off of a bad experience, based on what I saw, I can't recommend Fry's as a repair shop.

In my experiment, I had the best luck with the small shop. While the quality of service in a chain store undoubtedly varies with each location, I rate my experience with CompUSA as okay, and Fry's as poor. And if you need to find a repair shop, check out some of my tips that I offer in the accompanying sidebar.

Sidebar - Finding a Good Repair Shop
Finding a good repair shop for your computer is a lot like finding a good mechanic for your car. While you can consider a shop's accreditations for some indication of their technical expertise (you can look for industry certifications such as A+, or certifications from major companies such as Hewlett Packard, and Compaq-particularly if your computer is a name brand system), and consider pricing and warrantees, it's hard to judge a repair shop until you actually take a system in and have it repaired. For this reason, I always recommend that when looking for a computer repair shop, talk to your friends and acquaintances to get their experiences with shops in the area, and see if they recommend any.

If you work in an office, you can ask the person who's in charge of the computers what repair company he or she works with. While there's a chance that he'll recommend a company that caters only to businesses, there's a chance that it may be a local store or service that you can use.

Also, if there's a computer user group in your area, you might be able to ask them if there's a repair shop that they recommend. And even if they don't know of a great computer shop, they can more than likely tell you about the ones to avoid. Horror stories have a tendency to get around and become local legend.

Keep in mind that as you talk with people, there's a chance that someone may understand your computer's problem. Your computer may not be running well, and it could be due to a simple setting in the operating system. Someone you know may have experienced this, and know the fix–saving you the expense of a repair shop. So when your system is on the fritz, be sure to get that word out.

909-593-9675 e-mail:wkawamoto@earthlink.net