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I apologise in advance as this may be a long story.

On 13th October, I took my laptop to a computer repair shop advertising "no fix, no fee" as I was having problems getting the laptop to boot. They were supposed to provide me with a free estimate as to what was causing the problem.

Several weeks passed and I hadn’t heard from them, so decided to try and chase the matter up. I took some time getting a response, due to them ignoring my phonecalls and failing to return any messages I left, and eventually I was told that it was a faulty motherboard, which they were going to replace at a cost of around £90. I agreed that this would be okay and called them (again another couple of weeks later) to see if it was repaired, and if it would be ok for me to collect it.

At this stage, I was told that it had been fixed, and that there was no need for me to collect it - they would deliver it to me that weekend (I received this phonecall on a Thursday/Friday).

I then waited until the Tuesday… still no laptop, and still no phonecall, so again, it took me a considerable amount of time to get a hold of them and when I eventually did, I was told that although the laptop had been repaired, it still wasn’t working, and they would have to contact the manufacturer for a BIOS upgrade. It was then December, and my dad visited the shop on my behalf, and was then told after further ado (they didn’t seem to know which laptop was mine) that it was in London as they had to send it off to a specialist). More time passed, and I became increasingly annoyed so decided to seek further advice from Trading Standards, who advised me to send a registered letter asking for the laptop back - repaired or not, and still I did not get a reply, so they then steppin in for me.

They had trouble initially getting in contact, however then returned to me, saying that the laptop could not be repaired, and I was to contact the people concerned to arrange getting my laptop back.

Eventually, on the 20th Jan (bearing in mind they had my laptop from 13th October) I received a phonecall to say that they were going to drop my laptop off, but there would be a £25 charge - for shipping to the specialist. I wasn’t entirely comfortable with this, so I had written them out a cheque, and my laptop was returned.

I tried to switch it on, and it is now in a worse state of repair than when I had given it to them, and after talking to my dad, he said I should cancel the cheque due to the advert on their website - no fix, no free, and also, their failure to communicate - i.e. they did not even ask my permission/mention anything about charges to send it to a specialist.

I since cancelled the cheque, and have just had the man appear back at my door in what I would deem to be a fairly threatening manner. He asked me for the money and I said I didn’t have it, and he said I could take the easy way or the hard way??!! What he meant by this I don’t know.

He said I have been fraudulent in writing a cheque and then cancelling it, but I do not consider this to be so, and think I have every right to cancel it, due to the trouble I have had with the company.

Is there any sort of action they can take against me? I am so annoyed that they had the audacity to ask me for money after 3 months of me trying to track the laptop down, and eventually getting it back in a worse condition that I had given it to them.
Also, they claim to have tried to contact me, but despite providing them with 3 telephone numbers (2 of which have voicemail), I have never received any of these alleged calls they claim to have made.

The man who dropped off the laptop said that he had been to my house twice before - again, I had asked them to phone prior to visiting so that I could ensure that someone was home.
They claim the laptop is unrepairable due to a faulty motherboard, yet they advertise on their website:

"we install processors, memory, motherboards…. can supply replacements or upgrade components"

"No fix No Fee"
"Free Quotes"
"Not Happy? No Charge"

Also, I was not told about the charge until 15 mins before they were going to drop it off to me - again, after someone else was supposed to have contacted me to tell me this.
I also find it a bit strange that it took me 3 months to get an answer from them, and get my laptop back, yet they seem to be able to reach me fine when it suits them.

I’m more concerned that someone knocked on your door. Did this man mention that he was calling from this computer shop? Get back to trading standards and report this immediately. Nobody should be visiting you at your premises and demanding money at your doorstep.

They are allowed to charge you, because there’s an element of service involved in doing anything from tightening a screw to rebuilding the machine from scratch. These "no fix, no fee" offers are nothing more than a gimmick. If you read the small print, there are bound to be some conditions attached to this.

Please anybody help me, do a need a DBA? I want to put a website promoting my business, it will only be part time. Do I need to report to the IRS, what form do I use? Thanks for Your help!!!
What form do I use? Do i still have to declare even if a don’t make more than $400.00? I want to put a web site too.
Do I need a DBA to put up a web site? For computer repair? I’m only doing this part time. at nights and week ends. I live in Houston, TX..

If your repair shop is going to have a name other than your name then yes you will be DBA. The main reason is you will get checks from customer made out to "The Computer Doc" and the bank will give you a hard time if you don’t have an account under John Brown DBA The Computer Doc.

There are advantages to being formally organized and incorporated even if you are just an LLC. Talk with the person you intend to use to do your taxes.

And yes the IRS will want a piece of everything you make regardless what you call yourself or how your are organized.

I am opening a computer repair shop, and need a good free software to keep track of client’s information, previous repairs and service orders. Please Help!

Quicken for Business does that.

I just got an HP G71 Notebook PC for Christmas and a couple of weeks ago, my friend accidentally spilled tea on my laptop. Now, my keyboard doesn’t work anymore. Can they fix it for me? If not, I need help finding an HP G71 notebook PC keyboard online.

yes the keyboard can be replaced >but if the tea got on the motherboard and shorted it out a keyboard will be no good>have your laptop checked out before you but a keyboard

Okay I am 18 years old and I live in Connecticut. I have 2 more months before i graduate high school. I am good at fixing computers. I want to fix peoples computers in my house. I cant have a huge banner made to advertise my Business and have loads of Business cards made. Can I just put the banner up, give out business cards and have people drop there computers off to my house and fix it dirt cheap? Is it that easy?

Easy there slick rick. Are you wanting to do this part time? Are you going to carry insurance? Are you that you "know" what you are doing.
It takes a little more than knowing how to install windows to make you able to fix a computer. Have you tried any test to measure your knowledge?
You may be really good at fixing your pc. However what do you do when a customer has a problem that you cannot fix. Worse yet what if they say that you broke their machine when you know that you didn’t. This is where insurance comes in. Look into these things.
Knowing about a PC is not the same has being able to fix one. I have been in IT for about 5 years now and still have issues that are demanding. You will never know all the answers. Join newsgroups that will help you stay on top of your game and get into the forums. They will be vital at times. Never be afraid to call a vendor’s help desk line.
Consider what you are doing here my friend. Be careful.

would it be illegal to open a computer repair shop without a business license? i’ve been working on computers for a while now, and i always manage to get the job done, so i was wondering if it would be illegal to, lets say, put a sign out on my own property that says "computer repair" and work on anyone’s computer who comes by?

It depends on the zoning of your property whether or not you can put up a sign. I would put up signs at public bulletin boards (supermarket, universities, colleges, libraries, etc.,) but NOT in front of your own home. Do you REALLY want walk-ins???

As long as you don’t have any employees, you can operate as a sole proprietor without a business license. Just make sure you file a tax return. There are small business centers in just about every city that can help you get set up.

My dongo broke and when i bought another one and tried to run it it stated i had to uninstall a previous speed manager file. I uninstalled everybit of it. I also tried a restart of the system to an earlier time. I even put it into the computer repair shop and they looked for the file but couldnt find anything.They said they would have to reinstall windows. It cost £60 but i have an exam tommorow and need the computer.

Try using ccleaner, download and update, its free, this removes any temp files/folders, also run the registry scan. If the speed manager is the problem that is. That shouldnt stop you installing anything. So it must be something else. You could also try, right clicking on the icon for your dongle, then on explore and try a manual install fromt there. Failing all the above, if you have your product key and you know someone with windows cd ( your version obviously ) then you could try a repair install of windows, so you dont lose data, though you will have to update and change settings, or a fresh install. Have you also tried running an antivirus and antispyware program to make sure thats not causing the problem.

Hope this helps

my friend broke her laptop. it froze and she manually switched it off. now when she turns it on it gives her the options of turning on with safemode, etc like any regular laptop but it won’t go to windows after that. the laptop is japanese and all the words are japanese. so if anyone knows of a japanese computer repair shop in vancouver, bc and could tell me, we’d greatly appreciate it.

Call any Computer Store in the Vancouver Yellow Pages.

Ask them if they have a Japanese speaking Technician.

I doubt that you’ll need to call more than 3.

Hi,

I’m currently studying in Japan for a year, and a couple days ago my laptop (Gateway, bought in the US) crashed and got problems ever since. My Japanese roomate took me to a few electronic shops and they won’t accept to repair or even take a look at my laptop because it’s bought in the US. I’ve also called the Gateway service center in Japan and they said they won’t accept it either. Can anyone please help me look for or tell me where I can find a computer repair shop that can repair my laptop? I live in Tokyo Japan. Thank you!

Unless it’s under warranty, you might be wasting your time.Few places
will even deal with trying to fix a lap top.The reason for this is almost everything ( sound card, ect ) is a part of the mother board.You can’t remove sections that go bad. So it’s cheaper just to buy a new lap top.

Hi, I am in Penang for 2 days and need to find an actual APPLE/Macbook physical repair shop in the city before I leave. Will someone please please help me!?
I am in Georgetown, but can obviously get a taxi anywhere. I am having a problem with the screen and have to go back to a village in Thailand, so I am in desperate need!

here ya go,

Switch@Gurney Apple Premium Reseller

No 170-03-18, Plaza Gurney, Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Penang