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“I meant to do a top 10 list, but I had too much to say and it became 11. Oh well, hope you like it. Please comment and add some suggestions of your own.” -Joey

When you’re shopping around for computer services in the Los Angeles Area, or anywhere for that matter, here are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that you get the best possible computer service and support.

Quick List: 1) Don’t just go for the “cheapest”. 2) Can you talk to a live person right away? 3) Are they professional? 4) Check to what their website looks like. 5) Read their testimonials. 6) Do they recommend reinstallation of the Operating System as a first resort? 7) Do they let you know exactly what is involved with each service? 8 ) Make sure they backup first and can migrate your data. 9) Do they charge per service or per hour? 10) Trust your gut instinct. 11) Ask to see if they offer maintenance plans.

1) Don’t always go for the cheapest quote. Not all services are the same. With computer services you usually get exactly what you pay for. That doesn’t mean you should pay the highest price out there, it just means that you shouldn’t be cheap when it comes to your priceless data and computer security. There is a reason why companies charge a decent amount for their services, it takes time and experience to get the job done correctly. If you don’t want to spend money, call your nephew or neighbor. Just hope they can do it right. You can also learn to do it yourself if you are trying to save money. Just realize that it does take time to do things right. That costs money. Understand that you have to pay for good service.

2) If you can get a hold of a person quickly the first time you call, you will more than likely be able to get a hold of them again in the future. If they don’t answer their phone and it goes to voicemail, they had better return the call in a timely manner. If they don’t answer or don’t get back to you, it might give a hint to their level of customer service. I wonder how responsive they’ll be when you call because your computer is still having the same problem they supposedly fixed. Hmmm.

3) How does the company answer the phone? Do they answer in a professional manner? Do they just answer with Hello? If they answer by saying their business name first, you know that they are a serious business and not just a one-man-show answering their cellphone. You need a company you can rely on. Computer service is something that is needed on an on-going basis. One-man-shows are dangerous because you can’t rely on them all of the time. They can only be at one place at one time…unless they don’t have any clients which may be yet another hint as to their level of service. Pay close attention to whether the person on the other end of the line is paying close attention to your questions and statements or whether they are just trying to “sell” you. Test them to see if they understand what you’ve asked for.

4) What does their website look like? You’re looking for a computer service company. If they are up on technology, they should have a decent looking website. If they have a shabby looking website, they might be one man show with a small budget or a company that doesn’t understand the importance of a website and company image. Either way, stay away from them and go with a company that “looks and feels” professional. If they’ve spent some time and money on their website, then they are serious about their business. That’s important.

5) Read their customer testimonials on their website and on independent sites. Search the company name in Google and Yahoo. Search for the company in Yellowpages.com and Superpages.com. What do past clients have to say about the company? Negative feedback or no feedback? Watch out. Go with a company with a proven track record with their clients. Make sure the testimonials are written by real people and not employees of the company. You can usually tell because real testimonials will sound and feel different than ones that are made up. If all of their testimonials sound the same, they’re probably fake.

6) Reinstalling your Operating System should be the last resort. Most good computer service technicians can remove almost any virus and repair most problems. There are some cases when reformatting and reinstalling makes sense, just not in most. It makes sense to reinstall when time is an issue; virus and spyware removal, repairing specific system files, and resolving software conflicts can take up to 3 to 5 hours to complete. If time is of the essence, it makes sense to reinstall. If it costs less to reinstall the operating system than to resolve your specific problem, then it might be a good idea. Just make sure you know what else is involved. See number 3. Find a company that understands that reinstallation is a last resort technique. This goes back to number 1. Most companies that charge a fair rate, will be willing to take the extra time to do things correctly by not reinstalling as a first resort.

7) If the technician does have to reinstall the operating system, you should understand that EVERYTHING will be deleted. If you have important data, you need to make sure that they migrate the data first, reinstall the operating system, then migrate the data back.

8 ) Make sure that when they migrate the data from an old operating system to a new one, that they integrate the data with the programs by importing the data. Your data file for your addressbook, email, and favorites are useless unless you can see the data in the program they are meant to run in.

9) Pay close attention to the company’s pricing method. I think that companies that charge only for solutions, per-job basis, are generally better than companies that charge per hour. Companies that charge per-job have to be confident that they can get the job done or else they don’t get paid for the service. When a computer service company charges per service, then they can take the time to ensure that the job is done correctly without feeling rushed. If the company charges per hour, make sure you get an estimate up front and make sure they stick to their quote. Find out if they have a guarantee in case they are working on the problem for a few hours and cannot solve the problem you called for. You don’t want to get stuck with a $400 bill and still have the same problem. Try to find a company that only charges after they fix your problem. (Side note: make sure you understand how much the company charges just to send out a technician to diagnose your problem.) Find out how long their work is guaranteed for.

10) Noticed that I’ve mention “feel” or “feelings” a couple of times. That is because I really believe that your gut instinct and your first impressions are usually pretty accurate. Having a technician service your computer system or network on-site requires trust. Trust must have a solid foundation which starts the moment you start the communication with the company. Do you feel that this company is trust-worthy? Backup your “feeling” with some factual information by searching their website, checking the BBB and reading testimonials and you will have enough ammo to make a good decision.

11) Ask to see if they offer maintenance plans. Companies name their plans differently. I have heard the plans called monthly maintenance plans, service plans, support contracts and personal technician plans. GeekSquad offers Black Tie Service for Laptops. Try to find a company that offers plans with no long term contracts. You don’t want to get stuck with a bad company. The reason I recommend companies that offer these services is because it shows that they are interested in maintaining their clients’ computers and not just looking for the one time fix. They are interested in a long-term relationship with their clients. These plans can keep overall costs down because they can prevent problems from happening in the first place. Clients who purchase these maintenance plans often get special benefits such as priority service and services at discounted rates.

Check the Computer Repair Directory for local listings near you: http://www.pcrepairdirectory.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2008 at 2:42 am and is filed under Tips and Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.