subject: Finding the Computer Doctor That Fits Your Needs [print this page] Picking the computer doctor that is right for you comes down to three main factors. In this article, we look at how services, location and cost can determine the level of service you receive.
The computer support industry has grown up in parallel with the growth of home PC's. As with any industry, specialization in services is what differentiates each service provider so it is important to pick the right company for the computer repairs you require.
Each firm details the generic services that they can provide and this invariably includes things like setting up home networks, removing viruses and data recovery. For hardware repairs some computer doctors will only support specific technologies (e.g. Mac or PCs) and sometimes even specific brands (e.g. HP, IBM). Check this on their website beforehand to ensure their bench technicians are familiar with your computer.
There is a growing trend for shipping computers off for repairs in instances where specific expertise is needed (e.g. recovering data off of a fire damaged PC) or simply when there is no local computer doctor to speak of. Some repair shops will even cover the shipping costs so this should be less of a concern. However, this does add to the turnaround time involved in getting your PC back quickly.
The costs involved in repair can go from low end (adding memory to a PC, virus removal) to high end (some data recovery) and vary considerably. The frederick computer service will charge differently depending on which firm you go with, so you need to establish beforehand what all the costs are. These would include initial consultation fees (if any), shipping fees (if any), call-out costs (if applicable) and the pricing structure for repairs. Some repairs are charged at a flat rate, while others may be charged based on time and materials (e.g. salvaging files from a flood damaged computer) so it is essential to raise these questions with your computer doctor prior to securing their services.
