So your computer needs a little help. You bought it at a well known electronics store so why not take it there for repair? You know it will probably cost you a little more but they will do the job right! The first think to understand is many big stores like Best Buy and Staples sub-contract out the work to other smaller independently owned computer repair shops. There is nothing wrong with that if you don’t mind paying more just to have your computer end up at another repair shop. One of the big mistakes customers make is expecting to get a better job just because a company is large and well known.
Owning a computer repair business myself I get these “referral” jobs on a regular basis. I may charge the store $40 and they may charge the customer $180. If you ever take the time to read the fine print on a repair order at a large store you will find a clause allowing them to have all or part of the repair done elsewhere. I think that is a customer were ever to walk in the back service area of a Best Buy they would think they were back in grade school. All these twenty somethings having food fights and playing pranks on each other. Did you think they had some mature technician with 20 years experience back there working for $9 an hour? Having said that these kids are capable of repairing most of the usual computer issues.
Should a customer be required to pay four times the price just because they can? So how does pricing work at a big box store? Most stores advertise a free computer tuneup! What exactly is a tuneup? I’m not sure but it always turns out to require you to pay quite a bit of money because of all the problems they found while tuning up your computer. I found out a long time ago that I can’t afford any more free things! Advice is the only free thing you will find at my shop.
So what does all this mean to you? Well it all depends how much money you have. For smaller shops it works well for us because regardless of which big box store you decide on the chances are pretty good that one of us will be doing the repair. The 1% didn’t get to where they are buy charging less!