Computers, tablets and smart phones have become a big part of our lives especially in the last 10 years. It has been said that we are reliant and even addicted to these communication devices. Things are no different in Boise Idaho or new York city. In the early seventies you would have needed a large room full of computer equipment to do the work of a five pound laptop today. Packing all that power in such a small case does cause some problems. When your computer stops working the world can become a very different place.
An article in PC Magazine in 2014 suggested that it is important to establish a relationship with a local computer repair business even before a major problem happens. Computers often give no advanced notice before there is a problem. This leaves most people doing an internet search for a repair shop. How can you know what repair shop use? You could always take your computer to a well known big box store where they sell them as well as repair them. This option has a few pretty big downsides. Being big costs money and hiring top notch technicians is costly as well. Chances are good that like most big businesses they hire young people and pay them as little as possible. Another downside is because they are big they really don’t care if you have them do your repair work or not.
The best option of all would be to get a recommendation from a friend or someone you trust. This option is not as easy as it should be. When people need a repair it is very important at that moment. After the repair business cards and names seem to fade in the fog of the fast paced world we all live in. I own a computer repair business located in Boise Idaho. My goal is to provide professional services at affordable prices. On average I charge about 1/4 of what Staples or Best Buy would charge. To be able to charge these prices I cannot afford expensive online advertising or a large retail storefront. I rely on organic internet searches and free classifieds like Craigslist. So if you search for computer repair on Google I will not come up on the first page. I am a Microsoft certified professional, registered by my state and I have an A rating with the Better Business Bureau. These qualifications mean nothing if people can’t find me. So it’s kind of a catch 22, to be found I need to charge more or have a brick and mortar storefront.
All the large companies like Yelp, Super pages and the rest all offer a free listing. The problem is the free listings show up on page twenty! I am at the point now where I have enough established customers to make a good living. It took over 10 years to get to where I am now. There are so many qualified technicians just starting out and they are struggling. So what is a client to do? When you have a problem with your computer ask a friend or co-worker if they have a recommendation. Try and talk to someone who says ” I used this guy and he was awesome.”