Now that so many people are working from home and really need a good computer there is a rise in these out of state repair companies claiming to be your neighborhood repair business. They almost always have an 800 or 877 phone number which should be your first clue that they are not your neighbor. They offer online repair as well as local repair. Now if you are willing to give someone from another state access to your computer you are already in trouble. Many things can be done to help fix your computer using an online service. Most all local repair companies already offer these services, and you actually know where they are located. Don’t be fooled by someone that claims that they cannot setup a way to access your computer later. I live in Boise, my address is on my website along with my phone number. If something goes wrong you know right where to find me. I hope you are not under the illusion that you will have any recourse with a company located in Florida.
So you might ask if they are in Florida how can they provide an actual repair person when they cannot fix the problem online. What they do is try and find some hard up local guy in Boise and subcontract the job to him. I have actually been contacted by these companies. They call and ask if you would like to make some easy money and they will provide the client. They say that you cannot have the address until the day of the repair and you cannot tell them who you are or what company you are from.
After working in the treasure valley for 12 years I have built up a large client base. I don’t need to get a client from some other company somewhere in the country. I should also mention that some of this online work is subcontracted to foreign people in other companies. No some guy in India has access to your computer and everything that is on it. There is a company right now advertising in Boise called “your friendly neighborhood computer guy.” I guess they think you live in Florida because that’s where they are! I think the Better Business Bureau slogan is the right one “Start with trust”
I want to make it clear that not all of these companies are the same. Just like anything in life there are some good ones and some bad ones. It just seems to me that their ads should not be designed to make people think that they are your local repair companies. Anytime something starts with deception it usually has a bad ending for someone.
Stay local and stay safe. Boise has quite a few good, honest computer repair businesses. Questions are always free larry@computerdoctorboise.com