Mac Mechanic

Jason & Manabu @ MacMechanic,\r \r Thank you so much for making the transition from my failed iMac to the Mini so painless. I simply turned it on and discovered that you, Jason, had beautifully restored all of the data, even down to the folders and files on the desktop. It looked exactly like that I had just before the crash. I can't thank you enough.\r \r And the computer automatically connected to the network, the printer, Cox internet, e-mail, MS Office 2011, and so on.\r \r I am most grateful.\r \r Best, jdc more

I have owned numerous Mac's over the years and have always felt incredibly fortunate to have MacMechanic here in Santa Barbara. Unlike big stores, the highly trained staff gets to know me, and helps me figure out and decide my needs/desires with what computer and peripherals to buy. Their service is always fast and thorough. They take the time to explain what went wrong with my equipment (always buy the extended warranty!), and coach me on use and avoidance of potential trouble. There are not very many Apple Certified shops in the country that are as full-service capable as this one. We are very lucky to have MacMechanic here! more

I took my G5 computer to the Macmechanic because the light on the off-and-on button would not turn off when pressed and the computer would not boot up.. ""It will cost $55 for our technician to find the problem. He will call you and let you know what kind of repairs are needed. "" I was told by a person at the front counter. The technician called the Next day and said, ""I have bad news for you. The computer has a bad logic board and it may have many other things wrong with it. A logic board cost about $700 dollars and the cost of installing it hundreds more. You should buy a new, or a reconditioned, computer from us instead."" ""How do you know that it has a bad logic board? What tests did you do on the computer?"" I asked. Now his replies became very vague. He had not really been able to test the computer because he could not turn it on and off. I then asked him if he was going to charge me $55 dollars for just taking a look at my computer? He replied that it cost money just to have the computer take up space on their shelves and he had done a lot of work on the computer. He then recommended that I authorize him to back up the hard drive for another $55 and get rid of the machine. When I came to the store to pick up the computer, I spoke to the technician again. He showed me several new computers in the store. Then he surprised me by asking me what I was going to do with my computer. ""I will take it home,"" I said and someone in the store commented, ""And use it as a doorstop."" As I drove away from the Macmechanic with my doorstop, I remembered that my experiences with this store was similar what I had read in a previous review on this web site. The reviewer had taken his ""worthless computer' to Sammy's and had it fixed at little expense. Hence, I stopped at Sammy's and told Nacho Loza, Apple Certified Desktop and Laptop Technician, about my problem. He asked me to look around the store for a few minutes while he examined the computer. Ten minutes later he called me and said the problem was fixed at no charge. The moral of my tale is: Beware that a Macmechanic does not turn your computer into a doorstop. more

I have tried to go to the Apple Store. It was not a positive experience. I have been to MacMechanic every time that I needed something done with or for my Mac (except the one time I tried to go to the Apple Store.) Today I went into MacMechanic and was helped by Kevin. He explained what he was going to do to help me and then continued to talk me through the process. Kevin is super sweet, down to earth and easy to talk to. I will definitely return when I need new Mac products or help. The price is the best in town! MacMechanic. . . local service by knowledgeable people. more

Jimmy was straightforward, helpful, sincere. Prices matched elsewhere, but elsewhere I felt there was implicit pressure to grab a sale and move on to the next buyer. This place feels more personal. When migration from old to new computer involved complications, the staff called to update regularly and the computer was ready the next morning. I questioned whether to buy from MacMechanic, esp. after reading reviews here, but I'm pleased I bought from them. (The Apple Store had held me on hold for many minutes before I could reach them.) All the people at Mac seem to work as a team and know their product well. When possible, buy from locally owned businesses - otherwise we're only going to have the big, flashy, impersonal businesses in town with big turnover of employees who take little pride in sales or products. Pros: Local based, personal service Cons: park across the street - it's easier more

Even though MacMechanic is close to me in Montecito I prefer going out to Goleta for my Mac repairs as I can get a better price for the services Pros: Lots of Apple equipment to look at Cons: Very expensive compared to other computer repairs shops more

I took my MacBook Pro to Mac Mechanic on a Friday morning to find out why it would not display anything on boot up. The computer was 1yr 2mo old. Later in the afternoon I got a voice mail telling me the computer needed a new logic board and it would cost $1500 to repair, and that I probably would want to buy a new computer from them. Since I did not get the voice mail until after hours, I did some research that night and found a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) from Apple for my computer. it stated they were experiencing NVIDIA board failures in my particular model and that Apple would replace it free of charge for up to two years. On Saturday morning I went into the Mac Mechanic and showed them the TSB. Since service was not open on Saturday they promised to check with Apple on Monday morning. Monday afternoon comes along and I stop in the store to find out what was going on. The clerk went and asked the tech, and the tech told her it was not covered and the cost is still $1500 to repair. I picked up my computer unresolved. I then looked at their minute by minute history on my computer while it was in their possesion and found out that they had not called Apple, nor had they re investigated the problem with the new information and therefore I figured they just wanted get my $1500. Mind you I had already bought a mini from them on Saturday to transfer everything from the hard drive so I could keep working and finish my taxes in time. Armed with the fact that Apple should fix the computer at no charge, I took the computer to another Apple Authorized Service Provider in town, Samy's Camera, and had them look at the unit. 4 days later I got the computer back working like at a champ at no cost to me because it was the NVIDEA video card that failed and Apple covered the repair. I will never spend another dime at Mac Mechanic. They just want the cash and do not care about the customer. Buyer beware. Some of you might be thinking I went in there yelling and that is why the did not want to help me. I have been in Customer service for over 25 years and I never raised my voice, never put anyone down, and asked kindly for a little help. Enough said, take your computer in for repair at your own risk, and make sure you research before you give them the go ahead to complete an repair. Pros: Knowledgable front counter staff - ask for Manabu Cons: Not willing to investigate the real problem more

Good, solid repair shop. The employees are professional and the service is as quick as you can expect from a computer repair store. Have had several repairs done here and they always do a good job. more

Slow repairs, failure to do what they say they will in time, inefficient, unable to react well to service problems.... Use them if you have to, but my advice is certainly dont trust their timing... Tom Wise more