Thinking about getting your computer repaired on a budget? I recommend going elsewhere. Here's why:
I called Geek Choice to replace a broken motherboard with a new one I had purchased. The technician they sent was nice, but he was unable to help me, since the replacement board required that I also purchase a new processor. The technician recommended a place (Microcenter in Cambridge) where I could buy a processor and have the repairs done. He then told me that he would see about getting me a discount on the $100 charges Geek Choice wanted for my appointment, since he had not been able to make a repair. Because of that offer, I chose not to use a $25 coupon I had gotten from their brochure. Big mistake.
I never heard anything about that discount, and the charges came through on my card. A week and a half later I called Geek Choice to explain my situation. By this point, I'd already had my computer repaired by Microcenter. I'd paid them $60 for the repair, while simultaneously paying $100 to Geek Choice for having recommended Microcenter. Naturally, this seemed a little disproportionate, and I expected Geek Choice to sympathize, offering (at the least) to accept the $25 coupon that I would have used had I not been misled. I spoke with their representative (she was very nice also) and was told that I would be contacted in the future about that discount. I provided my cell phone number and my email address. I never heard from anyone at Geek Choice again.
To be clear, I'm not complaining about the personalities of Geek Choice employees. Nor am I calling into question the quality of their services (which I never had the chance to witness). Instead, I'm attacking the atrocious way they do business. Geek Choice's BLATANT DISREGARD for a customer's inquiry is the antithesis of good practice in the services industry. I would have understood if they'd provided a good reason for not giving me a break. But apparently, I ceased being a valued customer once they'd collected their money.
I won't be returning to Geek Choice, and will be active in dissuading friends from wasting their own savings on a company that doesn't respect it's customers enough to tell them directly that they can't have a discount.
more