Computer Maintenance – Computer Repair in Hawaii
Computer repair Hawaii
Computer repair services in Hawaii aren’t much different than on the mainland, particularly on the island of Oahu, but there are some challenges. Having lived on Oahu over 45 years ago at Ewa Beach and returning a little over 7 years ago, the scene has changed dramatically. Things were more rural back then and of course there was no internet.
On Oahu, people seem to work on one side of the island and work on the other. Since there are only 1 or 2 ways to get around, traffic can be extremely congested and parking can be a challenge. So whether you’re looking for a computer repair shop to drop off your computer or waiting for a mobile technician to drive you, time can be a challenge. For some reason, even in Paradise, things can get pretty busy. With that being said, I just wanted to add my two cents affecting both the customer and the service provider on computer repair on Oahu.
traffic challenges
Whether you live in Waianae, Waialua, Haliewa or the North Shore, Windward and surrounding Waimanalo areas, you’ll have to rely on mobile technicians willing to come to your location or go the distance yourself. The problem with leaving a sick computer is that most stores open between 9 and 10 am and close at 6 pm You have to take time off from work, wait for light traffic after you get off work, or just wait until a day off.
For some reason, I’m not aware of any stores in Waianae, Haliewa, and the entire North Shore. The shops on the Windward side are also sparse, but I vaguely heard that there may be a shop in Kaneohe, but they should not advertise much. If you have a Macintosh, there is definitely a shop in Kailua, just keep in mind that not all shops repair PCs and Macs, and neither do mobile technicians.
My Complaint About Windward Computer Repair
In regards to computer repair for our valued Windward customers, I have to rant a bit. Windward customers in Kaneohe and Kailua are proudly loyal to their local businesses, which is a good thing. But when it comes to computer repair and they’re looking for a mobile technician, they always want someone who seems closer to where they are, which at first seems to make sense.
If they call you and you actually have a physical location and provide mobile and in-store services, they hang up on your physical store location even though they are calling for mobile service. The truth is that they have no idea where the technician comes from. The technician may already be scheduled to be in that area for another customer and they can easily schedule an appointment for you as well. They are not necessarily sitting at home all day waiting for you to call them, so you cannot assume where they will be sent from. That may sound harsh, but it always amazes me when we spend valuable time on the phone with a prospective customer, trying to understand their computer problems and comfort them with our solution to their problem, and as soon as we mention that our store is over the hill on the other end of H3 they start to back out of the conversation almost like they think they were doing “us” a favor and say thanks but no thanks we’ll just call someone a little closer. I don’t get it, and even when I can honestly say I already have a tech in the area, they don’t care. I know other shop owners who get the same response about mobile repair on the Windward side. The fact is, we’re happy to serve customers on the Windward side, and we appreciate your loyalty once you finally hire us to repair your computer. But it is an obstacle to start that relationship. I might add that it’s a beautiful drive to the Windward side, especially if you can drive back through the Northshore if you have time. I always look forward to a good shrimp plate lunch from one of my favorite shrimp trucks on the road.
Parking for Mobile Computer Repair Technicians
If your business or home is located in a relatively populated area away from the areas just mentioned, you’ll have plenty of options for both shop-based and on-site computer repair on Oahu. But if you need service in the congested commercial areas of downtown or Waikiki, parking is an issue. My suggestion is that if you want fast service, please provide the technician with information about the most convenient place to park, as well as parking fees (which may be added to your bill). You may even be able to pre-arrange parking in an area reserved for vendors. And finally, it even helps to find out details like vehicle height restrictions for parking lots or diversions due to emergencies or special events.
Give directions
When scheduling an appointment for mobile service, it is critical that you provide an accurate address and phone number. Many local Hawaiian residents would rather give directions and landmarks than actual directions, but mobile techs end up learning the island pretty well and even use GPS devices these days. Some even print directions with Yahoo or Google before heading out. We would prefer that you just give us your full address and then maybe a waypoint if you live somewhere obscure and hard to find. We need the address for our invoice anyway. We appreciate directions, but customers somehow assume we’ll drive to their location the same way they do every day, but the fact is, we could be coming from the other side, and then left becomes right, and right becomes left and it gets confusing while driving.
Make sure you give and get the correct phone numbers
Regarding your phone number, things happen and we may need to call you. We also like to call before you leave to make sure you’ll be home. Fortunately, we’re not like the cable companies that tell you they’ll be here between 9 and 5. Mobile technicians can usually give you a 30 to 60 minute window. But if something comes up, we would appreciate it if you could call us as soon as possible to postpone it.
Also, make sure you know which computer repair company you made the appointment with and have their correct number. Many customers call multiple stores before choosing who to schedule their appointment with and get phone numbers confused. Some even call us more than once because we have more than one phone number. It becomes quite amusing to hear the same person calling again, now using a better description of his problem since he talked to us before. The problem is that it can get confusing to remember who you think of in the end. Every once in a while I get a person who mistakenly calls us to cancel an appointment we never made. Imagine the technician’s frustration when he drove to your home or business only to find out that you said he already called and cancelled, why is he here?
In-shop vs. on-site computer maintenance
Basically, this comes down to price, response time, and convenience. Shop repair fees are usually based on a flat fee and take days to recover, but you’ll get a more complete service this way. Stores are also more prepared for extremely difficult problems. With the stores, you can just walk in during normal business hours, though you should call first for guidance on what to bring. For laptops, you should always bring the AC adapter (battery charger). For desktop computers, we usually only need the computer itself (without cables or peripherals, although it wouldn’t hurt if you brought your CDs).
On-site service is usually based on an hourly rate and may even have a per-ride charge. On-site service by nature is by appointment only, but many problems can be diagnosed and repaired in an hour or two. With on-site service, it’s crucial that you describe your computer’s problem to the best of your ability, because if it seems obvious that it could be a hardware issue, your computer may be a better candidate for in-shop repair. It’s hard enough to get certain types of parts on the island, like motherboards and CPUs at a computer store, so you can expect a mobile technician to not have all the parts needed to fix all the computers in your vehicle. Some parts even have to be ordered online and can take a week or so to arrive. Hopefully you can see the complications this can cause by scheduling another appointment, as well as how the technician will bill you for the first and second appointments. It would just be better to take these problem computers to a store.
Top limitations for mobile-only technicians
I certainly don’t want to criticize mobile-only techs, because I started out that way. But you should know that these can only serve a small finite number of customers on any given day. Many people grow fond of their type of computer once trust is established, but it can be frustrating when your trusty Mobile PC Tech can’t get it done fast enough. They may even need to take a vacation and when you contact them on their cell phone, you find out that they are on the mainland for a week or two. If you can’t wait, you have to find someone else.
Mobile device repair is also limited for the reasons detailed in the “Shop or On-Site Computer Maintenance” section above. There are also certain types of maintenance that will never be done on-site because of the time it will take. If I think I need to do a surface scan on a hard drive just to get started (which can take 2 hours or more in some cases), I almost immediately recommend taking the computer back to the store to complete it at the flat rate. Some computers develop multiple issues and can take 4-5 hours to repair. On one hand, it will save you more hourly charges, but it will also help the technician to be on time for other appointments after you, since you probably only allocated 2 hours for your appointment. The tricky part is that a mobile technician may not have a store to take their computer to and can only take it to their home. If you’re okay with that, then that’s fine, no problem.
I would add that a technician who has both shop and site experience are the best technicians. For mobile-only technicians, it can be difficult to get this experience because they will rarely get a customer who is willing to pay a technician to spend 4-5 hours on site, not to mention that they will also have to spend their own personal time to to be there. . But if the technician never gets a chance to spend time on the really hard problems, it’s unlikely that he’ll ever progress to becoming a master technician. If he were choosing a doctor for a complicated surgery, how concerned would he be about his experience? The answer is obvious.
Still, while our computers and online lives may not be life-and-death situations, we seem to depend on them nonetheless. So I hope this information on both sides of computer maintenance and repair in Hawaii helps you make the right decisions when the inevitable computer problem occurs. That way, you can be armed with the information you need to choose the best option available for your computing needs.