Hardin Computer — Attraction in Arlington

TL;DR - If you enjoy the experience of going to the DMV, go to your nearest Apple Store for your repair. If you prefer an experience with some semblance of personalized and caring customer service (and with a phone number), Hardin Computer is well worth the drive from wherever you are in the Metroplex.

I use my Macbook for nearly everything, and was shocked to discover a crack in my screen a few short days before leaving on a vacation abroad earlier this month. I had no luck finding an appointment at an Apple Store, so I called Hardin Computer to see how long it would take to get my computer repaired (since the Apple website also had them as an Apple Authorized Service Center). The team member that answered the phone was extremely helpful and was confident that the repair could be done before my departure. I planned on dropping off the computer at Hardin that afternoon, until a last minute cancellation popped up at the Southlake Apple Store, which was much closer to my house. There was no doubt in my mind that the individuals at Apple (with the global resources of a major multi-national corporation at its fingertips) could get my computer fixed much faster than a small business (and closer to home as well).... I couldn't have been more wrong! After an experience that was more similar to a visit to the DMV than I care to admit (quoting 3-5 business days waiting for parts, then a subsequent 3-5 business days waiting on the repair); I reached out to Hardin again to apologize for kind of ghosting them, and to see if their time estimate still stood if I dropped off my Macbook first thing the following morning. Thank goodness, the individual on the opposite side of the phone did not take it personally at all - and said that the time estimate still stood. I dropped off the computer right at 9 AM on a Thursday Morning, and probably spent a little more time than I care to admit looking at the older Apple PCs that they had on display (from a nostalgia perspective; they were clearly not for sale!), and then I headed back to work. I also crossed my fingers, since I was leaving on the following Wednesday. After the weekend without my computer, I received a call from Rick - mentioning that he had stayed late to make sure that my computer was done comfortably in time, and that it was ready for pick up first thing on Tuesday. This was also in line with their estimated completion timeframe (versus the 6 to 10 business days Apple Southlake estimated). Tuesday morning, I went and picked up the computer and that is also where they gave me a heads up that their diagnostics had found that my trackpad was about to fail and that they had also replaced that as well. I can't confidently say that Apple would have been as proactive with repairing not just the already failed components, but components that were about to fail as well. After this experience, I'm never setting foot in any Apple Store again for a repair. It's simply not worth the effort to get an appointment, the time spent waiting to be served, and the guaranteed heartburn it will cause. I'll just call Hardin - and then drive the 45 minutes where I know I'll get adequate resolution without having to hope or pray for it.

So with that, thank you, Hardin Computer for getting my computer turned around quickly so that I would be able to edit and store images from our trip this summer. I can't recommend you...

I brought in my old iMac for repair. They told me it would be a $99 diagnostic fee to figure out what was wrong. They even told me that it was possible that it would be unrepairable since it was so old, but if it was repairable, and I chose to have them repair it, they would wave the $99 diagnostic fee. They called me and said that 1 of the 2 RAM modules had gone bad, but that it was ok because they could put a 2gig stick in the other side and it would be even faster. He quoted me over the phone that the price would $79. I was very happy to hear this and I told him to go ahead and do it. Well when I showed up to pick it up the bill was $180 plus taxes. I was pretty confused. Well guess what? They charged me the $99 dollars anyway, but labeling it as a standard bench fee instead. I was somewhat upset (as you might imagine) and proceeded to tell them that fee was not ever discussed with me. And to top it all off, my mac runs worse than it did before. Running on one 2 gig stick is horrible for any video or basic games. I'm very frustrated with this company and would not recommend anyone getting a repair done from them.

Pay the extra money to have Apple do your repair. Apples customer care service and focus is unmatched by...

I have a 5 year old iMac. The hard drive was going out. I took it to the Apple store in Southlake, and was told that I'd need to replace that 2TB drive with an equivalent one for a cost of over 400 dollars. The tech guy, (Apple Genius) told me that I could check with an independent Apple retailer, (obviously meaning Hardin, but he was enjoined from mentioning them by name) and they'd be able to help me with an alternative fix. I then took it to Hardin Computers, an independent Apple store. They told me that they could replace the failing drive with a 3TB drive for less than 200 dollars AND that I could increase the RAM in this aging machine from 4GB to 6GB. I wasn't told at the Apple store that either of these upgrades were possible: the increase in capacity of the hard drive or the increase of the RAM. I thought the machine was maxed out. From now on, I'll be taking my Apple repairs, (unless they're very minor), to Hardin Computers, even though they are more than 30 miles away from...