Dan The PC Man — Local services in Allouez

EDIT: Response to owner in another review because I can't reply directly. I'm not really a fan of leaving negative reviews, but I feel like someone needs to be honest here. I'll begin by saying that I do appreciate how quickly he was able to fit me in and how prompt he was. He's also pretty funny and friendly in general, which is great, but mostly I'm looking for someone who can get the job done.

When I googled him, I was impressed at his perfect 5 star reviews with lots of customers. I thought there was no way he could be bad with reviews like that. What I didn't expect was that while he was "fixing" my computer, he directed me to Google his business name and told me to leave him a 5 star review. It was extremely uncomfortable because I was already somewhat dissatisfied, but I felt pressured to leave the review so I did (and later removed it to post this actual review). That's why he has so many good reviews.

I'd like to think I'm pretty knowledgeable about computers in general, so while I appreciate that he was trying to be informative, most of what he was doing/telling me were obvious things I already know and already do. My issue was that my desktop PC was freezing randomly for no real reason. I was told when I called him that he would not charge to look at it and tell me what the issue is. After he took a quick look at it, I tried to ask him what he would be charging me but he told me that he couldn't tell me until he was done, which seemed odd. He did not mention pricing at any point, and never told me he was going to be charging me for anything. He just started changing settings on his own.

He charged me 100 dollars and all he really did was stop a few programs from opening on startup and change a few settings, which I already know how to do myself. He did not actually fix anything, did not tell me anything I didn't already know, my computer continued to freeze shortly after he left (with nothing even running), and I'm exactly where I started but 100 dollars poorer. Basically, if you know how to use task manager and look at Windows settings, you're better off trying to fix your computer yourself, because he seems centered on explaining basic things people who have no computer knowledge.

I'm not saying he shouldn't charge to diagnose a computer, but perhaps listing his prices or saying "I can tune it up, and I charge x amount to do that. Is that okay with you?" beforehand would be helpful, because I had no idea what to expect and I truly did not expect to be charged 100 dollars just to look at my computer and change some settings that I could've changed myself (which did absolutely nothing to help the issue). Keep in mind $100+ seems to be the minimum he will charge you. He says it comes with a warranty (which just seems like a way to justify the high price), but what good is a warranty to me when all he could do is change settings and not actually do anything to fix the issue. I wish he'd offered the option to just not do a "tune up" or give a "warranty", because I didn't need either but didn't know I was being charged for them until afterwards. He basically told me to buy a new computer, and although I know my computer is pretty old, the freezing was my only issue and my computer runs fine otherwise, so I'm pretty sure there's some actual source of the freezing that he simply did not really try to find.

Aside from everything else, he accidentally dropped a screwdriver bit into my computer and could not get it out. He spent probably a good 20 minutes LITERALLY picking up and shaking my computer around trying to get it out. Finally I said forget it, just leave it. I also put a large towel down on the kitchen table so that the table wouldn't get scratched or damaged, but he didn't seem to care about damaging anything because he basically just tossed down heavy pieces and did end up putting a pretty big scratch in our new table, simply due to carelessness.

I feel that people should be aware of things like this, I certainly wish I had known sooner because quite honestly I feel pretty ripped...

Because Google has no way for me to reply directly to the owner's response to my original review, I'm forced to post my reply as another review.

My response to owner's reply:

So this is how this guy will react if you leave him an honest review. Yes, sir, I do have issues and they're with you. I did not ask where I could review you, you just told me to go to the page and said to leave a 5 star review, and then sat there and watched me until I did. I should've stood up for myself on the spot, but I was very uncomfortable with the situation.

Yes, my computer is old but to say that (or because of stuff in startup) is why it was freezing up is a joke. As I said in my review, nothing you did made even a slight difference, and it froze up about 5 minutes after you left and continued to get even worse. So no, it was not "running perfect". You barely even did anything. The reason I called you is because I'm not an expert when it comes to replacing actual computer hardware. I figured that if it was just a hard drive issue (like you originally thought, but didn't seem to actually figure out whether it was or not) then it would be easier than ordering a new one and replacing it myself. P.S. This guy literally couldn't even figure out how to remove the hard drive from my computer.

As I already said in my original review, NO I certainly do not expect you to work for free. I have no issue paying for someone to actually fix something. In fact, you could've just told me upfront what you'd charge to just diagnose it and we would've had no issue. I tried to ask you about pricing and you wouldn't tell me a price until you were done. I get that if you don't charge to come take a look at the computer, you're gonna have to charge people for something to make it worth your time. But come on man, just be straight up about it. Tell people what you're gonna charge them before you do things and make sure it's okay. That's what a professional does.

You say you were here working on my computer for an hour and a half but like I said, you were literally just trying to get the screwdriver bit out of the computer by shaking it around for at least like, 20 minutes of that. And half of the rest of the time was just you making smalltalk. You and I both know that it doesn't take an hour and a half to change some settings in Windows. You did not fix anything. It only got worse after you left and in the end I bought a computer from someone who actually knows what they're doing with gaming pcs.

As far as the scratches on the table, yeah, I didn't get a chance to check until after you left. But the point is that you aren't careful with other people's things, and when you're working with computer parts I think that's especially important.

Also, I guess you're trying to make me look like an idiot but the issue wasn't even Netflix "locking up". It was my entire computer freezing completely due to what I assume was a hardware issue. I was trying to explain that it happened often when watching videos because I thought perhaps it would help figure out what part was causing the issue. So, I guess you didn't really listen to what the issue was, either. You didn't negotiate anything, you told me $100 is your "normal charge" and that it came with a warranty (that I didn't want). I paid you what you asked and honestly just wanted you to leave.

I did not ask nor want you to do anything with my mom's computer, but she asked you a question and when you started to do the "tune up" I stated that it was fine for you to go, I could do that stuff for her no problem but you insisted that you would do it. And then you started with asking her for "tips" and I guess the $10 she offered wasn't enough because you asked for more. In the end you didn't even fix what she had an issue with and I just wanted you to leave so I said to forget it. So no, neither pc is "better than new" or even close, and you know it.

And yes, I'm sure you do hope to avoid customers who actually know something about computers and can call you...

Dan The PC Man came into my home to update my desktop computer to Windows 10. Sat next to him the entire time. Fiddling with it for 20 minutes he pulled my hard drive out of my computer, took a different hard drive out of his bag and stuck both hard drives into a duplicator docking station. He then proceeded to install the hard drive he brought with him into my computer. I stated, I don't mean to be a pain but that isn't my hard drive, don't know it's condition, where its been, and he responded, yes you are a pain. Showed me both hard drives, told me the one he had was newer. Confused, it weighed heavy on my mind throughout the install. Eventually, not thinking anything about it, he left, taking my original hard drive with him. I called other computer business's, they all stated he basically stole your hard drive with all my personal info, said it should never have happened. Was told to change passwords and file a police report. Computer never ran smooth, crashed in a week. I took it to another business for a diagnosis, Windows was corrupt, hard drive he installed had 50,000 hours on it, recommended reinstalling Windows 10 with a new hard drive. Dan seems to be well known with other computer shops. He's very belligerent to customers when they call him out, tries to shame you with a vicious response to your review hoping to antagonize you enough so you'll respond in a way that violates google guidelines. I emailed him, he never responded to my questions of whether he still had my hard drive. RESPONSE to Dan's 2 DELETED RESPONSES, in attached photos. He said he never did work for me. Yes, he was here. He likes to use his hand, like a drummer, on the computer desk while waiting for the computer to finish a task. Maybe he can backup the claim that he has connections within the B.C. Sheriffs Dept. I would encourage him to do just that. Google his business. He has been outed by numerous customers on FB, Yelp, Next door, etc. for leaving 5 Star reviews for himself using customer google accounts, and numerous other unethical deeds related to his computer sales and services, including a customer video that circulated on Next door that unveiled his unethical practices. He cowered, then caved. He stated that Google has checks and balances to prevent him from leaving reviews. No. Most people have their browser set up to remember login names and passwords. Therefore, all that has to be done is login as the browser has already provided the needed credentials. He keeps blaming competitors for writing fake google reviews. UPDATE: Within hours of making my review, Dan went to FB pleading for help to boost his standings on Google Reviews, attempting to bury mine, shown in photo. Mr. Dan, I retired after working 28 yrs. in an occupation alongside law enforcement. You are precariously close to crossing that red line with your libelous slander, if you haven't already. All computer techs have access to your passwords, which COULD be retained for Future use, most don't risk it, most. Minimize any wrongdoing. I encourage customers to visit Google Maps and look for any Google Review activity you may have made, or not. How? See photo. Find something? Edit your unsolicited review to reflect what happened after changing your password. Before handing your computer over to a tech, log out of all your Google accounts and don't log into them again, anywhere, while your computer is out of sight. Have a Gmail account? Log into it after it was serviced, scroll to the bottom right of the page and click on the Details button, it'll show you the date/time if and when someone accessed any of your google accounts during the time it wasn't in your sight, shown in photos. Change important passwords after leaving any tech, especially Google to prevent future abuse. The ultimate? Go somewhere else, too many people with stories, but...