Expertise Computers — Local services in Arlington

It gives me no pleasure to rate a company two stars. The stars are solely for the convenience of pick-up and delivery, not for the repair service provided.

My PC, which I built a few years ago, was powering on but not displaying anything on the monitor. I decided to save time by taking it to a professional instead of troubleshooting it myself. Similar to how I might change my own oil but often leave it to a professional for convenience, I expected a straightforward experience.

Initially, the tech seemed to fix the issue within a few hours. He moved the GPU to a different slot and switched from HDMI to DP—an easy fix requiring no parts. Unfortunately, the interactions I had with the tech by text and phone left me with little confidence in his ability, and I ultimately decided to finish the repairs myself.

When I called to ask about diagnosis costs, I was told it could cost up to $250, depending on the complexity. However, I was promptly billed the full $250 as soon as the computer was picked up—before any work had even been done. This felt unusual and concerning, as I typically expect to be billed after the diagnosis or repair work is completed.

One major issue was the tech’s recommendation to replace my CPU heatsink, which has no moving parts and was in perfect condition. His justification was that “missing clips” would make mounting new fans impossible, and that a new heatsink would include the necessary clips. But buying replacement clips costs just $4 on Amazon—or free from the manufacturer if I provided proof of purchase for new fans. Suggesting I spend $130 on a new heatsink instead of offering a much cheaper and simpler solution is unacceptable.

When the PC was returned, the heatsink was in a grocery bag, which he claimed was for my “convenience.” This actually made reassembly more inconvenient, as I then had to reinstall it myself. He offered to put it back, but he didn’t have thermal paste on hand—a critical component. Installing a heatsink without thermal paste could destroy the CPU. If I hadn’t known better, I might have let him do it, which would have caused irreparable damage.

The tech also claimed to have worked on the PC for three days, but text messages show the main issue was resolved within hours. Beyond that, he unnecessarily removed parts, suggested replacing components that didn’t need it, and generally made the situation more complicated than it needed to be.

After this experience, I simply don’t trust this company. While pick-up and delivery were convenient, the overall service left me disappointed. Prices for service should be made available on...

This was, by FAR, the worst experience I have ever had at any retail establishment. It was a very short interaction and I was not rude in any way, and it left me extremely offended. I don't normally leave reviews for retail establishments, but this experience stood out so much that I feel the need to tell the story.

I went into this store to purchase a power cord. There was a lighted OPEN sign on the door, but the door was locked. I tried to open the door and looked inside, but no one seemed to be working. Shortly thereafter, a gentleman ran out from a back room and opened the door for me. I told him that I was looking for a standard C13 power cord, and he grabbed the cord off the wall and said it was $15. I did not try to haggle at all, but HE then followed up by saying he would give it to me for $10.

I handed him my credit card and he ran it, then handed the tablet to me and I chose the "no receipt" option. I handed the tablet back to him and he said "fifteen dollars." I responded with "I thought you said ten dollars," and he responded with "I have have ten of that." I didn't understand what he meant, so I asked once more if he charged me $15 or $10. He said "fifteen, but I have ten of that."

Confused and frustrated, I started to leave the store and he said "I will give you five back!" I said, "okay, thanks I guess" and I started to open the door to leave. He then shouted at me "don't ever come back again!" At this point I was so caught off guard that I really didn't know how to respond, so I asked what he said and he reiterated that I could never come back. When I asked why, he said it was because of my attitude.

I left with a laugh, but did not say anything else to the man, who was obviously very frustrated with his life and the state of his business. If you are looking for a pleasant and/or remotely normal retail experience, I would urge you to stay far, far away from this...

Very expensive for the poor quality of work they provide. I took my Hp laptop to them last year about this time, the screen worked fine it just had a crack and I wanted fix. I paid $360 but screen came with a tape on it. He told me I should keep the tape for a little while. I kept the tape for a year but it just came of last week. The laptop started glitching and screen stopped working. I took it to them to look at it but he said he would give me a discount but wouldn't fix it. He also told me it is electronics I shouldn't expect it to work more than a few months. I am sure anyone would want their computer to last more than a year if they pay $360 to get it fixed. I took it to geek squad yesterday they told me the problem came from the wiring which happed because the screen was not installed properly. They only have 3 month warranty but they give discount for returning customers. I rather pay full price somewhere else than another poor service with them. My advice take it took geek squad it would take a longer time than this, but it would be worth the wait. Because there is no point of fast service, if you have to take it back to be fixed...