Computer Clinic @ UTX - Hampden, Maryland — Local services in Baltimore

tldr: destroyed laptop while trying to fix minor hinge issue. would not accept responsibility for damage.

Mechanics competency: Extremely poor Electronics competency: Extremely poor Customer service competency: Extremely poor Software competency: can't comment, so tbd.

My evaluation competency: I have a degree in engineering and am very familiar with electronics and software in computers.

Summary (March 7th - March 15th, 2021): Save yourself some risk and google a more reputable shop.

We paid $50 for a diagnostic of a hinge connecting laptop screen with body, and afterwards the laptop screen would not turn on. Although it is unclear if the store was responsible for the subsequent damage, it is clear that the store exercises a defensive and aggressive approach to customer service. Moreover, they have lackadaisical approach to responsibility concerning customer’s devices. Frankly if you have software issues, those are trivial to fix with any experience or googling. If you have mechanical/electrical issues, you’re pretty much rolling dice with an unprofessional business. They may very well fix your device properly. However, if issues arise, you’re not going to get any answers and will probably get a defensive attitude from the manager. Don't even expect some assurance on their end for improperly handling things. Furthermore, they seemed to have messed up the battery driver at some point (see attached figures).

Experience: My friend and I brought in an Asus Vivobook Flip 14 2019 on March 7th, 2021 for a loose/broken mechanical hinge that connects the laptop body to the laptop LCD screen. This is a common mechanical problem in this laptop series due to poor manufacturing (just do a quick google search). We were prompted to pay $50 for a diagnostic to determine the underlying problem. The main issue is that the laptop cannot fully close. It was still functional if one just left it open and used it as a “home work station”.

We went back in two business days on March 9th, 2021 to pick up the laptop. They told us that the hinge would need to be ordered and replaced, which would probably cost in the $300s range. We decided it’s best to use till end of life as a home workstation and then just get a new laptop. We subsequently turned it on outside on a bench and the LCD screen does not turn on at all.

Then we bring it back and they tell us that they’ll take a look. We call multiple times and 5 business days later on March 15th, 2021, we return to discuss.

They return the laptop with the screen as shown in the attached photo. They then give us the explanation: “the laptop is already very fragile and the hinge issue somehow affected the LCD screen. We retraced all our steps and couldn’t figure out any reason that the LCD screen would not be turning on.” We obviously are pretty frustrated at this point because we spent a total of $50 diagnostic, and 8 days just to have an entirely broken laptop screen. We ask if there is anything else they can do, whether there is customer restitution, or perhaps they carry insurance. Our reasoning to even request restitution is: “before we brought in the laptop, the laptop screen was functional, but after a ‘diagnostic’, we had even more problems.“ They decline and the manager (old male Caucasian) becomes highly defensive at this point yelling at us and telling us to leave without offering to even help us go through the issue here. This is absurd considering the state of the screen doesn’t even look remotely close to where it was before we brought in the laptop.

Later, we plug in our laptop to an external monitor (since the LCD screen is broken now) to try to backup the contents before it completely goes dud. See attached photo for evidence that they also completely screwed up the battery.

I'm open to the idea that this was a fluke beyond anyone's control, but if f they really didn't do anything wrong, my suggestion is to i) stop acting highly defensive to normal questions and ii) have some notion of customer and people respect.

The summary convo is copy-pasted as an image...

I wish I could rate more highly. In December my laptop's cover hinge cracked and compromised the screen integrity, but the computer itself still ran fine. I brought it in to have the cover replaced. I don't have any problem with the delays because of mail delivery, that happened to everyone so it's not their fault. The problem I do have is that once they did receive the parts to repair my laptop, they then spent another month not knowing why my computer was suddenly not turning on. I gave them a deadline, and only then did they find out they blew a fuse on my laptop's motherboard. The computer contents were functional before I brought it in. Now I don't have a computer. I would expect more care to avoid this kind of accident when, according to their own words, "the fuse is no where close to where they were working." If I had to take a guess, I would say they used the wrong adapter to charge my computer; I called at one point asking if they would like the power cord dropped off. They reassured me they already had one that fit. Considering the blown fuse, I think...

i have a little very little crack on my computer screen. i went to there to repair but the guy tell me to put my name on the paper, no greeting, at the bottom of that paper it told pay 49$ if you don’t repair there . i called before going there and even when i was there he did not explain about it . after 6 hours they called me and tell me the price to fix is 320$ . oh my god i already ask other place before going there and it cost 150$. they guys are running fraud business . i recommend all of you guys be aware of it. they force me to pay 49$ for doing nothing. please please, this is the worst place to go.price is skyrocketing, service is...