Electronics Overhaul — Local services in Chesapeake

I would give this place negative stars if I could. Honestly, the guy who took my laptop was lying, lazy, and trying to scam me. Avoid this place like the plague. Unfortunately, while replacing the NVMe drive in my laptop, I accidentally broke the connector for the touchscreen's digitizer ribbon cable on the motherboard. Totally my fault. Now, I have worked in IT professionally for 30 years. I also collect and repair vintage computers. I know exactly how to do this repair, as well how much time it would take to do the repair. I looked for the connector myself on Mauser and Digikey, but couldnt find it. I didnt mention any of this to the man at Electronics Overhaul, as it wasnt necessary. Since I couldnt find the connector, I decided to bite the bullet and take it to a professional electronics repair shop. They do this for a living and hopefully could find the connector. Not to mention, do it faster than I could. I drove there and a very disinterested man told me it would be $40 just to look at it. Fine. What was strange is when he ran my card he seemed surprised that the $40 went through. Very strange.A connector should be no more than a few dollars and it should have easily taken less than an hour to do the repair. The $40 should have covered the work, but even if he charged me $20 more, I would accept that is the price for my blunder. When I showed him what was wrong, he did say that is an usual connector. Yeah, I know, I couldnt find it, but again didnt mention that I know anything about IT or electronics repair. Now, getting this man to say anything was a chore. I had to ask him everything to get any information, like when will I hear back from him. He said a week. I asked so I will hear from you by 5 Friday and he said yes. Friday rolls around and nothing. So I call him after im done with work and he says - and I quote-"Im having a hard time finding the connector." Which means he cant repair it.Thats all he said.So, I asked again, can it be repaired.He then said "I can repair it for $350."When he said $350 I knew he was lying, lazy, and trying to scam me. He very well may have looked for the connector and not found it. However, I wouldnt bet money that he did anything..So what do you do in this situation if you cant find the connector? You go on eBay to find a replacement motherboard to pull the connector from. Had he literally done one search on eBay, he would have seen you could find no motherboards, but several listing for the identical laptop, used for $85. Clearly, he didnt do any research at all. But if he had, any respectable business owner and/or a person common sense would say that since the connector or donor boards cant be found at a reasonable price, you would be better off buying a replacement laptop for $85. However, this man said he would fix it for $350! I literally could buy 4 of these laptops for that price. Of course I said no. He then asked if I wanted to send it off as e-waste. This tells me he didnt even turn the laptop on, as other than the touchscreen not working, it is a perfectly functional laptop. I picked it up later and I asked him how the hell he came up with $350. He said he values his time and it would require "microsoldering." His time isnt worth $350/hour. Like I said, if I had the connector, I could have done this in far less than an hour and I dont even do this for a living. When I told him that you can get these for $85 why would he charge me $350, he knew he got caught. He just stopped talking at that point. So I took my laptop and left.

I am editing this review, based on the idiotic reply from the company. Bent an M.2 connector? Uh no. Its fine fine and isnt the issue. Cant find the a listing on ebay for $85? Heres one- rb.gy/hvydem . The he complains I misspelled Mauser. Oh god how smart he is and dumb I am. Then he goes off on some random tangent about another review from a different customer. And then my other reviews. Notice what he didnt talk about? His insane quote of $350. Seriously, do you want this guy working...

Went to this place around April, had an electrical problem with the battery in my phone. Adam ( the owner of this business) said he would have to order parts that may take a week or so to arrive, said there would be no problem with me taking the phone with me until parts arrived ( I had pictures of my recently deceased fiance of our last trip together I wanted to save off the phone) I just felt better about keeping the phone with me until the parts arrived. When the parts finally arrived a week and a half later, I had received a voicemail saying "he didn't understand why the phone wasn't left in his shop." I came in the following day (Friday) and requested to be in the shop when he could spare time for my repair. Adam told me he would be available Monday. (I just wanted to be present for the repair because the pictures meant so much to me.) Adam tells me Monday around 10-11am. I arrived Monday about 11, was told it should be about 45mins- 1 hr fix. About 2 almost 3 hrs later of patiently waiting in his shop, he tells me the battery and faceplate have been replaced but it's only pulling a low charge. I asked what he suggested he tells me to leave it with him and he would call me by the next day. I said I would leave to run a few errands and would be back before they closed. (Left it in his shop like he requested from the start). When I make it back a few hours later he starts to claim he thinks the phone has "water damage" (a phone with water damage would not pull any current for those that don't know that information). Adam had the phone in the back of the store when I had been waiting on the repair and when i arrived before closing, had moved the phone to behind the front counter on the charger. I asked to see what repair had been done, Adam picks the phone up that is still connected to the charger to show me the screen of it that reads the phone is charging. I ask if I pay for the work that has already been done would there be a problem if i bring the phone and receipt back ( both receipts, one for the deposit and the other receipt for parts and repair)the following day if im unable to get it to turn on. Adam tells me sure, I had been a previous customer to him 2 times in the past year before this interaction. The next day I bring the phone and receipts and requested a refund only for the parts (I know deposit and repair fees are for the time spent on the repair.) Adam denied my request telling me I had "wasted his time"(but that is what you pay a deposit for) preceded to tell me that I "vandalized my own phone" I believe because he was mad I didn't trust him to leave my phone to him without my presence. (I believe I had made the right decision about that because after I had left it in his shop for a few hours tells me he thinks it had "water damage" so I think if the phone was in Adam's words "vandalized" it was something he had done to the device. I asked Adam if there were any other options he said he could "ship it to Florida and that it would be expensive." $140.00 dollars, respect and cherished memories lost from his unprofessional conduct. I went to this shop because the 2 previous repairs had went accordingly. I thought he understood how sacred this repair meant to me for the year of being a customer turned into an...

Horrible...Horrible...Horrible. Wish I could do no stars. Here's what happened.....SMH.

So I had a soundbar that wasn't working. I call around and find this guy. Hit him up and I go to his shop.

I show up and he says it will be $50 to diag it. Cool! I drop it off and he says he will give me a call in a few days.

I kinda forget about it and notice it's been a week since I've herd anything. Give a call and he says.." Oh yea...We've found the problem and it will take a few more days to 1 more week at the most to get the part and let you know how much. Ok...Fine with me.

Another week goes by..I call. No answer. During business hours mind you! Leave a msg.

Another few days go by...I call..And its either Fri or Sat. He says something to the effect of he will know in a day or two...and I say...I need to know something by End Of Business Monday. You've had it for 2 weeks! ( I know weed heads that would have been hired and fired from 3 jobs in 2 weeks!!!! LoL). He says he will for sure. Ok..Fine. I say.

Monday comes and goes. Nothin. Tuesday eve....I show up more frustrated than someone watching the RNC debates, looking for a direct answer to the question asked!! Not alot of straight answers that night!! Keep it real!

PAUSE THE STORY....Even though this guy dosent look to have any minority blood in him, and to my eye seems to be white...The word "NINJA" will be used in place of another popular word that starts with the letter "N" used in African American vernacular when someone is either very happy or very upset with a person or service or set of circumstances. I'll let you decide which one it is.....

And also can be used in a good hip hop song!

I walk in...And this " NINJA" says...Ohh...Yea...I found the problem...We still have to source the part..But it will cost $458. "NINJA paaaahhhhllleeese"! I wait over 2 weeks with virtually no communication to get this news? Any NINJA could have done this. Gimme my soundbar NINJA!

This NINJA'S communication can't be trusted. This NINJA has terrible customer service. This NINJA MAY be an electronic genius. But there are other NINJA'S in the sea.

( In the DMX voice) ...Where my...