Geek Hero — Local services in Watauga

I don’t normally write bad reviews (although I take pleasure in writing good reviews, because I think it is important to tell when companies are doing the right thing). However, my experience with Geek Hero compels me to write a review. I have never been so displeased and disappointed with a company before in my life. It all started when my mom took her Mac to the company to “fix her computer” because it was running slow. Her main concern was they not lose all the pictures she had on her computer. When she went to pick up her computer and validate the pictures were still there, she noticed the pictures they had reloaded onto her computer were not hers but another customers! That alone made me very concerned, from a privacy perspective. However, the mess doesn’t stop there. They said they didn’t know where the pictures were, but they would “work all night” to try to find her pictures. She asked me to help since she didn’t know what to do (I’m a “computer guy”, so she wanted me to help remedy the situation). I called the shop and tried to understand that mistakes can happen but that I wanted to make sure she got her pictures back. I talked to Sam who is either a manager or owns the company (might be the owner’s son) and he assured me they would find the pictures. Fast forward a few weeks and they still couldn’t find the pictures. Then they said the computer was “ready” and she needed to pick it up. When they turned it on to show her the computer was ready, the computer didn’t start up because it had a CD in it. The clerk she was working with didn’t know how to get the CD out of the Mac, so he asked her to come back another time so a tech could get it out. Several other painful interactions later, my mom went to pick up her computer, and of course the pictures were not on there. To my astonishment they charged her about $100 for “fixing” the computer! They lost her pictures and still charged her! I was incredulous, so I called Sam back. His explanation was that he had to pay for the software (it was Mavericks Operating System, which is free!) and the computer is running faster (and gave a few other lame excuses as to why they couldn’t find/load the pictures on her computer). Of course it is… there are no pictures or anything else on it! I would never recommend this company to go anywhere near your computer. This company is incompetent at best and...

More often than not, I've called this guy in computer emergency situations and he has never failed to help me. No matter the issue, big or small, he has always provided me with top notch quality service and products, and done so at a fraction of the time and cost that I would have paid anywhere else. He has never failed to provide me with any product, service or technical information or help that I've needed at any time in the last five years. He is a total lifesaver and I would recommend him to any family member, friend or stranger that could possibly need any sort of computer or computer accessory help and know with 100% confidence that if they showed up at his shop they would get excellent quality products and service from a gentleman who treats his clients and customers with more kindness, efficiency & respect than you can get from nearly any other person in the same type of business or any business for that matter these days. And if he is in it just for the money, you are never going to know it because he has never tried to upsell me anything and has always respected the financial limits and constraints that I've had and told him that I needed to stay within and he has always given me the very best very possibly could. And that goes for the employees that he has working for him as well. I have never left there feeling as though I had been misled or ripped off or taken advantage of. I always leave there feeling satisfied and with a smile on my face knowing that whatever problem I had before I walked in there has been solved and no longer exists. And they even have high-end products available for those who are on a strict budget and still want a great deal. In my opinion he is the go-to guy for all of your computer needs no matter how big or small...

I took my computer in because it was overheating in the hopes that they could fix it. I had previously found online that my HP is notorious for being bad at managing heat but I thought I'd give it a try. It gets so hot that it shuts down... all of this I explained to the lady behind the counter.

The next day I called and asked for a status update. The same lady (I presume) said the tech was in it at the moment. They had found that the GPU was coming loose due to heat issues but that they could keep it from messing up when the computer got hot. I clarified "Wait, that's going to fix the heat issue?". She said "Yes".

I'm no computer guru, so I said "Well, ok, if you guys are pretty sure that will clear up the issue then lets do it"

I get to the store to pick up the computer and a young man explained the process of what they'd fixed. After hearing all of it I couldn't help but notice that this had nothing to do with fixing the heat management of the computer. The GPU was a problem RESULTING from the overheating issue.. it was in no way related to CAUSING the heating problem.

So, 120 bucks later my computer has the EXACT same problem that it did when I went in there.

Lesson to be learned: Make sure these bozos understand what you want fixed when you go in there. And be specific, because apparently "overheating" is not specific enough. I should have said "the issue CAUSING the overheating, not any issues RESULTING from the...