High Performance Computers of Evanston

Very bad service, the owner is demeaning, obnoxious, and haughty. $ 85 diagnostic fee, costs $ 200 – 300 for 3 hours of labor, ripoff prices

Avoid at all costs!
1) Deceitful about costs
I brought my laptop here because it was blue screening and overheating. I paid around $ 100 for a diagnostic and repair. The repairman called me back to follow up multiple times, telling me they needed to run more tests and back up my data. They did not once mention any additional fees, but when I went to pick up the laptop, they gave me a bill for over $ 400! I asked why I was charged so much more for absolutely nothing, and he responded as though it was my fault for not asking. Unbelievable.
2) Complete lack of expertise
After finding out my I/​O connector was broken, they immediately suggested the laptop was completely broken, beyond all repair. I asked if they could just replace the part, but they claimed Asus doesn’t make the part and nobody at Asus would talk to them. Skeptical, I asked my coworker, a computer engineer, and he told me this was something he could easily fix.
3) Lie about your stuff being broke in order to try and sell you their stuff
They continually said my laptop was completely beyond repair, and didn’t hesitate to try and sell me one of theirs. When I found out my laptop was indeed repairable, I was livid.
4) Not experts by any means, despite their claims
The guy rudely continued to state how he has been doing this for over 30 years so he knows better. Oh really? Turns out that although my laptop was outside of the original warranty, my credit card company (Capital One) automatically extends the warranty by an additional year, making my laptop eligible! I have since been reimbursed the full cost of the laptop by Capital One, but I’m still out $ 400 to this absolutely terrible «repair» shop
5) Terrible service
The owner has the worst customer service I’ve ever seen. He is constantly demeaning, claiming his customers don’t know anything and that he has been in this business for 30 years. Yet, despite his «extensive knowledge» I was able to get fully reimbursed on my own. You would think that someone who has been in the business for so long would know about this…
DO NOT GO HERE!

Took a pc that was having startup issues. Found one issue and charged double of what it would have cost me in parts for new memory I could have bought elsewhere for much cheaper. Rather than give that option, just assumed I was ok to be price gouged. Add in the «labor», I could have bought a newer, better pc for near their repair price. Never was told they’d do anything beyond the initial quoted fee to look at it. Never authorized all the other stuff. They just assumed I would pay their high prices. Had I known what the price would be, I would’ve just scrapped the pc and bought a new one. I wasn’t given the option, just a bill. They were supposed to look at the problem, tell me the issue, what it would take to resolve it. Instead, I paid for a «repair» that hasn’t repaired everything. When I got home, even though the devices say they are working and the wifi says its connected, it will not connect to the internet. Rather tan taking it back there, I will try to figure it out myself.

I found nothing but friendly service when I visited. I needed to buy an ethernet cord for a trip to Paris. I expected to drop anywhere from $ 10 – 20 on a cord. Instead, the staff tossed me an extra 15″ ethernet cord that they had laying around the store. He gave it to me for free and was very friendly in asking about my upcoming trip. Only (minor) downside was that there was only 1 person working when I visited, so I ended up waiting for a few minutes.

Highlights:
–took nearly a month for them to perform a routine keyboard replacement.
–delays were never their fault, always someone else’s.
–they never contacted me to explain delays; I always had to call them.
–I must have spilled the beans that I had good insurance to cover the repair, because when I got the bill, they charged my for 6 HOURS OF PRIORITY REPAIR AND VARIOUS OTHER ADD-​ONS TOTALING OVER $ 700 (the manufacturer quoted me $ 150 for parts and labor, and said that the actual repair would take only about an hour, but I could not afford to wait for the two-​week shipping turnaround; one month later, I wished I would have sent it in).
–his explanation for the absurd cost? «That’s the hardest computer I’ve ever had to work on; I even had to buy a new screwdriver to remove the keyboard!» (Note: I have one of the most popular PC models on the current market).
Please, please, please, NEVER put your computer repairs in their hands. If you need a better recommendation for computer repairs in Evanston, please message me and I will tell you a place which has done much better work for me (in fact, they were the place I took my laptop to after my keyboard started acting up again two weeks after I got it back from High Performance. I don’t even think they ended up actually replacing the keyboard).

Stay away. I was treated horribly by high performance. In a nut shell, I dropped off a computer that had a bad cooling fan to get an estimate. They kept my computer almost three weeks (after repeatedly telling me that it would be less time than that) and got back a computer that wouldn’t turn on at all and now have paid $ 75 to get my computer in worse shape than I dropped it off, and now have to by an adapter to get my files off the hard drive.
Here’s what happened. Tuesday July 2 I dropped off my computer. I was told that they may get to it the next day, but if not because of the holiday it would be early the following week. Makes sense and seems reasonable. I was also told there was a $ 75 diagnostic fee. Fine. When I hadn’t heard anything by Wednesday July 10^th I called to check in. I was told, very rudely btw, that my computer was next on their bench and they should get back to me within the next day. I called back Thursday the 11^th and was told the same thing. Finally, Friday the 12^th they got two my computer. I was told the cooling fan was broken and that the part would be $ 49 and labor around $ 200. I said no thank you (The computer only cost around $ 300 when I purchased it so it didn’t seem worth it) and said I would be in to pick up my computer. I was told it was in pieces and needed to be put back together. They said that I could pick it up on Monday the 15^th. I waited until WEDNESDAY the 17^th, stopped in and was told it wasn’t ready. They put it back together and the cooling fan worked, but the computer wouldn’t boot. I called on Thursday the 18^th and was told they couldn’t get it working but would take the hard drive out for me. Finally, on Friday the 19^th I got my computer back, in worse shape than it was in.
When I picked it up I was asked if I could get a break in the price since they had it almost 3 weeks and it was in worse shape than dropped it off. I was told no, that was the diagnostic fee. Excuse me, but I was told the cooling fan, which was now working, was the problem. Seems to me I paid you to MISDIAGNOSE the computer. You ripped me off.
They then told me if I bought a computer from them they would credit me the $ 75 towards the computer. After the way I was treated, though, there is no way I wanted to give them my money. I try to support local businesses, but I’ll find another place rather than support them.
What bothers me more than anything, including paying the fee, is that not once did anyone apologize or take any responsibility for the hassle they put me through. If I wasn’t told that the estimate would be ready soon, I never would have been without my computer, and ripped of the $ 75. They were also rude to me every time I called on the phone, and two of the three times I was in the store.
After stewing about it for a couple of days I emailed the owner about my experience. He didn’t even have the courtesy to respond. What a joke of a place.
Stay away. This place sucks.

Except for super geeks inhabiting the high end of the tech world, most of us are totally deficient in the skills needed to diagnose problems with computers much less to do any kind of repairs. Short of buying a whole new setup, what are you supposed to do with a nonworking computer that basically holds everything that matters in the known universe? There aren’t a lot of options for competent in-​person help and that was my attraction to this Evanston storefront – I could bring in a tetchy laptop, talk to someone and get help.
My first visit was a little less than ideal – took longer than they promised and they never initiated status calls/​updates. But in the end, the problem was solved and when I picked up the computer, one of them was pretty patient in explaining things and making sure that, once home, all would be right with the world. And the bill wasn’t all that bad so in spite of a semi-​rocky start, I was pleased enough to tell friends.
Twice since then I’ve had issues with the laptop – things that made me break out in a cold sweat, swear at gods of tech breakdowns and beg for time at High Performance. And both times, Shawn has made short work of my crises and gotten me back up and running even when it was my dunderheadedness rather than an actual malfunction that was causing problems.
It’s pretty comforting to have a trusted resource to help with the inevitable computer snags that come along. And since the shop sells computers that are pretty much made to order, it’s a good bet that my next one will come from HPC. It’s nice to buy from someone who’s got real skin in the game and knows and cares about the products.

Shawn is a real expert, always able to help in ways which go way beyond big box stores, automated systems and distant help-​desks. The prices may not be cheap like ordering from a faceless website or massive retailer, but hey — If we don’t support small, local business options, there will be none left before long. And besides, some good advice once in a while can save you a TON of cash, which makes up for paying a few % more.

I have loved this shop since the days when they were Hyde Park Computers in Lake View, so I haven’t minded driving to Evanston for their good service. Unfortunately, their prices have gone way up and their customer service has gone way down. The cost of making a disc of an old computer’s contents has doubled in three years. So be it. Just be sure to call before you go, because three times in the last two months, I have shown up during their open hours and no one was there, even after calling to say I’d be there to pick up my unit. The most aggravating part is that they barely acknowledge that something’s wrong with this. They have cited «family emergency» twice, but did not say or offer anything regarding the incomvenience caused. I will find somewhere nearer to my house. They may be experts, but they need to show up.

This computer shop was great. They thoroughly examined my Dell and found that I had a manufacturer’s defect related to a class-​action lawsuit. Because of their creativity in trying to diagnose my computer’s ills, I was able to get the motherboard fixed for free. These guys know what they’re doing.

My honey purchased a laptop for me from Sean. He put together a nice notebook and even loaded it up with extra software. The store is not really set up for walk-​in customers so be prepared when you check it out. This shop is well worth a visit!
Update: The store appears to be closed. Another location is not open yet.

We’ve bought several computers here and have had a good experience with Sean.
I had a bad experience recently with a man working here who would be better off working in a back room away from people.