San Diego Computer Consultants

San Diego Computer Consultants/​The Chip Merchant (I am not sure why they have two profiles/​names) has caused irreparable damage to my computer, and are refusing to pay for any of it. If you read nothing else in my review, read that.
I brought my laptop in to SDCC/​The Chip Merchant this summer for power issues I was experiencing while studying for the Bar Exam, which requires a working computer ²⁴⁄₇! They said they would take a look and get back to me. Come about a week later, they say a pin in my power jack was damaged, and they would attempt to resolder it. They did so for $ 120, and my computer seemed to be working fine for another 2 months.
Then, the same issues began happening again. I returned to them, and they charged me another $ 120 to resolve the issue. Without my consent, they installed a new power jack, and returned the computer to me. I plugged it in, studied for approximately four hours, and the power jack exploded, as in «POP», and smoke began billowing from the power input. FOUR hours of use and the laptop was now completely inoperable.
I returned to San Diego Computer Consultants/​The Chip Merchant with this new problem, and they said they would take a look. More than a month later, they call me and tell me my motherboard is irreparably damaged and they cannot replace or repair it. They then have the gall to tell me that they will only refund the money I paid to them, and not pay to repair or replace any of my now destroyed computer.
So not only do I now NOT have a working computer (albeit one with power issues), I don’t have a working computer AT ALL. This company destroyed my computer and has refused to take any responsibility for it. I am not asking to get rich, I am not asking for a brand new computer. I am asking for them to pay for the damage they have done to my computer, and they refuse.
To add insult to injury, I picked up my now useless laptop, and they edited their invoice to make it appear as if they are not responsible for any damage to my machine.
From everything I have seen, SDCC/​The Chip Merchant is a shady company who care about nothing but money. An honest company would admit they were wrong, pay for what they’ve done, and be receiving a five star review from me right now because they handled their business with professionalism and respect. Instead, SDCC/​The Chip Merchant seems to have behaved only to cover themselves once they learned what happened to my computer. I hope my experience enlightens you to the behavior of this company, whom (it goes without saying) I will NEVER be patronizing again, and I will be posting this story on any available outlet so people can be informed about shady companies like this.

I’ve now used this company 3 or 4 times in the past 3 years. Each time their work is outstanding. They simply know what they are doing. Very professional, up to date with technology and darn fast at getting work done. They have diagnostic software most users don’t have and quickly solved a virus problem I had. I’ll definitely be back there in time of need and will have them build my next computer. Thanks again to a great group.

I had a problem with my computer locking up when I tried to check my email and when I went to play Torchlight 2.
Also, the fan kept coming on when I was playing Torchlight 2
which was a real bother because it was noisy.
They fixed the problems!!!
It’s strange to play Torchlight 2 now because the computer is quiet
now except for the game sounds, but I love it.
THEIR AWESOME!!!
THANKS SO MUCH!!!

The staff was professional, helpful and relatively quick at finding the malware on my Desktop that my 2 anti-​virus programs could not find. In addition, the personnel that I talked to were very good communicators which you do not always find in the tech world. The service they provided was very reasonably priced and the record-​keeping and billing was professional and efficient as well. Thank you SDCC!

Great place, and really knowledgeable staff. A little hard to find tucked into a corner of a small retail mall on Ruffin Road. My computers hard drive crashed during our move from Northern California and we were looking at making a claim to the moving company. The staff there worked with us to make sure everything they observed and everything they did was documented for the claim. As it turned out, they were able to restore the existing hard drive and with all the diagnostic and testing work they did, they only charged me $ 80, which is their initial consultation fee. Highly recommended.

I can’t say enough about San Diego Computer Consultants. They reviewed my laptop technical problem and gave me recommendations and didn’t charge me a cent.

This is 2^nd time I took my computer to Computer Consultants for software problems. Both times they solved the problems in a timely, professional, and reasonably priced way. I highly recommend them.

I had a gaming PC for only 1.5 years and all of a sudden one day it cant boot up and no post BIOS beep either. I swapped out RAM and no luck. Luckily I found this store on Unilocal.Went there and dropped off my machine. Alex immediately looked at it and ran diagnosis on it. He narrowed the issue down to either motherboard or CPU. I went ahead ordered the parts from Amazon with prime one day shipping. Swapped out motherboard, no luck, swapped out CPU, money!
Alex was quick and clear on explaining the issues and keeping all the stuff nice and clean. Nice chap!
Best thing, they only charged $ 40 bucks for everything. Martin after calling Devin and they decided to give me a 50% discount to cover the motherboard return shipping cost back to Amazon. I truly appreciate Martin/​Devin/​Alex for making this so inexpensive and easy. Excellent experience and I will definitely come again.
Now I just need to figure out why AMD CPU burnt out so easily, grrrrr that’s $ 200 right there. :(

Took them longer than usual to fix my computer, apparently guy was fixing mine was new. Just when i was about to blame them for total incompetence, the owner came out and apologized profusely.
I mean, shit happens, as long as the owner acknowledge, what can you do.
good business

Called to ask some questions about their services and the lady hung up on me after one question. Rude!

Unlike the positive experience that most people here apparently had, I had an overall unpleasant experience with San Diego Computer Consultants/​The Chip Merchant.
My bottom line impression of SDCC is that they are fine if you know nothing about computers and want something simple done, but that their level of expertise is intermediate — not wizard-​level — and that they are lost with complex problems.
A few weeks ago, I borked my three-​month old Win8 computer by hard booting it. I eventually found a self-​diagnostic text file that said that the master boot record needed to be rebuilt. It also seemed that Windows/​DOS had suddenly lost the ability to see most of my hard drive’s approximately 600 GB of music, pictures, and files, so it might need to have the File Allocation Table rebuilt as well.
Having dealt with trying to repair a crippled Win8 installation before, I knew that Microsoft had closed off many of the avenues that previous versions of Windows had for an amateur like me to try to get in there and fix things. So, I thought to myself, «Perhaps it’s best not to waste time trying … bummer that it’ll cost a hundred dollars or two, but I’ll take it to experts, and they’ll know what to do to get it working again».
I saw that SDCC had a sizable number of five star reviews here on Unilocal,so I thought that they would be trustworthy place to get the work done. I tried to ignore the one or two star reviews, and also the review that had started with few stars but revised themselves higher after feedback from Jorge (the SDCC owner?).
When I dropped my computer off, the tech at the register who was friendly and reassuring. I specifically told him that what I was hoping they would be able to do was get Windows working again, and also restore my missing files. As I left, I felt nervous, but guardedly optimistic that they would be able to help me out.
A couple days later, a tech named Alex called, and cheerily told me that that my computer was now ready to be picked up, since he had reinstalled Windows. I was devastated. Reinstalling Windows meant that there was no chance of repairing my old installation of Windows, and so I had lost all of my installed software, all of my configurations, all the files that I did not have backed up, and the two weeks of work I had done since the last time I had backed up most of my files
To my mind, reinstalling the operating system is a last resort, something one does after trying all other means of repair and admitting defeat. It’s also something I know how to do, and don’t need to pay an «expert» to do for me. Alex not only did not call and ask me if I wanted this step done, he assumed that I had no files to restore, and that it was safe to wallpaper over the missing files with a new Windows installation; somehow, the message that I had missing files that I wanted recovered was not passed on to him.
I suspect that Alex did not even try to rebuild my master boot record or file allocation table, or know how, and I suspect that he made no effort towards any other method of repairing my windows before doing the simplest but most destructive of all possible repair options, a reinstall.
To Alex’s credit, he had copied the disk’s surface to an external drive before reinstalling Windows, and he offered to copy this disk image back to my computer if I wanted. And, also to his credit, he was patient with me being angry on the phone (to some extent, I admit that I was taking out on him my frustration with losing my installation and my files). I appreciated that he apologized a couple times for not calling to check in with me before reinstalling Windows.
My computer was then apparently passed on to a tech named Rick, whose job it was to look for my missing files and try to restore them from the copied external disk image. Alas, this challenge was apparently beyond his skills and his tools’ abilities. I asked him to guess what had gone wrong with my Windows installation and why he was unable to restore my files, and, in both cases, he kept simply repeating that Windows and/​or my files were «too corrupted». I asked him to be more technically specific, but he was either unwilling or unable to give me any more insightful of an answer.
To Alex and Rick’s credit (and this is why I am giving a two star review, rather than a one star), my bill at this point was zero dollars. Since they were unable to help me, they did not charge for the considerable time that they had put in trying.
I then asked Rick to leave the Windows reinstallation on my computer’s hard drive, and to make me an external drive with an image of my computer’s drive before the reinstall. He told me that this would take two days. It wasn’t until six days later, however, and two phone calls from me, that Rick finally let me know that my computer and this new drive were ready for pickup.
All in all, my experience with SDCC was a frustrating one.

Had so many questions yet they answered them all thoroughly and everyone was very friendly. Removed my virus in less than two days. Would definitely go back!

So I saw all of these wonder Unilocal Reviews for San Diego Computer Consultans, which is now part of «The Chip Merchant» and figured I would take my sort of old (2009) Desktop in to be fixed. It had been just turning off over and over again and never actually boot up.
1^st time I took it in: They said it was the Hard Drive. So they replaced the hard drive and sent it back: Total cost $ 120.
I got it home, started up once ok, then it happened again.
2^nd time I took it in: They said it was the Video Card, I took it in, They replace the video card. Total Cost $ 175
I got it home, started up once ok, then it happened again.
Third time I took it in, they said a piece of RAM had gotten loose.
I brought it home and I noticed something weird. Yeah, my wireless card is missing. AND the video card they put in my computer is so crappy that all the games I used to be able to play on my computer now crash it.
So I spent $ 175 and my computer works for VERY basic stuff, but does not have wireless, and does not have a video card good enough to run ½ of the stuff I used to be able to run.
I don’t think this is a the same high quality company it was when it was San Diego Computer Consultants. The Chip Merchant seems to have ruined them.
Update re Jorge’s 3÷12÷13 response below:
Its true that they waived labor costs. But it was the only decent thing to do as it was the exact same issue and they removed hardware from my system. I asked them to replace my wireless card on 1÷25÷2013 and they did not respond to me at all until this Unilocal review was posted. I was not willing to drive the 40 miles round trip to Mira Mesa for a 4^th time. I sent him photo evidence of my missing wireless card and got no response. They wanted to help trouble shoot the issue, but there was nothing to trouble shoot, the piece was missing from the back! I understand that it must be frustrating, but my computer should not have gone from fine to needing several things replaced when its only 3 years old.
If they send me wireless card they removed I will update this to three stars as Jorge was very accommodating. But the fact that you had to pay $ 75 for a diagnostic that is obviously useless since they did not find what was actually issue until charging me to replace 2 pieces or hardware and losing a wireless card in the process is silly. I would have been much more happy if they found the issue, fixed it right away, and it cost me $ 250 than have to deal with this for 6 months, them not find the issue, and now having a computer that STILL crashes everything to try to do something moderating intense (play Dragon Age Orgins or Civiliation IV) with my video card. Both worked fine, now I get fatal errors and crashes when I have them open for more than 5 minutes, and it says it has to do with the video card and the drivers.
Update: 3÷13÷13
I updated this from 1 to 4 stars. They do have excellent customer service. They sent someone out to my house as apparently there was some email mix up where they did not get my email on 1÷23÷13. The acknowledged that the wireless card was not working (did exist). And hung around to help me with the video card they installed to solve that issue too. The weird thing to me is that they did not update the drivers immediately on installation. Right?
OVERALL:
They are very concerned with making sure you are happy. And I am easy to make happy. I cannot give 5 stars because I came in with 1 issue, and had a working video card and wireless adapter, and ended up having to do a dance where I had to replace the hard drive, video card, and now still don’t have a wireless card and this took a long time to resolve. HOWEVER, Jorge and his crew are very diligent about making sure you are happy. Even if some standard things like updating drivers were not done. I am 100% convinced that if you bring your computer to their shop you will have a good customer service experience.

These guys rocked me again. Though they have moved a bit further, the service quality stays the same. I got a RAM slot on my motherboard broken, and these guys quickly fixed it without additional charge more than the basic diagnostic cost.

* These guys recently merged with another company and my hope is that their same excruciating attention to detail and spectacular customer service standards — continues under new management. In early August, I brought in my old Sony VAIO computer from 2002 because of blue screen errors and a failure to load Windows. I was prepared for the worst, e.g., losing all of the data on my hard drive.
* But I checked Unilocal first and came across San Diego Computer Consultants in Normal Heights (they’ve since moved to the Miramar area, which is kind of a drag, a longer drive for people who live close to downtown or in the East and South Counties).
* I met briefly with Martin Bitmead, a knowledgeable, friendly and accomplished computer technician. (He has a wonderful English accent, which may have accentuated his good manners.) I told Martin my main goal was to save as much data as possible — and I wrote a list of file folders on my inoperable computer that I was desperate to recover. The upfront cost to diagnose was only $ 75 — to be applied to any repairs if necessary.
* Fast forward, 24 hours later. Martin called saying he had bad news and good news; the bad news is my computer’s hard drive was dead. The good news (and this sent me over the moon) — is that he managed to save /​recover ALL data — including my original settings, which he «mirror-​imaged» onto a brand new, 2012 hard drive with DOUBLE the capacity of my 2002 hard drive!
* Total cost out the door for the labor (which included an overnight effort to transfer a humongous number of gigabytes worth of data onto my new hard drive) — was an astounding $ 135! Martin was worth every penny. Fabulous guy and competent — and he saved the life of an old computer that was otherwise in fine shape.
* These guys are the REAL DEAL. Of course, my big worry has to do with the future. Everyone at San Diego Computer Consultants was fabulous, and I sure hope the new bosses appreciate what these guys are all about, especially their superlative Unilocal and customer service ratings. A+ all the way.

Superb work.
I went to Martin on a Saturday morning mourning over my damaged USB drive. When I stick it into any computer, it will give me a «Would you like to format your drive?» prompt. I had all my research data and other important documents on there, and couldn’t get to it. I tried recovering it by myself but failed.
Martin was able to get all the files back by Monday. Their customer service is great and they genuinely care about your needs. I was so grateful that I got everything back, else my research progress would’ve been pushed back 2 – 3 months. That would mean my life is over, as I have a deadline coming up relatively soon.
Give them a try, they won’t charge you if they can’t fix it. Awesome guarantee.

These guys are awesome.
I read the Unilocal reviews, paid them a visit, got some real good vibes so I took my computer there.
Everyone here is really nice and attentive. I liked that. They don’t require you to prepay. They told me cost of everything before I even brought my computer in. They said that they would call me if they needed to order parts so that I can approve everything and that’s exactly what they did. My computer needed a new video card. They called me up and said that they can use a $ 25 refurbished card that was better than the one I already had. Or they could have gotten a brand new one for $ 90. I went with the refurbished. Im not much of a gamer. I approved everything and then they called me when it was all ready to go. They cleaned the hard drive and also threw in some other small piece at no charge. It was a three day turn around. It was fast, quick, easy, and convenient. These guys are good. It was a very smooth transaction. I will definitely go back here for computer repairs.

Thank you, Unilocal.Yet again, you save the day. Yet again I ponder the imponderable: where would I be without you?
The reviews speak for themselves — this is a business which earns its stars and thus its customers.
Our family desktop has been plagued by an endless stream of drama. We’ve had several computer doctors come out to work with it and they often spend the majority of the day (6+ hours) tinkering with it, leaving an only slightly better performing machine in their wake. We accepted this as our lot in life and endured the plodding of the PC. Rather, my parents did — I went the laptop route long ago.
Every few months when the molasses-​like performance grew to be too much to bear, my parents would run through the same script:
«Do you have the contact information for the last guy who came out here?»
«I don’t know where it is. How about that guy who came 6 years ago — sweetheart, didn’t you find his card somewhere?»
«Yeah, 6 years ago.»
Finding a computer doctor has been on my to-​do list for a long time but I procrastinated, worrying about how difficult/​expensive it would be — most tech guys seemed to want the machines dropped off at their office or else they would charge an exorbitant home visit fee. After finally buckling down and searching on Unilocal,I was tenatively excited by how quickly a 5 star company with reasonable rates popped up.
Was it really that easy?
Yes kids, Unilocal has really revolutionized our world and made it THIS FAST AND EASY to find incredible service providers like San Diego Computer Consultants. In Unilocal we trust.
The gentleman who came to our house was pleasant and personable. You read that correctly — this company doesn’t just hire brains — they have an eye for customer service as well. My dad loves to scrollsaw and anyone who comes to our house gets a show and tell on his latest projects. All. Of. Them. The technician expressed admiration and then answered all of my inane questions as I sheparded the woodwork back to the workbench.
My parents were thrilled they didn’t have to mortgage the house for the job. I was shocked the bill for a home visit + labor/​parts + new anti-​virus came out to just under $ 150. Most importantly, the plodding PC has a new pep in its programming.
If our computers ever need help again, we know who to call!

Superb, customer-​focused service. Individual attention to my problems, and great results.
I had what I thought was a bad motherboard… some LEDs lit on the board, but no bootup. I brought them a new, compatible motherboard, and asked for an install.
They let me know the board I brought was faulty, then checked out my hardware and diagnosed a faulty power supply, not a mobo issue at all. They had the pwr supply in stock, so replaced and I was on my way for a 1-​hr labor charge + parts.
They *could’ve* done exactly what I asked… installed the mobo, and I would’ve had the same prob, and probably had to pay a for few more hrs of service. Instead, they did what I *needed*, above and beyond what I asked… and delighted me. If I need them, I’ll go back, no questions asked.
These guys are the equivalent of a good auto mechanic… there when you need them, and trustworthy.
I recommend them highly.

My computer wasn’t so much broken as it just wasn’t running optimally. I knew something was wrong, and with 13 five-​star reviews, I figured this was the place to go.
I dropped by the office with my computer on a Wednesday and described my problems. They provided a quote for a basic diagnostic service and I left it there. They contacted me by phone on Friday and explained my computer’s issues and the recommended course of action. After I decided how to proceed, they had it ready for me that night.
Unfortunately, after picking it up, there were new issues. My computer worked for about a minute and a half before shutting down. I was obviously not happy that I took in a computer that worked poorly and brought home a computer that didn’t work at all. However, I was really pleased with how the situation was handled.
I took my computer back the following day and explained what had happened. They provide a 30-​day warranty for their work, and so the subsequent labor was free of charge. Additionally, they were excellent in terms of providing status. It took several days to get everything resolved, but during that time they provided frequent updates. I interacted with a number of employees and each one was professional and responsive to the issues I was having. They earn their stars not for their computer service, but for their customer service.