They did put about 3 hours of work into my computer as good faith with no payment. The owner is not a very nice person. first off their hours on the internet are completely incorrect. This is how the owner talks to his customers. As the owner, I must reiterate that we are appointment-only and not open to the public. Today's slots were booked in December, and we cannot accommodate walk-ins or same-day requests. I have already provided approximately three hours of uncharged work in good faith. Our hours, availability, and policies have been clearly communicated multiple times. Continuing to argue or challenge them needs to stop. If this continues, I will need to begin charging for my time, and I may have to discontinue our engagement in charge you for the time spent. As the owner, I've already informed you that your item will be ready for pickup on Monday. If you continue to contact me or pursue this matter further before then, I will begin charging for the approximately three hours of uncharged time I have already provided. You have been warned. Any reply to this message other than "Sounds good, see you Monday" will result in me instituting that charge immediately. Please respect this boundary. I would not recommend anyone to use this company ever. read more

In my experience its difficult to find someone who is as ethical and honest as Tim. Its rare in the business world to find someone who is not just trying to gouge you the entire time. Who probably underbids himself a little and is more concerned with making sure his service is affordable. His business reminds me of that old phrase "they don't make them like that anymore". Really if your experiencing a computer issue and you need real knowledgeable help from someone who actually cares about the quality of the service being provided as well as making sure that he is not taking you to the cleaners then I would definitely bring your computer here. I live in California but I can tell you Im not going to ever deal with any other computer repair place even if all of my future business is by mail. Really its an exquisite experience and a pleasure everytime. read more

Always Thinking Computers - Thats the store front - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Albany, Oregon

Good service, good work, and quick turnaround. I will use again and I would recommend.

I asked about remote work, letting them know that we have a vulnerable member of the household who is at special risk for Covid. This is the email that I received in response: We have no interest in working with you. Anyone who is afraid of Covid in 2022 is beyond help and I would not expose my staff to you. please stop emailing my company, I will never do business with you.. -- Thank You, Tim Coyle Owner Always Thinking Computers Microsoft Partner Intel Partner Dell Certified Systems Expert Lenovo Partner read more

I'm sending this review on behalf of my dad. Always Thinking is knowledgable and very fair with their pricing. My dad had such a good experience, he called me up right after so he could tell me about it, which was pretty sweet. Highly recommend! read more

Tim was incredibly helpful and kind in diagnosing my computer. I got the "blue screen of death" and feared everything on my main hard drive was lost, but he found it was only a messed up boot sequence and fixed it within moments. He also gave me some great advice on how to make my computer run better. I can't recommend him highly enough. We've had him do work on other computers also and won't bring our computers to anyone else... ever! read more

Desperately needed a laptop charger for like a few hours and the owner let me borrow one for free. Good guy.

Great Service, Fast and Fair!! My notebook had a damaged HHD, that Tim diagnosed within a few minutes of my walking into the shop. He gave me a couple of options for replacement - I chose the solid state replacement. The computer runs better than ever. Tim was very informative and up front about the process and pricing, and it was nice to be able to check the status of the work with a tap or two on my smartphone. The job was finished, and I had the computer back home the same day. read more

The best customer service I have seen! Fixed my computer in minutes at no charge for labor or diagnostics! I will go to Tim in the future whenever I need help! read more

I had a 12+ year old back up storage drive that had 222gb of archived files and photos. First, I didn't have the cable to connect to my computer because the drive was so outdated. Tim gave me one of his extras. Next, my power cable was broken. Tim took the time to try one of his, it worked. He let me borrow it! All of this was no charge. During the process he was so (obviously) helpful AND careful about security. I give him my highest recommendation. read more

Josh came and cleaned up two of my PC. Very polite and efficient. Amazing price too!

I have known Tim for several years. He has done multiple repairs for me over those years. Never once have I ever had to question what he was doing was correct. I am an old electronics technician that has worked at Hewlett-Packard and I'm not stupid when it comes to computers but I can't fix everything, especially the new things and the new software.Bad reviews you see just does not fit the place I know. If you want a very knowledgeable honest computer repair place, this is the place to be. read more

This shop is the best. Tim is always willing to help. He knew right away what the problem was and fixed within minutes. He always gets my little Asus back on line in record time. His pricing is also very fair and worth it. You wont be disappointed in his work. Thank you Tim. read more

I have used them now 3 times for various issues with our devices and each time I feel we were given an honest assessment and a fast and very reasonably priced repair. I cannot recommend them any higher. read more

I brought in my husband's computer to get an estimate December 23rd, about 30 minutes before they were closing for the day. Not only did he quote me waaaaay less than anyone else ( I had called 6 other places), he said he could do it right then so that my husband could have it before Christmas, even though I said we were in no rush. I will never go anywhere else and I will recommend ATC to anyone that needs help with their computer. Thank you, thank you, thank you. My husband was so excited to have his computer back and running again and has used it every day since. read more

He fixed in seconds what I thought would take days waiting for parts. I have an older laptop with a fan that stopped working. He gave me a quote to replace it but instead took it back to blow it out and instantly got it working without charging me a dime. It is rare to find a repair person that helps a clueless customer like myself out when he could have easily charged me a lot. I would recommend his service to anyone because of how helpful and honest he was. I will be going to him for any computer issues in the future. read more

Sent to me on 5/22/14: Hi I, Tim C. sent you a message on Yelp: Subject: You are not being honest and I will take legal action if you do not remove the post. "I do not who you are, but you are lying. We do not proceed to repair computers under original warranty, ever. You also said I said it was a virus problem. Why would I replace a HDD if you had virus'?. Yes you can get every tool we use online, every program made is available online we use the same tools every computer store in the world uses, but you didn't you pay us for the software you paid us for the knowledge of how to use it. If you could have repaired it yourself you had that option we not not force you to come here. In addition you said your HDD was in warranty with until 2018? The longest warranty offered by any manufacturer is 3 years Western Digital's are 2 , If it is already in a laptop, than the warranty is bought out by the laptop manufacturer and ends when your laptop warranty ends; usually one year. We have also never been sued, nor has anyone even tried. However I will be seeking litigation against you if this review is still here in 72 hours. Make no mistake I will sue you for libel comments and for slander, I am already looking through my records to figure out who you are. I suggest you stop lying and remove this before I figure it out and serve you with papers." I was bullied about my opinion. Ray read more

I feel compelled to take the time to write this post. I have been in business for almost 15 years and I always try to be honest and fair, and realize I can't make everyone happy.... But I have always been professional. I just want to share my experience at ATC's ... Because reading some of these reviews.... I think it's important to share how Tim has been nothing but professional,extremely knowledgeable, but most importantly honest. My computer crashed when I was preparing for a lecture. My plug in no longer worked, and multiple viruses slowed my computer to a hault! With the lecture only two weeks away. Tim repaired my computer and replaced the entire screen and shell of the computer because I damaged mine. But instead of having to buy a brand new item. He had a refurbished laptop frame that was practically brand new at a steal of a deal! His honesty is what I value most. When I came to pay for the cost, it was less then what he estimated !!! So i get my computer back a week later , and I accidentally sat on the laptop and fractured the monitor! Lol, but seriously , Tim rushed ordered a new screen in two days and installed it for me for free. I just paid for the screen itself! Now that's honesty! And I was able to give my lecture to my colleagues! So Tim, thank you for all you do, you have a loyal customer and I will be referring my colleagues and friends to you Thank you Joe read more

Your policy says to check the status of my computer online, how am I supposed to do that if you have my computer. Very poor customer service. The service contract has spots for initials to verify that the customer has agreed to your policy. I was not informed to initial anything, but apparently if you can't read then your not welcome. Would not recommend this business, very compatible prices elsewhere. Do your homework. read more

ATC is the ONLY place to take your computer for repair. Price is great. Service is better. And my computer came back running the best it ever has. Originally brought my computer to Staples and $149.00 and two weeks later it was as if the computer was never touched. Don't waste your money on pretenders. Tim at ATC not only charged nearly half the price, he had my computer as good as new in under four hours. You won't be disappointed. read more

I was having serious issues with my laptop. Windows wouldn't even load and all I had was a black screen. Tim, the owner, completely fixed it and now it's running faster than ever. Reinstalling Windows failed and Tim went in and changed things until it worked. In summary, he didn't give up until he found a solution to my problem and didn't even charge me any extra for the additional time he spent. Any extra time he had to spend on my problem I was made aware of through his online updates. Very honest and a more than fair place. Would definitely recommend to others. Also gave me a 30 day warranty on his services, although I don't think I'll need it! read more

Probably the worst customer service I've experienced in my life. The owner hung up on me 4 times, even though I remained respectful, never raised my voice, and barely said more than a few sentences. There's no chance I'll ever take my business here. For the full version, it's story time! Here's what happened. I called to ask if they had a power adapter that would work for my laptop. When I told them what laptop I have, he said he did not have a 120W adapter, but directed me to one I could purchase from Amazon. I realized that he kept mentioning a 120W adapter, but I thought my original was a 90W, so I began to ask about that, but he cut me off, saying he had a customer at the counter, recommended I buy that one, wished me a good day, and hung up. The entire conversation took 2 - 3 minutes. Okay, no big deal. A little unprofessional, but I appreciated the help, and understood he needed to talk to a walk-in customer. I took some time to look up the adapter he recommended, and compare it to my original, and sure enough, it looked different, as well as having a different Watt and Amp output. I waited about 10 minutes from my first call, so he could help his customer, and called back to figure out why the discrepancy. The 2nd call only lasted a few seconds. As soon as he realized it was me again, before I could even ask anything, he stated that he had already helped me all he could, and didn't "have any more time to discuss this," and promptly hung up. This time I was quite shocked that anyone would treat a potential customer that way, but was mostly irritated because I was still left wondering if they had an adapter they could sell me that would work (since I assumed he was incorrect about what adapter I needed, and I was trying to buy locally because I needed one ASAP). I promptly called back a 3rd time, and this time before he could cut me off or hang up, I quickly blurted out, "It's me again, and I just need to know if you have a 90W adapter, because the one on Amazon you directed me to is not the same as my original." He responded that no, they only had 65W adapters, and then *click*; hung up again. And this point I was appalled, but I had my answer--they couldn't help me. I resolved to write a negative review but realized I didn't know who I had been talking to, and figured I should give the owner a chance to take corrective action before posting about it. I called back a 4th time, and immediately asked if I could talk to the owner. Well, what do you know? That's who I'd been speaking with all along. I said I just wanted to let him know I was going to write a negative review on Yelp and Google. He then launched into a minute long monologue tirade. He said to go ahead, he'd respond with what really happened (I'm looking forward to that), and that I was the one harassing him. He said that he'd helped me the first time, and told me he didn't have a 90W adapter (he hadn't told me that until the 3rd call) and that even though my laptop came with a 90W adapter, the manufacturer actually recommends a 120W and it will work fine (this was the first time I'd heard this, and appreciated knowing it), and that he has 3 degrees and 10 years' experience fixing computers, and so on, until he ended by hanging up again (for the 4th time). In conclusion, the entire way the owner behaved was quite stunning. I was fully ready to drive across town and purchase a ~$25 adapter if they had one, so I think that I should have been worth at least a few minutes of his time. Not to mention, taking care of customers is how you build clientele, even if you don't make a sale. Instead, I was left with the impression that the owner is very high-stress and unstable, and I would not recommend their services to anyone. read more

I was so relieved to have the very thorough help of Always Thinking Computers!! A month ago, I bought a used laptop online that ended up having an overheating issue due to a broken fan, as well as a damaged power cord. I was pretty torn up about the problems because I had not been informed of any issues when I bought the laptop from the online seller. A friend of mine recommended Always Thinking, so I sent them an email about my plight. When I called to follow up, the owner was very helpful in outlining possible culprits of the issues (which at the time we did not know) When I brought the laptop in, the owner spent an ample amount of time testing it to give me an honest assessment if it was even worth fixing. He did not charge me for this thorough evaluation--something which one of the major electronic store chains wanted to charge me $150 for. I thought this was incredibly generous of the owner! He informed me that the computer would indeed be worth fixing, so I went ahead and hired him to perform the repairs. Less than a week later, I had the laptop back in hand and in perfect working order. No more ominous warning screen about overheating, no more power cord issue. Not only that, the charge for the repairs, including parts (new fan and new cord), was only $65. The owner explained to me that he discounted the services because of a tiny issue he had sealing down the top "lip" of the keyboard (it looked to have been previously glued down by the former owner, and so had to be carefully pried open and then placed back together) This was just a minor cosmetic concern, not the store owner's fault, but he offered the discount because he said he likes every job to be done 100% perfectly. There is no way I would have received such honest and dedicated service anywhere else. I am so grateful for Always Thinking Computers for helping me fix this laptop and getting me through a rough situation dealing with a dishonest computer seller. I would recommend this business to anyone. And I will definitely be returning if I ever need help with computer repairs again! Thank you so much Always Thinking for your outstanding service!! :) :) read more

Took an Asus laptop in to get the DC jack repaired. A week goes by and we are told that the laptop is now broken and won't power on. I could still get it to charge if I messed with the cord for a bit so to go from functional to broken after sending it in for a repair is rediculous. Oh and we are being charged $20 for the privelage. Not too impressed. read more

I am so satisfied with customer service. They solved every problem. I am so glad I decided to drop off my laptop. I'll not hesitate to use them again. Thanks. read more

If there were magicians in this day an age, it would be Tim at ATC. Tim is very friendly and knowledgeable about anything computer related (and the Beavs!) and has come through for me like a lifesaver. I have purchased two computers from him as well and have had great success with both. Everyone's computer could use a visit to Always Thinking Computers. It is nice to know someone who has got your back and is upfront and straight forward with you about the health of your computer. Thanks again Tim! You are a fantastic person to know! read more

Took a dead computer in to ATC and after about 15 to 20 minutes they had it working like normal. The best part is they didn't even charge me. This will be my go-to place for any repairs I may need in the future. read more

Excellent service and great advice. The man helping me was honest and fixed my computer for free when I had a loose screw inside the laptop. Will recommend read more

Customer service training would help. After being yelled at for calling their office to see what was going on with my computer after we were advised it would only take a day then a call to give us some info a week later to hear nothing and to get yelled at when I call is just bad service. Weather or not they can do their job is not the question. The problem I have encountered was their lack of customer service from the owner. read more

Brought computer in for diagnosis and repair early in the week. Was told it was probably the mother board, when checked, that wasn't the problem. Told to leave it and they would let me know problem on web. Friday came and the diagnosis was the HDD and that it would be done on Friday. Called to approve repair and was given hell for calling? Told to come and get it on Monday. I think they were mad because they couldn't figure out what was wrong so they took it out on me. If you are clueless just admit it and I will take it to someone who knows what they are doing. They need to learn how to work with people not just computers... read more

Literally the worst customer service I have ever received. I went in with a black screened computer. The owner (I presume) suggested the issue was either a malfunctioning screen or a blown motherboard, both of which were my assumptions, as well. He said he would be able to get the data off my computer regardless and that it would be done "by tomorrow at the latest", so I left him my external hard drive so he could transfer the data once the diagnosis was complete. I checked the online status report from my phone (since he had my computer and the policy clearly states that $50 would be charged for calling or dropping by to check the status) every few hours. The status stayed at "waiting for bench" with no other explanation as to what was going on for a full day. I needed the external hard drive for work, so went in the next day to simply get the hard drive and leave the computer there so he could finish up and the owner assumed I went in to check on the computer. In fact, I mentioned nothing about the computer and he told me, unprompted, that I needed to get a new computer altogether and that the broken one would be ready to pick up the following day. I said, okay, and thank you and left. The next day there was still no change in the status for my computer on their website and I still needed the data on the computer to be put back onto my external hard drive for work, so I went back in to drop off the hard drive. Again, without letting me say one word, the owner assumed I was coming in to ask about the computer, started yelling at me for "not following the rules" and threatened to charge me $50 for stepping into his building again, all of this with another customer standing right in front of him. He then told me that, instead, he wasn't going to deal with me anymore because I was being so much of a problem and said he would call in an hour after he put the computer back together. Instead of calling, though, he left me this note on the online status report: "Violated Repair status policy twice. Upset was taking more than 2 days, do not think customer understands how long it takes to take this unit apart pull out motherboard and than reassemble. Unit is dead, Customer requested backup, but as there have been two violations of Repair Status Policy will not continue on this work order rather than charge the $100 fees for stopping by." You're damn right I don't know how long it takes to take apart the unit! That's why I brought it to a computer store in the first place! Instead of him telling me how long it takes, he yelled at me for not following the rules and then threatened to charge me extra for bringing back a part necessary for a data transfer he promised he could do. I never mentioned anything about my computer until he brought it up himself. To cap it off, once I got this passive aggressive message, I sent my partner in to get the computer (I was too livid) and after he simply said, "I don't appreciate the way you treated my girlfriend when she was just bringing back the hard drive" the owner replied with, "she obviously can't read otherwise she would have known the policy" and followed that up with "F**K OFF!" Seriously, dude??? You're going to insult my intelligence because I took less than a minute of your time to pick up and try to drop off a hard drive? Furthermore, how is anyone supposed to know what the status of their computer is if you don't update the system? How do you expect people to just wait around for a supposed phone call? Get another person to work in your building if you're too busy to answer people's questions! Don't just treat customers like a nuisance, they are your source of income, after all. If that isn't the worst service ever, I don't know what is. Never go to this repair shop. Whether they can actually do their jobs is completely moot, because they'll just kick you out if you step inside more than once. read more

Tim repaired my laptop's screen a couple of months ago. He was very personable. He understood that I was a student so he tried to give me the best deal possible. I even got my laptop back the very next day! read more

Had an extremely good experience with ATC. I dropped off one laptop which was acting poorly. I thought it may be some viruses but he figured out that I just needed more RAM. Turnaround time was less than 2 days. The laptop is running amazingly well now. Just dropped off the second laptop for upgrades. The prices are very reasonable. There is always a fewf people waiting in line when I go there but I'm good with that - I never go to a mechanic who is not busy.... read more

The dc jack went out on my dad's laptop so I took it in to get fixed. One thing about the system at this company is that you can't call or drop by the shop too see how the repair is going. And when you look at their automated system online it just says repair in progress. I was told it was going to take a week to fix, for parts to come in and the installation. So when the date I was expecting a call roles by I got confused and wanted to know what was going on. But I couldn't call or drop by because I would be charged an extra 50$ for stopping their "work". After 2 weeks and a half I finally get a call saying that they were having troubles with it but it should be done in the next couple days, just waiting on a new part. So the day comes and they call me and say that I was all set and could pick it up. So it's been 3 weeks and 2 of which I had no clue what was going on. I pick it up they show me it was working I pay 85$ for the fix and that would be fine if they had fixed it. I take it home and plugged it in. It begins to work but I noticed that the outer frame wasn't pushed in all the way. So I click it together and it stops charging again and the power dies. My charger is in rough condition so I thought that might be the problem. I take it back to them and they check it with their charger and nope its the dc jack. The guy starts to tell me he's not going to fix it again its too much work and I can't get a refund. The words he used were "once a computer with a dc jack leaves in working conition it is not refundable." Best he can do is transfer everything from that hardrive to a new computer because its about the same price as a dc jack repair. I go home and think I'll open it up and look at it. (At this point im furious with this company) I open it up find the problem that a so called computer shop couldn't figure out and fix it my self. The problem was that when you click the case down on the laptop it would pull the dc jack out of where it connects to the motherboard due to how they were routing the wires in side the computer. So I figure that he didnt click it down knowing it wouldn't work so I could come pick it up in "working condition" so I wouldnt be able to get a refund. Pretty sleezy if you ask me. It took me 45 minutes to do. And I've never worked with computers. Just took a youtube tutorial to figure it out. So I lost 85$ for a job that would have taken myself a few days for a dc jack to come in the mail and 45 minutes to do. This company will not succeed with the current person in charge and the customer service at hand. I regret ever going there and will advise anyone else to steer clear of this company. read more

A very good friend recommended Always Thinking Computers and I am thrilled that she did. I took my computer in this morning and the service was excellent and fast. Tim was very nice. I will highly recommend them to all my friends. read more

My girlfriend's computer crashed on the Fourth of July, and she had a school paper saved on there that was due on the fifth. I looked all over town for the equipment to recover the hard drive myself, and no one nearby sold an SATA to USB cable or a hard drive enclosure. I called this place to see if they had parts, and he said he didn't, but after I explained the situation he said he could get the information off of there really quickly for me, and if it was just a couple files, he would do it really cheap or for free. I jumped in the car and headed over there, and he had my files on a jump drive for me in about four minutes. I'm going to try to recover the rest of the hard drive myself, but if I can't do it I would definitely go back here to do a full recovery of our information. He also takes in old computers for recycling, so if you have old equipment laying around that you don't want to put in a landfill because you shouldn't do that, he'll take care of it for you. read more

I'm not the kind of person who usually writes reviews--I always mean to, but then I never get around to it. But this time I must take the time to do so. I've been burned by computer repair shops, where they keep needing more money for one more part, one more part, and then in the end it's determined that it's not even worth fixing after I've already spent more then it was worth and more than a new one cost. This past week was the third time I've done business with ATC and every time they've been polite, prompt, and very reasonable in their rates. Their prices are so fair that it's worth it to me to just take it there rather than spend weeks--or even months--waiting for a warranty repair. I would not hesitate to recommend their service to anyone. read more

Worst Service Ever! I went in to this store in Corvallis as a favor to pick up a computer for a friend who lives 1 hour out of town on the day they had promised it would be done. The guy was fine that day, saying it would definitely be done the next day, he needed some additional part that would be coming in that afternoon. The next day I dropped by to pick up the computer and I had the most outrageous interaction with the guy who works there. The guy was in the back room working behind a curtain and after a minute came out and said rudely and quickly it wasn't done, he would call when it was done walking back into the back room. He continued on to say I had broken some agreement in the contract where the customer is not to come in and ask if the computer was finished and that he could charge me $20 for coming in asking if it was done, and again said "he would call when it was done". As I began to walk out I realized that he did not have my number to call (I was picking up for a friend). When I went back in to give him my number the guy flips out "You know, this is the second time you've come in to ask about this computer. You've broken this contract, here, just take the computer have someone else do it for you." and he hands me the computer. WOW. I was shocked. People like this should not be in business and will not likely be in business for very long. I let him know I would tell all of my friends about his business. So, here you go... My advice AVOID this business. This person was unreasonable rude and not customer service oriented in ANY way. Always thinking? How about, not thinking at all? read more

The guy that owns and runs this store has mental problems. I think he may have Asburgers Syndrome as his social skills are low functioning, very extreme and out right scary. He started yelling at me when I came in too early to pick up my computer even though he said it would be ready by Friday and I came in on Monday on my way in from the airport. But when I dropped it off he was really nice and said it would be no problem, probably done by the end of the day or first thing the following morning. but I told him I was flying out of town at 4 am the next day so I would be in on Monday. But on Monday he was acting crazy and started talking really fast and was saying things like "what do you people expect. Take it down the street where they charge twice as much and take 3-4 weeks. Did you read your receipt or paper work. Youre breaking your contract....." He just kept throwing up all this vile babel and then told me he was putting my old drive back in my computer and I could take it somewhere else. He is bipolar and really scary and unreasonable. He wasn't making any sense and his reaction to me coming in was really extreme and wasn't appropriate for the interaction that was taking place. I had to take him to small claims court because he uninstalled my Windows 7 operating system and when he reinstalled it, he installed a bootleg/pirated version and Windows kept saying that it wouldn't install any more updates on my computer until I registered/activated it with a key code. So, that was when I brought it back and he was supposed to activate it for me and install a new hard drive. But when I went in before it was ready on my way home from the airport he refused to activate it and finish installing the hard drive. So I either had to buy a new Windows 7 license or take him to court because my computer came with Windows 7 installed when I purchased it. read more

I had the best experience with Always Thinking Computers. Living in Corvallis I shopped around and decided to call ATC. My experience started with the phone call asking for an estimate which was way better than what was quoted to me from other places I called and was also told that the diagnostics would be free which made the drive to Albany well worth it. Once I explained the problem I was having with my laptop, I was told my options, how much it would cost and when it would be finished. I was able to track the progress of the repairs online on their website which was very convenient. Once the laptop was done, I was given a call and went and picked it up right away. It was explained to me all that was done and there was a few things that were repaired at no extra cost. I was shown the part that was replaced which impressed me. I am so happy with the work that was done that I will be referring my friends and family to ATC. read more