This place is as sketchy and dishonest as they come. My LCD screen recently needed to be replaced so I gave this place a call. The owner told me it would be most cost efficient to place my existing hard drive and memory into another Macbook, then to install a brand new screen as my casing needed to be replaced. When I went to drop off my computer, I found a sign saying "Be back in 30 minutes, call if it's urgent." After calling the suggested number, I finally get a call from the owner telling me that he'll be back 5. After waiting a total of 30 minutes in the cold, the owner finally shows up without offering any sort of apology. I'm ready to take the job somewhere else, but as a responsible business owner myself, I decide to get the repair done as I have a client that will be needing documents printed up within the next few days. After reconfirming the work that we'll be doing, I ask for a receipt. I am told "Not to worry" and the owner reluctantly fills out a drop off slip without recording my serial number or anything else that should have been notated. 3 hours later, I'm told the work has been completed. I arrive yet again to find another sign saying "Ill be back", and a lady waiting outside in the cold. The owner finally comes out of the back again without an apology and tries to laugh off the incident. I am then shown the Macbook I am supposed to take home. This Macbook has 7 highly visible cracks on it, including severe cracking on the frame of the LCD screen, on various parts of the case, and directly above the cd drive. After explaining this is absolutely unacceptable, the owner desperately tried to push the product by reducing the price in $10 increments and frantically trying to push a 90 warranty that probably doesn't even exist. Trying to change the subject, he desperately tries telling me that he gave me an "updated system" and updated my memory. (My system and memory were fine, so why would I care about any of this?) I decline all offers and state that if this problem is not fixed, that I'll be taking my original Macbook and getting it fixed somewhere else. The owner then pulls out a bunch of damaged Macbooks and tries selling me a unit with a non-working portion of the LCD screen, telling me that I "won't even notice it". I explain that I never would have brought my computer in had I known this problem would have been taken care of in this manner and the owner takes me in the back to show me that he doesn't have anything in better condition. He finally finds a Macbook with glue residue on the top and tells me that he'll send me home with wet wipes to remove the glue. Are you joking? After finding a Macbook case in decent condition, I tell the owner that he can put my hard drive and memory into this unit. He freaks out, telling me that it will take "too long and be too much work" and that I should be happy with the service I'm getting since other shops will charge me more. (This is also not true.) After he removes the glue from the previous unit, he turns on the screen and quickly tells me to change my background from black to some bright multi-color to hide a spot that looks like a non-working pixel. After explaining that this "dead pixel" is an apostrophe under the Firefox logo, I state that I'll pay $140 down from $150 and leave the shop. I then get home to find a blue line across the black background. The next day, I call the owner and tell him that he better have my original computer and 100% of my money ready for me because I'm coming down to the store. I'm told that I'll be charged $45 for "the diagnostics" that they never ran because this dude is obviously desperate for money. I tell him there's no way in hell that that will be happening, so, the dude tells me he'll refund all of my money because he's scared about what will happen when I come back in. I arrive at the shop and the dude tries telling me how he doesn't work for free and yatta yatta yatta. Maybe if you had actually worked properly, we wouldn't be having this problem. He puts my battery back in my computer, then tries telling me that one of my memory slots has died. Hmmm. It worked fine before I came into the shop. I'm then told that the rubber that is supposed to cushion the installation of my hard drive has fallen off. "Ill put some glue on it!" he says. Again, didn't have this problem before. The dude coughed up my money after a customer walks into the store and tells me that I better remove my review. Yeah right scumbag. In closing, the owner of this shop doesn't give a rat's ass about you or your problems. It's clear that he has no idea what he is doing and that he's simply looking for a way to make an easy buck without doing the actual work. I'd also be willing to bet that any other positive reviews were purchased as well. Avoid this place like the plague. read more

Okay, I'll try to keep this short, but I think my explanation needs some details. So, please bear with me before you regret bringing anything for service to Computer Zone USA. I brought my 11-inch MacBook Air in for repair to Computer Zone USA on May 23, 2014. The display was broken. I was quoted $300 to fix it and was told to pick it up on Tuesday, May 27th. On June 3, when I went to get it, I noticed the top right the computer cover had a dent that originally wasn't there. I found the plastic hinge connecting the computer's keyboard to the screen was broken. Somebody had tried to fix it with glue. I also noticed that the lid would not close properly. Mr. Shariff, the owner, wasn't there, so I reached him by phone. I explained to him that I could not take my computer the way it was. He said he didn't think the broken plastic hinge was a big deal and he was sorry he had broken it when he was trying to fix it. I then told him the computer did not close completely, to which he responded that Apple computers did not "close", which is obviously false, as I had had this computer for over three years and it always closed before bringing it in for service. Mr. Shariff apologized and offered to reduce the repair price by $25. I answered that I could not accept his offer and asked him to do the work again. He agreed and offered to have it ready by the end of the week. When I tried to pick it up, he told me that they had sent him the wrong part, and asked me to come back at a later time. When I went back again to pick it up he told me the part still hadn't arrived. I asked him to just put my old display back on but he asked me to give him one more day, as the new part would arrive that evening. The next day, I received a phone call saying the computer was ready for pick up and I was told to pick it up from between 4:30 and 6. I went there and the shop was closed. I reached him by phone and told him I was there; he said it would take him over an hour to get there. I finally got my computer back after 3 weeks, still not fixed. I took it to Apple and they fixed it within 48 hours. They told me someone who was clearly not a professional had been messing with it. Inside it, they found tape and other things that should not be there. My computer's sound system is now ruined. My advice to anybody trying to save a little money when fixing a computer is: STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. These people are utterly incompetent (they could not fix my computer, period), unprofessional (they kept giving me excuses for not having my computer ready), dishonest (though Mr. Shariff told me the parts he got for the repair were new, they were clearly used and broken), and irresponsible (I have since filed a formal complaint with the BBB which Mr. Shariff has not answered and I doubt he ever will). Also, after being unable to do his work, Mr. Shariff offered to sell me a new Apple computer similar to my own which was, of course, from dubious origins. read more

In the need for a backup computer, I decided to come here as I didn't have time to deal with craigslist and the drama that ensues. I had a great experience and opened a yelp account in homage of it. In short, this place is inexpensive, has great customer service, and has a convenient location and timings. We're in a recession, people. I didn't choose the career path of a gangster rapper, so extravagant disposable income eludes me. This place offers reasonably priced Macs and PCs, and repairs them as at fare rates as well. There's a new Sheriff in town. Having opened a month ago at this location, Mr.Shariff (who owns and operates the store) is the person to go to. Why would you go to anyone else besides an Indian for IT help? Also, the reason you shouldn't shop on clist or ebay is bec of the customer service or lack there of. You can even contact Mr. Shariff on his cell phone at any time for your computer related emergencies. Lastly, residing in Chicago, I feel like we have daily Carmageddons. Why travel out of your way, when you have someone in your backyard that will more than suffice? He is located a mile off lake shore and is open late,well after your 5 pm office discharge. So...check it out, dummies! read more

Highly Unprofessional, rude, and a bit of a shyter! Yes, the guy working in the store of Computer Zone on Belmont! This guy tried to sell me a used HP computer and told me it would work because he was Muslim, and Muslims don't lie! Really? ! I explained to him I wanted to build a brand new computer from scratch! He said the used HP computer parts would be just as good as anything I would buy brand new from Microcenter! Second red flag was, after I arranged to bring in my brand new computer parts to that I brought from microcenter, he said I could not bring them in that day because he was leaving his shop early to watch TV. He said, I could bring in the computer at 9:30AM! He then went on to say, I will be there at that time because his shop opens at 10Am. I agreed too bring in the computer at that time, but unfortunately the next day I was unable to due to work! I called him in the morning, explained I was not coming and this maniac flips out! He starts yelling and screaming on the phone! I had to remind him he is not the only guy who can build a computer in this city! SMH LOL OMG read more

After being fed up with an old PC laptop for the last time, I decided it was time to do something. It would turn off on its own, freeze at random times and the screen would go dark -- all in the middle of my workflow. So after some research, I brought the machine to CZ and my fears were confirmed: it was all but dead. My stupid laptop was so stubborn it wouldn't even turn on in the store. It knew I was going to replace it then and there. I was hoping to swap some of the hardware to a different machine but other than the HD and memory, the rest of my laptop was useless. So the owner of CZ, Sultan, began showing me available machines at my request. The store has a wide variety of PCs and Macs that are either like new or in good condition. I decided to go big and purchased an iMac capable of handling my current workflow and then some. It's been a couple of weeks with my new computer and I couldn't be happier! Sultan and CZ USA will now be my go-to for all computer related issues. I highly recommend this store to anyone looking for repairs or upgrades or even a new (or semi-new) machine. read more

If there were a sixth star, I'd press that. After dueling with AT&T who installed McAfee and didn't check to see if my Windows 10 was updated, consequently locking all my icons, and then suggesting I pay $15 a month for a year so I could ask for help anytime, I called Computer Zone. Over the phone the owner gave me a tip on how to shut down my computer without internal directions (hold the start key down for 15 seconds) and said he'd see me at 10 the next morning. He not only unlocked my icons and downloaded Chrome for me so I could immediately get to Google, but he created a file for my documents, pictures, music, downloads, etc. so I no longer had to go to a Geek Squad icon plus several extra steps to access them. He also gave me a Muslim prayer to remind a few of my most talkative students to pray for teachers and he rescued my creative life of poems, plays, and novels. But why a sixth star? He didn't even charge me! read more

I spilled shampoo inside my computer and I thought the damage was irreparable as my computer screen was completely black. I found this spot through Yelp and Computer Zone worked to take apart my computer and recover my files within minutes! Sultan did the impossible with ease and I was so impressed with his customer service and confidence that he could fix the damage. Sultan talked me through the whole process and showed me where the issues were in the body of my computer. I even watched as Sultan was so personable when helping other customers who came in, many who were regulars. He even offered to go out of his way to pick up computers for other customers at their homes for repair. So much of what I do exists on my computer and I can't thank computer zone enough for their timing, expertise, and overall kindness in what was a stressful situation for me. I can't recommend this spot enough! read more

A few weeks ago I was in dire straits because my external hard drive was damage and wouldn't open on any of my computers. This hard drive had my life on it so it was a pretty big deal. I remembered hearing good things from a couple friends about Computer Zone USA in Lakeview. A really nice guy named Ahmed was amazing and super helpful. He was quick to see the problem and explained to me that the device was damaged, but he would be able to recover all of my files. He gave me a really great deal on a brand new external hard drive and transferred all of my files for a small fraction of what it would have cost me had I taken it anywhere else in the city and I know that because I researched it. I trust Computer Zone USA and will happily return to them with all of my tech issues Trust me, these guys know there stuff. read more

What a gem of a place! Sultan Shariff, the propropietor, is knowledgeable and friendly, and his charges are very reasonable. I have been going here for years for all sorts of things: minor repairs, used computers, and just general advice, which he freely gives. Two week ago I was traveling, and my improperly closed water bottle leaked in my backpack, completely ruining my 5 year old X200 Lenovo Thinkpad. Sultan was a life saver. He provided me with an image of my old drive on a new one of the same model, restored it all on another X200 laptop that was in much better shape than my old one before it got ruined, and upgraded my RAM from 2 GB to 8GB. Everything was restored, including 20 years worth of emails which I keep stored on my laptop. $460 including all labor and hardware. The man is a Chicago treasure! read more

I am absolutely slammed with work this week and there is no way I can have my laptop start slowing to a crawl and sending me messages that I need more RAM. Called Microcenter and had to make an appointment for the only time that was available - 11:40 am - 12 noon. Even though I just needed to have RAM put in, I had to leave it. Nope. And too expensive. Called Computer Zone USA. Sultan said I could come over when I needed and he promised to put in the RAM while I waited. Got over there and Sultan was professional, attentive, explained how the PC would improve with the huge bump in memory. All for a very reasonable price. I am going back (on my schedule) to upgrade my hard drive this Saturday. Thank you, Sultan! read more

Ahmed, hands down, is the guy to go to for your macbook needs! I came in the other day with my macbook pro and explained to him the frustrations that I was having with lag and other issues when I was trying to upload my videos. When my laptop was under warranty with apple the techs never recommended the proper hardware that I needed with the amount of videos that I was editing and uploading. Not only did Ahmed fix my initial problem for a very fair price, but now my macbook is lightning fast and performs better than when it was new, I kid you not! I post hundreds of videos on YouTube a year and the amount of time that he probably saved me from this point forward is invaluable! Go to Ahmed! read more

I spent almost two hours on the phone with Dell customer service having them try to help fix an issue we were having connecting to the Internet. There was no solution in sight so we decided to take it in for someone to look at it. The reviews for Computer Zone were stellar and we were close by so we decided to give it a try, Ahmed fixed the issue within 10 minutes! Amazing! I also mentioned the slowness in the computer we were experiencing and he proceeded to help with that right away as well. He was very professional, honest and just plain nice. Great customer service! Any future computer issues and I'm going back to Ahmed at Computer Zone USA. read more

My laptop had been running slow and was in desperate need of an upgrade. From the moment I walked in, Sultan and his team were welcoming and attentive. They quickly diagnosed the issues and recommended a solid-state drive upgrade, which has significantly improved my laptop's performance. The turnaround time was impressive--I dropped it off in the morning and had it back by the end of the day. Their pricing is fair, and the quality of work is top-notch. It's evident that they take pride in providing personalized service to their customers. I highly recommend Computer Zone USA for any computer repair needs. read more