Unlike everybody else on here, I know I got ripped off by Frankenstein Computers, as I was lied to about parts received, and was treated like an ignorant customer in my interactions with technicians. I would not recommend their services.
My story: I had a relatively high-end, but aging, desktop computer with a failing hard drive. I read reviews of Frankenstein and brought it in for them to repair. They diagnosed it as the same as my conclusion, but said they could clone the information off the drive to a new hard drive. Great news for me and just what I needed (and was unable to do myself).
They quoted me $90 for the hard drive (just the part, not the labor). When I inquired what type of hard drive it would be, they responded, "Larger than your current one, that's for sure." Not exactly a professional answer, but as I had a 1TB hard drive, I felt comfortable paying $90 for a 2 TB one. The labor charges they quoted were high, but reasonable and I felt comfortable paying it for the work.
When I went to pick up the computer, a 1TB hard drive has been installed (a Western Digital Blue). You can buy one for $45 on Amazon and have it delivered to you in an hour. This is exactly why I wanted to know what part they were charging me $90 for. I appreciate a slight markup, but they 1) LIED TO ME ABOUT THE PART I WAS PAYING FOR, as they did NOT install a "larger hard drive" than the one I currently owned, and 2) CHARGED A 100% MARKUP ON THE PART! When I brought this to their attention, they offered to install a 2TB hard drive for $150 (again double the cost the part), but would charge me for the labor again. I offered to return a brand new hard drive to them of the same type for a refund, which they said they'd get back to me about, but I've not heard from them since.
Overall, they completed the requested repair, but treated me like an ignorant customer, lied about the part I was receiving, charged an exuberant price for the standard part installed, and though their customer service was 'friendly' and spoken with smiles on faces, it was far from helpful or customer oriented.
I would not recommend them for your computer repair needs. There are other local establishments who are just as skilled, but much more honest and customer oriented.
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UPDATE: Despite the response to my Yelp review by the business, I recieved no follow ups to my last inquiry in regards to the current offer for a refund for returning an equivalent part (which clearly I would have taken up and remembered, since that's what I requested and described here). IMO, this offer has been extended only because of this post (which is better late than never), but that's my conjecture. Yes, I agreed over the phone to the original work order for "a larger hard drive" as described in my post, and yes, after the work was completed I was not happy, BECAUSE what I agreed to was not delivered (admittedly by the business's mistake). Also note that originally I was offered a refund for the part (store credit first, then refund), but not the labor, so I would have had to return the new drive, but still pay for the cost of the diagnosis and cloning (and still have a computer that needed repair). If I wanted the work done again, I'd have to pay again for the labor and the part (minus the store credit for the part, which was less than the cost of the labor). Not exactly a solution a customer would/should agree to. Nor should a customer have to pay a 100% markup on a common part.
All that said, it certainly seems that my experience differs from the rest of the Yelpers and customers, so take it with a grain of salt. Just be sure to get what you pay for, and don't overpay for parts supplied by the business. If I would have been accurately informed of the part to be installed (good customer service), I would have supplied it myself and none of this would have been an issue. read more