Ok...so I have an old clunker that a friend of mine built. For some reason after I moved it started acting up. I looked on Yelp and found SDCC had the best reviews, so i tried them out. I ended up having some viruses....SDCC cleaned up my computer and it works great! I would definitely recommend them. read more

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 Yelp, 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. read more

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. read more

So I saw all of these wonder Yelp 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. 1st 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. 2nd 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 1/2 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 Yelp review was posted. I was not willing to drive the 40 miles round trip to Mira Mesa for a 4th 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. read more

SDCC is professional, honest, fast and very reasonably priced. I had what turned out to be a failed power supply in my desktop machine and they were able to fix it in one business day. They also instsalled a new Blu-ray optical drive for me. Their employees are very good at communicating status and don't leave you in the dark. I can't recommend them highly enough! I took my computer in on a Monday morning to get serviced. It refused to turn on and the motherboard lights weren't even illuminating, so I suspected the power supply was the culprit but was worried that other hardware could be damaged as well. Robert took down all of the background information and read it back to me to ensure it was accurate. I really appreciated the attention to detail. Before closing time that day, I got a call from Adolfo, the technician working on my machine. He said that preliminary tests showed the power supply was at fault but that the next day they would replace it with a new power supply temporarily and run a full hardware test on the motherboard, CPU, memory and other devices. The next day we spoke and he confirmed that the power supply was at fault and that the other hardware was fully functional. The PSU's they had in stock were only 500W, so I was able to run out to Fry's and pick up a new 1000W unit for them to install. I dropped it off and within an hour the system was all ready to go. Adolfo also took some extra time to re-run the cables between all of the internal components. This is what the pros call "cable management" which keeps things better organized and helps improve airflow in the case. He even gave the inside and outside of the case a much needed cleaning to get rid of all the nasty dust. And he carried my system out to my car for me. Really top-notch service. I only ended up having to pay $75 which is the cost of their initial diagnosis, equivalent to one hour of the tech's time. They were very clear that would not exceed that figure without calling me first to get verbal approval. They could have easily slapped on another hour of time and I would have never suspected anything so I give them big bonus points for being very honest. If I ever run into computer issues I can't handle in the future I will definitely take my computer back here! read more

Holy cow -- I can't believe I am writing a review for a computer repair company, when I can hardly figure out how to turn one on most days. And yet, that is what makes this review so real. In a nutshell: I know just a bit more about technology than my grandpa probably does, and I am recommending San Diego Computer Consultants with a HUGE five stars! Our home PC had some kind of evil virus on it that was making even the most simple processes painful and despite buying Norton antivirus software and asking lots of techy friends for their help, the virus continued to make our lives miserable until we could no longer use the stupid computer at all. After consulting good 'ole Yelp and deciding to give San Diego Computer Consultants a call, our problems were solved! I dropped it off mid-day Wednesday and they had it running faster than ever, virus-free and with a snazzy new anti-virus installed Friday morning for less than $150! For the peace of mind and no more frustration using our home computer, this was money VERY well spent. Thank you, San Diego Computer Consultants, for making this computer n00b feel like a smart shopper! read more

These guys are awesome. I read the yelp 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. read more

Fast, inexpensive, friendly - I will take ALL of my computer needs to these guys! My computer was severly infected with viruses and spyware. In fact, we hadn't turned the computer on in about 3 years - we just went out and bought a laptop when I couldn't resolve the issues myself. Now my son is 12 and needs his own computer for homework (and I don't want him on MY laptop!) - so I thought we'd give it a shot. For about $150, the viruses were removed and a super great anti-virus software installed (and includes 3 licenses!). All done in less than a week! AWESOME!! read more

I was recommended to this place by a friend, and am deeply thankful. I have had a prior dealing with Geek Squad - and I never wanted to return there! Geek Squad had terrible customer relations, were way over priced (and asked me to pay up front), did not complete the work within the time frame specified and basically made my skin crawl. San Diego Computer Consultants are the complete opposite of this. They fixed not one, but two laptops of mine within a week time frame, were courteous, friendly, very amenable, and did not overcharge me. Of course, we all wish we could fix our computers for nothing, but it is always a relief not to have to buy an entirely new one! Plus they didn't make me pay until the work was complete. The issues they completely fixed for me were: non functioning computer after drink got spilled on keyboard (saving all the data AND fixing the computer), removing a virus infection, and the complete cloning and replacement of a hard drive. I would highly recommend SDCC for all your computer needs. read more

Short version: Very professional and pleasant folks to deal with. Very understanding too. Lengthier version: I contacted them when my desktop wouldn't post to BIOS. Before I contacted them though, I took apart my computer and narrowed down my issue to either Mother Board or CPU (which was very less likely). They were very quick in confirming it was a faulty Motherboard. They offered me two choices. 1. Buy a motherboard with them and 2. Try for an RMA. I took option 2 and sent in my Motherboard to ASUS for a replacement. While the RMA was in progress, SDCC kept hold of my computer and were very courteous in keeping it safe and sound. Finally I took my replacement mobo to them and they were VERY quick in testing it out (They understand the pain of being separate from a desktop, especially after seeing my rig). I just got my desktop back today. I had to reinstall a few drivers I am unsure why but no qualms.. I respect the professionalism they dealt my case with and they didn't charge me anything extra that what they advertised. read more

* 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 Yelp 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 Yelp and customer service ratings. A+ all the way. read more

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. read more

I got in and out of here for less than $100. Scanned and cleaned computer, made it run fast like new, despite the fact I am stuck in the Vista ghetto! Only complaint: can they get a phone answerer who is only slightly less biotchy? Please. read more

Had a desk top P C heat sink fan broke off It,s backet went a to big box store got the run around But I sure was happy after I walked in off the street And talk to these folks !!! they were great. I provided the part they did the install had it back in about a 45 minutes all for $34.00 and some change All A's for this group read more

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! read more

I came to the San Diego Computer Consultants on a referral and these guys were so awesome! I was very hesitant to just take my laptop to any computer shop because I've had some horrible experiences with places who mess things up even more. As soon as I walked in and explained the virus issue my laptop had the guys were able to tell me that they could take care of it. Sure enough they took care of me and removed the virus that was hiding all of my files, pics, and music into hidden areas in the computer. They also replaced my Hard Drive and installed Kaspersky all for a total of around $130 bucks. I was so pleased afterward and walked away knowing this is the only place I will bring in my computers if I have any issues. Thanks guys! I would recommend the San Diego Computer Consultants to everyone! read more

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. read more

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 read more

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 Yelp. 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. :( read more

ITCM - Cool! - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - San Diego, California

We brought my son's laptop in to be worked on, because it mysteriously quit turning on. It was a paperweight. I showed it to Shannon and he monkeyed with it for a few minutes, and then told me the two or three things that might be wrong with it. For each possibility, he explained solution options and costs. Everything happened exactly as he predicted, except it didn't take as long and was cheaper. Shannon called me every step of the way and kept me informed. It's been awhile since I"ve had such good service. I can't recommend this business highly enough. I plan to bring all of my other laptops and desktop in for a "once over" since they aren't working as well as I'd like. Use 'em. You won't be sorry. read more

Great customer service with tech savy guys that can fix anything without any problems. They explained my issue to me in simple terms, which is always welcome in dealing with computers. read more

I needed to do a wipe/reinstall of my Mac OS on my Powerbook to prepare it for a friend who I was giving it to. I lost my disc so I couldn't do it myself. Right as I entered, I was greeted with a friendly smile. Ricky was able to help me out (an upgrade on the OS too!), and estimated that it would be ready in 2 days. 2 hours after i dropped it off, I got a call, and it was ready to go! I turned it on, and it was like a new laptop for a very reasonable price that I don't think any other place can beat! I'm so glad I found this place .... now I just want to keep my laptop again! read more

I looked them up for my husbands son who lives in San Diego. I am in San Francisco. I had never needed this type of service and decided to go for a local place after seeing the reviews on chains. I guestimated how much it should cost based on what I knew about the problem. In my opinion they came back with a fair price and didn't try to take advantage of the situation since my husbands son says he is not computer saavy himself. The estimate was given and the computer was fixed overnight at the rate quoted. I dealt with this company (Shannon) over the phone to pay the bill and found him to be very knowledgeable and open to discussion about future options for the health of the computer. They gave us a 30 day trial version of an anti-virus program they recommend and explained why it was not Norton they were recommending. Based on that experience I would say students away from home will likely find this a trustworthy place to deal with and their turnaround is quick too which is a bonus during Finals I would think. read more

Great service and very nice people. They gave me a reasonable price and deserve 5 stars. I'd highly recommend them. I had them replace a CPU fan on my laptop and they even cleaned the keyboard. read more

I installed some software on my laptop for my work, and it caused problems with my admin account - I couldn't get into my laptop anymore! After trying to get it resolved through technical online forums (and over 1 day of pulling out my hair), I was referred to San Diego Computer Consultants through a friend. Reviews looked good on Yelp, so I called them. Adolfo told me to bring it on in, and they would take a look. Within a few hours, I got a call back that the laptop was fixed. Finding that hard to believe, I hurried down to Adams Avenue. My account was fully restored, the "bad" accounts were gone, and all of my files were once again fully accessible. I was so happy, I could have cried! Thank you, San Diego Computer Consultants, for fast, good work at a very fair price (they only charged me for 1/2 hour of their time). I would highly recommend these guys to anyone needing help with their PC. read more

I brought my computer in because of water damage. REALLY great customer service. Completely professional. They charged me $118 for parts and labor. We felt like that was very reasonable. We will go back for any work we need done on our computers. My favorite part, they did not ask for a yelp review :) read more

I am so glad I found San Diego Computer Consultants, they responded quickly to my emails and answered all my questions. I needed a system restore on my computer, but didn't want to risk doing it on my own and lose everything. They performed the diagnostic and came up with the same answer as Dell, but were able to actually do it for me. I felt my computer was safe in their very capable hands. Got my computer back in a few days and it was just like new, but with all my files, music and pictures back in place and couldn't be happier! read more

I usually only write reviews if my experience is either terrible or tremendous. Im happy to say it was the latter for these guys. Essentially I was fairly certain my hard drive was going bad/was bad but wanted to have a professional to confirm that and recover any data if possible. I had been using mobile services but that started to be a bit expensive so I found SDCCs on Yelp. I knew it was going to be a great experience when I first walked in and they greeted my right away. We sat at a desk and I explained my problem/situation. They listened intently and theroized what the probable problem was, quoted me the price and said what the lead time would be. The fact that they took the time to listen and actually acted as if I wasnt bothering them was what set them apart to me vs other computer repair places. Overall it was a bad hard drive, I bought a replacement from them at a reasonable price, and they stayed true to their labor quote and within the time frame they promised. I even had to bring it back because the new hard drive was showing a low capacity, so they did a replacemnet right then and their, and in front of me verified that the capacity was now correct on this new hard drive. Thanks again guys, keep it up! read more

I took my laptop here to have a virus problem looked at. An employee at the shop called me and I was told it was ready to be picked up. After driving half an hour to pick it up, I was told it was at the other location in Poway, and that I would have to come back the next day :( By the time I got it back the next day, I was far behind on the project I needed to complete for work. THEN after I used it for a day the symptoms of the virus came back and I had to bring it back once again. They still did not get it completely taken care of the second time. I ended up having to call someone else to get it done right. Using this shop nearly cost me my job. The technicians were always dodgy when I asked about when I would be done and the only contact during this whole process was initiated by me. I WILL NEVER USE THIS PLACE AGAIN! read more

Where do I begin...answering the phone like a professional is a good place to start. Honoring your estimate would be next. Getting the work done in a timely manner would be next. When I got the machine home and couldn't figure out how to get onto the internet, they walked me through that process over the phone free of charge. These guys are great, I'll be back again. read more

Wow- these guys are great! I messed up and accidentally put in a memory card in the slot and it got stuck. Embarrassing, yes, but even in this situation, I was helped greatly by these people! I sent an email on Dec. 21st asking if it was possible to fix this and within half an hour, they responded. The next day, I sent it in for the repair. They told me that they would have it ready by the next day in the afternoon; however, within four hours of me dropping it off, it was already good to go! If it wasn't for me working, I would have picked it up; so I picked it up today and everything is still working great! The service was for a very reasonable price as well- $37.50! I am very satisfied with their work and would come back here in the future should something occur. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS PLACE FOR ANY COMPUTER REPAIRS!! read more

Fantastic Service. Extremely fast turnaround. Fair prices. Highly recommended.

I felt really lucky after blowing $100 on a part at Frye's that I didn't need that these guys helped assess my real computer problem. Unfortunately my computer wasn't worth repairing, but they transferred all my data and installed all my software onto my new machine and didn't charge anything extra for it, save the $75 initial diagnostic fee. They were honest and fair and as much as I hope I don't have to go back anytime soon, I know where I'll go should anything go wrong again. read more

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. read more

Based on prior review, I took my wife's laptop in. I had called earlier and was expecting them to have to wipe it and reinstall windows and everything. When I got there and showed them the problem they fixed it in 20 minutes and were as nice and friendly as could be., These guys are great. Kudos to Adolfo and Robert. Saved me a bunch of money and time - and made my wife happy. read more

YOUR LIFE IS NOT OVER!!! DIAL (619) 640 6444. Now Sigh Relief. Your precious information is safe. (One Saturday morning at 3AM, I walked into Lestat's Coffee shop on Adams, begrudged 5 dollars for computer time, and sent a desperate e-mail to Bill Cumley, the owner of a miracle working shop. Computer Crashed!! Flight in 24 hours!! Please Help!!I I get a call at 7:30 the next morning: (This is the Sunday before Christmas, mind you.) "Peter, this Bill, I can meet you at the shop 11:00AM' By 1:00PM I knew that Even though my hard drive was shot, my information was safe. By 4:00PM I had a brand new harddrive with windows reloaded, and all my files - right where I had left them. The guys at San Diego Computer Consultants put in honest time with reasonable prices. If you call SD home, and run into computer problems that you can't handle, see Bill's shop.) (Wes is pretty cool too.) read more

I accidentally deleted my partition on both my secondary internal and external HD. After spending time and money to have a local tech recover the data (which wasn't much), and getting a quote from a competing data recovery service for $500 minimum. I chose to take it to S.D. Computer Consultants. I was skeptical that they would be able to do any more than was already tried. I'm a skeptic by nature and usually very leery about most anything that requires decent service - which, to me, is not something that I run across to much anymore. Still, because I had read so many favorable reviews on Yelp, I though, "What the h***". In addition, it wouldn't hurt more than a bit more time and $70. The result was amazing! They really came through for me!!! Five stars to them for excellent one-to-one service, timeliness, and cost! The not only recovered all of my files, but reformatted and reinstalled the two hard drives. They even troubleshooted another side issue while I was there for free! Like the previous reviewer stated, "These guys rock!" I would urge you to first try these guys out for any computer issues! They do it all and they do it with class and professionalism! I know that this sounds over-the-top, but they really deserve some praise for providing what consumers can rely upon in a time where no one seems to care anymore about anything. read more

Our office computer was attacked by a malware virus and we needed a quick fix. After reviewing the pricing options from Best Buy, Staples, Office Max, and SDCC, we took our computer to SDCC because they offered the best prices and shortest repair time. SDCC repaired our computer for a great price and provided excellent service. We would recommend SDCC to anyone in need of computer repair. read more

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. read more

I recently got my laptop serviced with SDCC and was blown away with how professional, courteous and customer service oriented these dudes are! Not only did I get my laptop fixed earlier than what was quoted but one of the techs that worked on my LT noticed my "E" key was brokened and just happened to have a spare in the back and swapped it for me even though it wasn't what I originally came in for. With my "E" key working properly now, I can rate them an "E" for EXCELLENT! You guys are great! read more