I have used Marlton Computer Services several times in the past, but after my most recent…read moreexperience and the way the owner handled my complaint, I cannot recommend this company.
I contacted the owner and clearly explained BEFORE the service call that I had an older Apple Mac desktop and that, following changes to Microsoft 365, I could no longer use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook. Knowing that I had a Mac and knowing the nature of the problem, the owner scheduled a technician to come to my office at $110 per hour, plus a $49 service-call fee and travel expenses.
The technician spent more than two hours attempting to fix the problem before admitting that he was not sufficiently familiar with Mac computers to resolve it. My computer then had to be taken back to their service center so that someone else could work on it.
What I find particularly unacceptable is that the owner subsequently acknowledged to me that he should have sent a technician who specialized in Macs. That is exactly the issue. I disclosed from the beginning that this was a Mac. The company--not the customer--decided which technician to send. I do not believe a customer should be expected to pay for a technician who admittedly did not have the expertise required for the computer he was sent to service.
An experienced Mac technician should also have been able to determine relatively quickly whether my older Mac and operating system were compatible with the current version of Microsoft 365. Instead, I incurred hours of charges without the original problem being resolved.
Before writing this review, I contacted the owner directly and gave him an opportunity to resolve the matter. I asked that the service charges be refunded, less the cost of the wireless mouse I purchased and kept. He refused.
What makes this especially disappointing is that I was a repeat customer. I would have continued using Marlton Computer Services in the future had the owner simply taken responsibility for sending a technician who was not qualified to handle the Mac issue.
A good business relationship isn't defined by whether a mistake is ever made; it's defined by how the business responds when the mistake is brought to its attention. Businesses make mistakes. Good businesses acknowledge them, make things right, and preserve the customer's trust.
In this situation, the owner acknowledged that a Mac-qualified technician should have been sent, yet still expected me to pay for the time spent by the technician who lacked that expertise. In my opinion, that is poor customer service and a very shortsighted way to treat a repeat customer.
The company has now lost a customer who had used them several times in the past--not because a mistake was made, but because of the way the owner chose to handle that mistake.
Based on my experience, I will not use Marlton Computer Services again and cannot recommend them to others.
