This was the third computer repair service I tried to see if my wife's two broken laptop computers…read morecould be saved. Neither of the first two services I tried (Computer Doctor in West Warwick, and PC Tech in Warwick) answered their phones during their posted business hours.
Ironically, although Common Courtesy works by appointment only, the owner actually answered the phone when I called on a Saturday morning. I was able to drop off the computers that same morning, and was told they would call me Tuesday.
As promised, they called Tuesday to report their initial evaluation. The older laptop (which we'd bought used for about $200 or $250), overheated severely and had a damaged hard drive (it had been banged into a wall while it was on). Considering what we'd paid for it, it was more cost-effective to simply buy another used one, instead of repair this one, the owner explained.
The other laptop (which we'd bought new for about $300 or $350), had been dropped, and the charging jack inside the computer had broken. Common Courtesy explained that this was a low-end laptop, and was very labor intensive to dis-assemble, as it was not built with ease of servicing in mind. Due to their familiarity with this laptop's construction, it was quite possible that the jack itself was okay, but the mounting board it was attached to was broken. It would take considerable labor to replace the board that the jack was mounted on, they explained. Furthermore, there could be additional damage from the fall (such as a bad hard drive), but that could not be diagnosed without tearing the laptop apart. Again, buying a used and/or refurbished laptop would be our best bet.
Common Courtesy sometimes sells refurbished laptops, but currently had none available, as they tend to sell out quickly around Christmas. After relaying this information to my wife, we ultimately ending up buying a new laptop (Chromebook, in particular, for about $250) from Best Buy. As for the old laptops, we decided to let Common Courtesy Computers keep the older one to recycle it for parts, but my wife wanted the newer laptop back.
Due to the fact that Common Courtesy does not have a store or shop with regular business hours, it was a bit difficult making arrangements to pick up the old computer we wanted to keep. I had to reschedule appointments twice before I was finally able to get the computer back. But, to their credit, Common Courtesy was always responsive answering the phone or returning calls. I was also thankful that there was no charge to us for evaluating the laptops.
Common Courtesy is apparently a one-person operation; although their operations are based within a large strip mall on Warwick Avenue, the owner also works off-site at clients' businesses or homes, and therefore, cannot sit in a storefront shop all day.
My family's computing needs would probably be served more conveniently by a slightly larger computer sales/service business, that has more than one person, and a store with regular business hours, and a larger inventory of reconditioned computers. We had been going to such a place in Warwick for several years, but apparently, they are no longer around, so finding a replacement business has been difficult.
Nevertheless, I was impressed with Common Courtesy - their name suits them very well, because they have the common courtesy (which is actually not-so-common these days) of answering and returning phone calls. Also, the owner explained the problems with my wife's computers in an easy to understand, non-technical way, and gave common-sense advice that I readily concurred with. If you don't mind working within the appointment-only business model that Common Courtesy uses, then I would recommend them without hesitation to any homeowner or business that needs computer help.
