Shout out to Brian for trouble shooting my motherboard / CPU problem completely over the phone. I learned so much in a short 10 min call. If the rest of the company is even half as knowledgeable as Brian, you're in very capable hands. I'll definitely come back to TechCollective in the future when something inevitably will go wrong with my first PC build LOL read more

These guys are awesome and reminds me of my college friends who are so into computers and helping others as much as possible. I had a corrupt hard disk and another company told me it would cost over $1K to MAYBE recover it. I said no way. I took it to these guys based on yelp reviews and I wasn't disappointed. At first the guy apologized and said they probably couldn't recover it and then as we are on the phone, he said he thought of one more thing and will call me back. A few hours later, he called and said IT WORKED. I got all my data back and a new drive for under $350. Definitely will go back if I need more computer help. read more

I have had the chance to work with Brian D. at my old job in SF, and I must say, among all the IT people that I had worked with in the past, he is the most knowledgeable. He is not your typical IT guy who just comes in, and fixes your computer then leaves. He makes sure that he gets to know his clients and also gives out helpful tips. He is so down to earth, a good person, and is always willing to answer even the most stupid questions thrown at him. I highly recommend Tech Collective for any IT or technical support that your company may need - BIG or SMALL. read more

I can not believe this place has a five star rating. Is it because of the sarcastic person who answers the phone and makes you feel stupid? Is it because the person answering the phone is not helpful? Maybe it is because the person laughs at you in your face? Well, then I guess that is a five star! I called a few places because my MacBook was not working and all of the places were very nice, I just wanted to see what all the fuse was about with techcollective and I got a person who clearly did not care. I will never bring anything to them nor recommend anyone unless I hate them. read more

I have been here twice, with two separate laptops & left both times without having my equipment repaired, so this is less a review for technical acumen than service. There seems to be one person working at a time, so there can be long waits, if the attending tech is involved with another client. They also close for an hour at lunch, so that should calculate into your planning. The tech was brusque & cast a vibe of not being all that interested in working on my laptop/notebook. I have/had an Asus Zenbook & apparently its difficult to work on & hard to find parts for -- it was returned to me, unrepaired, & the tech attendant was not able to put it back together properly. Additionally, I had to call to follow-up on status - they indicated the would look at the next day Friday & give me a call, and when I called them on Tuesday, they still had not done so. In the past, I have gone to Central Computers & their service was much better in that they seemed to care about my issue & were responsive, though I don't see there reviews on this site to be much stronger? Though I am honesty surprised TechCollective has as strong reviews as they have? Perhaps they have different people working there who offer different levels of service. Good luck - its so disheartening having a broken laptop & hoping I find a reliable service shop in the future, since this place is not it for me. read more

Told them my computer was freezing up when I had the wireless on, but it worked fine when the wireless was off. They told me my hard drive was dead. One system restore later and computer is back to normal... (Yes, I'm embarrassed to say I didn't try that before showing up at the store, but doesn't excuse them from telling me lies.) Edit in response to Taran's comments: It's not counter-intuitive to tell me your hard drive is ABOUT to fail, and we think you should get a new one before it goes kaput for good. There's a big difference between that and what this guy told me -- my drive wouldn't even recognize in his testing thing and then he asked me if I needed to get any data off it. (Why would I have trouble getting data off it if I already told you it WORKS under certain conditions?) read more

Being a dyed in the wool Liberal, I loved the idea of going to a collective for my computer repairs. My experience was less than stellar though. They performed the work they said they would, so I can't discount my experience with them on that. The two areas I did have a problem with was customer service and length of time it took. The customer service was just really cold and I felt like I got the minimum it took to get the job done and when I picked up the computer the guy gave me the minimum information about what the problem was and what I should do to prevent it in the future. Not knowing a lot about computers, it would have been nice to have a little hand holding, and for $150 to remove a virus, well, I think that kind of cash warrants some better explanation. Also, I dropped off the computer on Monday morning and didn't get it back until Thursday afternoon. I had to call to see if it was ready and they said, "Oh, we are just finishing up". I'll give them the benefit of the doubt about when it was done, but I think the turn around time could have been accelerated by having a person with less experience do the main work while being supervised by a more senior tech. I would have felt a lot better if this was a two day turn around for $150. I guess I am saying I liked going to a collective but I could have gotten the same experience from Best Buy, a place know for crappy customer service. It's a cliche about tech guys to say they don't have person skills and I know that is not what I was hiring them for, but it would have been nice to have felt like they were at least feigning caring about my experience. read more

I have nothing, but positive feedback for Thom and TechCollective. After 4 years (more like 3 years and 50 weeks, but who's counting?) my MacBook Pro decided to show early signs of hard drive failure. I was able to boot up the computer, but the OS failed and I had no way of accessing data on my hard drive. Foolishly, I neglected to back up any of my data meaning I would have lost all my precious photos from the last 8 years! After a frantic search on yelp I found TechCollective. I submitted a inquiry form that morning for data retrieval and received a call from Thom less than an hour later. He asked me a few questions and walked me through their process. One of the things I really appreciated about TC was that they would let me know whether or not they would be able to retrieve my data before charging me anything vs. other companies who wanted to charge me $100-$200 to diagnose the issue (regardless if they could retrieve the data or not). A few things to note about their process - all of my communication with TC was done through email or over the phone. Their location downtown is just a drop off area where you leave your hardware with the receptionist and pick it up once TC finishes working on it. This can be a negative if you like face to face interaction, but I personally thought that this was extremely convenient. Also, their reception desk is on the 27th floor of a high rise building - not necessarily a bad thing, but good to know if you're scared of heights like me! Throughout the whole process Thom was courteous and professional. When asked he was kind enough to explain what options I had (data retrieval vs. trying to fix the actual laptop). He provided quotes and was able to offer data retrieval services for a fair price. Based off my experience I would highly recommend TechCollective for all of your computer needs. read more

So today Sarah from the collective wrote me and reminded me of this post that I have been meaning to write about my shit experience. Recently, I had spent a month and a half corresponding with Taran about getting a refund for the 120.00 dollars I was OVERCHARGED that he refused to help correct. The person that no longer works, who knew that I was clueless about computers, took advantage of me and I am so pissed off, not just at Yoshi but by Taran as well, the zero effort he made to help take some accountability for the collective SCAMMING ME and I will keep saying that until someone apologizes for ripping me off the first time and someone apologize for Taran letting me get ripped off by Tech Collective when I found out the real truth about what happened. The first time I dropped of my computer, it ended up costing more money than what they said in the beginning, so they "reversed" the changes they made on my computer and gave me back my laptop. That was January 2011. The second time I went back, middle of May 2011, I had enough to get the work done that I "needed". I spent three weeks after my labtop was "fixed" and unable to install an operating system with the disks that came with my computer or any one else software, so I go back to TC and ask them how much to install. 120.00-believe it or not, because I am on a fixed income, it takes me six months to save for it, twenty bucks a month. I come back late Jan of 2012 and drop off my labtop to finally get the software installed. Someone calls me back at some point in the week to inform me that the labtop crashed hard and was beyond repair. I write Yoshi, the person who "helped" me before, Taran writes back saying that he no longer worked there and he was stepping into this conversation. So I reply: Hey there, Someone just called me and said my computer was not able to have an operating system installed. It crashed hard, I so I guess not all laptops can be saved...this was my order: I payed for the diag 40.00 I payed for labor to have my hard drive replaced 80.00 I paid for the hard drive part 40.00 *I paid to have my data saved (the only service I really needed on top of the diag) My question is: Could I get a refund for the overcharges? Would it be possible to refund me for the overcharges? I would donate the laptop as well if you guys wanted. I don't have the time or knowledge to part that thing out. Let me know Taran writes: Sorry for the slow reply, we've been very busy. According to our records and technicians' recollection, you were informed in January 2011 that your iBook was too broken to boot from an install CD, which is necessary to get the operating system restored, and that it wasn't worthwhile to buy the hard drive. My initial understanding of your inquiry needed clarification, but in any case, if you had an issue with the hard drive purchase, you should have contacted us sooner than a year. Taran January 2012 NOTE: I DID NOT get that message at all, they had TWO opportuities and it wasnt over a year ago that I had worked done there. It was more like 7 months yet Taran stuck to that weak argument the whole time (that I shouldn't have waited for a year). How could I know what to Taran if the information is guarded? The last thing I was told was that if I wanted to have my computer running was that I needed to pay for an operating system in May. When I received the news the third time around, that my computer wasn't worth saving, naturally I asked for a refund back. Why would I go against the "experts" and ask them to continue on then? I have no reason to. I remember the week that my computer was getting the drive replaced, I showed up the second time, AFTER tech collective said my computer was ready, to find my computer given to me in a million pieces. I asked Yoshi, "How is this getting my hard drive replaced?". He takes the cardboard of landfill parts back to the tech, yells loud enough for us to hear him out front (which by the way is not professional at all) and tells me to come back later. That would have supposedly been his *second chance* to be informed by the collective that my computer was beyond repair. I give the benefit of the doubt and think its a bad day. I was wrong to give that benefit of the doubt and wrong for recommending this place to everyone I know for years. Taran was a horrible mediator, basically he was like yeah, well, its not that much money to waste/tech collective is stealing- but to me it goes deeper than that, like good business practice. I went to tech collective because I am not a rich yuppie scum or a rich yuppie scum pretending to be poor. I am poor and thought it was really stupid of Taran to say that too me. I will never go back here again or recommend this place. Not even worth 1 star. I would trust tech collective with your computers as much as the mechanic for your car. REMEMBER KIDS: IT IS A BUSINESS. read more

My experience with TechCollective has been fantastic. I will go to them with EVERYTHING computer-related from now on! The woman I spoke to on the phone was friendly, efficient, and had all the information I needed. E-mail correspondence with Thom, the guy who ended up working on my laptop, was friendly and to-the-point, and his response-time was quick. When I told him I had a laptop whose keyboard needed replacing (and that the new keyboard I'd ordered had just arrived), he set me up with an appointment window for later the same day. When I walked into the TechCollective office, Thom was finishing up with some other customer (I was early), but another collective member immediately greeted me and came over to find out what I needed and to let me know that Thom would be with me as soon as he was done. A couple minutes later, my computer was on the work-table and I was watching Thom open it up and take out the old keyboard. He didn't seem at all bothered by me watching the whole process. In fact, he specifically indicated a dislike for the "I'll just take this in the back and [do god knows what to it while you aren't watching]" model of computer repair, which I appreciated, and instead he basically talked me through the steps of what he was doing. It took a bit longer than I think he'd expected, because my laptop had been running hot for a while and some of the plastic was kinda warped in places, so it was hard to get into some places he needed to get into to switch the keyboard. And he took the time to go use compressed air to blow some dust and god-knows-what-all (probably cat hair...sigh) out of there. Oh, and he asked me what I did with the computer, and when I told him I play MMOs, he suggested that I buy a cooling pad with movable fans in order to help keep the heat from damaging anything...and he told me where I could buy a good, reasonably-priced cooling pad. And he showed me one that they had in the office, so I could see how the fans were movable. At this point, I'm thinking...okay, it took longer than he expected for reasons entirely related to the computer itself, he's explaining a bunch of stuff to me as he works, AND he's giving me helpful suggestions and showing me what I should be looking for and how it works. I've been to computer places before, this is gonna run me a zillion dollars, isn't it?! Isn't it?!?! Nope. I'd been planning to show my student ID for the 10% discount, but when Thom said "That'll be $50," I didn't even bother -- it was already way less than I'd expected, and an extra discount would've honestly felt wrong. Final point: you might think I'm crazy, and that's fine, but...well, he was nice to my computer. He put a cloth down before he flipped it upside down and set it on the desk, and he didn't slam it around or scrape it with the tools he was using, or do any of the other rough stuff I've seen people do to computers over the years. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE. :D read more

A few months ago one of our employees called Tech Collective about some minor technical issues in our office. This time around, they were prompt, friendly, and did a great job fixing our issue! Way to go guys! Glad to see you now cater to businesses large or small. Cheers read more

They repaired my Sony Vaio laptop in a reasonable amount of time and for a fair price. The Tech Collective magically found and ordered the part from an authorized parts store. I say magically because the part number wouldn't come up when you search the parts store and it wasn't listed where it should have been. They told me about the effort they put into looking for it and how they finally located the order page. I know they weren't exaggerating because I had tried looking for it myself before I called Tech Collective. I also avoided the hassle and wait time incurred by mailing the laptop to some remote service center. Recommended! read more

Communication is good, prices are good, service is fast, knowledge is first rate. And, to top it all off, these geeks are friendly! Completely deserving of the 5 star average. Wish there were more service providers in the world just like them. Kudos. read more

NERD ALERT! These out of shape, unshowered, slovenly dressed hipster dudes residing in this tiny, hole in the wall shop are my heroes. And they didn't even fix anything. My sister's old laptop died and with it many years of valuable photos. So we brought it in and they quickly determined that the laptop was very fried and not able to traditionally resuscitate. They had to use a Linux CD to scan the computer and it was in bad shape. So they couldn't help but suggested other data recovery companies. Very helpful and I would use them again as they do these diagnosis for free and on the spot. Much appreciated. read more

I neglected to back up my home media drive (all music, vids, pics, etc.), and of course the inevitable happened. LaCie 2TB drive wouldn't show on the desktop and was making a buzzing (not clicking) noise. I did some research online, extracted the drive from the enclosure and bought an SATA bay to plug the drive in, just to make sure the connection wasn't the issue. It wasn't, and after doing some more research (and trying all manner of consumer software recovery), it seemed certain that this would be an expensive hardware recovery (clean room, white suit, etc.), with no guarantee of success. I'd seen these guys' shop in the 'hood for years and brought the disc over. Tom greeted me professionally and courteously, popped the drive in a nearby bay, as I watched the same experience I had been having unfold. He then tried something I hadn't heard of...removing the logic board from the drive and using an eraser to clean the connections. It worked! We both agreed this was a lucky case, but I was out the door in 20 minutes with an accessible drive. I decided to forgo having the files moved to a new drive on site, went to Best Buy, got a new drive, and I'm happily copying files over as I type this. To sum up my first experience with TechCollective: Nice, professional, optimistic staff, a clean, well-organized shop, and a great co-op ethos...I couldn't believe I was in and out with such a valuable recovery for so little money spent. Granted, I was lucky on many fronts, but I can't imagine having a better outcome, and I credit TechCollective for that. Wouldn't hesitate to go back. read more

The guy on the phone - the one whom seemed annoyed- without even asking what computer I am talking about says it would be cheaper to buy a new one. Really? All I need is to get the hinge tightened, replaced in the worst case. He should be working for Best Buy if he isn't already. read more

I'm so glad I found these guys. I'm a freelancer and don't have the resources of a big company's IT department to lean on when things go awry. An old laptop of mine wasn't booting, Dell wouldn't speak to me about it because my $300 service plan had run out, and I wasn't sure what to do. The whole GeekSquad thing puts a bad taste in my mouth, especially after their recent ethics scandal. So I called these guys, who were smart, friendly, casual, and confident. They claim they didn't do *anything* to my laptop except test it, but it now boots (doesn't charge the battery). Your mileage may vary with their miracle touch, but they were honest about the electrical problem not being worth fixing, and didn't even charge me for the diagnosis. I'm geeky enough that I appreciated an explanation of voltage output, but they definitely don't have that "nerdier than thou", condescending vibe that I've come to expect from computer service people. Luckily, it wasn't the computer I use for work, but now I know who to call when I need help with it, and I'm going to recommend them to other people with small businesses like my own. read more

After an obviously worthless visit to Geek Squad, I didn't know what to do with my computer, as it was having serious problems and I need it fixed NOW because I work from home. My roommate told me that he took his laptop to this place and they replaced his motherboard on the spot-- so I thought these are definitely the people I need right now. Sure enough, TechCollective saved my life! If I were to leave my laptop with Best Buy, I would have to wait a week, and pay upwards of $375 for them to diagnose the problem and fix it (in my case it was either virus removal or hard drive replacement, and the guy at Best Buy insisted that it couldn't be the hard drive). When I took my computer to TechCollective, they ran their software on it and determined that my hard drive is corrupted in less than 3 minutes. No joke. All my files are already backed up, so I left my laptop with them to fix. 3 HOURS LATER, IT'S DONE! That's unheard of!!! I got a new hard drive and operating system re-installation for less than $200!! Nice! Not only are these guys quick, knowledgeable, and inexpensive, but they tell it like it is. If you feel like everyone at computer stores acts like a used car salesman, it's time to go to TechCollective and hear them tell you exactly what the problem is; as frankly as possible. They call BS as they see it, and there is a LOT of BS in the tech industry. The experience was like taking my laptop to a good friend to fix! I can't recommend this place enough! read more

My 2 year old laptop suddenly dies and I have a presentation to give in 2 days. Help! I liken computer problems to modern car problems. Tech Collective came to the rescue. I was worried that I was going to get a runaround and that it would cost an arm and a leg, and pretty sure I would barely be able to even describe the problem (being the tech guru i am - ha!). Tech Collective diagnosed my laptop with a failed hard drive within minutes, and had an easy to understand flowsheet of the different options (with prices) of how to handle it. The guy who answered my questions did so clearly and without making me feel lame. My laptop was ready to go the next day, and the price tag was very reasonable. Quick service. Reasonable prices. Nice guys. Annnnnnnnd the laptop is working great!!!! read more

Though I haven't actually used Tech Collective for an official business transaction, my short-lived experience with them is enough to warrant a glowing review. I walked into TC with a broken laptop screen and a broken spirit (as far as computers go). The young man I talked to took one look at my HP and gave me the honest advice that restoration would be more of a headache than a productive endeavor. I appreciated his candor, and was surprised at what happened next. He proceeded to outline carefully what my best options for a new laptop would be, and even gave me a rundown of the different prices, specifications, personal experiences, and varying reliability of competitive laptops brands. I was befuddled. I walked in expecting to be upsold, jerked around, and made to look like a fool for my lack of computer knowledge. Instead, I was spoon-fed a wealth of fresh knowledge that has led to a safe and secure laptop purchase, at no cost! If I do run into another computer related issue in the near future, I'll be traversing the small alley that leads to Tech Collective's modest, honest, and well-run operation. Just one tidbit of advice: invest in some type of interior decoration. read more

I decided that I could clean out my laptop myself which seemed to work great until my fan stopped working. I took it in to Tech Collective since I really could not afford to break my laptop. I paid for them to dislodge some random item ( most likely the one screw I lost in my attempt at cleaning) from the fan. So I feel a bit silly but I know it was handled with much more capable hands then myself. At the same time I got some free advice. They were quick and easy and kept me updated through email. Every one was friendly and at no point did I feel like they were BSing me, which is a fear of mine when I ask for a service that I know nothing about. read more

I made the ultimate computer mistake. I upgraded my Windows Vista Op System and even though it said it would keep my files and programs, it did not. Ugh. And the icing on the cake...I hadn't backed up my files in years. So I freaked out and frantically called EVERY Bay Area computer repair store praying that someone could save my life on Sunday afternoon. Then came Jason. Jason at Tech Collective is a sheer genius. He probably deals with idiots like me all the time and still made me feel like it was going to be okay. He fully restored my computer, and helped me set it up again with all these new tech-approved programs to help me work faster. I'm in awe of how fast and clean my machine is running now. I have gone from complete misery to sheer joy in 24 HOURS!! and I owe it all to Jason. Here is the best part: the total cost of 4 hours of work, which was really more like 2 days...only cost $196!!!! Can you freaking believe this! I was ready to sell my soul to get my files back $196!! This has been the best Monday ever. You would be a fool to take your computer anywhere else. Tech Collective is where it's at. Period. read more

We had a dead laptop floating around. We thought it was completely toast. It had been sitting around for about a year. And I thought we could use another computer for business. So we took it to these guys. I was sure that there would be no gravy. Two days later. Phone call "your computer is ready." I was stoked. And the thing works better then it did before. Cheers Nick www.lostcampersusa.com read more

My very old desk top PC died a couple of years ago. It's been sitting around gathering dust ever since. I had no interest in salvaging the old computer but I did want the photos I had on the hard drive. In a fit of New Years enthusiasm I brought it in to TechCollective yesterday to see if they could salvage any data off it. They opened it up, took out the hard drive, transferred the data onto a Flash drive, and recycled my old computer. $35 for labor + $20 for the flash drive. Best of all is that the pictures of my son from age five to ten were all saved :) I'm pleased as punch! read more

Whhhhhaaaaaa? I never reviewed TC? Simple and sweet. These guys are the best. I was able to meet a representative near my home on the peninsula to drop off my ailing computer. They then repaired my computer in a few days at which point I went to their office to pick it up. The price was great and the customer service is fan freakin tastic! read more

If you have any problem, take your laptop to TechCollective! Why? Because they work while they are sleeping, and they save you couple hundred dollars. My Mac died two days ago, the power port stopped working. So I took it to nearby repair shop in Berkeley. They said it is going to cost me over $400 to change the mother board. And I was on deadline and I was panicking. I remembered my good friend of mine, Yochai, who works in TechCollective. I went to his office, they looked at it, said basically the same, if not $400. I was feeling so terrible that I decided to live on bananas to save money on that day... Next day, I got a call from Taran, my tech guy. "I had a dream about your laptop in which I wiped off the battery port and took out some metal," Taran said. Epiphany!!! He did exactly the same thing to my Mac, and here he is, started working again, without changing mother board, which must have cost me over $300. It only cost me $35 for their work. The point is, these guys care about you, they try their best to do the best work at the lowest cost. They even think about their work while sleeping and get ideas from their dream? Where else can you find such excellent tech guys in the city? TechCollective, this is where you should go whenever you have problem! read more

I have to make this brief. Oh, I'll never achieve "Elite" status! :-( My husband's computer recently and suddenly stopped working. Needless to say he was nonplussed and I felt it incumbent upon me to do something. In a delightful synthesis of my super hero skills, I whipped out my laptop and logged onto yelp. Yelp, I mean, WIFE to the rescue! Yelpers directed me to TechCollective and voila! A same day appointment for diagnostics was obtained. They quickly determined it was just a deficient power supply and offered an upgrade. My hubby opted to wait on it. Fast and friendly, but most importantly professional, TechCollective did not try to force this equipment on my husband, but simply fed him the facts. Tasty, juicy facts! Most importantly, they performed the diagnostic for FREE! Can you believe it?! I would have gladly paid for the diagnostic, but I am not complaining! Husband returned with computer, sans power supply, and we hunted down the one we wanted at Fry's. I know what you're thinking, poor TechCollective - not so much as penny?! Not so. We had them install the power supply, which they said they could do in 24 hours, due to being swamped before a weekend. They actually completed the job in less than 2 hours. Now my husband can return to spending the whole weekend playing first person shooter war games while I yell at my poorly performing football team(s). And all is right with the world. If we ever have an issue with our computer again, we will definitely return to the TC - they are knowledgeable, efficient, savvy and generous. read more

I don't know anything about computers but I do know about good service - and this company has great service! I took in my laptop because it was running slowly. My friends kept saying I should update to a new computer but really, wouldn't you rather spend $100 getting your computer tuned up than $1000+ getting a new one? The guys (maybe there are gals, but I only talked to guys) fixed my computer in half the time they said they would and my computer runs as fast as when I first got it. Admittedly, pretty much everything they said went over my head, but I felt like they really had my best interests at heart and wanted to fix things for me! Thanks TechCollective guys! You rock! read more

Amazing Tech Collective...how sweet the sound! That saved my hubby's wretched PC. He once was lost but now is found. Was crashed but now is playable!!!! read more

My GTech drive wouldn't power up so I brought it in and experienced Tom pulling the drive from it's enclosure right then and there and hooking it up to his station. My drive was good ~ what a relief to know right away ~ and I only needed a new enclosure. Final cost was under $50 and they completed everything while i waited. Truly outstanding service by the whole shop and truly worthy of the 5 star recommendation. read more

My partner and I were faced with computer problems that we needed to have fixed ASAP I am totally computer illiterate so I called TechCollective and was able to set up a same day appt! Yochai, our technician is the best! He arrived on time and went out of his way to make sure that all of our computer issues were solved. Initially, I had purchased a device that was either defective or not working on my system, the store that I purchased it from would only let me exchange it for the same exact device, I thought I was out $450, TechCollective actually bought the device back from me for the full amount. Then Yochai helped me pick out the right device and installed it on our network, amazing! Yochai and TechCollective have truly helped my company, I really appreciate the outstanding level customer service that they have provided to us and I look forward to working with him again in the future. read more

These guys are great. I am glad they are in my neighborhood. The short version: Yochi diagnosed and fixed my Ubuntu 8.10 box. He is personable - professional - and he actually **knows** what he is talking about The long version: There are four stages of competence... Unconscious - incompetence: Think BestBuy or that crazy uncle who can't help claiming that he 'knows computers'. This is where someone is so incompetent that they are blissfully unaware of just how incompetent they truly are Conscious-incompetence: Think... my neighbor learning how to play piano. She knows - she sucks. It's OK. That's why we have music teachers. Conscious-competence: This is where i/we/you can get there.. with a lot of work/research/reading... we can do it. Think... college sophomore writes a paper or the spokes-model from the evening news on TV is asked to give a speech. Unconscious-competence: This is where it looks easy. Think acrobats in Circ du Solei or Obama speaking -- it is absolutely terrific. It is smooth/elegant and graceful. Well thanks to these guys.... my system 'just works'. thanks everyone. MW read more

Matt gave me an honest appraisal of my laptop, ran a free diagnostic check, and recommended I not buy a new one, but instead spend $50 to double my RAM from 1GB to 2GB. He also threw in a free internal WiFi card (since he happened to have one from Dell lying around). At 7pm when they close, Matt stayed late to show me how to properly configure an external monitor and shared a few other tips regarding optimizing my laptop's performance. I was treated with a rare mix of honesty and friendliness that you don't see in the big box stores' computer repair departments. I could tell that Matt took pride in his work and he took his ownership stake in Tech Collective very seriously. We chatted about weekend plans while he vigorously worked to reassemble my laptop. I probably would have gladly paid $100 for the kind of service and expert advice I received, not to mention my computer now runs twice as fast and I didn't even have to replace it! If you're considering taking your computer to Best Buy -- don't. Why pay $250 when TechCollective will give you a free appraisal? Why not get treated with dignity, respect, and honesty? You should be able to walk out of a computer repair feeling good about the process. I'm a customer for life. As strange as it sounds, I can't wait for my computer to break down again so I can go back to TechCollective! read more

Let's first just say that my two experiences with these guys are my only paid tech support experiences, so there is zero frame of reference here. Also, I think a lot of the draw is the fact that they are about two blocks from my house, but who knows? I bet if I moved away I would miss them. Anyways, now that the disclosures are out of the way: very nice fellows. It feels sort of like you are just dropping your stuff of with a friend. That said, they recently raised their price for virus clean-up from $80 to $100, so it's like dropping your stuff with a friend who requires compensation ;D They explained it and it made perfect sense to me, so I'm not holding it against them or anything, but I had to note it. I hadn't realize when I went in the second time. The only other thing I would say (besides the fact that my computer seem quite virus and spyware free when it returns, as it should) is that things don't always seem to get done exactly when they say. I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from going to them, but if you need a rush job, maybe see if there is a way to get one specifically, because otherwise you will want to leave some cushion room. I have the luxury of just strolling by on my way to the grocery store or wherever to check on my stuff, but I know some people will want to have a tighter schedule than that. read more

In Yelp I trust. Thank you, fellow Yelpers for referring me to TechCollective. My computer was brutally slow when I took it in to see these guys. I'd tried everything that I knew how to do... ridding it of viruses, erasing unnecessary programs... the list goes on. As a last result, I walked in to TC and begged them to help. They more than pulled through. A few days into my computer's stay at TC, they called to explain to me what was wrong and walk through my options. The guy on the phone was super nice, humored me when I had non-techie questions, and ultimately coached me into making the right... and cheapest decision for what I needed. They didn't try to upsell me on parts or services that I didn't need like a lot of more established places will. My computer honestly came back working better than the day I bought it. In short, these guys cared... about me, my computer and probably this Yelp review. So, if your computer just won't work and you just can't fix it, I HIGHLY recommend TC. They're just great. read more

Super friendly guys and totally down to earth. The RAID drive I took into them was dead and will need a clean room set up to retrieve anything off of it but they were very thorough in trying every possibility and gave me the contact info for the best guys for the job. Computer problems are never fun but these guys are quick, dependable, knowledgeable and honest. Thanks! read more

We have had a fantastic experience with TechCollective. We're a small software company, and TechCollective has quickly become our go-to for all of our IT needs that are above our pay grade. Brian from TechCollective recently came through to set up some new telephone equipment, and also overhaul our office wifi, as we've been having some issues with speed and interference. In both areas he worked very quickly and professionally, and the solutions he has provided for us have been working fantastic. He is quick to answer any questions and do any quick fixes that are needed. TechCollective also went above and beyond to save our bacon. Some equipment we had ordered from another company did not show up the day before we were leaving for an offsite retreat, and Brian was able to lend us the cellular internet equipment we needed on hours notice. Highly recommended for any sort of IT or other technical support. read more

These guys rock!!! I recently finished a new high-end computer build (my first time), and was worried that I had messed something up. At first I thought that my video card was corrupt, but after having a replacement sent out to me, my computer was still not working. At that point, I figured I'd just cut to the chase I have a professional look at it for me. TC's staff was super helpful & took a look at things for me and fiddled around with my RAM and wiring, all appearing to be in order. Turns out, all that was needed was the "mem OK" button to be pressed (I SWEAR I had done this at least 3-4 times previously), and ta-da! The thing works. I don't know....only thing I can think of is that they have the magic touch or something. They didn't charge me a penny, but I will DEFINITELY be back if something ever does go wrong. read more

True Geniuses! My Sony Vaio laptop died one day and nothing is backed up! All my precious research papers I've ever written in college, all my pictures ever taken, all my music...GONE! Nothing was backed up. Aside from the basic functions like typing, surfing internet, Microsoft office and photoshop, I'm pretty computer illiterate so I have no idea whats wrong or how to fix it. I decided to consult with the Geek Squad service at Best Buy. I go to the Best Buy website to find out what the costs would be like. It turns out that it was going to cost me an arm and a leg to fix my laptop, plus labor, parts, and it's not guaranteed that they'll fix it. I told my friend and she told me to take my laptop to TechCollective. She told me they charge $100 flat rate for data recovery, and if they couldn't recover it, NO CHARGE! I called and the technician tells me to bring it in. He looked at it and immediately knew what was wrong. I got my laptop back the next day! They explained what was wrong with the computer and didn't make me feel dumb. Ironically, when I was driving down to TechCollective, a Geek Squad van cut in front of me. The best part was all my stuff was retrieved, my computer is good as new, and they only charged me $100 flat rate. I'm going to tell the whole world about this wonderful place. read more

So my laptop's monitor went black all of a sudden and it is only 1.5 yrs old! A couple of friends of mine recommended this place, so i took my dell laptop there. i was told i will hear back in 1-2 days. well, i called at the end of the 2nd day and was told that they have tested a few things and still want to test a couple more. i was not in a hurry, so oh, well. the next day, they called and said it is working for now, but without replacing a part, he is not sure when it is going to die again. he was straight forward. so i told him that he can order a part, but i will get the laptop and backup my files and bring it back once the part is in. when i went to pick it up, i just paid for the part, but not for the labor. they said i can pay for the labor once they put the new part. i know they had already spent some time just to get it to work, so i was surprised. anyway, they are really good and reasonable. i def. recommend them. read more